Chapter 147: Sequence Assessment, Defection

The Central Tower hall was magnificent, with portraits of great pioneers in wizard history hanging on the surrounding walls.

The ceiling was a beautifully drawn star map, and the stars flickering on it seemed no different from the real night sky.

This was the most solemn place in the Black Mist School, almost never open to ordinary apprentices on weekdays.

And today, it would welcome the quarterly Candidate Wizard Sequence assessment meeting held once every three months.

On this day, just as Luo En was conducting an alchemy experiment in the workshop, a large-mouthed parrot with black-gray color fluttered and flew into the window.

"Apprentice Luo En. Apprentice Luo En"

The parrot landed on the windowsill, constantly making some sharp calls:

"Lord Griffith requests you to go to the Central Tower conference room immediately."

Luo En put down the alchemy tools in his hand.

"The Candidate Wizard Sequence assessment meeting. Is about to begin. You, as the subject of the assessment, need to be present."

The parrot mechanically repeated what it had been told.

This should be the sequence ranking assessment meeting notified to him in the letter he received a week ago.

As a member who had made significant progress recently, he would naturally become a key subject of discussion on whether he was a candidate for promotion.

"I will go immediately." Luo En nodded, quickly tidying up his attire to ensure he looked solemn and appropriate.

Half an hour later, Luo En arrived outside the conference room on the twelfth floor of the Central Tower.

Two duty personnel in dark gray uniforms stood at the door, watching the corridor with vigilant eyes.

"Luo En Ralf, Candidate Wizard Sequence member, here at the summons of Lord Griffith." Luo En introduced himself politely.

The duty personnel checked the list and nodded, signaling him to enter.

The interior of the conference room was spacious and bright, with a huge circular oak table occupying the central position.

Several figures in robes of various colors were already sitting around the table, and Luo En immediately recognized Suo Lun and Youni, as well as several other mentors he had seen before.

Among them was Ke Linna, who was as cold as a snow-domain ghost, with cold air all over her body.

The other party was still wearing that exquisite white mask, and after noticing his gaze, she nodded at him; Luo En could only bow slightly to salute.

And on one side of the room, several young Candidate Wizard Sequence members were also standing.

They looked like they had also been called to accept the assessment; Luo En saw several familiar faces among them, including Trish.

"Luo En, you're here, go wait over there first."

Suo Lun noticed his arrival and nodded slightly, signaling him to stand in the candidate area.

Luo En bowed to all the mentors present and then walked quietly to the designated position.

Trish cast a smile at him, her eyes carrying a trace of kind encouragement.

But her expression remained that unique coldness, as if she were deliberately controlling herself, not showing too much emotion in public.

After waiting for a while, when the specified time arrived, everyone stood upright.

"Since everyone is here..."

Vice Dean Ha Ye Ke, an elderly man in a deep purple robe with a complex emblem on his chest, spoke:

"Then let us begin this quarter's Candidate Wizard Sequence assessment meeting."

His gaze was sharp and majestic, sweeping over every young apprentice present:

"According to convention, we will make appropriate adjustments to the sequence ranking based on everyone's recent performance, potential, and mentor evaluations."

Luo En looked around; a huge round table was placed in the center of the hall, surrounded by the school's high-level officials and other Candidate Wizard Sequence members.

He found his seat according to the seating arrangement in the notice—the seventeenth seat, consistent with his current ranking in the sequence.

Looking around, Luo En recognized many familiar faces.

Trish sat in the twelfth seat; today she changed her usual casualness and wore a formal dark dress.

Her hair was also neatly combed together and she wore a gemstone flower, looking exceptionally solemn.

Huo Erte still held the top position, his expression calm.

As the absolute leader in the sequence, his strength and aptitude were top-notch in the entire school.

The fourth to tenth positions were some high-level apprentices that Luo En had seen on various occasions but was not very familiar with.

What made Luo En slightly surprised was that Oliver's position was actually in the fifth seat, a full two places lower than his previous ranking.

Even more surprising was that Cynthia, who should have been sitting in the ninth seat, was nowhere to be seen; her seat was empty, sparking some low-voiced discussion.

"Quiet."

Vice Dean Ha Ye Ke's majestic voice sounded, and the hall immediately quieted down.

"Welcome everyone to this quarter's Candidate Wizard Sequence assessment meeting."

He looked around at everyone, his voice calm and powerful:

"According to convention, we will first announce the ranking changes for this quarter, and then discuss important matters."

The old man waved his hand, and a huge transparent leaderboard appeared in the air in the center of the hall, clearly displaying the names and rankings of all candidate wizards.

"First, congratulations to Huote Erwen for continuing to maintain the top position in the sequence; this is the sixth consecutive quarter he has maintained this position."

Huo Erte stood up, bowed slightly to thank, with a humble smile on his face.

"Secondly, Herbert Lewen and Katelin Gardner maintain the second and third positions respectively."

The Vice Dean continued to announce, and the rankings of the top three remained basically stable.

