Chapter 65: Three Apprentices
Seeing Sherman's ecstatic expression, the girl smiled and said, "I'm Adil Yuri, and you?"
"Sherman," he replied, looking at the other boy.
The boy lifted his chin slightly and said indifferently, "Corey McKennin."
Perhaps it was Sherman's humble attire, but Corey seemed to look down on him. After introducing himself out of politeness, he didn't engage Sherman further.
On the other hand, Adil was warm and friendly, showing no signs of arrogance despite their differences in background.
She's a kind girl, Sherman thought to himself.
The testing finally concluded as the sky turned a faint yellow.
Sherman was surprised to find that only he, Adil, and Corey had passed the test. Everyone else had been eliminated.
This left Sherman with a sense of unexpected pride, feeling somewhat exceptional.
"Come with me," the old man said. He carefully wrapped the book in a fine cloth and tucked it into his chest before beckoning the three to follow him.
Under his guidance, they entered the inner city and arrived at the castle gates.
It seemed the old man held a high position, as the guards greeted him with respect.
Sherman learned that the old man's name was Geller, a steward of the castle.
The guard who had earlier advised Sherman looked at him in surprise, clearly not expecting him to have passed the test.
Sherman returned a grateful smile, resolving to find a way to properly thank the guard later.
"Young Master Sunan is a good person and never scolds the servants. You don't need to be nervous when you meet him," old Geller reassured them as they walked.
However, his words did little to ease their tension. All three appeared anxious.
Sherman, in particular, was about to meet someone of great importance to him. Not being nervous would be strange.
Even Adil and Corey had been repeatedly reminded by their families to show utmost respect to Lord Sunan and not to displease him.
After winding through courtyards and corridors, Geller finally led them to a courtyard.
The spacious yard was empty except for a small cat lazily sunbathing on a stone table in the center.
Adil's eyes lit up slightly. What a cute cat!
Sherman and Corey couldn't help but glance at it as well.
What happened next left them stunned.
Geller approached the cat, bowed respectfully, and said, "Lord Amy, these are the new apprentices. I've brought them to meet Young Master Sunan."
"Meow, Sunan is meditating in the meditation room. He'll be done in about half an hour. You can wait here for a while," Amy said, licking its paw and curiously observing the three.
The trio stood there, dumbfounded.
A talking cat?!
Were they dreaming?
They instinctively looked at Geller, who coughed lightly and whispered, "Lord Amy is... well, a friend of Lord Sunan. Mind your manners."
"Meow, come sit down, don't just stand there," Amy gestured with its paw.
The three exchanged glances and reluctantly sat at the stone table.
Geller placed the book and a roll of parchment on the table, bowed to Amy again, and left.
In an instant, only the three of them and the cat remained in the courtyard.
"Meow, what are your names?" Amy initiated a conversation, enthusiastically chatting with them.
Sherman felt a bit out of place. He never imagined he'd be chatting with a cat one day.
Fortunately, Amy seemed friendly, asking about fun places in Shimmering City and where to find delicious ice mint.
Sherman couldn't contribute much; he had no idea what ice mint was.
Corey and Adil, however, were more knowledgeable and could answer many of the questions, making Sherman feel both envious and self-conscious.
Half an hour passed quickly.
A door creaked open in the corridor.
"Meow, Sunan's out."
The three immediately stood up reflexively, looking nervously toward the corridor.
A figure soon emerged.
To their surprise, instead of the young man in his twenties they expected, Sunan appeared much younger, barely looking twenty at all.
"Lord Sunan!"
They dared not look directly at him and quickly bowed.
Sunan nodded slightly, saying nothing. He gestured, and the parchment on the stone table floated into his hand.
Unrolling it, his expression shifted subtly.
Corey McKennin, the son of a lord.
Adil Yuri, the daughter of a scholar.
Sherman, a commoner's adopted son.
The three represented the three classes of the Shimmering Territory—a remarkable coincidence.
After reclaiming the Shimmering Territory, Key had ennobled three lords: Bred, Jodan, and a knight named Starly McKennin.
Corey's father was the latter.
The parchment detailed the entire testing process.
The test lasted seven days, with over a thousand youths meeting the age and literacy requirements participating. Yet, only three passed the aptitude test.
Sunan wasn't surprised by the results.
Even in the golden age of wizards a thousand years ago, those with wizard aptitude were rare, less than one in a thousand of the population.
With the declining energy particle concentration over the millennium, those with wizard aptitude would be even scarcer.
Finding three qualified individuals in the entire Shimmering Territory was already beyond his expectations.
He had hoped to find just one.
Of course, he couldn't predict how far these three would grow.
Unless they demonstrated enough value, he wouldn't invest too many resources in training them.
With a wave of his hand, three thick books appeared on the stone table, startling the children.
"This is the Star Ring Meditation Method, the key to becoming a wizard apprentice and what you'll be practicing for a while."
"Starting today, you'll live here. If you need anything in terms of food, clothing, or lodging, let the servants know. As long as it's reasonable, they'll accommodate your needs."
"Your only task is to focus on practicing the Star Ring Meditation Method. Once you master it, I'll accept you as my students."
"Understood?"
Sherman, Corey, and Adil were both surprised and delighted, responding in unison.
They understood the difference between apprentices and students. Becoming Lord Sunan's students would undoubtedly brighten their futures.
Satisfied, Sunan nodded and dismissed them.
Training suitable assistants to maintain the base's facilities wasn't an easy task.
The primary condition was that they needed to be at least wizard apprentices.
Even a first-level wizard apprentice who hadn't constructed the first star ring would suffice.
Without the ability to sense energy particles, much of the work couldn't proceed.
Wizards weren't typically eager to spread knowledge.
Most wizard mentors trained apprentices either to build their own forces for resource gathering or to find qualified assistants.
Sunan wanted both.
He planned to start now, gradually building a team.
When the era of wizards arrived a millennium later, he might have established his own wizard faction.
Achieving this required a critical first step, which was also the hardest.
Sunan was mentally prepared for the challenge.
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