Chapter 750 The Swindler <TOC> Chapter 752 The Basket Witch
Translator: SumTLMan
As Angel was riding back in the carriage, he was still pondering about the information Gurman had collected on Lucas. Lucas himself seemed to have no remarkable traits, so what were the others who were inquiring about him after?
Moreover, they were all extraordinary individuals.
Angel’s own investigation into Lucas was purely out of curiosity. He held the attitude that it would be fine if he found something and fine if he didn’t. However, now there were several groups of people also looking for information on Lucas, which aroused a strange feeling in his heart.
Initially, it was just a momentary curiosity, but now his curiosity about Lucas was growing heavier.
Angel planned to continue digging deeper into Lucas’s case, after all, Lucas’s nautical log was still in his hands, containing a few specific locations that he intended to visit.
“Anru Dynasty – the City of Lost Melodies?” Angel recalled that the nautical log mentioned that Lucas committed suicide in the City of Lost Melodies because others didn’t trust him.
If Lucas really committed suicide in the City of Lost Melodies, his ship and bones shouldn’t appear in the Devil’s Sea area, let alone be recorded in the nautical log.
Nevertheless, the last entry in the nautical log was about Lucas’s suicide. Therefore, he planned to go there and see for himself.
However, before that, Angel needed to confirm one thing.
Who exactly was investigating Lucas’s case?
The purple-haired woman who could transform into a bird was likely not to be found out for now. But Gurman mentioned that the first group of people would come back to get more information from them, so it would be possible to take a look then.
As Angel was pondering, a bout of Charles’s coughing came from outside the carriage.
Angel thought it was due to the freezing cold and didn’t pay much attention. However, Nite, who was sitting nearby, hesitated and rubbed his nose bridge upon hearing Charles’s cough.
Charles’s coughing continued.
Noticing that even Angel had raised his head to look outside the carriage, Nite sighed and braced himself to lean closer to Angel.
“Sir, Charles has a small request and hopes that you can agree to it…” After saying this, Nite saw that Angel remained expressionless and quickly changed the subject: “Of course, it’s fine if you don’t agree.”
Angel raised an eyebrow, he thought Charles had caught a cold, but it turned out that he was signaling the inside of the carriage.
“Go ahead.” Angel was not surprised. When they came to the Baskwood Boulevard, Charles and Nite had been exchanging glances from time to time, and he had already noticed it.
The world of wizards has always valued equivalent exchange. Since Charles had helped him, he didn’t mind listening to Charles’s request. Of course, whether he was willing to help or not was another matter.
“Well, Charles has admired the world of wizards since childhood, but he has never found a way in. This time, he heard about your deeds, Sir, and wanted to ask if you could guide him…” Nite’s voice grew smaller as he spoke, seemingly aware that he might be overstepping.
Angel remained non-committal about this.
Before Nite could speak, he had roughly guessed what would follow, and the facts proved that his conjecture was not wrong.
Seeing Angel in deep thought, Nite’s head hung even lower.
Charles, who was outside the carriage curtain, clenched the reins in his hands, his heart pounding faster and faster.
After a long while, Angel said, “Nite, you’ve been on the Cloud Conch for several years now. You should know that entering the world of wizards isn’t something you can just do if you want to, right?”
Nite whimpered.
“To enter the world of wizards, the prerequisite is to have talent. If there is no talent, one can only say that they have no connection to the extraordinary,” Angel paused, “Considering Charles’ help earlier, I can give him a chance to test his talent. If he has talent, I don’t mind acting as a guide and helping him get started.”
“Really?” Charles suddenly poked his head in, his face full of surprise.
Angel’s voice was not lowered, and it was actually meant for Charles to hear, “The premise is that you have talent.”
Charles took a deep breath, “I know. I’ve read some books about wizards. If I don’t have talent, I won’t be extravagant and will accept my destiny to take over my father’s position.”
“You make it sound like you’re so wronged. Your father is the city lord of Moonset City. You’re taking over his position, and you’re still not satisfied?” Nite muttered under his breath.
“Compared to being immersed in the whirlpool of power, I’d rather escape this cage.” Charles’ expression was very serious, a complete departure from his previous playboy demeanor in front of Gurman’s maids.
Everyone has their own story. Charles appeared to be a playboy on the surface, but he also had his own persistence deep down.
Angel smiled softly, and so, Lucas, what about you? Your surface is a liar, but is there a bit of sincerity at your core?
“I come from the Vast Continent, and I also have the duty to find talented individuals,” Angel contemplated for a moment, “Since you want to test your talent, why don’t you help me and look for some people interested in the path of wizards? I’ll make time this Sunday to test you all together.”
Charles’ eyes lit up after hearing this, “I have a club I formed at the academy, and they’re all interested in the extraordinary world. Can I invite them too?”
“Yes,” Angel said, glancing at Nite, “If you have friends, you can introduce them as well. On Sunday, I’ll be at…”
Angel originally wanted to say that he would test the talents of others at Alvin’s house, but then he thought that Alvin’s house was private property, and it would be presumptuous without the owner’s consent.
“How about my house?” Charles suggested.
