Chapter 169: Spellcasting Level Certification

The Mage Guild of the Savile Territory is located in a small alley in the East District; it has neither a spacious storefront nor a constant stream of visitors.

Xia Duo had to ask several people before he found it, and upon seeing the old sign that was completely unworthy of the name "Mage Guild," he muttered to himself.

"This place is doing way too poorly!"

But regardless, Xia Duo's spellcasting level certification had to be done here. If it weren't for the fact that his salary was based on his level, he wouldn't have wanted to come; it was a complete waste of time.

Certifying his level neither increased his strength nor gave him money; instead, he had to spend money to buy a certificate, which was a huge loss.

Generally speaking, when Mages deal with other Mages, unless they know for a fact that the other party is stronger or weaker than themselves, they mostly interact as equals.

The so-called judgments of Intermediate Rank, Advanced Rank, and so on are also very simple: if one can fly, one is at least Intermediate Rank, and if one can use Teleportation or owns a Mage Tower, one is at least Advanced Rank.

Of course, most Mages cannot afford to build a Mage Tower, so being able to cast 【Teleportation】 is enough to be considered a High Mage.

For instance, the Mage Aiboke who brought Xia Duo via teleportation earlier is a High Mage, and he has now successfully advanced to an Arcanist, so any Arcanist is at minimum a High Mage.

……

Walking into the Mage Guild, the interior was not as shabby as it looked from the outside, and the moment Xia Duo stepped in, the entire surrounding environment instantly fell silent.

They must have set up some magic to eliminate noise, Xia Duo thought to himself.

The biggest difference between the Mage Guild and the Adventurers Guild is that this place doesn't look like an office at all; it looks more like a home living room.

Two or three Mages, dressed in a style completely different from the Tower of Time, were curled up in soft chairs reading books, occasionally chatting; the overall atmosphere was very different from the Tower of Time.

Seeing Xia Duo enter, no one came to greet him; instead, they continued doing their own things, acting as if Xia Duo didn't exist.

Xia Duo walked around the room; the most conspicuous thing was the bookshelf on one side, where the books were placed somewhat messily, as if they could be taken at will.

However, Xia Duo noticed the presence of Magic on the bookshelf; he did not act rashly, but instead paid attention to the titles of the books inside.

He was very curious about what the difference was between the books in the Mage Guild and those in the Tower of Time, and upon looking, he almost died laughing—

Books like "How to Impress a Noblewoman" and "List of Quality Noblewomen in Savile Territory" were displayed there openly.

Without any attempt at concealment.

As for books on Magic, there were very few; Xia Duo only saw one 【Paril Spellbook】 and a few Mage biographies—if Mage biographies could even be considered books on Magic.

"Who are you?"

Finally, a Mage noticed Xia Duo and asked in a shrill voice, "What do you want?"

The other two Mages also raised their heads to look at Xia Duo, but after just one glance, they went back to doing their own things.

"I'm here to certify my spellcasting level," Xia Duo said.

From the idle chatter of these three Mages just now, he already knew that he was not on the same path as them, and he had no interest in making small talk; he wanted to finish early and go back.

This so-called Mage Guild was too disappointing.

Hearing that Xia Duo wanted to certify his spellcasting level, the Mage who spoke first immediately stood up and looked at Xia Duo with burning eyes, "Certifying your spellcasting level? You know the rules, right?"

"I know, 50 Gold Coins per level."

"Follow me!" The Mage pointed to a table in the corner at the back of the room, then asked, "What level are you certifying?"

"Level 2."

"Only Level 2!" the Mage said in a low voice, went behind the table, took out a piece of Parchment, and asked, "What is your name?"

"Xia Duo!" Xia Duo answered honestly.

This felt just like going to a window to handle business on Earth; if the next sentence had been to report his Identity Card number, Xia Duo would have thought he was at some office on Earth.

"Induce the Magic Net; if you are certifying Level 2, then just the first layer will do!"

Xia Duo followed instructions and induced the first layer of the Magic Net, and then this Mage Guild Mage scribbled a few characters on the paper and finally cast a spell to leave his mark.

A spellcasting level certificate was tossed in front of Xia Duo, "Done, pay up."

That was it? Xia Duo could hardly believe it; he had already prepared to use his Bloodline Ability to substitute for the other spell required for Level 2 certification.

He didn't expect that he wouldn't even need to cast 【Steam Ray】, just inducing the first layer of the Magic Net was enough?

This was a bit exaggerated, and Xia Duo voiced his doubt, but to his surprise, this Mage Guild staff member didn't care at all.

He told Xia Duo clearly, "As long as you can induce the first layer of the Magic Net, you will sooner or later master 1st Circle spells, and it doesn't necessarily have to be just one, so what is the problem with certifying Level 2?"

What a powerful reason; Xia Duo paid the money and took the certificate, preparing to leave immediately, but this staff member took the initiative to stop Xia Duo and whispered:

"If you have a need, I can certify you up to Level 4."

"That's possible?"

"Of course it is. Mage Xia Duo is young and promising; I believe you will definitely become a Level 4 Mage. Don't you want to certify it in advance so you don't have to come again next time?"

"This—" To be honest, Xia Duo was a bit tempted; he tentatively asked, "Pay another 100 Gold Coins?"

"How is that possible?" The staff member's face changed instantly, "500 Gold Coins, and I will handle this for you. Think about it, why did you come to get certified? And as long as you get a Level 4 certification, isn't that much better than Level 2!"

Certification is, of course, for increasing the salary level associated with one's spellcasting level; otherwise, who would be willing to spend this wasted money? Of course, Xia Duo didn't say this out loud.

He was indeed a bit tempted, but he was reluctant to spend an extra 500 Gold Coins, and certifying Level 4 directly was too exaggerated; he had been an Official Mage for less than half a month!

If he really said that to Lady Patti, it would be like treating her like a fool! Moreover, Lady Patti knew the lord, and Xia Duo did not intend to leave any hidden dangers; it was better to do it normally.

If spellcasting level certification is similar to a professional title evaluation on Earth, then this so-called advance certification is similar to academic fraud.

Academic fraud on Earth won't endanger one's life, but in the world of Magic, that's hard to say.

An employer getting angry out of shame, challengers coming for one's reputation, superiors assigning high-difficulty tasks (matching the certified level), etc., could all happen; everything stems from exaggerating one's spellcasting level.

Therefore, although Xia Duo was tempted, he still refused. Just like that, he came quietly and left quietly.

And when he walked out of the Mage Guild gate, Xia Duo looked back at the old sign again and suddenly felt that the Mage Guild and this somewhat out-of-the-way alley were quite a good match!