Chapter 363: Reporting and Instructions

After finishing her "test," Cui Que took her report card and returned to her assessment squad, which consisted of Tu Dinggui and Gouweicao.

Without any suspense, the first thing the three did upon meeting was to check each other's grades. Among them, Tu Dinggui's magic equipment received an S-rank rating as expected, which could be said to fully live up to everyone's impression of her.

However, Cui Que remembered that in the previous assessment, the magic equipment Tu Dinggui displayed was only a flag spear, which logically fell under the category of "single-piece magic equipment." If it were only at the level shown at that time, it shouldn't have received such a high evaluation. This could only be explained by the child having held back some strength, which was enough to show that her ability among her peers was indeed quite exaggerated.

Then there was Gouweicao, who received an unexpected "A-."

The reason it was called unexpected was not because the other party was weak in Cui Que's impression, but because the other party really didn't show much of her magic equipment's ability during the labyrinth assessment. Even though Gouweicao had emphasized many times that she was actually "very powerful" and had indeed shown decent practical combat ability, her performance seemed to have a significant gap compared to other A-rated candidates...

To offer a hindsight explanation now, one could only say that Tu Dinggui's performance was too prominent, leaving Gouweicao with little room to shine.

Finally, there was Cui Que, or rather the candidate "Long Dan," who received a "C."

This was a rating that was average or even slightly below average among the overall candidates, but it was sufficiently mediocre. It could be said that nearly forty percent of the candidates present had grades of C or lower.

Regarding this grade, neither Tu Dinggui nor Gouweicao showed any disdain or contempt; they even turned to comfort Cui Que, saying things like "You are still young, it's normal for your magic equipment development to be slower than ours." Tu Dinggui even took the opportunity to try and ruffle Cui Que's hair, forcing Cui Que to find a way to hide behind Gouweicao.

This so-called "C" grade was naturally not Cui Que's real score, but one she had fabricated with Emerald. If she wanted to, she could naturally have fabricated an A or even an S, but that would go against the goal of their operation.

After all, any grade above B had a probability of being selected and sent to the Royal Court, and Cui Que did not want her fake file to be scrutinized under a magnifying glass.

As for why it was set at "C" instead of "C+," it was because she hoped her score would affect the ranking of other candidates as little as possible. A "C+" grade was already truly middle-of-the-pack; candidates in this range were in a state of potentially passing or failing. Moving up one spot meant a greater chance of passing the qualification certification, and Cui Que did not want anyone to fail because she had taken a spot.

On the contrary, in the C-grade range, if these candidates didn't have any particularly brilliant scores in other items, they basically had no hope of breaking through. If they really had any outstanding performance, it would inevitably be earning high points in other items, and they wouldn't need the difference of one or two spots, so Cui Que could safely place her score in this position.

As for C- or even D grades, scores that were too poor would become conspicuous, so they were not considered.

Of course, as for what rating the magic equipment "Fate Weaver" itself should have, according to Cui Que's thoughts, it was inevitably an S-rank magic equipment. Although she had skipped the white-card assessment in the past and had never truly graded her magic equipment, the form of the blade, scissors, and thread undoubtedly met the definition of a "set," and the abilities it possessed were indeed very powerful, helping her defeat many enemies she might otherwise have found difficult to overcome.

However, the three-piece set of Fate Weaver was now reduced to only the thread, so dwelling on the rating was meaningless. Even if Cui Que really discussed it with Emerald, they would likely only reach a conclusion like "It's good enough that it still works, what more could you expect," so the two tacitly avoided the topic.

After checking each other's grades, the three moved together toward the plaza of the Silver Corridor. By the time they arrived, a considerable number of candidates had already gathered, and everyone was waiting there for the results to be announced.

The three held their phones, chatting idly while handling their respective online communications, and just like that, it was soon time for the results to be posted.

The "SS" rating at the top of the list naturally caught Cui Que's eyes.

—This was not something she and Emerald had agreed upon.

