Phil mocked him, “That is a crystal ball for testing magic talent. Anyone who can make it glow has extremely high magic talent.”
“The last person to make it glow was His Excellency Saige! Do you think you can even compare to him?”
Ning Busan offered an awkward yet polite smile.
In the game, he could have spent money to max out all his talent stats.
But here, not only did he have no talent, he had no money to spend.
How tragic!
Saige saw his dilemma at a glance and said calmly, “Quiet your mind and meditate. Feel the fluctuations of the magic elements around you, and guide them into the crystal ball.”
Ning Busan closed his eyes and tried to search for the so-called magic elements. Vaguely, he seemed to see particles of light of various colors filling the space around him.
These particles of light swarmed around him as if vying for his attention, gathering close to him.
At that moment, he suddenly felt an extra connection to this world, as if he truly and genuinely belonged here.
Under Ning Busan's control, all these particles of light obediently entered the crystal ball.
The crystal ball emitted a multicolored glow. After a few seconds, it twitched as if suffering from a poor connection, and finally shattered with a sharp crack.
Ning Busan was startled and took a few hasty steps back.
Phil barked angrily, “How dare you! It's one thing to have no magic talent, but you actually destroyed the crystal ball on purpose!”
Ning Busan felt utterly wronged. “You can't just frame me like that!”
The gazes of the surrounding crowd instantly turned hostile.
To think someone would dare to cause trouble in their Mage Association!
However, Saige's heart was racing with excitement!
It seemed his divination today was indeed correct!
Had he not just run into an unexpected harvest?
Before he had even stepped out of the Mage Association, he had encountered such a talented prospect born for magic!
Sensing that he might have gotten himself into some serious trouble, Ning Busan pointed at the shattered crystal ball and asked tentatively, “How about... I pay for it?”
Phil sneered, “There are only three crystal balls for testing magic talent in the entire Landia Continent. Thanks to you, there are now only two.”
Ning Busan understood.
Meaning, he couldn't afford to pay for this thing!
Just as Ning Busan was pondering how to make a run for it, Saige burst into loud laughter. “A splendid shatter! A splendid shatter indeed!”
“What is a shattered crystal ball? If a talented prospect like you were to go unnoticed, that would be the true loss!”
Saige grabbed Ning Busan by the shoulders, his eyes filled with fanatical excitement. “Are you willing to become my student?”
The crowd erupted in an uproar!
His Excellency Saige was actually taking a disciple!
Everyone stared at Ning Busan with looks of envy and jealousy.
This commoner's luck was simply too good!
Ning Busan knew very well that the old man before him, addressed as His Excellency Saige, must be a powerful mage. Otherwise, the people here would not be so respectful to him.
If he became Saige's student, he could not only learn magic but also gain a powerful backer. His future circumstances would definitely be much better than they were now.
He had no reason to refuse.
Ning Busan bowed without hesitation. “Greetings, Teacher Saige!”
Saige laughed heartily and tossed a golden badge to Ning Busan. “From now on, you are my student.”
A look of resentment flashed in Phil's eyes.
He had racked his brains trying to get His Excellency Saige to guide his magic, yet he had never even managed to see Saige's face.
Yet a lowly commoner he looked down upon had actually become Saige's student!
How utterly ridiculous!
Ning Busan did not care what these people thought. He followed behind Saige and went to the top of the Mage Association's tower.
The entire top floor of the tower was Saige's residence.
Saige first led Ning Busan to a room filled with wands, saying generously, “Pick one. Consider it my welcoming gift to you.”
Ning Busan was stunned by the sight before him.
The four walls of the room were lined with tightly packed wand racks, each level neatly displaying wands of various colors and shapes.
At a rough glance, there were at least a thousand of them.
He suspected his teacher had a hobby of collecting wands.
Saige suddenly shook his head. “No, no! None of these wands suit you. I should craft one for you myself.”
Ning Busan asked in surprise, “Out of so many wands, none of them suit me?”
