Chapter 125 - 118: Talent Assessment

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"Why is it you, where’s Lusen?"

Luo De, who was outside Frost Leaf Town to greet the caravan, couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Luo De wanted to consult Lusen for some supernatural knowledge, but now Linda’s appearance disrupted his plan.

Linda noticed the surprise on Luo De’s face, crossed her arms over her chest, and asked with a small laugh, "What? Do you not welcome me since Lusen isn’t here?"

Her words carried a hint of teasing.

"Although we’ve had some unpleasantness between us, it’s all in the past now."

Linda asked in confusion.

Luo De shook his head lightly, "No, no, no, it’s just that your sudden switch caught me off guard."

He paused, clearing his throat before continuing, "It doesn’t really matter to me who’s here; I just happened to have some questions for Lusen."

Luo De thought to himself that compared to naturally awakened witches, wizards should possess more extensive knowledge.

"Lusen went to the Western Isles to study a wizard array... anyway, he has some matters to attend to."

Linda realized she said something she shouldn’t have, so she quickly changed the subject,

"What is it you want to ask?"

"Some supernatural knowledge, which I think should be basic for you all."

"I’m not a total waste who doesn’t learn anything,"

Linda said with a confident smile, straightening her back,

"You can ask me!"

Linda looked at Luo De and asked, "What, you don’t believe me?"

Luo De pondered for a moment before nodding, "Alright, if you can give me detailed answers, I’m willing to pay."

"No worries."

Linda said with a smile, "We’re happy to share knowledge."

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Luo De invited Linda into the manor and had Leia brew a pot of honey flower tea, pouring two cups to entertain Linda.

Once seated, Luo De got straight to the point,

"How do you extraordinary spellcasters practice? Are there any special methods or pathways?"

"Like, for wizards."

Linda didn’t immediately answer but instead re-evaluated Luo De with a complex look in her eyes.

After a while, she finally spoke, "Forgive my bluntness, Mr. Luo De, but at your age, it’s not suitable for practice anymore."

"I mean no offense, if you could practice, we wouldn’t be stingy."

Linda’s voice was calm yet firm, like stating an irrefutable fact,

"Truly, you should focus your energy on other matters, like your family’s breathing technique cultivation."

Linda wasn’t lying.

The Dawn Society is a very open organization, eagerly wanting to recruit more spellcasters to grow their ranks.

Wizards and witches are both resisted by the church, and if one possesses extraordinary power, even if they don’t join the Dawn Society, they would be inclined towards its camp.

Therefore, the Dawn Society never hesitates to share knowledge of cultivation.

"You don’t need to worry about that,"

Luo De said with a smile and a determined tone, "I mainly want to expand my understanding."

Some things don’t need to be explained.

"Alright, wizards practice meditation techniques, while warlocks rely on bloodline spells with their own special methods of bloodline cultivation."

Linda explained, "We generally recruit wizard apprentices, who enhance their spiritual power through meditation techniques, thus controlling energy."

"As I mentioned, children with potential at about eleven or twelve years old, at most no older than fifteen, get enlightened through meditation techniques."

"For those with tremendous spiritual power, meditation techniques open the door to extraordinary power."

"But for those lacking in spiritual power, it could be catastrophic."

Linda’s expression turned serious, "At worst, they might lose intelligence, be negatively affected by meditation techniques and become foolish, or at the worst, lose their lives."

After listening, Luo De frowned slightly, looking at Linda, he asked in return,

"So you just have the children try one by one, aren’t you afraid those without the potential will become fools?"

Luo De’s tone was somewhat sharp.

Though he was ruthless, he had a different attitude towards children.

In his view, even though everyone in this era might be guilty, children are innocent.

"Of course not!"

Linda hurriedly explained,

"Why would we do such a foolish thing? We assess their potential before letting them learn!"

"It’s a harmless process, there’s absolutely no need to worry. We only teach them meditation techniques after they pass the assessment."

