The castle was built on a hillside on the island, with no cliffs around; charred soil from burnt trees on both sides, and some ruins in the distance behind, probably the remnants of a building.
The main hall was located at the highest point of the hillside. Standing at the door, Ivan and the others could see the surrounding environment of the castle.
To be honest, the place looked rather ordinary.
Soon, the boys were captivated by the Cloud Fog servant.
The Cloud Fog servant had no flesh and blood; its entire body was composed of cloud fog, slightly larger than a basketball, resembling a pure white cotton candy floating in mid-air, with human-like facial features and tiny hands and feet that protruded out.
It radiated a lovable aura, making girls like Justine and Charlene want to cuddle it in their arms and squeeze it.
“Crack, crack.”
Felt like a thorn in the back from being stared at with covetous eyes, the Cloud Fog servant turned around and issued a warning to the humans behind it with ill intentions.
Its voice was like thunder fraying, speaking in an unknown language, with sparks of electricity flickering as it talked.
The boys shivered inwardly and refrained from harboring inappropriate thoughts.
The Cloud Fog servant didn’t take the boys too far and stopped in front of a row of bungalows.
Each chose a room to use as a dormitory.
The dormitory was small, divided into a living area and a sleeping area by hanging silk cloths, complete with tables, chairs, wooden tubs, oil lamps, matches, and copper locks. The sleeping area was on the inner side, with clean bedding and pillows.
Ivan sniffed, sensing a faint stench of blood, perhaps the room hadn’t been inhabited for a while.
There were designated areas for washing up and eating, and meal times were not to be missed.
In one afternoon, Ivan figured out the lifestyle here.
‘What about the previous apprentices, why haven’t I seen a single one?’
He pondered this in his dormitory after dinner.
From the castle entrance to the central area’s main hall, then to the dormitory area and the cafeteria, he had paid attention to his surroundings but hadn’t found any apprentices except for Eckerz.
“Thump, thump, thump.”
The door was pushed open from the outside, and Justine appeared in a pale green long dress, pointing at the door: “It wasn’t me who pushed it, your door wasn’t closed properly.”
“I know.”
Justine closed the door and said worriedly, “Did you notice? The people before us are all gone. I suspect they all died. Do you think there’s something extremely dangerous on this island?”
“I guess so.”
“Then do you think it could be—”
She subtly pointed towards the center of the castle.
Ivan remained silent for a while then said, “What can we do about it, if that’s the case? We’ll just have to take it one step at a time.”
The two sat in silence, feeling as if a rock pressed upon their hearts.
With their dormitories next to each other, Justine decided she would run to Ivan’s room if there was any danger; she didn’t believe he would stand by and watch her perish.
…
A new day. Continue your journey on мѵʟ
After a night’s rest, the rejuvenated boys were led by the Cloud Fog servant back to the main hall they visited the previous day.
“Laurie, Sorcerer Toyennes requests your presence.”
After a wait, the little green winged snake summoned Laurie into the great hall.
When Laurie emerged from the hall with a smile, he held something in his hands, an apprentice robe with a fist-sized crystal ball on the gray robe.
The second one was Ivan.
He followed the little green winged snake into the main hall, which was still empty. A long table was placed in the middle, and Sorcerer Toyennes was sitting behind it. On one side of the table lay a grey apprentice robe, and on the other side, seven Crystal Balls.
“Ivan, what is a sorcerer in your heart?”
“A cultivator more powerful than a knight.”
In response to Ivan’s answer, Toyennes smiled gently without saying whether it was right or wrong.
He said, “Sorcerers are adept at exploring knowledge through power, and with knowledge, they achieve their own power. The fundamental power of a sorcerer is spiritual power. Within the human group, only a minority possess spiritual power, which is the sorcerer’s gift.”
“Through the awakening of this gift, humans can sense the existence of spiritual power. The awakening requires a guide, usually one’s mentor. Ivan Marichardon, would you like to become my disciple?”
Ivan hastily answered, “I would.”
A terrifying aura rose from Toyennes, enveloping Ivan, and in that instant, he felt like a leaf in the storm.
“Repeat after me:
“Following the ancient heritage of sorcerers, I am willing to embark on the path of pursuing knowledge and truth, willing to contribute my power for the survival and continuation of humanity. Mother of Earth Core above, I hereby swear, never to betray humanity, never to betray Danaila, never to divulge the knowledge taught by my mentor to any creature.”
Ivan, not daring to delay, started reciting after Toyennes, repeating the oath once and then again, their two voices blending together.
They stopped after the second repetition.
The terrifying aura on Toyennes receded.
Ivan sensed some change within himself. When he looked around, it was as if a layer of dust had been brushed off; the world seemed more vivid and agile.
Toyennes asked, “You are now a sorcerer’s apprentice. Do you understand the ancient Golgandar language?”
“Yes, and the Tidal Language as well.”
“Very good. I have specially prepared Meditation Methods for you in the Crystal Ball. Practice them frequently. The island is dangerous; do not leave the castle. You may go now.”
“Then I shall take my leave, mentor.”
After advising him on many points, Toyennes took an apprentice robe from the left side and a Crystal Ball from the right, placing the ball on the robe and handing them to Ivan.
Carrying the two items, Ivan exited, and Charlene entered the hall with the little green winged snake.
Back in his dormitory, Ivan couldn’t wait. He held up the Crystal Ball, focusing on it just like during the previous tests.
Unlike the previous two times, this time he clearly felt himself probing into the Crystal Ball, seeing the recorded information. The information was written in ancient Golgandar language and divided into two parts: Apprentice Knowledge and Meditation Methods.
“The Crystal Ball can serve as a tool for storing information, which has a time limit; it can be used for knowledge exchange with others.”
“The apprentice grey robe is made from marine silver sturgeon skin; warm in winter, cool in summer, dust repellent, breathable, waterproof, easy to wash and quick to dry. If sold in Aromatic Wheat Dukedom, it would be difficult to find for a hundred Gold Coins, sadly there is only one.”
“A sorcerer’s most commonly used currency is the magic stone, a special energy mineral that can stimulate the enhancement of spiritual power, divided into upper, middle, and lower 3rd Class.”
“Sorcerers enhance their spiritual power through Meditation Methods. With spirit power, they manipulate energy particles, which are omnipresent. In some places these particles are dense, which makes it easier to enhance spiritual power, while in other places they are scarce. The concentration of energy particles in human kingdoms is low, hence sorcerers seldom return.”
“All knowledge has its price. Sorcerers adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange. Uh—”
Touching the part about Apprentice Knowledge, the information flowed into his mind, and the text in the Crystal Ball disappeared, feeling like cutting a file from a computer to a USB drive.
Reading that all sorcerers adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange, and that knowledge has a price, his right eyelid twitched and a chill passed down his spine.
Since it applies to all sorcerers, Sorcerer Toyennes is certainly no exception.
So, what was the price he paid for the Meditation Methods?
Gold Coins were of little use in the world of sorcerers; he had almost nothing but his life.
“Psh, from the mentor’s attitude, he genuinely wants to teach us; he doesn’t seem like a man after our lives.”
Not that he underestimated himself, but Ivan felt his life might not be very valuable in the eyes of sorcerers. So, what was it really for?
Another question remained: What was the cause of the previous apprentice’s death?
Thinking hard and getting nowhere, he decided not to ponder further and turned his attention to receiving the Meditation Methods from the Crystal Ball.