Cui Que realized this immediately.

And if there were anyone in the Magic Kingdom who could bypass her and Emerald to change the final results, there would likely only be one direction the answer could point:

Purple Diamond must have already reported her "discovery."

……

……

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Lord Diamond. We have already reported your wishes to Her Majesty."

Inside the palace of Lu Ennuo, outside the door leading to the Rose Palace, a fairy from the Royal Court bowed to Purple Diamond: "I am very sorry that Her Majesty is unwilling to meet anyone today, so I can only convey her wishes to you on her behalf. Please forgive me."

"Hmm, I understand."

Purple Diamond nodded expressionlessly: "So, what did Her Majesty say?"

"Regarding the matter of the Magic Affairs Institute, her opinion is to ask us secretaries to urge the Magic Affairs Institute more, and not to do anything that insults the dignity of the Royal Court again."

The fairy, who looked like a young human, kept his head down, but his voice was steady and polite: "On this point, we will not simply go through the motions; we will inevitably punish the corrupt officials, please rest assured."

"……Is it just urging?" Purple Diamond's voice paused significantly.

"Yes, but Her Majesty also said that if you have any concerns about this handling, then please give the Magic Affairs Institute some time; these problems will soon have a suitable solution."

The young fairy explained: "Therefore, from the personal perspective of us secretaries, we also hope that you will not be too angry about the affairs of the Magic Affairs Institute."

His words were respectful and tactful, but Purple Diamond, who had served the Queen for many years, had already understood the meaning behind them.

—Tell Diamond, there is no need to meddle in the affairs of the Magic Affairs Institute.

This was likely the Queen's original words; the rest of the content was merely embellishment by the secretary before her, with the sole purpose of not making her, a Jewel Scepter, too embarrassed.

She looked at the young fairy in front of her, was silent for a long time, and then spoke again: "I understand. Then, what about the assessment?"

"Regarding what you wanted to report to Her Majesty—the problem of an 'S+' rated candidate appearing in the assessment and the Research Institute attempting to hide this file—Her Majesty... is indeed very interested."

The young fairy seemed to be weighing his words: "She believes that if the Research Institute's current conclusion is indeed true, then this is indeed a matter of great importance. It is understandable that Lord Emerald wants to conduct more detailed research to wait for more definitive results; it is not something that needs to be blamed."

"Do you really believe her rhetoric, thinking she is just worried that the report is wrong and wants to research a definitive conclusion before reporting it?" Purple Diamond frowned.

"Lord Emerald has assisted Her Majesty for a thousand years; her loyalty to Her Majesty has always been beyond reproach." The fairy's tone remained unchanged.

"……Fine." Purple Diamond did not say anything more.

She did not doubt the truthfulness of the secretary's words, because when it came to loyalty, the fairies of the Royal Court would only be purer than the Jewel Scepters like them. The Jewel Scepters still had to fight for power and responsibility for themselves and their subordinates, while the fairies would not have any selfishness. They had no possibility, no motive, and no courage to lie about the Queen's decree.

Precisely because of this, she had already realized that her so-called "discovery" today was likely of no significance to the Queen.

"However, because you noticed this so-called S+ file and intended to share Her Majesty's burdens, Her Majesty is moved by your intentions and has decided to grant you a new task, as well as authority."

Before Purple Diamond's thoughts could wander too far, the fairy's words pulled her attention back.

She did not expect that the Queen actually had instructions for her.

"'Since you are so interested in that child, then you go and verify it for me. It is both a test and a guide. As the current Jewel Scepter, use your eyes to confirm and see what the so-called potential to become a Jewel Scepter actually looks like.'"

It was clearly a fairy's voice, but Purple Diamond heard from it the absolute authority that belonged only to the Queen.

—"'And, since it is potential sufficient to become a Jewel Scepter, then do not follow the previous ratings. List a separate rating for that child; do not disgrace the name of the Jewel Scepter.'"

Without a doubt, what the other party was relaying now were the Queen's original words.