After listening to Mason's long-winded speech, Lin Li finally understood that this Oakland Academy was actually the same as the Guild of Magic — they were both responsible for nurturing talents. It was just that the Guild of Magic nurtured mages, while the Oakland Academy nurtured warriors.
Of course, there were still some differences in the details.
After all, warriors were different from mages. This profession did not have too high of a requirement in terms of talent. As long as one was a human with four limbs, there was a chance to become a qualified warrior. In the vast Felan Kingdom, there were too many people who had the chance to become a qualified warrior …
With such a large number of warrior apprentices, it was naturally impossible for them to be imparted by a mentor like the Guild of Magic. It was simply unimaginable for warriors to have a mentor guiding a few apprentices.
Hence, most warrior apprentices would choose to enter various academies to receive the most basic training in combat skills.
For example, the Oakland Academy specialized in teaching all kinds of combat skills. Warrior apprentices only needed to pay a certain amount of tuition fees, and they could learn from level-1 to level-10 martial arts here.
Lin Li was a little moved. There was no doubt about Sean's talent. Even a picky old fellow like Andoine had praised him profusely. What he lacked was proper guidance. If he entered the Okland Academy, it wouldn't take long for him to become a powerful warrior.
"I'll ask Sean for his opinion." After saying this, Lin Li remembered that he had not seen Sean since he woke up this morning. For a moment, he could not help but be puzzled. "Oh yes, did any of you see Sean today?"
"I didn't see …" Mason's voice was a little unclear as he chewed on a piece of bread.
"No." Orrin shook his head too.
"…" Lin Li's head was full of bumps. Where did this fella go so early in the morning?
"Knock, knock, knock …" At this moment, there was another knock on the door.
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" Lin Li opened the door, and it was a stranger standing outside. He looked to be in his twenties, wearing a brown leather armor. He was fair and clean, and his blonde hair was exceptionally dazzling.
What made Lin Li feel the strangest was that this person looked a little familiar …
"Yes, yes, yes … It's you!" Before Lin Li could speak, the young man shouted first. His eyes widened, and his expression was as if he had seen a ghost. He pointed at Lin Li with one finger, but his mouth was stuttering, and he could not say a proper word for a long time.
"Huh?" Lin Li was taken aback at first, but then images appeared in his mind.
The campsite was drenched in blood, the Shapeshifter's four hooves were wreathed in flames, the silver plate that was filled with a holy aura, and the mysterious crystal …
Wasn't this young man who looked like he had just seen a ghost the guy who led a group of adventurers to challenge the Incubus in the Nightmare Mountains that night? It seemed that at the end of the battle, this guy even threw a silver plate at him and almost killed him …
"So it's you …" Lin Li smiled, and revealed a look of realization.
"No, no, no … It's not me … It's really not me …" The blonde youth's face was uglier than crying. He never thought that things would be so coincidental.
After returning that night, he was so scared that he could not sleep well. He was afraid that the powerful mage would come to find trouble with him. For the next half a month, he lived in fear every day. He finally waited for the limelight to pass, and thought that everything was fine. He did not expect to run into the hands of the victim on his second trip out.
It's over, it's over. This mage must have known who I was long ago. Through the trap set by that damn boss, he easily led me into the trap.
"What nonsense …" Lin Li frowned. What's wrong with this guy? He came looking for me for no reason just to tell me "It's not him, it's really not him". What else could it be if he did not have nothing better to do?
"Mr Mage …" The blonde youth swallowed his saliva, and struggled to defend himself. "That night, I really did not mean it …"
"I did not say that you did it on purpose …" Lin Li's voice was very weak. He thought to himself, Isn't this nonsense? Who doesn't know that you were in a hurry to escape? If you really did it on purpose, I would have killed you long ago. Why would I wait for you to come to the Guild of Magic?
The blonde youth stared at Lin Li with a bewildered look. After a long while, he was finally sure that the other party did not seem to be being sarcastic.
"If you have anything to say, come in first. Don't look around, no one will do anything to you …"
"Oh …" The blonde youth followed behind Lin Li and entered the living room with trepidation. His face looked abnormally nervous. He looked around very awkwardly, and did not even know where to put his hands.
"Please sit down."
"Oh …"
"Do you want something to drink?"
"Oh …"
"What's your mother's surname?"
"Oh …"
"…" Lin Li was really driven crazy by him. What's wrong with this guy? He came here so early in the morning just to say "oh" to me?
"Forget it, if you have something to say, say it quickly. After we go back, we can slowly talk about it by ourselves …"
"… Didn't you ask me to come?" This time, the blonde youth did not continue to say "oh". Instead, he revealed a look of surprise.
"Ah?" Lin Li was baffled. "When did I look for you?"
"You asked Garza to pass a message, saying that you have a business deal to discuss with me …"
"Oh …" Upon hearing this, Lin Li immediately understood. So, this fella was the one he had been looking for, the one who consigned the Fire Salamandrid armor. "So, the owner of the two pieces of equipment is you …"
"Are you looking for me … really to discuss business?" The golden-haired young man finally believed him when he heard him mention that piece of equipment. However, he still looked very nervous, and there was a look of bewilderment in his eyes when he looked at Lin Li. The scene in the Nightmare Mountains had left a deep impression on him.
"Of course!" Lin Li did not care whether he was nervous or not. He directly asked, "That leather armor made from the Fire Salamandrid skin, was it you who consigned it to the equipment store?"
