Morning exercise ends when the sun is high in the sky!
Baruch ran home without stopping. When he saw Hori returning home, his eyes lit up and he couldn't wait to say, "Father, do you think I have a chance to become a mage?"
Upon hearing Baruch's words, Hori's eyes immediately lit up. Indeed, since Baruch couldn't cultivate Aura, perhaps he had a chance to become a Mage. As the saying goes, "When the door closes, a window opens." Hori understood this principle.
Moreover, once Baruch becomes a mage, even if he only achieves the rank of a third-level mage, his status will be almost equivalent to that of a seventh-level warrior. In the future, even if he is not around, Baruch will not have any worries about his life.
"Great! I'll take you to Fenlai City for a magic test tomorrow!" Hori replied. After all, Hori had a military background and was decisive in battle. Once he made a decision, he would act immediately.
At three o'clock in the afternoon the next day, Hory and Baruch had already appeared in the city of Finlay!
Fenlai City is the capital of the 'Fenlai Kingdom'. Especially after the Fenlai Kingdom joined the 'Holy Alliance' of the Holy See last year, Fenlai City became the 'Holy Capital' of the Holy Alliance. The headquarters of the Holy See is located in the western part of Fenlai City.
"Baruch, remember, the entire Fenlai City is mainly divided into two parts: the East City and the West City. The East City is managed by the Fenlai Kingdom, while the West City is managed by the Holy See," Hori said to Baruch as they walked down the street. "It is said that the population of the entire Fenlai City has exceeded one million, making it one of the top ten largest cities in the entire Yulan Continent."
Baruch listened to Hory's words, nodding continuously while his eyes darted around. He felt as if his eyes had gone haywire. The street they were currently on was the main street of the eastern district of Finlay City, known as the "Champs-Elysees Avenue". The bustling and noisy atmosphere of the Champs-Elysees Avenue far exceeded Baruch's imagination.
The entire Champs-Élysées is paved with flat green flagstones, wide enough for several carriages to pass abreast. On both sides of the street are various commercial establishments such as hotels, clothing stores, weapon shops, bars, and more. Additionally, there is a neat row of tall and straight pine and cypress trees on each side of the 'Champs-Élysées'.
Ladies and young misses, all dressed in fashionable attire, strolled along the street, chatting and laughing with each other.
This scene is completely unseen on Earth in the 21st century!
"What a splendid city, Fenlai, now already so prosperous! I really can't imagine how prosperous it will be in five thousand years, when it becomes the sacred capital of the 'Holy Alliance' and almost the premier city on the Yulan Continent!" Baruch was deeply shocked. Fenlai had only been the headquarters of the Holy See for a year, and the 'Holy Alliance' currently consisted of only three kingdoms.
"Ernst is indeed impressive. No wonder he was chosen by the Lord of Light and became the founder of the Church of Light on the Yulan Continent." Baruch held Ernest in high esteem, not only because he was a powerful Saint Realm Mage, but also because of his vision and abilities.
"Baruch, powerful warriors and mages are quite common in the city of Fenlai. Even a Level 7 warrior like your father can only serve as a guard for the nobles, not even considered a strong individual," Hori lamented.
"Father, are there so many powerful individuals in Finlay City?" Baruch asked in confusion.
"Haha, Baruch, do you know that there are no less than twenty Sage Realms in the city of Finlay alone? King Finlay is a powerful Sage Warrior, and even dragons are no match for him; Pope Ernst is even known as the continent's top Holy Mage. Other Sage Realm powerhouses are also renowned throughout the Yulan Continent. As for other Level 9 Warriors and Mages, there are quite a few as well. Do you think there aren't many strong individuals?" Hori laughed.
Baruch nodded. Indeed, although the Holy See of Light only had three kingdoms under its command at this time, its strength was not weak. People like Ernst and Desri might not be at the limit of the Saint Realm, but they were definitely peak Saint Realm existences!
And even the weakest of the archbishops and cardinals of the Holy See are at least level 8 mages!
"This is a paradise for the wealthy and the privileged," Hori exclaimed.
On the bustling Champs-Élysées, there are often luxurious carriages passing by, and some wealthy and prestigious individuals have as many as fifty followers alone.
"Let's go. We're heading to Greenleaf Road now, hoping to catch the magic test." Hori led Baruch towards Greenleaf Road.
Greenleaf Road is one of the main roads in Finlay City. Most of the buildings along the entire Greenleaf Road are luxurious mansions, and there are also some buildings belonging to the kingdom. Of course, the most prominent building is the church of the Holy See.
Magic tests can only be conducted within the Holy See of the Church of Light. They cannot be performed anywhere else!
"Wow, there are so many people, probably fifty or sixty." When Baruch followed Hori to the entrance of the church of the Church of Light, he saw a large crowd gathered there. Most of the people here were nobles dressed in elegant attire. The open square in front of the church was almost filled with carriages, and the nobles were exchanging pleasantries with each other.
"Ernst College is truly charming, making magic the sought-after pursuit of everyone," Baruch thought to himself. The status of a mage was already high, but since last year, when the king personally promised that "anyone who graduates from Ernst College can easily attain the rank of a count," the status of mages has soared to a new level. And Ernst College has suddenly become the premier magic college in the Kingdom of Fenlai!
