Chapter 937 The So-called Trial <TOC> Chapter 939 Beyond Measure
Translator: SumTLMan
Upon hearing these words from Wallace, a flicker of surprise crossed the eyes of Drew and his companions, soon transforming into a ripple of anxiety.
They had assumed that by having survived the trial presented by Angel, they had already set foot through the threshold into the Savage Grottoes. They had not expected that a further test was yet to come.
Would they be sent back if they failed this assessment? This was the source of their unease.
After all, besides Drew, neither Vonman nor Guina had truly crossed into the transcendent world. They were wholly unaware of their own talents and aptitudes. In the face of so many unknowns, even the usually composed Guina felt a twinge of apprehension.
Angel himself was taken aback, as he too hadn’t expected this step. If every individual with talent was to be assessed, then had those talents, including Totoro, gone through this process as well?
Wallace clarified Angel’s doubts: “Yes, I was the one who conducted the assessments at that time.”
Then, Wallace added, “This assessment is a rudimentary evaluation of mental disposition. The specific talent orientation still needs to be determined by Tree Spirit.”
Wallace also informed him that during Angel’s cohort, all those with talents were also assessed, although none of them were actually aware of it.
“The rudimentary evaluation of mental disposition is not a competition. It merely adds an extra comment to the subsequent talent orientation, allowing the full-fledged wizards to have an idea of your general inclination when choosing,” Wallace explained. While Drew and the others didn’t fully understand, Angel had a clear idea of the fundamental purpose of this process.
It was essentially an alignment preference.
Wallace’s eyes, radiant and lucid, slowly scanned the three individuals before him.
As Wallace’s gaze swept over them, Drew and the others felt as if their entire being was seen through, like cool water trickling from the crown of their heads to their feet.
Both Drew and Vonman trembled, not daring to meet Wallace’s eyes directly. Guina also kept her head lowered, though she showed no fear.
She was, after all, perfectly fine. In the world of mortals, everyone who saw her reacted with horror, as if they were staring at some grotesque ghost. But in the world of wizards, it seemed that no one cared about her condition, be it Angel, or Nielson they encountered later, or Wallace now.
Upon witnessing her presence, they held expressions of nonchalance. This ordinary reaction soothed Guina, bringing her a sense of comfort and openness.
For once, bereft of peculiar gazes, Guina found the Wizarding World to be much more splendid than she had envisaged.
In no time, the brilliance in Wallace’s eyes dimmed as he had formulated a rough evaluation of the trio. However, before reaching a final verdict, he turned to Angel, “As their guide, how do you perceive them?”
The moment Wallace’s question echoed, the eyes of Drew and others were cast upon Angel. They had been following Angel for some time now and were curious to learn how they were perceived in Angel’s eyes.
While Wallace could utilize spells to elucidate a person’s alignment, Angel, through prolonged companionship, could gauge their situations.
Angel’s gaze landed on Drew as he began to speak leisurely, “Drew is someone who respects order, benevolent at heart. However, he can be impetuous, often blindsided by notions of justice. His missing left ear is the consequence of his impulsive rescue of a child from a sea beast’s maw, without considering his mortal limitations.”
Drew bowed his head in slight embarrassment.
Angel then turned his gaze towards Vonman, whose expression flickered subtly.
“Vonman tends to be chaotic in dealing with matters, driven by his heart and ego, often not distinguishing between right and wrong, good and evil. He lacks tenacity, and his heart is not steadfast. However, he also exhibits a side of loyalty, but still, centered around his ego, he rarely considers the emotions of others.”
Vonman furrowed his brows at Angel’s assessment. He didn’t mind being labelled as someone with no concept of right or wrong, but being branded as lacking resilience and having an unsteady disposition made him slightly uncomfortable.
Finally, Angel turned his gaze towards Guina.
Guina was pondering what Angel’s evaluation of her would be. Would it be favorable or unfavorable? What result did the wizards nearby wish to hear? And, ultimately, how would these assessments impact her?
When it came to Guina, Angel paused, carefully choosing his words.
“Guina has a tendency to act independently, possibly due to her early experiences. Her thought processes aren’t too dissimilar from Vonman’s. She possesses a calculated mind, and her observation of human nature and her ability to gauge the circumstances far exceed the average person. She remains composed and undeterred by external factors. However, overthinking may not always be beneficial.”
In assessing the trio, Angel chose a neutral stance. He pointed out their shortcomings without judging their merits or faults.
Wallace greatly admired this trait of Angel’s.
Wallace nodded approvingly, “Your highest evaluation goes to Guina, but it seems your favor lies with Drew.”
This statement was delivered with an air of certainty, and Angel did not contradict it.
Wallace’s words brought a glimmer to Drew’s eyes, who thought highly of himself. However, Wallace’s remarks took an unexpected turn.
“But in my view, setting aside natural talent, Drew is least suited for the world of wizards.”
At these words, Angel also nodded. If Drew continued to be bound by mortal norms, ethics, and justice, he was inevitably destined to fail first.
“I’ve already forwarded their evaluations to Tree Spirit Hall,” said Wallace. Following these words, he lifted his hand slightly, the dust on the ground slowly gathering to form a humanoid clay doll out of thin air.
