VCRMM: Chapter 19

The office was quiet. Deputy Dean Chris carried a wooden box and gently placed it on the table. The wooden box was unique in shape and looked simple and exquisite. It was obviously valuable with one glance.

Click. She gently opened the lock and slowly opened the lid of the wooden box, revealing the crystal ball inside.

Deputy Dean Chris’ expression became more solemn as she held the crystal ball in both hands. She carefully wiped the dust off the surface with a small brush placed in the wooden box and solemnly placed it on the table.

Her ritualistic behavior also made Xu Sili more cautious. He was still sitting on the higher seat but instead of putting his legs on the desk, he was sitting upright in a serious manner. Si Sheng and Li Zhecheng stood behind him on both sides, their eyes also on the crystal ball.

Sunlight came in from outside the window and fell on the transparent crystal ball, reflecting a colorful light. Su Lin stared at the crystal ball in an obsessive manner. For a moment, he forgot his fear and was only filled with longing and a bit of tension. The time to decide his future fate was coming.

Deputy Dean Chris put down the crystal ball and stood aside. It was only then that Xu Sili used Insight.

[Elemental Crystal Ball]

[Description: A crystal ball for testing elemental affinity. The tester puts their hands on it and the crystal will show colors representing an elemental system.

Note: Testers need to have a magic value of 500 to use.]

Huh? Xu Sili blinked. Testers needed to have a magic value of 500 to use it? 500 magic points. If it was converted according to the formula he found out, this meant it required 10 points of intelligence. In other words, even if a person had an elemental affinity, they wouldn’t be able to use the crystal ball to test their talent unless their basic attributes had 10 points of intelligence? But… this wasn’t right!

Xu Sili looked at Dean Justin and asked, “Dean, does everyone use the crystal ball to test their talent?”

“Your Majesty, the crystal ball is mainly used to test spiritual talent. If the crystal ball doesn’t respond, there will be a second round of the warrior test.” Dean Justin replied with great respect.

Xu Sili nodded. Snow Roland’s memory of the test was blurred. After all, he was only 5 years old at the time. “How do you do the test for the warrior department?”

Dean Justin replied, “It is well known that the difference between the warrior system and the spiritual system is that the warrior can absorb elements, temper the body with the elements and release powerful martial arts. For children with a warrior talent, their bodies will subconsciously absorb the elements. The absorbed elements might be very small and condense only on the surface of the skin but it can be sensed by a warrior elementalist above one star.”

Xu Sili concluded, “So the talents of the warrior department are tested by the teachers of the academy?”

“Yes, the warrior system is relatively simple and the crystal ball isn’t necessary,” Dean Justin answered. “The spirit is very mysterious and can only be measured by non-human resources.”

Xu Sili understood a bit. A spiritual talent must be measured with the help of a tool, i.e. the crystal ball. This would screen out children who had 10 points in intelligence at the age of 5. For the remaining children whose intelligence hadn’t reached 10 points and were tested for an elemental affinity, they would simply be assigned to the warrior department.

It was regardless of their talent or which department they were actually partial to. Even elementalists with spiritual talent had the ability to absorb elements into their bodies. This was something Xu Sili himself had experienced firsthand.

Therefore, the results of the test by the teachers of the warrior department weren’t necessarily accurate. In this way, it was no wonder that there were so few spiritual elementalists and every one of them was a genius. After all, someone who had 10 points of intelligence at the age of 5 could be regarded as an excellent talent. As long as they worked hard, their future achievements wouldn’t be low.

However, children who didn’t have 10 points of intelligence were too unlucky. For example, Su Lin’s intelligence was probably low when he was 5 years old so the crystal ball didn’t respond. This meant he was assigned to the warrior department.

In fact, his talent was biased toward the spiritual department. He had been practicing in the warrior method, so his progress over the years was slow. Not only was it a waste of resources but it also misled them.

Look at Su Lin’s aggrieved and depressed appearance and it was obvious what a bad time he had at the academy. How many more examples were there like him?

Xu Sili frowned and put his hands on the crystal ball. A faint purple light emerged from the crystal ball. A spiritual talent! It was also the rare sound talent!

Dean Justin and Deputy Dean Chris were stunned. His Majesty said he wanted to measure his talent but they hadn’t taken it seriously. After all, when His Majesty was 5 years old, Dean Justin had personally tested him.

The next moment, Dean Justin’s knees softened and he almost knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty…”

How could this be? He could swear that 13 years ago, he didn’t play any tricks when carrying out the test for His Majesty, who was the little prince. At that time, the third prince really didn’t have the talent of an elementalist!

Xu Sili glanced at him and smiled. Still, he adhered to the traditional concept of respecting the old and loving the young. He opened his mouth and said, “Li Zhecheng, help the dean move to a chair. I see that he is almost unable to stand.”

On the way to the mercenary town, Li Zhecheng actually knew that His Majesty had an elemental talent. He hadn’t taken it to heart. It was only now when he saw the old dean’s reaction that he realized it. Yes, His Majesty hadn’t measured any talent previously. How come he had it now?

Li Zhecheng’s face was strange but he didn’t dare resist the order. He hurriedly moved a chair and had Dean Justin sit down. Dean Justin wanted to refuse but he really couldn’t stand any longer. In addition, it was a seat given by the emperor. It would be rude if he refused.