"Oh, that’s good then."

Luo De nodded, his tone lightening a bit, "Can I take the assessment now then?"

"Absolutely, there are no restrictions.

Linda added, "You can do it now; Lusen’s detection crystal is right in the caravan."

Linda followed the caravan, always on the lookout for children with wizard talent, and carried the detection crystal with her at all times.

"No rush, I’m just a bit curious."

Luo De pondered for a moment, then asked, "Can it also detect one’s energy attribute, or what kind of spell one is suited for?"

"Yes, I didn’t expect you to know a bit about it."

Linda’s eyes showed a hint of surprise, "The classification for spellcasters is quite extensive: elemental, mechanical, bloodline, nightmare, and so on."

"Everyone is born differently, and needs to find the right path for their studies because people can’t master everything."

Luo De nodded in agreement, "Yes, human energy is limited, they can’t learn everything."

"Of course," Linda agreed, nodding.

"I’ll give you one of our latest knowledge booklets later, it contains some basic knowledge for spellcasters."

Linda said with a smile, "Thanks to your paper, we were able to make these materials. We hope to purchase more paper this time."

Luo De nodded, "That won’t be a problem."

Now Luo De only sold paper to Man Xiu and the Dawn Society, with plenty in stock.

The Dawn Society’s caravan came at the perfect time to sell more paper, exchanging it for winter supplies and weapons.

"Using meditation techniques to enhance spiritual power... what does that feel like?"

Luo De thought for a while, then asked, "Does it hurt?"

"I believe it’s a bit painful, but it feels much better after the pain, quite comfortable."

Linda explained, "After meditation, Lusen often gets headaches, not wanting to do anything."

Luo De did not speak, nodding slightly in response.

"What about witches then?"

Luo De asked again,

"Do witches have systems or methods for cultivation?"

"Witches..."

Linda carefully chose her words, "Are essentially the same as wizards, with the same classifications, but our awakening comes from within."

"We can’t practice like wizards; we need to absorb energy akin to ours to become stronger."

"For example, if my ability is to control flames, I need to absorb more flame energy; I usually stay around volcanoes..."

Linda seemed to want to say more, but ultimately held back,

"In short, as long as the energy aligns with yours, you can use it to enhance yourself."

"Got it, I understand now."

Luo De silently digested Linda’s words for a while.

Based on what Linda said, Luo De thought he might belong to the "witch" category, absorbing energy that suits him.

And the sting he felt when absorbing the Spirit Gem’s energy should be normal.

However, Luo De still didn’t know what the enhancement of spiritual strength was good for.

It seems the next step would be to have Linda help him check what energy suits him best.

However, to avoid drawing attention, Luo De didn’t rush.

He invited Linda to lunch, leisurely chatting for a while, discussing life within the Dawn Society.

Linda had a straightforward temperament, unlike Lusen, who overthought things.

Although Linda tried to restrain herself, Luo De still pieced together some information.

The Dawn Society seemed to be near the Western Isles, and they recently discovered a high-level wizard relic.

As for how high, Luo De had no direct sense.

He only knew that it had took the prophets and wizards half a year of research, and they still hadn’t figured it out, not even having opened the relic’s door.

After lunch, Linda felt she had said too much and hurried back to the inn.

Soon after, Linda brought the detection crystal from the caravan to the manor.

No special appearance, the so-called detection crystal was just a crystal-clear crystal ball, showing no peculiarities.

"Please place your hand on it,"

Linda patiently instructed,

"Focus all your attention on it and feel its presence."

"Don’t feel it with your hands; use your spirit to sense it."

Luo De nodded, "Alright."

He closed his eyes, placing his hand on the crystal ball, concentrating entirely.

This sensation wasn’t unfamiliar, similar to how he absorbed the energy from an Extraordinary Gem.

In his mind’s eye, the darkness gradually receded, and a scent of decay and heat slowly pervaded, transforming the surrounding scene in an instant.