99: Chapter 99 Selection

On an overgrown road at the edge of the Monster Forest, a carriage was speeding along.

The carriage's exterior was adorned with ornate decorations, and its shock absorption was excellent; the bumps on the road caused little disturbance inside the cabin.

Inside the carriage sat four people—three males and one female. They chatted occasionally, their words filled with uncontrollable excitement and agitation.

To be precise, the other two boys and the girl were talking loudly, while the White-haired Youth kept his eyes closed, ignoring them the entire time.

It wasn't that Ronan didn't want to talk to them, but rather that these three were either showing off their prominent backgrounds and luxurious lives or bragging about how they were close to mastering a Zero-Circle Magic spell.

Ronan had nothing in common with them, so he simply closed his eyes to practice his Meditation Method for a while.

Indeed, the White-haired Youth was Ronan, who was on his way to the academy selection.

He already possessed the admission qualifications for the Disordered Light Void; for him, this selection was merely a necessary formality.

Once the selection was over, he would be able to board the same ship as the other apprentices to the academy.

After he returned to the Adventurers Guild from Jiuwan Village, the rewards from the higher-ups had already arrived.

Not only had he become a high-level Adventurer, but he also gained temporary decision-making authority.

However, he didn't do anything outrageous because of it. Aside from getting Ash Leaf a new crystal coffin, he posted a quest in the mission hall to investigate the identity of the boss behind the Sapphire Dream Hall.

During this time, he received a letter from Evil Axe.

After reading it, Ronan learned that Evil Axe had gained the appreciation of Red Hammer's maternal family. They were of prominent status and decided to give him a chance to challenge for a Class, so he wouldn't be back for a while.

After giving some instructions to Alice, his business at the Adventurers Guild was temporarily concluded, and he headed over to the Arcane Arts Society.

Hearing that he was going to the academy, the New Lord immediately jumped up and said he was going too, and that they would meet again at the peak of the academy.

Arabella didn't say much, but she kept holding his hand, her gaze full of affection.

She watched him leave just like that, without saying a formal goodbye even at the very end.

But Ronan felt there was no need for goodbyes; he was definitely coming back.

Having settled the follow-up matters on both sides, Ronan boarded the carriage heading to the selection site.

In contrast to him already having admission qualifications, the other three in the carriage were normal reserve apprentices.

"Which academy are you reserves for?"

After chatting about magic with the two boys for a long time, the only girl in the carriage suddenly shifted the topic.

"I'm a reserve for the Holy Blood Ring. My father has some connections there, so I got a spot," said the taller boy on the right.

"Ah, the Life Department Academy—" the shorter boy on the left blurted out.

Then, with a proud look, he said, "I'm a reserve for the Senluo Fire Tongue of the Elemental Academy. It's the top representative academy of the Elemental School—"

"Miss Adele, what about you?" The tall boy didn't want to hear the other's boasting and turned to ask the girl.

"I'm a reserve for the Kingdom of Shadows of the Necromancy Academy. It seems we won't be together, what a pity," the girl said with a look of disappointment.

The three of them automatically ignored Ronan's presence in their conversation.

In their eyes, the withdrawn Ronan was not wearing an academy magic robe and clearly wasn't a reserve apprentice.

"It's alright, Miss Adele. I heard there's a communication platform between the academies; we should still keep in touch in the future—"

"That's good then—"

The carriage traveled along, moving away from the territory of Moonless City and the Monster Forest, finally arriving at a city standing alone in the wilderness.

When Ronan got off the carriage, he realized they weren't the only ones there.

The surroundings were crowded with people, mostly reserve apprentices in magic robes, interspersed with a few individuals in luxurious, extravagant clothing.

Ronan was the only one who wasn't wearing a magic robe and whose clothes looked rather cheap.

In front of the crowd was a raised platform. In the center stood a low stone pillar with a crystal ball fixed upon it.

"Silence."

At this moment, the person standing next to the crystal ball shouted to silence the whispering below and continued, "Those whose names are called, come up and touch the crystal ball."

He flipped open the notebook in his hand and called out loudly, "Secret Star City, Elifas Sidel."

"Here."

A small, freckle-faced boy squeezed out of the crowd and timidly approached the crystal ball.

He glanced at the official who called his name, nodded slightly, and then reached out toward the crystal ball.

The crystal ball suddenly shifted, emitting a very dazzling green light.

"Fail. Next."

The official directly pronounced the death sentence, ignoring the pale-faced boy, and continued calling, "Moonless City, Adele Carter."

"Present."

The girl from the same carriage as Ronan responded and slowly stepped out of the crowd. Her face was full of confidence, and she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.

After nodding in respect to the official, she reached out to touch the crystal ball.

In an instant, the crystal ball burst with a green light even more dazzling than before, showing a very strong reaction.

It's a success— Adele rejoiced inwardly.

"Fail. Next."

However, the official ruthlessly shattered her dream.

"Impossible!" she cried out, unable to accept reality. "This crystal ball must be broken! Sir, I demand—"

The official extended two fingers and made a pinching motion, and the screaming girl was immediately silenced.

Her mouth was moving normally, but not a single sound came out.

"Moonless City, Wyatt Rice."

"He— Here!"

The tall boy from the carriage immediately tensed up and ran onto the stage with little confidence.

Adele had already been led away by other staff members; it took quite a while before she regained her ability to speak.

Seeing that even Miss Adele had been rejected, the tall boy felt extremely nervous.

Regardless of his thoughts, he still had to touch the crystal ball. He reached out, and in the next second, the crystal ball emitted an extremely faint blue light, flickering like breathing.

"Pass. Next."

To the tall boy, the official's voice sounded like heavenly music. He pumped his fist in ecstasy and followed the instructions to stand in the area to the official's right.

"Moonless City, Zane Ridgeway."

"Here, sir."

This time, it was the short boy from the carriage's turn. He walked onto the stage unhurriedly, and the crystal ball he touched immediately erupted with intense blue light.

"Pass. Next."

Ronan could see that as long as it reached blue light, regardless of its intensity, it counted as passing.

Conversely, no matter how strong the green light was, it was still a failure.

Soon, almost everyone had been tested.

Most who passed showed blue light; for the few who showed purple light, the official's attitude became much more polite.

After everyone on the list had been tested, "The selection is over. Next—"

The official's tone suddenly changed, and he said with a hint of respect, "The lord whose name was not called, please come up."