It feels a little bit wrong... Well, the quality is not that good.
Ashamed, ashamed
——
Edward's eyes narrowed.
This face has a high nose bridge that is unusual among dwarfs. The gray eyes have the characteristic laxity of myopia, but there is also something that can be called profound, especially the three lines between the eyebrows that have been condensed from years of hard thinking.
There are many fine lines, and it looks a bit wise. However, the gray hair is dirty and messy, and it is stuck into strands with grease and branches outwards, revealing the smooth and shiny bald head in the middle. In addition, the hair on the face is
The darkness caused by neglect of cleaning is somewhat in line with the appearance of the scientific nerds in Edward's memory.
However, under this sloppy face, there is a very neat beard - the hair on the upper lip is trimmed into a delicate line, from the philtrum to the sides, the soft and dense hair gradually becomes stiff, and finally at the
The corners of the lips are curved upward, like a thin fishing hook, with a sharp steel end, as if it can pierce something.
For a moment, someone couldn't help but feel that this face was somewhat familiar. But he didn't know where similar things were buried in some corner of his memory.
The dwarf race has always been known for their weak bodies and smart minds, and they may even be born with the ability to use some illusions... However, the chance of a mage among them is obviously lower than that of humans, because the whole race is famous for liking to fool around and not doing their jobs properly -
- Just like the one in front of him, he did not wear a hood like other mages to be full of mystery. Instead, under the open collar, a large piece of pale skin was exposed, making Edward couldn't help but guess whether he was only wearing this one.
clothing……
Well, maybe this was not a suspicion. Because the next moment Edward noticed the two hairy bare short legs exposed under the mage robe when the other party approached.
But this does not mean that they are untrustworthy※...Although the exhaustion of mental power caused the subtle ringing to continue to echo in the ears, years of training still allowed the former hunter to capture a few key words, his eyes flickering,
Edward bent down and quietly made a test: "I'm sorry, what you said... seems to be different from what I know? Are you talking about the coat of arms?"
Unfortunately, this little trick obviously had no effect on a mage - the latter just squinted his eyes, put on a strange smile at the corner of his mouth, and threw him a piece of parchment and quill, but did not answer his question.
.
So Edward looked at him and asked again: "Can you tell me whose coat of arms I have here?"
"My Lord, can you hurry up? Do you plan to go back on your word?"
"No, no... I think Your Majesty the Chief is tired, so I want to take this opportunity to rest more,"
The question did not get an answer because it was interrupted by another question. Edward raised his eyes in disgust and glanced at the group of booing spectators standing outside the barrier. No wonder there are many mages coming out of the academy, but success and fame mean nothing.
Less than one in a hundred... The rich second generation class may give birth to some elites, but most of the guys who lack guidance can only become a group of boring fools.
But if they are a group of little fools, then what is the point of performing a meaningless and boring trick in a semi-forced state to entertain these fools themselves?
The chief cognitive apprentice suddenly felt a little unhappy.
"Well, after thinking about it for a while, I suddenly realized that I don't seem to be making a good deal, right?" The quill circled around the end of the parchment, but in the end it just put a little ink on it. The challenger frowned dissatisfied.
: "...What tricks do you want to play again?"
"Look, if I lose, you want me to give up my position as chief, but this position is mine, right?" Edward blinked and gave his confident opponent a smile: "But if I win
What about you? Shouldn't you... also make some kind of gesture?"
"Well, yes, then it's up to you to decide," the boy said smoothly, looking confident.
"Anything is okay? Well, if you lose, how about becoming my servant?"
"It doesn't make sense. The risk to me is too great. Let's do this. It will take up to three years..."
Edward smiled and nodded.
So the battle begins the next moment,
The boy jumped a step to the side, reached forward, and pronounced a spell clearly and accurately...
Fireball Technique - His syllables had just changed and his fingers had drawn half a circle, Edward was sure of it. It was the thousand and one tricks that the mage most commonly used, used most, and loved most.
On a certain level, fireball is simply a symbol of the mage. There has never been a spell with such a single function, but it can be extended so widely, and no spell can match its frequency of use.
, Oh, of course 0-level spells such as Dancing Lights or Magic Tricks do not count.
But it is precisely because of this that Edward knows this spell very well - he points his finger to the target point and determines the distance from which the fireball bursts. While reciting the spell, a pea-sized hot ball will fly from the fingertips.
It will explode at the designated point unless it hits an object or solid obstacle before reaching it.
This kid obviously wants to use a big move to directly frighten his opponent. He not only wants to win, but also creates enough sound and light effects to improve his own evaluation - which is in line with the mentality of a child.
But he never expected that the other party would have such speed and cunning.
