Wizard: This mushroom is too fierce.

Olivia is getting better and better at cheating, or rather, she's matured and now she's even learned to renege on her promises.

Roland didn't hold it against Olivia. The two were friends now, and besides, he had already tricked her and gotten her potion-making knowledge for free. Those magic stones were just a drop in the ocean of the course fee.

Roland focused his attention on these resumes, screening them one by one, and finally threw most of them into the trash, keeping only a few.

He then instructed his elven servants to prepare a room for the two of them, and then summoned them to begin their interview.

"Kaze, you're skilled in plant magic?" Roland looked at the person who came in. His resume said he was a prospective plant magic master assistant, and at the end, he listed a bunch of apprentice-level plant magic he had cultivated.

"Yes..." Kaze nodded, then said respectfully, "I am skilled in grafting and cultivation methods..."

"I once worked independently in a plant grower's garden, helping that person cultivate magical plants."

"That's amazing?" Olivia blinked when she heard this. Plantations aren't something just anyone can acquire. They're assets that require passing the Wizarding Association's Plant Mage Assistant exam and becoming a first-class wizard apprentice before you're qualified to apply to the academy.

"I see you wrote about the 'Fiery Durian' magical plant on your resume," Roland asked softly. "Could you please describe its main characteristics and specific cultivation methods?"

Upon hearing the question, Kaze broke out in a cold sweat and quickly said, "Lord Roland, I don't have much experience with this magical plant..."

"How about I explain the grafting cultivation method?"

Roland shook his head, refusing: "At least name a few characteristics, what kind of magical plant is it?"

Kaze wanted to speak but didn't know what to say, so Roland explained, "How could you not know the answer to something like this?"

"The Fiery Durian is a 0.5-level fire-attribute attack magic plant at the apprentice level. Mature plants can grow to about 1.2 meters tall, with a dark red skin. It can launch 'fruit bombs' and is a classic fire-attribute projectile magic plant."

"Shouldn't this be content from the apprentice-level encyclopedia of magical plants?"

Clearly, this wizarding apprentice was just a beginner trying to get away with something. After Roland told him to leave, he said to Olivia, "This is infuriating... coming for an interview with only a little bit of knowledge."

"Do they really think I learned plant magic for nothing?!" Roland said angrily. Didn't these people recognize the sign he made?

Although it's just empty talk, Roland and Olivia are truly talented, and it won't be easy for them to get by in their areas of expertise.

"Don't be angry... This kind of thing happens all the time... My dad often encountered this situation when he was hiring assistants."

Olivia appeared understanding, and Roland nodded in agreement before moving on to the next candidate: "I heard you're skilled in potions?"

.....

A moment later, Olivia, panting heavily, glared at the girl below the stage with a hostile expression: "This is infuriating... If you don't know, you don't know, and you still made it up."

"Calm down!" Roland chuckled secretly. "Calm down, didn't you say you weren't angry?"

"How can that be the same!" Olivia scoffed. "Potions Arts isn't like Botany; it's used on wizards."

"If every potion maker is careless and doesn't nitpick about the quality of their potions, they will indiscriminately produce inferior potions."

"Then the entire wizarding community will soon begin to question the potion-making industry, and there may even be a collapse of trust!"

"Do you think that back then, potion masters would still have their current status and the ability to earn magic stones? They would probably even have trouble surviving."

After Olivia finished explaining to Roland, Roland fell silent. It was indeed the case, especially the potions used on individual wizards.

This is no joke; if used incorrectly or if the quality is faulty, a wizard's future could be ruined.

After interviewing several people, Roland noticed that Olivia's expression had become extremely unpleasant. Clearly, for this naive second-generation witch, today's interview had significantly altered her worldview.

"Unbelievable... Many of these people have third or fourth-class wizarding aptitude, and they completed the academy's assessments early and enrolled ahead of schedule."

"But the knowledge in their minds is like a blank sheet of paper; there's nothing there."

Olivia sighed, "Not even as good as you, who's only been studying for a month..."

Roland: Speechless....(ˉ▽ˉ；)

"Next!" Roland said, his expression hardening.

"Hello, Senior Olivia and Senior Roland... I am Edmund Whitman, a third-class wizard apprentice skilled in alchemy."

Edmund was a small, thin boy, only about 1.5 meters tall. He continued, "My mentor is the alchemist dwarf 'Orwell,' who, like Lord Roland's mentor, is also a first-circle wizard who joined this year."

Roland watched the other man speak eloquently and asked softly, "You seem to know about both of us?"

Edmund nodded: "Of course... Senior Roland, your name is well-known among low-caliber apprentices like myself."

"Oh?" Roland asked with interest, "How so...?"

Edmund looked at Roland with a strange expression, then explained in a low voice, "Senior, it's not a very nice title."

"?" Roland's eyes widened upon hearing this. He usually didn't even leave the house except for attending classes, devoting himself wholeheartedly to building his wizarding career. How could he have such a bad reputation?

"Hey, junior, tell me... what title did Roland receive among the apprentice candidates?"

Olivia's face also showed curiosity. Roland's dark history, she really wanted to hear about it.

Who knows, I might even be able to use this embarrassing past to get free magic stones from Roland someday.

Edmund glanced left at Roland and right at Olivia, noticing one's dark expression and the other's curiosity, and felt immense pressure. He awkwardly explained, "It's...some people say that Senior Roland is a gigolo, a kept man."

"Haha..." Hearing this, Olivia's aloof expression completely crumbled. She grinned and said to Roland, "What did you do? You didn't sleep with some old woman to earn magic stones, did you?"

Edmund whispered a reminder: "Um...everyone's saying that the rich woman who gave Lord Roland the magic stone is you."

"What!" Olivia's smile immediately turned grim, and she gritted her teeth, glaring at Edmund. "What's going on?"

Edmund explained the whole story. Roland frowned after listening, while Olivia was speechless. She really couldn't believe that the rumors started in this way.

"Who first spread this rumor?" Roland asked.

Scarlett...

"I don't know him!" Roland thought for a moment, then shook his head and continued, "Who is this person? Did he pass the academy's assessment?"

Edmund pondered for a moment, shook his head, and explained, "No... but she's quite famous; she was the first female candidate to seek a powerful backer to escape the academy's debts."

"I heard that in the Kingdom of Carter, regardless of gender, anyone who fails the assessment... all manages to avoid the debts that should fall on them by signing a master-servant contract with a third-class wizard apprentice."

"The Kingdom of Carter..." Roland pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Colin Ipjos is one of them?"