Alien Bar: Found a Wizard Girl, Gale Sword - Chapter 19: Wealth is Power.
“Show me.”
Elise extended her fair, delicate hand, and Leon hardly hesitated. He placed the gem in his hand onto her palm.
Elise’s slender fingers closed around the gem, just managing to hold it.
“You really trust me that much? Aren’t you afraid I might deceive you?” she said.
Leon shrugged, “If you like it, you can have it.”
For him, whether it was a gem or a magical item, it didn’t hold much significance, as they would likely turn into stones when taken to the other side, Earth.
And on this side, he didn’t want to become some all-powerful magician or anything like that.
“What, trying to bribe me?” Elise wrinkled her dainty nose, “It’s not that easy, take it back!”
She tossed the sapphire back to Leon.
“I’ve erased the markings on it, so feel free to use it.”
Leon looked at Elise with surprise; he hadn’t expected her to be so proactive in helping him.
“Why are you staring at me like a frog? It’s disgusting.”
Leon smiled, “Thank you.”
Elise huffed and turned away from the counter.
After that, no new customers entered the bar. Karina and the Sun Prince didn’t show up either. Only Lanya sat at the counter, chatting with Leon. Since there were no customers, Leon occasionally offered her some fruits like oranges, grapes, and blueberries.
Because they had plans to go to the Mage Guild for testing after work, Lanya had told Leon a lot about the magical knowledge of this world.
From her, Leon learned that this world was filled with magical energy, and humans could guide it into their bodies through meditation and store it within themselves.
However, everyone’s constitution was different, and the amount of magic one’s body could hold varied. Only when a certain threshold was reached could magic be released. The tests at the Mage Guild primarily focused on this.
Leon had played some role-playing games, so he understood this as a mana bar. If the mana bar wasn’t long enough, magic couldn’t be cast.
But magical energy wasn’t limited to the human body; there were various other ways to store it, leading to a variety of magical items.
This made money and wealth important indicators of a mage’s strength, as even the fastest incantation speed couldn’t beat instantly cast magic items.
It was like a civilian mage with exceptional talent, but only a 5-centimeter mana bar, versus a wealthy noble mage with advanced magical equipment, inexhaustible mana potions, and high-level magic scrolls. The latter would likely come out on top.
In simpler terms, it was like a high-level free-to-play character versus a low-level pay-to-win character.
Besides the mana bar, another important factor for mages in this world was intelligence or the ability to learn magic.
Each magic was like a math problem, not everyone could solve them. Those who couldn’t learn magic had to rely on scrolls. This wasn’t easily quantifiable or testable and could only be judged by the speed of learning magic. Therefore, apprentice tests didn’t include this factor.
After work, Leon changed his clothes and went with Lanya to the Mage Guild, leaving his phone behind this time.
The Mage Guild was located to the east of Castalonne, unlike the bustling Uradaha Street. The streets here were clean and tidy, devoid of any street vendors. Leon saw mansions of nobles and the wealthy along the way.
When they arrived at the Mage Guild, a grand dome-like structure awaited them. It looked opulent and awe-inspiring. Just standing before it could make an ordinary person feel the noble and sacred aura, causing them to lose the courage to step inside.
Observing the building before him, Leon sighed, thinking, ‘This must be where a bunch of rich folks hang out.’
Entering the Mage Guild, they found a spacious hall, the smooth floor reflecting the light of magical chandeliers, making the hall even brighter.
In the centre of the hall stood a lifelike statue that captivated Leon’s attention. Not only due to its graceful figure and beautiful face, but also the noble and sacred aura it exuded.
The sculpture’s lifelike quality was astonishing, capturing the essence of a real person. Leon had never seen such craftsmanship on Earth.
Lanya whispered, “That’s the Goddess of Magic, Freya.”
Leon nodded, turning his attention back to the counter with her, where they registered and then moved to a corner in the western part of the hall.
There stood a white stone platform about a meter high, topped with a floating crystal ball.
It was an auxiliary meditation tool to help focus attention and absorb magical energy from the surroundings. If enough magical energy was absorbed, the crystal ball would emit light. Lighting up the crystal ball during meditation was the criteria for passing the mage aptitude test.
A smiling elf woman responsible for recording said, “Please place your hand on the crystal ball and maintain it for ten seconds. If the crystal ball lights up within those ten seconds, you pass the test.”
Leon followed her instructions, placing his hand on the crystal ball. It felt cold and smooth, and the moment he touched it, he entered a peculiar state.
An unprecedented tranquillity enveloped him, and he felt an intangible substance flowing into his body from all directions.
Three seconds later, the crystal ball radiated a dazzling blue light.
“The intense blue light indicates you have an above-average aptitude, sir,” the elf staff member said with a smile.
Above-average aptitude, not bad, Leon thought. Then he asked, “Can I let go now?”
“You can. If you’re certain about joining the Mage Guild, please register with me.”
“Do I need to pay any membership fees?”
“Registering as an apprentice is free; fees are only required for tests.”
So, there was a ranking system for mages too, which Lanya hadn’t mentioned before.
“What levels do mages have?”
“Apprentice mages become full-fledged mages after passing the first test. Full-fledged mages enjoy good status across the continent and are sought after by nobles.
Above that are Archmages and Grand Archmages, which are unattainable for ordinary people. However, with your talent, and with dedication, becoming an Archmage should be within reach.”
The elf’s demeanor had become more amiable, patiently explaining to Leon, given that it had been years since they last saw a mage with above-average aptitude.
“Thank you. Please take me to register.”
“Of course, follow me.”
During registration, Leon didn’t know the world’s written language, so he had Lanya write down the Emerald Bar’s address for him.
After registering, the staff gave him a circular badge symbolizing his apprentice status. Silver in color, it bore the image of Goddess Freya.
As they were leaving, the staff member responsible for registration reminded them, “The introductory-level spells in the guild’s collection are available for apprentices to study for free. If you don’t have a mentor, you can learn basic magic at the guild’s library.”
“Thank you, I’ll come take a look when I have time.”
Leon was interested in magic, but he couldn’t read the world’s language yet, making learning difficult. So, after leaving the Mage Guild, he asked Lanya if there were any magical items that could quickly teach him the world’s language.
Lanya thought for a moment and told him about knowledge scrolls. These scrolls contained recorded knowledge, which the reader could understand once opened. However, they were mostly used to learn difficult magic and combat skills, were expensive, and rare. Text learning was considered something children or illiterate people would need; nobody would waste valuable knowledge scrolls on that.
“I guess becoming a true mage will take quite some time,” Leon couldn’t help but sigh.
Lanya suggested, “Your bar manager is quite impressive. Why not ask him? Maybe he knows a way to quickly learn the world’s language.”
Leon’s eyes lit up; indeed, the bar manager could run a bar that connected different worlds, so solving this issue might be simple for him.
“Thanks for reminding me; I’ll call him right away.”
At this moment, Lanya suddenly spoke softly, “Um… can I stay at your place again tonight? I don’t have a single coin on me now.”
- 1Hi, Translator here, I hope ya’ll post good reviews for our Leon on Novel Updates??
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