Chapter 140 - 015: The Fifth-class Talent with a Bad Reputation

Chapter 140: 015: The Fifth-class Talent with a Bad Reputation

Shadow Tower, Inheritance Corridor.

Morning.

Mid-level Apprentice Hamilton tidied up his appearance before entering the office.

As a member of the new generation of the Monterey family, Hamilton had been trained internally within the family until he recently arrived at the Shadow Land and entered the Shadow Tower.

Although he couldn’t become an apprentice of the Judge, the family managed to successfully place him in the Inheritance Corridor.

The Inheritance Corridor is responsible for reviewing every apprentice entering the Shadow Tower and arranging their mentors.

In the entire land of the Ancient Ruins, the apprentices from countless wizard families usually have their mentor selection decided here upon entering the Shadow Tower, except for a few like the Judge. It also can arrange almost all the wizards, holding immense power.

Humming a little tune, Hamilton arrived at the desk and immediately saw an apprentice’s file on the table.

He couldn’t help but ask, “What’s this?”

The mid-level apprentice Rulles sitting next to him explained, “Oh, this is a newly arrived Tower apprentice sent over today. His mentor hasn’t been selected yet, so could you please review and arrange it?”

Hamilton was taken aback, “A new apprentice?”

It’s not the time for the Tower to recruit fresh blood, how could there be a new apprentice?

He picked up the report and looked, even more puzzled, “Muggle?”

“And with a Third-class Talent?”

He asked in surprise, “Are you sure there’s no mistake?”

Hamilton knew the Tower would recruit muggles, but to his knowledge, it required at least a Fourth-class Talent. How did a muggle with no family background and a Third-class Talent get in?

Rulles impatiently said, “If you have any questions, go verify with Master Wizard Leslie yourself. If you don’t want to do it, just leave it there.”

Hamilton frowned slightly.

As an outsider occupying such a coveted authority, he wasn’t particularly welcomed here. These guys around seemed gentlemanly and cultured, but Hamilton knew they secretly wished he would disappear.

But it didn’t matter; they were just some third or fourth-level minor wizard families, while he was from a noble second-level wizard family; no matter how displeased they were, they weren’t qualified to compete with him.

“Watch your attitude, Rulles!”

Gently reminding the latter, Hamilton then sat in the chair to review.

The apprentice named Lynch had a simple resume; from a remote small town in the mortal world, he joined the Tower seven or eight years ago and passed the assessment to enter the Inner Ring three or four years ago. There was nothing particularly noteworthy.

“On a mission six months ago? What mission? Why is this section blank? And why is there no page about what rewards he received?” Hamilton, after reading it, quickly noticed the missing parts in the information.

Rulles’ eyes flashed with a hint of craftiness as he said, “Oh, you mean that part? The goblins haven’t sent that information yet. If you’re unsure, go to Master Wizard Leslie for some advice.”

Hamilton frowned; Wizard Leslie was currently in seclusion breaking a bottleneck, so he wasn’t foolish enough to bother him for no reason.

After all, it’s just a muggle!

“I’ll take your advice, but next time when speaking to me, please add ’Master,’ Rulles, remember your status.” He said unhappily.

Rulles pursed his lips, elongating his tone, “Yes—Master.”

After a pause, he continued to ask, “So how have you decided to arrange this apprentice?”

This was simply nonsense.

A muggle being able to enter the Tower was already heavenly luck; having any mentor at all would be considered good fortune, and he’s in no position to be choosy? Dream on!

He said, “Wizard Somda doesn’t seem to have any apprentices under him right now?”

…

Shortly thereafter, Lynch Mansion.

“What!!!”

Graham screamed, “Who did you say your mentor is? Wizard Somda?! Is there a mistake?”

He snatched the Netta Document just delivered by the Raven from Lynch’s hand.

Quickly scanning it, his brows furrowed tightly, “That shouldn’t be…”

Lynch asked in confusion, “Is something wrong?”

Graham hesitated for a moment, then softly explained, “Well… this Wizard Somda doesn’t have a very good reputation within the Tower…”

Lynch was startled, “Could he also be a Black Wizard who defected?”

Graham froze, “Black Wizard?”

But he quickly realized, “Oh! You’re talking about Wizard Murphy… that’s not quite the case, although there have been some wizards in the Tower with ties to Black Wizards, someone like Wizard Murphy is an exception. Most wizards are quite normal.”

“Things like using apprentices as experimental subjects or recklessly modifying apprentices won’t happen.”

Lynch was slightly relieved, “I see…”

Ever since learning about what happened with Alfred, Lynch had harbored some cautious feelings towards the Tower and its wizards.

He continued to ask, “Then what about the reputation you mentioned?”

Graham frowned and said, “This Wizard Somda is undeniably competent, among the existing Transcendents in the Shadow Tower, he’s one of the only two with a Fifth-class Talent. Aside from the wise Erodion, he has the highest innate aptitude, and it’s said his time to advance to a wizard was even shorter than Lord Erodion’s, truly a genius!”

Ah, so it’s him…

Lynch remembered, Avery had mentioned him before.

He asked, puzzled, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

According to Avery, he’s a bona fide genius, and like Lynch, he’s wholly immersed in the study of knowledge, with a level of expertise unmatched among all the Tower’s wizards.

Graham rolled his eyes, “Good? Seriously.”

He said, “You don’t know, but this Somda is rather like a madman, locking himself in the lab all day doing who-knows-what kind of research. Forget teaching apprentices; you don’t even get to see him all year round.”

“He’s had a few apprentices before, all without exception found it quite repulsive and eventually chose to leave the Tower for other opportunities, some even defecting to the Black Wizards.”

He said sympathetically, “As his apprentice, don’t expect any guidance, just be mentally prepared to self-learn.”

Having guidance or not on the Wizard’s Road is two different concepts; some troubling issues or difficulties, with wizard guidance, might be like a paper-thin matter, but if one were to explore it alone…

It’s possible to be stuck there looking for answers all one’s life.

Lynch replied, “Is that all?”

He thought it would be something more serious, but if it’s just not teaching students… Lynch didn’t think it was a problem at all.

Anyway, with no bottleneck barriers, no matter how difficult the knowledge, it’s just a matter of improving skill level slowly, at worst, repeating it several times until it naturally becomes mastered.

Self-learning might be a challenge for others, but it’s no problem for him.

Graham was speechless, “Is that all?”

“Come on, don’t you think the biggest value of entering Netta is having a mentor to teach? Now even that is being cut off, and you still think it’s ’just that’?”

Lynch said, “But what can I do? Can mentors be changed?”

Graham was taken aback.

Once a mentor is confirmed, it cannot be changed; that’s one of the Tower’s rules.

Graham sighed, “That’s all that can be done…”

After a pause, he gritted his teeth and said indignantly, “I intend to find out what’s going on. Have the Tower folks gone mad? How could they assign such a mentor to my brother? It’s simply…”

As a Netta apprentice himself, he had some inside information: Miss Avery of the Tavendish family was able to return safely thanks to Lynch’s strong support.

It’s heard that Lynch’s Netta pass document was personally requested from the Tower by the young lady herself.

With someone obviously having his back, while not expecting to be arranged under the Judge as an apprentice, it shouldn’t be so haphazard either.

Who on earth is the idiot who failed to see that?

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