Three Apprentices

Watching the euphoric Xie Man, a hint of a smile appeared on the girl’s face as she said, “My name is Artil Yuri, and you?”

“Xie Man,” Xie Man replied, looking at another boy.

The latter raised his chin slightly and said indifferently, “Corey McKinnon.”

Perhaps because Xie Man was dressed in commoner clothes, Corey seemed to look down on him a bit. After politely introducing his name, he ignored Xie Man.

On the contrary, Artil smiled warmly at Xie Man, with no hint of condescension despite their differences in status.

She was a gentle girl.

Xie Man mused inwardly.

It wasn’t until the sky faintly turned yellow that the testing finally ended.

The result surprised Xie Man; in the end, only he, Artil, and Corey passed.

The rest were all eliminated.

This made Xie Man feel that he might actually be quite exceptional.

“Follow me.”

The old man carefully wrapped the books in fine cloth, tucked them into his bosom, and then turned to beckon Xie Man and the other two.

Under the old man’s guidance, the three entered the inner city and arrived before a castle.

The old man seemed to hold considerable status, as the guards at the gate greeted him with respect immediately.

It was only now that Xie Man learned the old man’s name was Geller, a steward in the castle.

The guard who had previously reminded him of the test widened his eyes in surprise upon seeing Xie Man, clearly not expecting Xie Man to actually pass.

Xie Man smiled gratefully at him, thinking to himself that he should find an opportunity to thank the guard properly later.

“Young Master Su Nan is very kind and never beats or scolds servants. There’s no need to be nervous when you meet him later.”

On the way, Old Geller soothed the three with a few words.

However, it wasn’t very effective as all three of them looked tense.

Xie Man had every reason to be nervous; the person he was about to meet was a high-ranking figure in his eyes. Not feeling nervous would be odd.

Even Artil and Corey had been sternly reminded by their elders before coming here to maintain respect for Lord Su Nan and not to displease him.

They weaved their way through courtyards and corridors until Old Geller finally led the three to a courtyard.

The spacious courtyard was empty, except for a small cat lounging lazily in the sun on the stone table at its center.

Artil’s eyes lit up slightly.

What an adorable little cat!

Xie Man and Corey couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

But what happened next left the three of them stunned.

They watched as Old Geller approached, bowed respectfully to the cat, and said in a courteous tone, “Master Amy, these three are the newly recruited apprentices. I’ve brought them to meet Young Master Su Nan.”

“Meow, Su Nan is meditating in the meditation room. He’ll be out in about half an hour. You can wait here for a while.”

Amy licked her paw and curiously sized up the three.

The trio was already dumbfounded.

A talking cat?!

Were they dreaming?

They instinctively looked at Old Geller, who lightly coughed and whispered, “Master Amy is a… friend of Lord Su Nan. Do not be disrespectful.”

“Meow, come over and sit down, don’t just stand there foolishly.” Amy lifted her paw and beckoned the three.

Seeing this, the three exchanged glances and sat down around the stone table with some trepidation.

Old Geller then placed the books and a scroll of parchment on the stone table before bowing to Amy and taking his leave.

In an instant, the courtyard was left with only the three of them and a cat.

“Meow, what are your names?”

Amy initiated the conversation eagerly, chatting away with the three.

Xie Man’s demeanor was somewhat absent-minded, never having imagined he’d one day sit down and chat with a cat.

Fortunately, the other party seemed very friendly, asking topics like ‘what’s fun in Shining City’ and ‘where to find tasty Ice Mint,’ topics to which Xie Man had little to contribute. Who knew what Ice Mint was?

However, Corey and Artil appeared much more knowledgeable, able to answer many of the questions. Xie Man felt both envious and self-conscious.

Half an hour quickly passed.

From the depths of the corridor came the creaking sound of a door opening.

“Meow, Su Nan is out.”

The three of them reflexively stood up, looking nervously towards the corridor.

A figure soon emerged from the corridor.

Contrary to their expectations, they had thought Lord Su Nan would be a young man in his twenties or thirties. But seeing him in person, they realized he was incredibly youthful, seemingly not even twenty.

“Lord Su Nan!”

The three dared not look too closely and quickly bowed.

Su Nan nodded slightly without speaking, reaching out a hand, causing the parchment on the stone table to float into his grasp.

He unfolded it and his expression shifted slightly.

Corey McKinnon, the son of a lord.

Artil Yuri, the daughter of a scholar.

Xie Man, a commoner’s foster son.

The three just so happened to represent the three classes of the Shining Lands. What a coincidence.

After reclaiming the Shining Lands, Brother Ke Yi had conferred ranks upon three lords, besides Bured and Jodun, among them was a knight named Stary McKinnon—father to the boy Corey.

The parchment also detailed the entire process of the testing.

The entire examination lasted seven days. During that time, over a thousand youths who met the age and literacy criteria participated. Yet in the end, only three managed to pass the aptitude test.

Su Nan wasn’t surprised by this result.

Even during the wizarding golden age a millennium ago, those with wizard aptitude were a minority compared to the vast population, less than one in a thousand.

Let alone that over the past millennia, with the significant reduction in energy particle concentration, those with wizard aptitude would be even fewer.

To find three qualified individuals in the entire Shining Lands, honestly exceeded Su Nan’s expectations.

He originally thought finding even one would be considered good.

Of course, as to how far the three in front of him would grow, Su Nan couldn’t be certain either.

Unless they displayed enough value, he wouldn’t waste excessive resources training them.

With a wave of Su Nan’s hand, three thick books appeared out of thin air, landing on the stone table.

The scene left the three children’s eyes glued wide open.

“This is the Star Ring Meditation Technique, the key to becoming wizard apprentices. It’s also what you’ll be practicing for the foreseeable future.”

“From today, you’ll live here. If you require anything concerning food, clothing, and lodging, speak to the servants. As long as it’s reasonable, they’ll meet all your needs.”

“Your sole duty is to diligently practice the Star Ring Meditation Technique. Once you achieve proficiency, I’ll take you on as my students.”

“Understood?”

Xie Man, Corey, and Artil, both thrilled and astonished, replied in unison.

Apprentices and students are two completely different concepts, something they clearly understood.

If they could become Lord Su Nan’s students, their future would undoubtedly be brighter and more illustrious.

Su Nan nodded in satisfaction, waving them away.

Cultivating suitable assistants to help maintain various base facilities was not an easy task.

The foremost condition was that these individuals must at least be wizard apprentices.

Even if they were first-level wizard apprentices who hadn’t yet successfully constructed the first star ring, it would suffice.

Otherwise, without even the ability to sense energy particles, much of the work simply couldn’t proceed.

Wizards aren’t a group fond of spreading knowledge.

Many wizards painstakingly train apprentices either to nurture their own forces for resource collection or to find a batch of qualified assistants.

And Su Nan wanted both.

He planned to start from now, gradually cultivating manpower.

When the wizard era descended a thousand years from now, perhaps he would have already established his own wizarding faction.

And to accomplish this, the first step was the most crucial and also the most challenging.

Su Nan was mentally prepared for this.