Appraisal

The Mages' Council of Windflower Town looked remarkably like a corporate office building from the inside.

It shared the same spacious lobby, the same lavish decorations, and the same bright, glowing magic lamps. If not for the large sign by the entrance and the information Duan Qing and his companion had gathered earlier, they might have mistaken the place for the town's administrative center or some service bureau.

It bore no relation whatsoever to the mystical aura commonly associated with magic.

The square lobby was divided into four sections by four rectangular counters situated in the corners. The main entrance through which they had entered was right in the middle of one side. A red carpet stretched forward from the doorway over the white tiled floor, gradually ascending alongside white pillars and stairs until it reached the opposite wall, where it split left and right toward what appeared to be the second-floor access. At the counter to their left, quite a few people were waiting together as if handling some kind of business. Some stood orderly in a line, while others sat on chairs by the wall, presumably waiting for their turns to finish. The square counter on their right presented a completely contrasting scene—it was utterly deserted, entirely devoid of any customers. From that distance, Duan Qing could even read the small sign placed upon the desk.

It bore the words: "Reception Desk."

In the other two corners of the lobby, beneath the left and right forks of the staircase, sat two more enclosed square counters. Much like the layout here, one side was bustling while the other was vacant; only this time, the left side was sparsely populated, whereas the right side was packed with people.

The Mages' Council was quite lively, but based on Duan Qing's preliminary observations, the people present seemed to be entirely indigenous residents, with very few players in sight. Urged by the young girl beside him, he had to put aside his habit of observation and walked toward the reception desk on the right.

If you want to ask questions, this should be the place...

"This is the Mages' Council, Windflower Town Branch. How may I... assist the two of you?"

The counter was massive and appeared to be of fine quality. Looking past the smooth white wood that rose nearly to Duan Qing's chest, he could make out the interior. The L-shaped desk was apparently partitioned into individual workspaces by dividers. Each area held papers resembling documents, writing stationery, and... other items Duan Qing did not recognize. Inside the square enclosure formed by the counter, several verdant potted plants were neatly arranged at the back, and cleaning tools stood in the corner. The pristine white floor, matching the counter itself, was impeccably clean, offering newcomers—especially Duan Qing and the girl, who had just visited the Adventurers' Guild—a completely refreshing contrast.

However, only one person was seated in the workspace at the moment. The bespectacled woman had not initially noticed the arrival of Duan Qing and Mengzhu. It was only when Duan Qing gently tapped the desktop that she flurriedly set down a book she was holding, stood up, hurried over to them, and asked with an apologetic smile:

"Um..." Duan Qing glanced at the young girl beside him and, as expected, caught a look of nervous warning: "We'd like to... let me think..."

"How about this, could you introduce..." He gestured to the surroundings: "What kind of services are offered here? Since we are adventurers who just arrived in Windflower Town, we're not quite familiar with your... business..."

"...Ah?" Perhaps finding Duan Qing's question rather strange, the bespectacled girl froze for a moment before dawning realization crossed her face. "Oh, oh, I see. You're adventurers, right?"

She lowered her head to adjust her spectacles, seemingly gathering her thoughts, then cleared her throat behind her hand. "This is the Mages' Council, the most powerful alliance of mages on the continent of Freedonia. We are typically responsible for magic-related services across the continent, such as spell appraisal, magical artifact management, and the accreditation and registration of mages. Of course, if you happen to be a practitioner of the arcane arts, we warmly invite you to join our Mages' Council. Naturally, joining is not mandatory; we will still provide you with magical literature and technical support, and we welcome the exchange of experiences, mutual cooperation, and progress. If you aspire to become a mage, this place is undoubtedly your finest choice..."

"Alright, alright." Realizing the receptionist was well-practiced in her spiel, Duan Qing hastily interrupted her. "Then... are all those people over there here to become mages?"

He pointed toward the long queue across the hall.

"That, well..." The bespectacled woman tilted her head with a hint of cuteness, looked over at the winding line of people, and replied with a smile. "That's a specialty of Windflower Town. As the Mages' Council, it is only right that we extend a helping hand to those in need, so..."

"You mean they are... all looking for help? Are the mages within your organization really that idle?"

"Of course not. That's why all these requests have to go through a screening process. If it's an issue that another organization should handle, we refer it to them. As for the manpower, we've had many newly advanced mages here lately, and President Dical said this is also a form of practical training... Ah!"

