Chapter 849
Paul and Eric brought Anton to the place where most of the young people from the Bottom gathered. Anton was amused to discover that the most popular spot aboard the ship was simply a large deck filled with youths doing nothing more than talking and spending time together.
To Anton, it resembled the teenage hangout spots from old Earth movies during the 90s—places like mall parking lots or food courts where teenagers gathered to talk about wild schemes that rarely became reality.
The main problem for the young people aboard the ship was simple. Most of them had nothing to do since they lacked money.
When Paul and Eric stepped into the middle of the gathering, nearly everyone greeted them enthusiastically. It confirmed Anton’s impression that the two young men possessed the charisma necessary to become leaders among their peers.
With a glance, Anton estimated that there were more than twenty young people gathered on the deck. Paul and Eric introduced Anton to everyone, proudly stating that he was an extremely wealthy wizard who had hired them as his guides aboard the Melinda.
“How much is he paying you?” one of the younger boys immediately asked.
Paul and Eric shrugged, explaining that there had been no formal discussion regarding payment. However, they openly boasted that Anton had already spent several hundred gold coins on them by allowing them to purchase items from the shops in the Noble section. Most of the things they bought had been given to their mothers.
The other youths looked at Paul and Eric with envy, though Anton also noticed a strange sense of acceptance among them, as if such fortunate opportunities were something that often happened to the two young men.
For the rest of the afternoon, Anton spent time with the group gathered on the deck. He could not truly call them close friends of Paul and Eric. They were more like acquaintances, since the voyage had only recently begun, and most of them had known each other for just several days.
Anton had to admit that young people loved talking, especially about themselves. Even so, he enjoyed listening to them and learning about their ordinary lives.
What intrigued him slightly was the fact that nearly half of them came from families originally born in Izmorta. Their families were now returning there in the hope that their children would be accepted into one of the magical organizations on their home continent.
When Anton asked why they had not chosen to enroll in Ormunda’s magical academy instead, the answer was nearly identical to the one Paul had previously given him. People originally from Izmorta generally viewed the wizards of their homeland as superior to those from the Gale Continent. Every one of them believed that something like the Undead Coalition would never happen in Izmorta.
Another reason was financial. If their children were accepted into one of Izmorta’s magical organizations, the organizations themselves would shoulder all training expenses.
Of course, none of them truly believed that such support was genuinely free. Eventually, those costs would likely be repaid through years of service once they became established wizards. Even so, the important point was that the burden would no longer fall upon their families.
Anton found it amusing that he had coincidentally chosen to travel to Izmorta during the period leading up to the massive recruitment that would take place a little over a year after their departure from the Gale Continent.
Even so, Anton believed that he would still be accepted into any magical organization in Izmorta regardless of whether it was recruitment season or not. His magical talent was extraordinary enough that he doubted any organization would reject him. The only difference was that outside the recruitment period, he would need to pay the entrance examination fee, whereas the massive recruitment offered free examinations.
The youths explained that the usual reason their fathers had emigrated to the Gale Continent was to earn wealth. Once they had accumulated enough money, they would eventually return to Izmorta.
Anton then asked whether any of them practiced magic.
Not a single one did.
“I understand that the magical organizations in Izmorta strip away any spells you may have learned,” Anton said, “but the mental strength gained from memorizing and casting spells should still improve your chances of being accepted. So why did none of you attempt to learn magic?”
Suddenly, every young person on the deck stared at him.
“Are you saying that memorizing and casting spells strengthens the mind?” Paul asked with disbelief clearly written across his face.
“Yes,” Anton replied. “That is the most basic method mages use to increase their rank.”
Apparently, neither the youths nor their families had known such fundamental information regarding magical advancement. The entire group, including Paul and Eric, looked visibly regretful.
They also believed Anton’s theory that even if the organizations stripped away their learned spells, the mental development they gained through spellcasting would still improve their chances of acceptance.
Anton tried to comfort them by saying that it was merely his own theory. It was entirely possible that the magical organizations in Izmorta evaluated candidates based on something completely different rather than mental aptitude.
One of the youths quickly pointed out that they still had more than a year left to “train” their minds. All they needed were spellbooks.
Anton chose not to mention that if a person could not memorize and cast even a novice spell within the acceptable timeframe for beginner mages, it usually meant they lacked the minimum magical talent necessary to become a wizard.
Besides, he had been truthful. There was always the possibility that the magical organizations in Izmorta used entirely different standards when selecting new members.
He advised them that the safest novice spells to practice would be harmless cantrips that could not injure people or damage property, such as Light, Mending, or Gust.
The problem was that even a simple cantrip spellbook like Light still cost around twenty gold coins, an enormous amount for young people like them. Even their families would likely struggle to afford such purchases.
Anton checked his inventory and found that he possessed multiple copies of several cantrip spellbooks. Since he had no use for them, he handed them to Paul for distribution among the group.
He provided five copies each of Light, Gust, Mending, and Dancing Lights, along with two copies of Minor Illusion.
Anton informed them that each spellbook cost ten gold coins, but they did not need to pay immediately. As long as they paid him before the Melinda reached Izmorta, he was satisfied.
That was the extent of the assistance Anton intended to provide to Paul, Eric, and the others.
If he truly wished to help them advance quickly, he could have used his Meditation Aura to accelerate their learning. However, he had no intention of spending every day tied to a group of aspiring mages while they struggled to learn beginner spells.
Anton still intended to enjoy his time aboard the ship, and babysitting a group of wannabe wizards was not part of his plans.
Besides, none of them even knew for certain whether magical aptitude would truly improve their chances of acceptance.
There was even a possibility that the so-called “rebirth” process performed by the magical organizations would erase whatever aptitude they managed to develop, rendering all of their efforts meaningless.
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