With a gentle touch on the doll’s brow, an eye appeared on its otherwise dull clay face. When the eye opened, the doll seemed to come alive, its entire body moving in sync.
Wallace directed his words at Drew and the others, “Follow it, it will lead you to Tree Spirit Hall.”
After he finished speaking, the clay doll made a gesture of “follow” towards the crowd, then without any hesitation, jumped into the deep chasm.
This scene took the crowd by surprise. Were they also expected to jump after it? But, the depth of this abyss was unfathomable, and any leap into it would undoubtedly result in a bone-crushing fall.
In their moment of hesitation, their eyes instinctively sought out Angel.
However, they received no cues from Angel. After a moment’s indecision, Guina suddenly said, “Vonman, let’s go down.”
“But…” Vonman seemed a bit hesitant.
“If you don’t jump, throw me down,” Guina paused, “Having come to the world of wizards, there must be no insoluble problems.”
Guina’s words seemed to give Vonman a shred of confidence. Eventually, he nodded, held onto Guina, and took the plunge into the chasm.
After their descent, Drew, not wanting to be left behind, gritted his teeth and followed suit.
It was only after all three had disappeared into the abyss that Angel looked up at Wallace. According to the mission’s protocol, he should have been the one to escort them to Tree Spirit Hall. However, Wallace’s creation of the clay sprite to lead the way indicated that there were things he wished to discuss with Angel.
Wallace chuckled, a smile playing on his lips, “Take a wild guess, out of these three, whose appraisal do you think I ranked the highest?”
“But, Lord, didn’t you mention that this evaluation doesn’t rank one higher than the other?” Angel retorted.
“True, there is no rank in matters of one’s temperament, but the ability to overcome one’s weaknesses, and the degree of difficulty to do so, now that’s a different story,” Wallace paused, “In your opinion, setting aside their natural talent, who amongst the three is best suited for the Wizarding World?”
Angel pondered for a moment before saying a name, “Guina?”
Wallace replied, “Guina is far too preoccupied with her own thoughts. She is the one amongst the three who has the most significant issues with her temperament. Overcoming them won’t be as simple as it may seem. However, if she does manage to triumph over her issues, there is a good chance that she could have the most promising future out of the three.”
“But, when considered overall, I didn’t rank her evaluation very high.”
Angel inquired, “Then, the person with the highest appraisal from you is Vonman?”
Wallace nodded, “In terms of temperament, Vonman has the least issues, and hence, his appraisal was higher. However, my judgment alone doesn’t mean much; their future depends on them… much like you.”
Suddenly, Wallace’s words veered towards Angel, “At the beginning, my appraisal of you wasn’t high either. But now, you stand out as the finest amongst your peers, even in the grand scope of the Southern Region.”
Wallace’s sudden praise caught Angel off guard.
However, Wallace didn’t dwell on Angel’s achievements for too long. He gazed at Angel with affectionate eyes and said, “Now, I’m just waiting for the day when Sanders finally meets his demise in the outside world. Then, I can take you under my wing.”
Angel fell silent.
“However, you should probably slow down your progression to becoming a formal wizard. Otherwise, once you become one, I won’t be able to take you as my disciple.”
After imparting these words, Wallace left him with a parting remark, “If you find some spare time, go and meet old Rhine. I suspect he has something to say to you.”
Then, Wallace disappeared into the abyss, leaving no trace behind.
After a moment of silence, Angel thought Wallace had something significant to discuss. Little did he know, their conversation would revolve around pleasantries.
Or perhaps, the crux of Wallace’s message was to suggest Angel slow down his progression towards becoming a formal wizard?
Angel deduced that this was likely Wallace’s objective. Indeed, his advancement was exceptional, outstripping his peers. In Wallace’s eyes, Angel’s learning time was too short, his foundation inevitably shaky, thus requiring a period for reflection and consolidation.
Nonetheless, Wallace wasn’t Angel’s mentor and perhaps felt awkward addressing it directly, so he employed a roundabout way to communicate his concerns.
All things considered, Wallace’s intentions were well-meant.
“You are… Master Pat?” While Angel was immersed in thought, a witch on a broom landed behind him.
Before Angel could respond, her eyes brightened, she impulsively lifted her wizard’s robe, revealing long bare legs, and said, “Fantastic, Master Pat, I am…”
Some time later, Angel managed to adopt an aloof demeanor and dispense with the intrusive witch.
Angel thought this was an isolated incident.
But when he returned to the Savage Grottoes, he found out that the witch was not an anomaly. If he slowed his pace even slightly, he was immediately bombarded with various invitations from people who rushed towards him.
There were those who sought wisdom, those who sought affection, but most were in pursuit of alchemy.
Angel, feeling harassed by the crowd, commanded Toby to assume the imposing form of a griffin. Toby’s formidable strength deterred the onlookers effectively. Under the pressure of the gravity lines, Angel finally escaped.
As he intended to return to Phantom Island, a playful voice reached his ears, “It seems, it won’t be long before you top our Savage Grottoes’ ranking of ‘The Most Eligible Wizard Bachelor.'”
Chapter 937 The So-called Trial <TOC> Chapter 939 Beyond Measure