An hour later, Ivan followed Mendenez out of the research lab and into the workshop area for the test, which was also on the second floor.
By the time the two arrived, several enchanters were already present. These individuals were all elders of the Enchanters Guild, not just from the School of Space.
As the assessment was imminent, Mendenez did not introduce the others to him.
“Is this the man Nelson recommended?” A few minutes later, a sorcerer in his forties or fifties arrived, clearly a Level 3 Sorcerer and the Vice President.
“Yes, he is Ivan Marichardon.” Mendenez had already reported the situation and did not repeat Ivan’s personal information.
“Nelson does keep his promises, after all. When he left, he said he would earnestly recommend a talented individual for my School of Space. After so many years, you have finally come, Sorcerer Ivan.” Angus said with a smile.
Hearing the Vice President’s words, the elders from other schools were somewhat dumbfounded; wasn’t this blatantly poaching for his own school? Vice President Angus was being too indelicate.
Rank trumps all, and since the other party’s strength also overshadowed theirs, they exchanged looks and chose to remain silent and wait.
“It would be an honor to join the School of Space,” Ivan said, noting the various movements in the workshop. Seeing this scene, what else could he say? He could only agree to join the School of Space as the situation demanded.
“You are committed,” Angus nodded with satisfaction, then announced, “Let’s skip the small talk. There is only one test for you, simply craft a high-level magicalized item—12 bundles of Multi-changing Star Spikes—before us.” Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire
“I have no problem with that.”
Ivan thought to himself, of course.
If Mendenez dared to guarantee it outright, it must be something he was familiar with.
Although there were only twelve runes bundles in the Multi-changing Star Spike, it involved various aspects of power. It was indeed all-encompassing and greatly tested the enchanter’s control level. In the process of crafting, many issues could also be revealed.
Whether he met the standards for joining the Enchanters Guild could be judged by the enchanters present through his crafting process.
Thereafter, Angus set down all the materials he had brought in the center of the workbench. The quantity of materials was exact, just enough for crafting a set of Multi-changing Star Spikes.
“Then I will begin.”
Ivan gestured to his left and right before commencing his crafting.
One by one, the raw materials floated in front of him and gradually transformed under his extraction, annealing, shaping, cooling, and other techniques.
Regardless of the system the raw materials involved, his actions had no hesitation or pause.
The steps of mixing and shaping the materials were also seamless, his operation fully demonstrating what is meant by ‘smooth as flowing water’ and ‘a feast for the eyes’.
Around him, many elders nodded slightly.
Mendenez did not remain stern-faced; a smile had appeared at the corner of his eye without notice.
However, these people did not know that the first time Ivan had crafted the Multi-changing Star Spike, he was just a Level 1 Sorcerer, not yet a veteran Level 1 Sorcerer.
Latterly, he did not relax his research on the Multi-changing Star Runes Array. When searching the Ant Beings’ secret vault, he focused on the study; he delved deeper when exploring the Ant King Rebirth Cocoon Array, and even at Shadow Lake, he didn’t lessen his research.
To this day, his mastery over the Multi-changing Star Runes Array and Multi-changing Star Spike had reached perfection.
Having him replicate the crafting process was just an easy task for him.
Within the workshop, as Ivan immersed himself in crafting the Multi-changing Star Spike, time swiftly flew by, unnoticed.
“Clap, clap, clap.”
Half a day later, Angus waved his sleeve to stabilize the elemental turbulence in the room, then led the applause to express appreciation.
Mendenez was the first to respond, and the others followed suit with applause as a sign.
An enchanter’s skill could be discerned from the smoothness of their crafting technique and the final quality of their work. Ivan had unmistakably gained the approval of the enchanters present, who believed he was more than qualified for the position of a guild elder.
“Sorcerer Ivan, welcome to the School of Space, and to your position as an elder,” Angus declared conclusively.
“Vice President Angus, I have completed the task with honor,” Ivan said, wiping away nonexistent sweat.
The two matched each other in spirit and harmony, making the matter a foregone conclusion. With their mutual consent, the other elders found it more difficult to object, especially since the School of Space had the fewest people, allowing one more person wouldn’t hurt.
The other guild elders stepped forward to congratulate him and introduce themselves, and thus, everyone became acquainted.
Once the witnessing was over, the other elders quickly departed.
“According to tradition, this Multi-changing Star Spike is a gift to welcome you into the guild,” Angus said with a wave of his hand, and the Multi-changing Star Spike once again landed in Ivan’s hands.
“Thank you.” Ivan did not stand on ceremony, but he hesitated before asking, “Isn’t my identity supposed to be verified?”
“Don’t underestimate the power of the guild; your identity is beyond doubt,” Angus said with a smile.
Ivan nodded silently. No matter the method the guild used, the ability to confirm the identity of someone from a distant peninsula in half a day was indeed commendable.
For him, it was a good thing too; he could become a part of the Enchanters Guild without any further delay.
“First, follow Mendenez and familiarize yourself with the guild, and while you’re at it, choose a research lab for yourself, so you have a place to settle down. We’ll discuss the rest once you are comfortably settled in,” Angus instructed before parting ways with them.
As he said, Ivan had traveled a long way, and any matters would have to wait until he was settled.
Mendenez, brimming with enthusiasm, took him on a tour of the guild, collecting everything that needed to be claimed. Under his persuasion, Ivan donned the sorcerer robe unique to the Enchanters Guild.
From then on, Ivan was a direct elder of the East Capital Enchantment Guild.
“Let’s go; I’ll take you to the independent residence of our School of Space. There, you can choose a well-protected research lab,” Mendenez said, guiding him toward the exit to the first floor.
“Independent?”
“Unlike other schools, each of our elders can own a separate tower, which serves as a personal research lab, and the protection is among the strongest,” Mendenez explained.
“And the reason for that?” Ivan suddenly had a bad premonition.
“We are few in number.”
“There’s more to it, please be clear,” Ivan urged.
“Sorcerer Ivan, you should be aware of the uncertainty of space. Compared to other schools’ research, ours is indeed more dangerous. It is precisely because there are so many unknowns that it’s worth immersing ourselves in, right?” Mendenez said with an awkward laugh, not hiding anything.
In all the inquiries of the various schools, it was the research of the School of Space that contained the most dangers. There had been many incidents where, in the midst of research, a person would suddenly vanish.
An hour or two later, it would be confirmed the person was dead, but where they died would remain unknown.
There were also instances when an entire tower disappeared.
With so many examples, it became necessary to assign a separate, well-protected tower to each elder of the School of Space.
Ivan was somewhat speechless, but having seen a space rift up close, he wasn’t particularly surprised.
Outside the Troika Tower, Rogier witnessed Ivan enter the guild, his mind full of speculation as he waited for Ivan to come out.
But no matter how long he waited, Rogier did not see him emerge and had to leave first, moving away from the Troika Tower.
“That is—Ivan!”
Rogier happened to see two figures emerge from the other side; one familiar figure made his eyes go wide, and from the person’s attire, it was not hard to deduce that he seemed to have become a direct elder of the Enchanters Guild.
Could the test have been that quick?
Rogier’s expression was changing, but he was sure of one thing: Ivan had indeed become a guild elder, and thus was even more worth befriending.