The other party cast the spell first, and he recited an extremely strange syllable loudly. The strange and sinister tone turned into a shout almost instantly, and then a ball of light flickered and rose up on his fingertips.
…
What kind of spell is this?
The unheard of spells and movements made everyone's eyes and minds seem to be focused on the ball of light in an instant - so, the moment before the fireball technique left the challenger's finger, before the spell was finished, the ball of light
It exploded. Then as expected, all the eyes staring at it were stung by the white luster.
"Asshole", "Damn it", "It's the flash technique", several screams suddenly came from the spectator seats.
The kid in the duel shook his head involuntarily. Although the fireball technique in his hand was fired, the rumbling explosion made him feel uneasy...
A huge force suddenly came from the chest and abdomen... The child suddenly opened his mouth wide and tried to inhale, but he only made a high-pitched sound like a mouse... The slippery saliva, the sourness of gastric juice and the bitterness of bile flowed out in an instant.
The punch that hit his diaphragm had caused almost all the air to be expelled from his alveoli. The terrible pain immediately turned this proud quail into a twitching chicken.
…
A round crystal, light and shadow are projected from it, and the illusion of human figures and landforms is outlined in the upper square inches. In the afterglow, everything is hazy and full of mysterious beauty - like a profound
Just like the magical world.
In the shadow of the light, stood a tall elderly scholar. He was wearing a well-tailored gorgeous robe of some outdated style. Several purple and green magic stones were floating around his head, making him
He looks calm and knowledgeable. Although there is not much smile on his thin face, there is still some vague kindness in his eyes.
At this moment, his eyes fell on the short figure in the bench facing him.
If Edward were present, then he might recognize this mage from the dwarf race, whom he had met once before... He was still huddled in that old and overly large robe, with weed-like hair sprouting from both sides of his huge head.
The gray hair seemed more messy and greasy, and the tall and neat figure in front of him made him look even smaller.
"There are still a few apprentices in this period who can take a look, and those Krorodians have unexpectedly recruited some good talents. Especially the little girl who leads the team. Although the seven or eight rings can look
This is her limit... But this time the emperor's decision still underestimated them a little too much." The tall old man glanced at the jumping figures, and his words were full of irrelevant words.
Relaxed: "Of course, the most surprising thing is the miserly Ralphs... This time they actually asked one of their family members to hide everything and come to take the exam? I thought they would never turn over a single penny to the kingdom.
tax."
"It's just a twist of fate. I'm afraid it has nothing to do with the old glazed cat of the Ralphs family. I guess, that miser is already throwing pillows and cursing... Actually, it interests me.
Yes, will he come to me and bite people?" The old dwarf chuckled, showing his tiny teeth: "Of course, if you want to take people from me...that old guy can't rely on his body.
Just be slippery and you'll get it done."
"Aren't you afraid that a penniless apprentice or a mage will come out of the mage tower? You must know that acorns never fall far from the tree." The tall mage laughed, maybe it was a joke, but it was obvious
He's not good at this.
"When did you start caring about those boring things? Mages exist to break the rules. How can a normal guy become a mage?" The dwarf stretched out his short fingers, and the shadow image transformed by the crystal rotated.
He stood up and finally settled on the only boy not covered by a robe: "So, the more abnormal, the better. Isn't it?"
"Is it because of this guy that you came all the way this time?" The tall old man snorted: "Just because he is Asali's apprentice? I don't think he deserves your attention."
"At the beginning, I didn't pay too much attention to that little girl Asali. She actually found an apprentice, and he was a guy of such age and with such bad talent." The old dwarf scratched his head: "But yesterday, Mi
That brat Nahir complained to me angrily... No, it was only after he provided some information that I discovered what was interesting about this brat."
"Although I admit that he is indeed the most cunning and mature one among this batch of apprentices. But in my opinion, he may never become a true... or a mage in a pure sense,"
The tall old man's eyes were still evenly divided on the shadows of each apprentice, and his voice remained unchanged: "Without special training, he will never be able to touch the edge of the fourth-layer magic network in his entire life."
"We don't lack pure mages. In fact, there are too many of them... but how many of them are not just a bunch of shit? On the contrary, among the kingdom's mages, there have been several good characters in recent times. Those who were originally
We should have given up, but it is more promising than imagined... So, don’t you think our approach needs to be discussed?”
The dwarf laughed: "Look at him, his observation ability, judgment, way of thinking... Wisdom is part of destiny, and the external environment a person encounters will affect his mind - we often say that the little devils
Life experience is too short, and passion and impulse, fighting and bloodlust are often confused, but have you ever seen any of these in him?"
"His way of thinking is more like a fighter than a scholar. His willpower is also very strong. Such people always mature quickly and can achieve more than others. But what is the use of a fighter?" The tall mage finally turned his attention.
Stop on that figure.