Saige explained:
“Our world is filled with various magic element particles. Those who can sense these element particles can become mages.”
“And a mage's talent refers to the affinity these magic elements have for you.”
“Back then, I made the crystal ball emit a red light, which represented a very high affinity for the fire element. Therefore, I mostly use fire magic, and my wand is also fire-attributed.”
“But you are special!”
“You made the crystal ball emit multicolored light, which shows you can easily manipulate any element. This means you are an all-element mage.”
“This is simply a miracle!”
Ning Busan asked, “Has there never been such a case before?”
“Of course not!” Saige said. “All things generate and overcome each other; they cannot coexist. The most extreme example is that if the dark element chooses you, the light element will surely reject you, and vice versa.”
“But they all show affinity for you, which means...”
Saige seemed to think of something, and his expression changed slightly.
Ning Busan couldn't help but ask, “Means what?”
Saige looked at him with sheer doting. “It means you are too outstanding!”
The light element symbolized the Celestial Clan, while the dark element symbolized the Demon Clan.
To be noticed by both gods and demons at the same time—it was hard to say whether this was a blessing or a curse.
Ning Busan, however, didn't think that far ahead.
He felt that his so-called magic talent was, in all probability, related to his transmigration into this world.
Perhaps this was the legendary... protagonist aura?
Saige continued, “These wands are too ordinary; they all have a single magic element as their main attribute. I will craft a wand for you that can accommodate multiple elements. It should take about a week.”
Ning Busan bowed and said sincerely, “Thank you, Teacher Saige!”
Saige was exceptionally patient with his newly accepted student and asked gently, “What kind of wand would you like?”
Ning Busan blurted out, “No other requirements, just make it a bit heavy.”
“I'm afraid that won't do,” Saige rejected his request. “The lighter the wand, the more time you save when casting spells.”
Ning Busan scratched his head.
In his imagination, a wand should serve as both a casting tool and a melee weapon.
As a ranged mage, if someone got in close, a wand that was too light wouldn't be very effective for bludgeoning people.
Suddenly, Ning Busan's eyes lit up, and a brilliant idea surfaced in his mind.
He enthusiastically described his concept to Saige.
Saige fell into silence.
Was this kid planning to be a mage or an assassin?
In the end, Saige reluctantly accepted it. “Fine, I understand.”
After settling the matter of the wand, Saige led Ning Busan to a library.
Saige asked, “How old are you? In your twenties?”
“Just turned twenty.”
“It's good to be young,” Saige said, a trace of nostalgia showing in his eyes. He chuckled and asked, “Have you ever been exposed to magic before?”
Ning Busan shook his head. “No.”
Saige fell into thought and muttered to himself, “Then it seems I need to teach you some basic knowledge first.”
Ning Busan saw him pull out a book as thick as a brick from the shelf, thinking that class was about to begin.
Instead, he heard Saige say, “Go back and memorize everything inside.”
Ning Busan's pupils dilated in shock, and his voice even cracked slightly. “Memorize all of it?”
Saige confirmed Ning Busan's words. “Yes, memorize all of it.”
“Come find me once you've finished memorizing it. In the meantime, I'll work on crafting your wand.”
Ning Busan took the thick copy of The Encyclopedia of Magic, his face contorted in a mask of pain. “Understood, Teacher.”
Ning Busan, a science student, silently grumbled in his heart, “From now on, I shall abandon evil science and throw myself into the embrace of magic!”
But Ning Busan did not know that Saige had already arranged a hundred-year study plan for him in his heart.
If he knew, he would probably break down even more right now.
As Ning Busan held the book and prepared to head downstairs, Saige finally remembered an important matter.
“Oh, right, I almost forgot to ask. What is your name?”
“Ning Busan,” the black-haired, black-eyed youth repeated.
“Teacher Saige, my name is Ning Busan.”
In the near future, this name would become a new legend on the Yadilan Continent.
Rate on N.U.