Seeming to realize she had let slip something she shouldn't have, the bespectacled woman abruptly cut herself off and quickly added, "In short, if you require any assistance and wish to commission us, you can go queue over there, and our staff will review your request..."

What is this? A do-gooders' fan club? Weren't mages in fantasy settings supposed to be aloof and condescending? Besides, if you run things this way, doesn't it put the mayor of Windflower Town in a rather awkward position...

A myriad of thoughts flashed through Duan Qing's mind, but he quickly suppressed his inner commentary and steered the conversation back to his primary objective: "If I want to become a mage, which side should I go to... Ouch."

His shin received a kick from Mengzhu.

"That..." The bespectacled woman gave Duan Qing a strange look and pointed toward the opposite corner of the hall. "Over there. Master Norman is responsible for mage appraisals. If you possess... the aptitude to become a mage..."

Her speech slowed down as if she were hesitating about something. Duan Qing smiled wryly, offered his thanks, and walked straight toward the indicated direction.

The other, sparsely populated counter shared the same structural design as the first, but the environment behind it was vastly different. The area was somewhat cluttered, devoid of documents or tools. In the back corner, leaning against a tall wooden cabinet resting on the floor, sat an old man. His hair was gray and somewhat disheveled, and he wore what appeared to be mage robes, though advanced age had filled them with wrinkles of every sort. At that moment, the old man was resting his back against the cabinet, dozing on the floor, entirely oblivious to the arrival of the two adventurers.

Why is everyone from the Mages' Council we've met like this... Duan Qing thought to himself while tapping on the counter just as before.

"Hmm... Is it time for lunch already..." The old man's head jerked up as he tilted it, muttering softly.

"Are you Master Norman?" Duan Qing tried his best to maintain a smile, though a vein was beginning to throb on his forehead. "We are adventurers from Greenstone Village, and we'd like to ask for your help with a... mage appraisal."

The old man rubbed his sleepy eyes, yawned, and finally took a clear look at the two visitors. "Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

"Even for adventurers, it's been quite a while since anyone came to me for a mage appraisal." He stood up and stretched, lifting both arms upward. "You say... you're from Greenstone Village? From such a remote place, that must have been quite a journey..."

"Excuse me, are there any preparations or procedures required? Is there a fee..." Ignoring the young girl frantically tugging at his hem, Duan Qing asked with a smile.

"None." The old man gestured for the two of them to enter through a side wooden door, then continued slowly, "Ordinarily there would be, but I've been quite idle lately, so we'll waive it. As for money or gold coins..."

He cast a jaundiced glance at the pair. "Our Mages' Council hasn't sunk to that level of poverty yet."

The old man motioned for Duan Qing to approach the tall cabinet, which he then opened. The two curious onlookers peeked inside and saw... a strange apparatus.

It was a ring-shaped device, its outer perimeter crafted from a black material, etched with bizarre spiral or parallel lines that extended even onto its sides. The ring was quite thick; although its width varied slightly around the circle, its narrowest point was still comparable to an adult's fist. The interior of the ring was not entirely solid; instead, several thick and thin short struts supported a disk-shaped mechanism dead center. Surrounding a central circular hole, four irregularly shaped stones were embedded symmetrically into the white disk, forming the shape of a cross.

The four stones appeared identical, apart from their translucent, irregular surfaces, bearing no distinct differences from one another. The only way to tell them apart was perhaps the delicate linework carved directly beneath each stone on the disk—four different patterns, likely resembling magical arrays.

"What in the world is this..." Curiosity temporarily overcoming her caution, the young girl whispered from the side. "Why does it look like a tire from the last century..."

"Have you ever seen a tire this bizarre..." Duan Qing blocked his mouth with one hand and whispered back. "I originally expected a crystal ball, and instead, I get this contraption..."

"A Simplified Mage Appraisal Device, Model XM-II. Though somewhat... antiquated, it guarantees normal operation," said the elderly mage Norman, puffing up his beard. "Be careful! This is a highly precision instrument. If you break it, you won't be able to afford the damages!"

The two hastily nodded in compliance, resembling obedient schoolchildren.

"Never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I explained." The old man shook his head and asked, "Who's going first?"

"Uh, only he needs to do it, I certainly don't want to..." the girl stammered, only to be pulled forward by Duan Qing.

"What are you panicking for? It's just an appraisal, and he said there's no charge..."

"Um, but..."

Under the old man's puzzled gaze, the two shoved each other for a moment until Duan Qing pushed the young girl's back and declared, "Let her go first."