"Yes, willpower, my old friend... A mage does not have the agility of a rogue to dodge attacks, the strong body of a warrior, or the divine protection of a priest. He does not have the innate bloodline of a warlock. What a mage has is only will...
…This is what my teacher said to me. Although it is not everything, it makes a lot of sense.”
"From the beginning of the test to now, he has not participated in any courses in the academy, but he only left for one night. The rest of the time, he wandered around the laboratory, and there were many special things there that he didn't even know.
No attempt at contact, other than that."
"The Monster Manual is from A to R, almost all of it. Fragments of the history of magic, the ancient Ella people...dragon structures, divine texts? Those are all things that need to be repaired or verified, right? Why is he looking for these things?" The tall man
The mage frowned, with a hint of surprise in his voice: "And...he actually read it from beginning to end? Even if he only watched it once..."
"You're not interested either, are you? As your status increases, your patience naturally decreases..."
The short chemist twitched the corner of his mouth, as if mocking, but before the other party felt angry, he had already responded in time: "If it were me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be interested in even half a page of such a incomplete thing. Only those who are specialized in
People who study these things can be so focused, but that is only limited to the parts that interest them."
"Except for interest, I can't think of any other reason for such a kid to be so sleepless and forgetful about food and sleep." The tall old man frowned even more tightly: "Do you know why he wants to be a mage? It doesn't seem like he is a noble or someone who wants to improve himself.
As a guy like me, I am just envious of my spellcasting ability, but I don’t have such good patience and curiosity."
"It's not just curiosity...because besides that, there are also some interesting things." The dwarf flicked his fingers and brought another crystal to his side:
The scene in the crystal ball continued to expand, and finally it was enough to see the results of the young man's busy work - things like steel strings would naturally not be noticed by the two chemists, but the smooth writing of the tool and the burning from the metal
The flame, the refined design that has been tempered over time, is enough to arouse the interest of any being who never relies on the power of natural laws to use energy.
Of course, the most amazing thing... is the magic circle that the little guy is using.
"It's just an ordinary alchemy table. He can't sense the magic network, but he can push a five-ring magic circle. Such mental power can no longer be described by the word excellent. It's really... surprising." The tall man
The mage was silent for a moment, and then
"There are countless planes and countless people. There are more people who are naturally insensitive to the magic network than there are gravels on the ground. There are also countless slow people who are completely rejected by the goddess... But generally speaking, the slowness is on both sides, and the people who are completely rejected by the magic network are
The guy who refuses has his own inherent shortcomings, whether he is slow or closed-minded...but he is different."
The dwarf old man scratched his head, and the remaining hair formed an even more wonderful shape under his hands: "He has very good mental strength, and he is also very good at using magic items... Don't you think
Isn't it a very strange thing to be able to use spiritual energy so flexibly, but cannot use it through the magic network at all?"
"Nothing is everything. Those boring talent restrictions... are also not worth mentioning. Whether it is a wish spell or a meditation volume, it is not too difficult a choice for us. This little guy is
He's a little clever and has some stamina...so, do you think you can give him some extra preferential treatment?"
The tall mage was silent, and then noticed the key points of what his companion said.
In the crystal, the shadow of the young man is very blurry. No matter how the picture in the crystal is enlarged and condensed, his figure is always a little hazy...
However, the scene in the crystal is transmitted through the entire magic circle system of the mage. It is equivalent to being under the spell of true vision at all times - and the surrounding situation, even the alchemy equipment he is using,
Every line of magic power was vaguely visible, but the figure itself still presented a hazy feeling, as if wrapped in a layer of mist.
The old man snorted.
He raised his hand, and a handful of white light burst in his hand. However, after pausing for a moment, there was no further reaction. It only made him frown his thick long eyebrows. Then he drew a complicated gesture in the air and muttered:
A mantra.
But this time the response to him was still a long silence.
"The crystal ball of true knowledge cannot completely locate him. I have tried it, and it seems that most prophecy spells will be deflected around him..." The old dwarf smiled: "This little guy seems to have had some encounters that we could not imagine.
.”
"Some kind of anti-detection magic? Or a curse from the devil? Or a malicious joke from an old friend?" Master Gao's voice instantly became colder, but his companion shook his head.
"Relax, old friend." The dwarf chuckled and put his hand into the large mage's robe to fumble for something. In the end, he pulled it out empty-handed: "I bet five gold coins that you guessed wrong - I didn't bring any money.
, just remember it first.”
"It's really not necessary. Then you plan to...forget it, you can deal with him however you want, but if you get interesting results, don't think about taking it all for yourself." All the surrounding pictures disappeared at the same time at this moment, and then the whole
The room was filled with a bright white light. "Anyway, that's what you came here to talk about."
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