6: Chapter 6 Testing

After finishing his understanding of the Basic Meditation Method, Byron immediately had the Eye of Omniscience transmit "A Brief History of Wizards" and "basic wizard principles" separately.

These two books were common reading material, containing no mystical knowledge, but they were helpful for Byron to understand the Wizard World.

"A Brief History of Wizards," as the name implies, is a book that simply recounts the history of wizards.

It covers the origins, development, core philosophy of wizards, the relationship between wizards and the kingdoms of the Mortal, the current historical background, and so on.

"basic wizard principles," on the other hand, contains the rules and safety regulations among wizards, such as the principle of equivalent exchange...

After Byron finished understanding all of this, he leaned back, resting against the back of his chair, and looked out the window.

At this moment, the sky outside was a dim yellow, the sun hanging low in the west, as if it had set the world on fire.

Seeing this, Byron recalled his appointment with Eliza and Grey.

The time was nearly upon them.

With this thought, Byron called out to the Eye of Omniscience again: "Eye of Omniscience, begin analyzing the Basic Meditation Method runes."

[Analysis started... Estimated time: 3 hours, 32 minutes, and 23 seconds.]

As the Eye of Omniscience's analysis ran silently in the background, it caused Byron only a slight sense of mental fatigue and did not significantly affect his actions.

This way, he could save some time; why not take advantage of it?

Closing the door, Byron followed the signs on the wall and successfully arrived at the dining hall.

The entire dining hall was under a massive dome, where dozens of glowing crystals emitting cold light floated.

It used a buffet format, where one served oneself. The long mahogany tables were filled with roasted meats emitting the scent of exotic spices, deep-sea fish with strange but incredibly tempting colors, and various vibrant berries whose names he did not know.

Although they had only been on the ship for half a day, the crowd in the dining hall had already formed distinct groups, clustering together according to class and Aptitude.

Walking into the dining hall, Byron ignored the gazes directed at him and greeted Grey, who was smiling and waving at him, and Eliza, who was smiling as well.

Byron plopped down beside Grey and asked with a smile: "How long have you two been here?"

Grey: "I was hungry, so I came earliest. Eliza arrived not long after me."

"We were just guessing how long it would take for you to arrive."

"Why don't you guess who guessed more accurately, me or Eliza?"

Grey looked at Byron with a mischievous grin and raised an eyebrow at Eliza.

Byron shot him a sidelong glance and laughed: "Then you guess, whether I'm going to guess or not."

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Grey's face stiffened instantly. He muttered: "Why are you just like Eliza, both so boring and dull."

Seeing the sullen expression on Grey's face, both Byron and Eliza laughed out loud, and eventually, Grey laughed along with them.

The laughter of the three attracted the attention of others in the dining hall.

However, after seeing Eliza, who had a fourth-tier low-grade Aptitude, and Byron, who had a third-tier top-grade Aptitude, they all withdrew their gazes.

By now, they truly understood the meaning of Aptitude and the disparity in status that it brought.

This massive chasm of disparity was enough to make people shrink back easily.

The laughter ceased, and Byron stood up again: "I haven't eaten all day, so I'm going to get some food. You two chat."

Before he could finish, Grey hurriedly stood up as well: "I haven't had my fill yet either, and Eliza hasn't eaten yet either. Let's all go together."

Eliza also stood up and nodded with a smile: "I am also a bit hungry."

Byron was indifferent to this.

The three of them held their trays, took some food from the tables laden with various dishes, poured a cup of some unknown beverage, and then returned to their original table.

At first, the three of them did not speak, concentrating on dealing with the food in front of them.

Having not eaten all day and with such high exertion, Byron was nearly starved to the point of fainting.

Especially after entering the dining hall and smelling the aroma of the food, his stomach began to rumble loudly.

After slightly filling his stomach, Byron's movements slowed down, and he began to eat in a leisurely manner.

Since Grey had eaten some earlier, he was the first to put down his knife and fork.

He looked around first, then turned to the two of them, lowered his voice, and said with a mysterious expression.

"Byron, Eliza, do you know what the surprise that Wizard Klevin mentioned is? I found it, hehe..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the two, who had been drawn by Grey's actions, were stunned and didn't react immediately.

Seeing them like this, Grey continued: "Hehe, if you are willing to praise me properly, I will tell you this secret, how about that? This..."

But before Grey could finish his sentence, both Byron and Eliza laughed out loud.

Grey was puzzled: "What do you two mean? Why are you laughing?"

Byron said with a smile: "You're talking about the surprise that Wizard Klevin mentioned, right?"

"Yeah."

"You discovered that it was three books, right?"

"Right... wait, no, you found them too, Byron?"

Grey nodded subconsciously, but quickly reacted, looking at Byron in shock.

Eliza, laughing delicately, also spoke up: "I found them too. They were hidden inside the bookshelf, right?"

Hearing this, Grey immediately sighed repeatedly: "Sigh, I thought I could use this to show off in front of you two. How boring!"

Seeing this, Byron didn't continue to discourage Grey but looked at Eliza, and changed the subject:

"Eliza, although we are both nobles, our background is far inferior to your Family." Byron's voice was very low, yet his words were clear.

"So, I wonder, regarding the true Wizard World... do you know anything?"

Facing Byron's direct inquiry, Eliza nodded quite frankly.

"You should also know that every once in a while, a group of people goes to the wizard academy. One of my Family's ancestors successfully survived in the academy, became a wizard, and returned once."

"And he did indeed leave behind some information."

Hearing this, Grey, who had been slumped over like a dead dog, became excited again.

"Eliza, can you tell us about it? I am willing to..."

At this point, Grey suddenly choked on his words. He realized that he didn't seem to have anything to trade right now.

However, unexpectedly, Eliza waved her hand with a smile.

"I do know some information, and I am willing to share it; you don't need to pay anything."

"After all, this information isn't exactly a secret; you will naturally know it once you arrive at the academy. Besides, aren't we companions?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Grey became excited: "Eliza, you are really too kind. Thank you so much!"

Byron also showed a grateful smile and thanked Eliza.

But in his heart, he became secretly vigilant.

He understood that there is no kindness without reason in the world; behind seemingly free gifts, the price has actually already been marked.

However, Byron did not refuse this, as he needed this information right now.

As for later, when Eliza wants to ask for compensation, he would pay according to the principle of equivalent exchange. If she demanded more, then he would be sorry.

However, there was another possibility, which was that Eliza was truly willing to teach it for free for the sake of being companions.

However, rather than believing in this possibility, it would be better to believe that Eliza had other motives.

And regarding others, Byron always speculated with the greatest malice.

After elegantly taking a sip of her drink, Eliza stood up immediately.

Seeing the two looking at her, she said with a playful smile: "Are you planning to listen to me here?"

As she spoke, her gaze swept over several apprentices nearby who were pricking up their ears, trying to eavesdrop.

Upon hearing this, the two realized that there were indeed too many people here.

Afterwards, after some discussion, they decided to go to the deck to find a secluded place for her to explain.

After all, it would not be appropriate to go to anyone's room.