Reluctantly, the young girl sat down on a small stool before the device. Following Norman's instructions, she extended one arm through the central opening of the "tire."

"Don't be afraid. This thing isn't going to bite you..." Seeing Mengzhu's frightened expression, Norman felt compelled to add.

He fiddled with the apparatus for a moment before activating the so-called mage appraisal device. Amidst a faint humming sound, the device trembled slightly, and the translucent stones set within it gradually began to glow.

The lowest translucent stone emitted a pale green light.

The young girl's initially displeased expression cleared up slightly, but it collapsed right back down the next second as the old man nearby delivered a swift verdict: "Wind attribute, weak elemental affinity, weak elemental control. Appraisal result... unqualified. Next."

Amidst the girl's somewhat dejected expression, Duan Qing chuckled softly and whispered, "What are you losing heart for? If you want to be a mage, just dump a few points into intelligence later..."

"No way! Don't try to trick me. Do you take me for a fool like you..."

Amidst their banter, Duan Qing took the small stool Mengzhu had just vacated. Under the identical operating procedure, the stones emitted a translucent glow once more. This time, however, two stones lit up: a faint yellow light emerged from the stone on the left, accompanied by a scarcely perceptible reddish glow from the stone above it. The red light was so faint that Duan Qing initially thought only one stone had shone.

"Hmm..." The elderly mage Norman sat to one side, lowered his brows, and fell into deep thought. Even long after the stones' radiance had faded, he remained seated without moving a muscle.

"What's wrong?" Maintaining the posture of an extended arm was rather tiring, prompting Duan Qing to ask.

"Huh? Oh, it's over, you can pull your arm back."

Seeming to snap out of a trance, Norman gazed at Duan Qing with a bizarre intensity, studying him as if he were a prehistoric artifact. The old man's gaze made Duan Qing's skin crawl, causing his voice to tremble slightly. "Master... if you have something to say, please spit it out..."

"Let me ask you first." Norman spoke slowly, living up to his name. "In the past... have you ever received guidance, a blessing, or a legacy from any mage?"

"Uh..." Duan Qing blinked, then replied, "No... I don't think so."

"Hmm... Then, have you ever encountered elemental stones in the past? No, before that... are you even familiar with elemental stones? Or any strange magical tools and devices, even if you're carrying them now..."

"No, no, definitely not." Seeing the old man grow somewhat impatient, Duan Qing waved his hands repeatedly.

"Weren't you recommended to study at a magic academy when you were young? Lagervs Academy, Freya Academy, or Saint Anthony Academy would do, any academy at all... Didn't your parents recommend you?"

"No, I've never received any formal mage training." This time, Duan Qing answered with absolute directness. "Besides, I'm an orphan."

Players in the continent of Freedonia "dropped from the sky," so while introducing themselves as adventurers, they naturally claimed to be orphans when asked about their backgrounds. Consequently, the Adventurers' Guild was sometimes referred to by malicious tongues as the "Orphanage."

Thus, when Mengzhu heard Duan Qing casually declare himself an orphan, she found nothing unusual about it, merely concluding that the uncle before her was indeed a master actor who delivered his tragic backstory with absolute ease.

"How strange..." Norman muttered to himself.

"What on earth... is going on?"

"Your elemental affinity is earth." The old man narrowed his eyes, though he didn't look at Duan Qing, speaking half to himself.

"Oh! You're so screwed, Uncle..." The young girl's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

Although very few people played mages in the New World, basic statistics were readily available. Among the four major elemental spell categories, fire was naturally reputed to be the most destructive, while... earth was undoubtedly the worst. Many players aspiring to become mages, upon passing their appraisal and discovering an earth affinity, would abandon their dreams in despair and gloomily pick up a melee weapon instead.

"However..." Before Duan Qing could fully process the implications of the previous conclusion, the old man continued on his own, "...you possess multiple elemental affinities."

"What does that mean? Can I learn spells of two different elements?" Duan Qing was overjoyed.

"What are you celebrating for? Look at the brightness of those magical primeval stones—this is the weakest elemental reaction I have ever seen!" Norman suddenly raised his voice. His exclamation pierced the hall, echoing through the ground floor of the Mages' Council and even producing a faint reverberation.

"Although I may be wasting my final days here, I am still a responsible appraiser." Norman's expression gradually grew solemn. "Therefore, until I have sufficient evidence to explain the strange condition of your body, I must remain conservative in my conclusion."

"You..." he said in a deep voice, "are unsuited to be a mage."