"The fifth to tenth positions have undergone major changes. Trish Linde rose from the twelfth to the tenth position, performing excellently; Oliver Wesite dropped from the fifth to the sixth position, needing to strengthen his efforts."

As the daughter of a hunter, Trish originally had no surname; Linde was her place of birth.

Hearing her name at this time, the brown-haired girl bowed slightly to thank, her expression still restrained, only a trace of imperceptible little complacency flashed in her eyes.

Oliver's expression remained as usual, only a trace of haze flashed in his eyes, fleeting.

Luo En keenly noticed that Oliver's fingers were tapping slightly on the table, obviously his heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on the Vice Dean's speech, Luo En cautiously activated the "Extraordinary Identification" ability, quietly scanning Oliver's state.

In an instant, a series of information streams poured into his perception:

【Oliver Wesite

Spiritual Power Aptitude: Six-star upper (original) / Four-star lower (current)

Current State: Moderate spiritual pollution (accumulating continuously)

Special Talent: Living Assimilation (Third Tier)

—Able to absorb and integrate parts of other creatures' abilities and memories through special rituals

—The target of integration is at most the same level as one's own strength

—Each assimilation exacerbates the accumulation of spiritual pollution】

Luo En was startled in his heart and quickly withdrew his gaze.

A third-tier special talent is considered extremely rare in the entire school.

However, this also explains why Oliver's ranking is falling.

The rich spiritual pollution aura on him, for those sharp formal wizards, would definitely not go unnoticed.

Oliver's total magic power is indeed higher than before.

But the instability and pollution traces carried in that kind of magic power made him lose the potential for continued growth.

Luo En quietly observed Oliver and found that there was a faint black pattern on his right wrist, like some kind of curse or pollution trace.

And even more alarming is that the pollution seems to be spreading slowly but steadily upward.

"He is taking an extremely dangerous shortcut," Luo En thought to himself, and couldn't help but think of the warning Lady Ailan had given him before.

Obviously, Oliver chose some kind of forbidden source of power in exchange for rapid improvement in the short term.

But this kind of improvement is at the cost of long-term potential and health.

The Vice Dean's next sentence attracted his attention again:

"... What needs to be noted is that the ninth-ranked Cynthia Nowike has not appeared in the school area for three consecutive weeks. According to school regulations, her sequence qualification is temporarily frozen, pending further investigation."

This news sparked more low-voiced discussion; although Cynthia's strength was not particularly strong, because of her various perverted hobbies, she had always been very famous in the sequence.

Her sudden disappearance was undoubtedly shocking news.

The Vice Dean waited for a moment, letting the discussion subside naturally, and then continued to announce the subsequent rankings.

When announcing the fourteenth position, the Vice Dean paused and turned his gaze to Luo En:

"This ranking adjustment is not only based on everyone's recent performance and cultivation progress, but also considers the recommendations and evaluations of the mentors."

He picked up several letters stamped with the private seals of mentors:

"Especially worth mentioning is that Apprentice Luo En Ralf has received strong recommendations from Mentor Suo Lun, Mentor Youni, and Mentor Ke Linna; even the semi-retired Master Ma Genusi and Lady Ailan have written recommendation letters for him, which is extremely rare in the school's history."

This news caused a noticeable commotion in the hall; both Ma Genusi and Lady Ailan were highly respected in the school and rarely endorsed candidate apprentices personally.

"These recommendations are almost a third of the school's formal wizards..." an elderly high-level apprentice assistant exclaimed in a low voice.

The Vice Dean raised his hand to signal for silence: "It is precisely considering these factors that, as the Dean's Committee, I cast an affirmative vote, confirming the promotion of Apprentice Luo En Ralf to the fourteenth position."

In fact, as a subordinate branch of the Crystal Spire, the Black Mist School did not establish a Dean.

As the Vice Dean, he was the biggest here, and his expression of approval basically settled the matter.

A burst of obvious surprise came from the hall.

A promotion of three places is rare in the Candidate Wizard Sequence.

Especially for a newcomer who has jumped up the rankings one after another within half a year of joining the sequence, this is an almost unprecedented achievement.

Luo En stood up calmly and saluted the Vice Dean and the wizards: "Thank you for the school's recognition of me; I will continue to work hard."

He noticed that the three wizards Ke Linna, Youni, and Suo Lun all cast appreciative glances at him; obviously, his progress had been affirmed by these high-level officials.

Especially Ke Linna, whose cold eyes were now flashing with a trace of rare concern.

Other sequence members present reacted differently: some were surprised, some envious, some curious, and a few showed imperceptible jealousy and exclusion.

The Vice Dean nodded slightly and continued to announce the remaining ranking changes.

When all rankings were announced, he announced the next agenda.

"Next, we will discuss two important matters. The first is the investigation into the disappearance of Cynthia Nowike."

An elderly high-level apprentice stood up; he was one of the main persons in charge of the Law Enforcement Team and briefly reported the investigation situation:

"According to current clues, Cynthia was last seen at midnight three weeks ago; someone saw her enter the Edge Forest, and there has been no trace since then."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 148 =====