Although the nobility title in a kingdom is not as difficult to obtain as that in an empire, and its value is far inferior, it is still considered a noble title, enough to make people go crazy.
Not far away, a group of nobles were exchanging pleasantries. The magic test alone required ten gold coins for the test fee.
"Humph, those commoners and country folk are also coming? Are they really living in a pipe dream?" some aristocrats in the distance scoffed when they saw Hori and Baruch.
Among the people gathered in the square, except for Baruch and Hori who were commoners, the rest were nobles from Finlay City. These nobles were relatively arrogant and looked down upon others.
"Baruch, remember, to have status and power, you must have strong strength, otherwise you will only be inferior to others!" Hori whispered to Baruch.
"Hmm!" Baruch's eyes flashed with a cold light as he nodded heavily.
Hori took Baruch to pay the ten gold coins for the test fee, and then stood in a corner. After a while, a shrine maiden dressed in a black robe slowly walked out and stopped at the church entrance. She smiled and said, "Please have the following people bring their companions into the hall!" With that, she took out a leather scroll and pasted it on the wall.
I saw that the scroll was filled with the names of fifty people, and Baruch's name appeared right above the last line. However, the Holy See of Light requires fifty people to conduct a magic test together. If the number of participants is insufficient, they have to wait until the required number is reached.
But Baruch was lucky enough to have met him just in time.
"Let's go, let's enter the hall." Hori took Baruch by the hand and walked into the hall, unfazed by the disdainful looks cast by the nobles.
"A bunch of frogs in a well, who can only kneel on the ground and look up to me in the future," Baruch thought to himself. These people are nobles, wealthy and high-ranking individuals, but when their strength is sufficient, they are just a bunch of ants that can be easily crushed.
Haven't you seen that a Holy Knight can pierce through a mountain peak with a single sword, and a Holy Mage can destroy an army of 100,000 with a single forbidden spell!
After possessing the power to destroy the heavens and the earth, the so-called titles and money are but dirt.
Upon entering the hall, everyone automatically fell silent, even the chatting nobles. This was the church hall, representing the Holy See. Although the Kingdom of Fenlai had only joined the Holy League a year ago, during that time, the Holy See had indeed made the Kingdom of Fenlai understand its majesty.
"Hiss, the Holy See is really wealthy. Just a small church, yet it's decorated so luxuriously." Baruch entered the hall and noticed that the floor was made of shiny marble, with huge crystal chandeliers hanging overhead. Hundreds of people entered the hall without feeling cramped at all.
You should know that this time, there are fifty years worth of magic tests to be conducted, and with parents and relatives, the number of people will be at least a hundred.
"The testing location is in the center. Participants come one by one, and others are not allowed to enter the circle in the center. Those preparing for the test line up according to their connections, while parents and relatives stand aside," the black-robed priest said with a clear voice and a smile.
"Baruch, go and queue up. Remember not to be nervous," Hori instructed, handing Baruch his identity certificate.
"I see, Father." Baruch took the identity certificate and went to queue up. In front of Baruch, there were teenagers of seventeen or eighteen years old, as well as young children of five or six years old. More were children of ** years old. These children formed a long queue, while the priests of the Holy See were also checking the identity certificates.
The central circle had a diameter of ten meters, and inside were three adults: two responsible for testing and one responsible for recording. The testing tools were a crystal ball and a complex hexagonal magic array.
Baruch understood that the crystal ball was used to test elemental affinity, while the magic array was used to test the strength of mental power.
"The first one."
The balding old man pointed directly at the crystal ball and said, "First, place your hand on the crystal ball to test your elemental affinity."
The first person was a girl of twelve or thirteen years old. The girl, slightly nervous, placed her right hand on the crystal ball. Suddenly, the entire crystal ball began to emit a hazy, faint blue light, occasionally mixed with a small amount of white.
The bald old man said indifferently, "Age 12, elemental affinity, moderate in water, inferior in light."
"Now enter the magic formation to test your mental strength. Remember, stand upright, don't kneel or fall, and try to maintain your position for as long as possible." The bald old man's voice remained cold and indifferent. The girl nodded and stepped into the hexagonal magic formation. Suddenly, a holy white light emanated from the bald old man's body, and a beam of white light merged into the magic formation.
Light Magic - Deterrence!
After a while, the girl's face turned pale and she could no longer hold on, collapsing to the ground. The bald-headed old man stopped operating the magic array and said, "Her mental strength is ten times that of her peers, making her qualified to become a mage."
"Yeah, I can become a magician, great!" The girl shouted loudly and ran to the embrace of a young man in a gorgeous dress not far away.
"Quiet!" the balding old man said with a dissatisfied snort.
The girl stuck out her tongue at the balding old man and made a face, while her father, with an apologetic look on his face, took the 'test certificate' from another priest and walked out of the hall with the girl.
"The speed of the test is so fast," Baruch thought to himself. That girl didn't even need three minutes to complete the test, from testing elemental affinity to testing mental strength.
Moreover, what made Baruch even more speechless was that the second and third candidates showed no light at all during the elemental affinity test, and were immediately declared to have no potential to become mages. They were even spared from undergoing the mental ability test.