“Alright, let’s do it at the city lord’s mansion.”
Angel considered that although testing at the city lord’s mansion might make the test biased towards the nobility, it was undeniable that the chances of nobles becoming talented individuals were much higher than those of commoners. A superior living environment would generally be more advantageous.
Of course, this is only relative. Many commoners still have formidable talents, like Isley, who was on the Purple Wisteria ship and the first person among all talents to enter the apprentice realm. He was not even a commoner but a servant in a noble family.
“Is there any restriction on those chosen to participate in the talent assessment?” Charles asked.
“As long as they are under thirty years old, there are no other restrictions. Both nobles and commoners are welcome.”
In fact, people over thirty could still become talents. However, as age increases, thoughts become more complex, making it more difficult to meditate. Besides, the Savage Grottoes only accept people under thirty, which helps cultivate loyalty.
After deciding on this, Charles wore a confident smile, as if he was certain he would become a talent.
However, this smile froze three days later.
On Sunday, in the main hall of the Lord’s Mansion, many noble lords gathered while young nobles loitered outside, chatting spiritedly. People kept entering the mansion.
This time, the wizard was testing for apprentices, and the news spread quickly from the academy district. Not only did the upper city know about it, but even some people in the lower city and slums heard about it.
Now, in a small corner of the Lord’s Mansion, some commoners huddled together and whispered among themselves. Even a few ragged-looking people stood silently on the outskirts, not leaving despite being shunned.
Lord Richard paced back and forth in the hall, looking somewhat anxious. Charles was undergoing the talent test at the moment, and if he had a chance to become a talent, the Manson family’s glory might continue for a longer time!
Richard’s gaze was fixed on the curtains at the side of the hall. Beyond the curtains lay a corridor leading to the talent test site.
“I didn’t expect Moonset City to welcome the wizard this time. Ten years ago, a wizard landed on the east coast to take in apprentices. My son missed that opportunity, but this time it’s happening in Moonset City. We must seize the chance,” said a noble lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat, talking to her friend.
“I really don’t know what the wizard was thinking, letting even the commoners in. If it weren’t for my daughter, I wouldn’t want to stand here, breathing the same air as those commoners.”
“Don’t say that. When the wizard arrived, I noticed his attire. He probably isn’t a noble, so it wouldn’t be wise to let him hear you.”
The noble lady who had spoken carelessly immediately covered half of her white-powdered face with a delicate folding fan.
As whispered discussions filled the hall, the curtain was pulled open.
Charles stepped out.
Upon seeing his younger son emerge, Richard immediately approached him. As he looked at Charles’s pale face, he understood the outcome without needing to be told.
Richard sighed softly, “It’s destiny.”
The smile that Charles had been wearing on his face for days faded away in an instant, and he sat down in the hall, lost in thought. The previously noisy nobles also became quiet at this time.
“Even Charles failed. Is this talent test really that difficult?”
“Ah… I’m a bit worried about my daughter now.”
A noble lady with a fan covering her face began to murmur with concern.
As time passed, wave after wave of people entered the testing area, and wave after wave came out disheartened.
From morning until afternoon, nearly a thousand people were tested, and not one passed.
This not only made the faces of the nobles at the scene gloomy but also astonished Angel himself about the difficulty of the talent seeker’s mission. It seemed that encountering Drew on the ship was truly an incredible stroke of luck.
As the last person left, the lively lord’s mansion slowly fell into silence.
Angel walked out, yawning.
No one had passed the test, making the day a complete waste. No wonder nobody wanted to take on this guide mission; it was not only time-consuming, but the probability of finding a talented individual was also extremely low.
As Angel came out, he overheard a pair of noble ladies with fans in their hands, questioning the legitimacy of the test.
“Could it be that we’ve been deceived? My son actually didn’t pass?”
“It must be a fraud. My daughter said that she was just asked to touch the crystal ball and then was sent away. It wasn’t a test at all! I heard that wizards value knowledge, so I specifically had my daughter memorize a lot of information. But there wasn’t even a written exam! It’s not at all legitimate.”
Angel saw Charles talking to his father and decided not to greet them. Instead, he walked directly to the pair questioning him.
“Speaking ill of others behind their back can turn one into a gossiping woman,” Angel said, as he cast two nightmare auras upon them.
In an instant, they screamed, uttering strange words, while looking at each other’s faces in horror. “What happened to your face? What’s wrong with you? Don’t pull my tongue… Ah!”
As they clawed at each other and shrieked, everyone present fell silent.
It was clear that this was the work of the great wizard Angel. No one dared to question the test any further, not even daring to breathe audibly.
After some time, seeing that Angel made no further moves, they mustered the courage to say their goodbyes and leave, except for the two ladies’ husbands, who approached with embarrassed and frightened expressions.
“Gossiping is unbecoming of a noble. This is just a small punishment, which will disappear after a month,” Angel said, leaving them with these words before turning away.
He didn’t respond to the lord’s attempt to retain him, and with a single step of his flying boots, he vanished into the sky.
For not long ago, Toby had flown back to inform him of a piece of news.
The people he had been waiting for had finally arrived.