Thus, he sat down in a trembling manner. He raised his head and looked at the emperor and marshal behind his desk. The two most powerful people in the Roland Empire were right in front of him. They stood or sat, the sunlight pouring through the stained glass windows behind them and coating them with a shallow halo. It formed a very visually striking picture. They were silent but they gave the old dean a great deal of psychological pressure. It was so much so that long after this incident, his heart still had a lingering fear when he thought about this scene.

The old man opened his mouth to defend himself but Xu Sili raised a hand to stop him. Xu Sili glanced at Su Lin on the side. “Su Lin, you come here.”

Su Lin was waiting quietly and trying to reduce his sense of existence. Now he heard his name and couldn’t help shaking all over. He was just an ordinary civilian student. He never thought that one day, he could meet so many big people.

Dean Justin, Chief Guard Li Zhecheng, Lord Marshal and… His Majesty! He didn’t believe in his fate. He wasn’t reconciled, so trying to find the deputy dean was his biggest struggle against fate. It wasn’t until he stood here that he realized how foolish and how lucky he had been when blocking the deputy dean. If it hadn’t been for His Majesty’s mercy, he was afraid he would…

“Su Lin.” The young man’s voice was heard again.

Su Lin found his mind had wandered off. His face turned white and he moved forward in a hurry.

“I… I greet Your Majesty!” He bent over in a bow but due to being too nervous, the boy hit the desk in front of him. It made a loud banging sound and startled Xu Sili.

Some of the people present were a bit speechless. Deputy Dean Chris secretly shook her head. This child… the psychological quality was too bad! It was a shame!

Tears filled Su Lin’s eyes and he felt extremely ashamed and disgraced. “Yes… sorry…”

He straightened up, not caring that there was a bump on his forehead. He hung his head low in apology. Xu Sili saw his red and swollen forehead and didn’t say anything about it. He just told this person in a warm tone, “Put your hands on the crystal ball.”

Su Lin secretly raised his eyes and saw that His Majesty’s heart was calm, as if nothing had happened. His heart felt better and in addition to his awe for His Majesty, gratitude was born. He stepped forward, hands shaking as he placed them on the crystal ball. A faint green light slowly emerged from inside the crystal ball and finally filled the entire sphere.

At this moment, Chris once again stared in shock. Su Lin really had a spiritual talent! It was the wood element, there was no mistake!

“How can this be…” She murmured, her long-formed ideas severely impacted. If His Majesty hadn’t come over today and hadn’t agreed to let Su Lin re-test his talent, would this child’s talent be buried? It was also… buried by her own hands.

This recognition made Deputy Dean Chris’ face instantly become bloodless. In fact, Su Lin had always wanted to change departments. He had been making trouble since last year. A teacher came to her to complain but she hadn’t cared much. After all, it had been so many years and the crystal ball test had never made a mistake. However… looking at the crystal ball emitting a faint green light, Deputy Dean Chris’ faith collapsed.

Was she really wrong? After the shock, she felt strong fear and guilt. If there was no His Majesty… if there was no His Majesty…

“Su Lin, look. I said you had a talent for the spiritual department, right?” Xu Sili curled his lips and spoke in a low voice.

Su Lin stared at the crystal ball blankly. He didn’t come back to his senses until the clear, youthful voice was heard. He raised his head mechanically. The tears that had accumulated in his eyes slipped down but the next moment, he smiled.

“Yes!” The teenager nodded heavily. That’s right, he proved it! He finally proved that he had a spiritual talent. He wasn’t a waste and he didn’t waste resources. He just… went in the wrong direction.

The depression that had accumulated in his heart for a long time dissipated. Su Lin suddenly brightened up and there seemed to be some changes in his temperament.

[Ding~ Su Lin’s favorability rating has increased to ‘Sworn to Follow You to Death’. The Roland Empire faction’s die-hard fan +1]

Xu Sili blinked. He wasn’t surprised that Su Lin’s favorability had increased. He was surprised that… This unlucky child actually leveled up! Yes, just now, Su Lin abruptly gained two levels. His intelligence increased by a full three points and his spiritual attribute had probably increased a lot.

Since he was a die-hard fan, Xu Sili could see his attributes panel. This child’s spirit attribute was 15. He was only level 4 yet it was just as much as the level 5 Xu Sili.

This was the first time Xu Sili had seen an NPC level up. They couldn’t take shortcuts based on experience like him but they were well-prepared. Once they had an epiphany, they might not grow slower than him. It gave him a sense of urgency. But…

Su Lin was now his person. The stronger he was, the better. Even if he couldn’t compare with some of the old fools right now, who knew about the future? Then again, how many talents like Su Lin were still buried in the academy? If…

Xu Sili stared at Su Lin with a lot of thoughts in his mind. The more he looked, the more satisfied he felt. It was a wood talent. This wasn’t a powerful combat talent but…

He could farm! Justin was an old antique so he had to be intimidated and induced to build houses. It was different for a student like Su Lin who had gone down the wrong path! He hadn’t reached one star and after graduation, he would go to the local guards. Therefore it would be better to help Xu Sili carry out construction. In addition…

Staring at Su Lin’s black hair and black eyes, he was racially gifted. It would be a pity if he didn’t go farming. How could Xu Sili do something like bury talents?

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Another fanart. Check out:

Snow Roland by Amy Juu

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