Chapter 114: A Living Signboard

From the orchard within the Arcane Garden to the elevator, one must cross a winding river that spans the Arcane Garden, and most of the farmland is distributed along both banks of the river.

When Xia Duo and the others returned, the other Apprentices had also finished their work, but they needed to store their tools in a warehouse not far from the elevator and change into their own clothes before they could leave.

In the crowd, Xia Duo spotted Donald's golden hair at a glance; it was particularly conspicuous mixed among a group of black and brown hair. Seeing that golden hair, somewhat dazzling under the sunlight, Xia Duo couldn't help but glance at Dien again.

Among these Apprentices in the Arcane Garden, only Dien could rival Donald; that fiery red hair even made Xia Duo feel that he might possess some special bloodline.

At this moment, Xia Duo suddenly had an idea and immediately discussed it with his group members, "I think we can make Donald the first Apprentice to become an Official Apprentice."

"Donald? That golden-haired kid?" Aideliqi said suddenly, "That kid is quite active; I think it's feasible, but are you sure about it?"

Sami, Dien, and the others did not object either, only feeling somewhat worried about whether they could get Donald to become an Official Apprentice before the others.

"That depends on how much of a price he is willing to pay. As long as the Gold Coins are in place, I can even have him pass the promotion assessment within a week."

Xia Duo said confidently, "The key to the Apprentice promotion assessment lies in the mastery of 【Mending】. If everything goes smoothly, it won't even take a week; two or three days will suffice."

"..."

Aideliqi looked at Xia Duo as if he were a monster. The Mage Tower's Apprentice promotion assessment indeed does not test other content, only 【Mending】. This is because Official Apprentices must provide a certain number of 【Mending】 Scrolls to the Mage Tower every week for the Mage Tower's maintenance work.

If they cannot provide them, they must set aside their own time to perform the maintenance, which is an extra task belonging to Official Apprentices.

Of course, compared to the other benefits Official Apprentices receive, this bit of extra work is nothing.

But the problem is, a normal Apprentice always goes through a long period of learning and would not choose the higher-difficulty 【Mending】 Spell right off the bat.

If all Apprentices were to become Official Apprentices in two or three days, the order in the Mage Tower would likely fall into chaos.

Now, Aideliqi and the others no longer doubted whether Xia Duo could make Donald an Official Apprentice; it was just that two or three days was still too exaggerated, though it would be fine if it were just one or two people.

If all Ordinary Apprentices in the Arcane Garden were like this, it would inevitably attract attention from above, and the consequences would be unpredictable.

Compared to people like Dien and Sami, Aideliqi had more understanding of the Mage Tower and Mages. Although he agreed to use Donald as a living signboard for the Study Group, he remained conservative regarding subsequent candidates.

"I think we should be more cautious; it's better not to produce too many of these opportunistic Official Apprentices."

"Aideliqi, don't worry too much." Although Xia Duo felt this method was too opportunistic, almost like a blank-slate Mage in a game, he also had his own views.

"I've checked; the Ordinary Apprentices in the Arcane Garden have all been in the Mage Tower for at least two, or even three years. Calculating the time, they are about ready to be promoted. Besides, other than Donald, we don't need to directly guide the others; we only need to answer their questions. Improving the speed of their normal promotion won't attract the Mage Tower's attention."

Unsurprisingly, Aideliqi was persuaded by Xia Duo once again, perhaps because Xia Duo's confidence infected him, or perhaps because Xia Duo's words left him unable to refute.

In short, the Study Group reached a consensus once again.

"You guys go to the cafeteria first; I'll go talk to Donald. Also, there are no activities this afternoon. You should prepare in advance according to the Magic Theory outline I listed. Tomorrow I will add a Q&A session; I ask, you answer."

"You ask, we answer?"

A big question mark hung over the heads of Aideliqi and the others. They had only heard of Apprentices asking questions of the instructor, but never of an instructor asking questions of the Apprentices.

"Yes, it's just to check your progress. It won't be too difficult, so don't lose face in front of your companions!"

At this moment, Xia Duo truly transformed into a teacher. This teaching experience even made him somewhat addicted—not just the satisfaction of being a mentor, but also the sense of gain from the repeated tempering and collision of Knowledge.

He didn't know if other Mages would have such a feeling, but he guessed they probably didn't. How much effort would someone who only treats teaching Apprentices as a task put into it?

Without effort, how could there be realization?

Xia Duo's encouraging words immediately ignited a desire in the group members not to fall behind others, and they promised one after another, "Don't worry, I will definitely prepare well. I will certainly be better than them!"

"That's good, go to the cafeteria."

Watching the four figures leave, Xia Duo took a few steps and turned toward the warehouse. At this time, Donald had also changed his clothes and come out with the crowd.

Seeing how active he was after only being here for half a day, Xia Duo felt the effect of this living advertisement should be quite good.

"Donald, don't leave yet, I have something to talk to you about!"

"Xia Duo!"

The golden-haired little fatty turned his head abruptly, his face full of terror. He had been riding high today by using Xia Duo's name, and now, thinking he had been caught red-handed by Xia Duo, he immediately wanted to run away.

"Donald—"

Xia Duo never expected that just by calling out, he would scare Donald like a frightened bird. He felt somewhat baffled, "Donald, I have something to talk to you about. If you run away, don't regret it later!"

These words immediately made Donald's footsteps stop. He turned around and gave a sheepish smile, "Xia Duo, I didn't hear you just now. What do you want to talk to me about?"

The two Ordinary Apprentices next to him saw this and, not wanting to disturb Xia Duo, left Donald behind and departed on their own, which made Donald even more nervous.

After Xia Duo walked over, he discovered that this little fatty was actually trembling, and he couldn't tell if the sweat on his forehead was from the previous labor or from being scared just now.

"Donald, did you do something bad?"

"Ah!" Donald was stunned for a moment, then spilled it all out like beans, "Xia Duo, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have used your name to get close to them by pretending to be your friend. I'm sorry."

Consequently, Xia Duo was also stunned. On one hand, he was surprised by his own influence, and on the other, he felt this reserved little fatty was exceptionally interesting.

He still remembered the scene when he first met Donald. At that time, Donald had just arrived at the Mage Tower and spent all day talking about his father, a merchant guild Supervisor, acting as if he had a great background, exceptionally proud.

Sure enough, once away from parents and entering the world of Mages, it makes people grow up quickly!