"Yes, Mr Mage …"
"Very good …" Lin Li nodded, and directly asked, "How much more do you have?"
This question was asked without any rhyme or reason, and coupled with the blonde youth's nervousness, he was puzzled. "Ah? What do you mean, how much more do you have? "
"Fire Salamandrid skin, how much more do you have? I need about ten of them. Whether I buy it with money or exchange it with items, it's not a problem. "
"This …" The blonde youth was a little hesitant.
"You don't have to worry about the price." Lin Li saw his hesitation, and thought that he was worried that he could not afford it. He did not want to waste time with him, and directly stated his price. "How about this, I will exchange potions with you. For one piece of Fire Salamandrid skin, I can give you three bottles of Bull's Strength Potion!"
"Three … three bottles?" When this shocking price was stated, the blonde youth was so scared that he even forgot to be nervous.
He did not think that this mage would be so generous. The Bull's Strength Potion was something that every physical profession dreamed of, especially for a warrior like him. As long as he had a bottle of Bull's Strength Potion in hand, he could immediately increase his strength by a few levels.
If it was put on the black market, a bottle of Bull's Strength Potion could be sold for at least 50,000 gold coins. One for three bottles, ten would be 30 bottles …
How much money would it cost? The blonde youth thought about it and suddenly felt that his brain was not enough to comprehend it …
Unfortunately, he could only look at such a large sum of money.
The blonde youth hesitated for a moment, and decided to tell the truth. "You misunderstood, Mr Mage. I am not worried about the price, but I really do not have it on hand …"
"Oh …" Lin Li felt that it was a pity, but he was not discouraged. In fact, he had more or less guessed this answer. The leather armor that he bought for Sean the other day used at least five pieces of Fire Salamandrid skin. No matter how lucky the blonde youth was, he might not be able to take out so many at once.
"Then change the condition." Lin Li thought for a moment, and continued, "Still 30 bottles of Bull's Strength Potion in exchange for the location where you hunt for Fire Salamandrid."
"…" The blonde youth almost went crazy on the spot. What was this mage doing? Why did he have so many Bull's Strength Potions? For a hunting location, he could actually open 30 bottles!
Unfortunately, he could only look at such a large sum of money.
It was fine if he did not look at it, as long as he was willing to take the risk and fabricate a place to cheat these 30 bottles of Bull's Strength Potion.
If he was trading with someone else, under the temptation of such a large sum of wealth, the blond young man might really take the risk out of desperation. However, the problem was that no matter how precious the Bull's Strength Potion was, he had to be alive to drink it, right? How could this young mage be cheated so easily?
"Mr Mage …" The blonde youth swallowed his saliva, and his expression was extremely pained. "That leather armor is not our own …"
"Oh?"
"I bought the leather armor from the black market a month ago. There were two other items with the leather armor. One of them was the double-edged sword that you bought, and the other …" At this point, the golden-haired youth's face looked a little awkward.
"The silver plate that smashed me?" Lin Li guessed what the other thing was when he saw his expression.
The blonde youth smiled awkwardly. "Yes …"
"Let's talk about the silver plate. What I'm more concerned about now is whether you can think of a way to help me find the person who bought these things? Don't worry, you won't help for nothing. "
"Finding the person is not a problem, but I need some time. You know, the black market has always been a complicated place …"
"Within a month, help me find this person. As for the reward … Three bottles of Bull's Strength Potion, what do you think?"
"No problem, no problem …" The blonde youth nodded repeatedly. Was there a more cost-effective task in this world than helping to find someone and getting three bottles of Bull's Strength Potion?
"Oh yes, what's your name?"
"My name is Elijah, Mr Mage."
"Very well, Mr Elijah. Within a month, this deal is considered valid. After you find the person, come to the Guild of Magic to look for me, and I'll give you three bottles of Bull's Strength Potion. Of course, if you can get your hands on ten Fire Salamandrid skins, that would be even better. I'll give you 30 bottles of Bull's Strength Potion."
After finalizing the deal, the two of them discussed the details again before Lin Li sent him out.
…
After searching for almost a month for the Fire Salamandrid skins, Lin Li finally found them today. He was in a good mood, and gave himself a day off. He did not go to the Omniscient Tower to read for the time being, and stayed in the house to sort out what he had learned recently. At the same time, he waited for Sean to come back so that he could discuss with him about the Auckland Academy.
It was strange that Sean, who usually did not run around, was out of character today. He went out before the sun rose, and there was no sign of him until now.
Sean did not come back, but Macklin did.
When it was almost evening, Macklin came and knocked on the door.
"Hurry up, there are a lot of people here today. If you don't hurry up, you can only eat the leftovers from others!"
The old man's roar was more effective than any urging. Mason, who was originally holed up in the room and worrying about what robe to wear, was shocked when he heard Macklin's voice. He quickly put on a black robe and rushed out of the room like a rabbit.
The venue for the banquet was arranged in the banquet hall. When the group of people rushed over, the banquet hall had been decorated splendidly, and was brightly lit. Lin Li looked up and saw that all 24 trial mages, including the three of them, had arrived. In addition, there were also important figures from the Alanna Guild of Magic, such as President Aldwin, the President's son, Archmage Aeron, and Archmage Macklin who was beside him …
There were about 50 people sitting in the spacious banquet hall.
There were two long tables parallel to each other in the banquet hall. The people from the Alanna Guild of Magic were at one table, and the 24 trial mages were at another table. Beside Aldwin sat an old man in his seventies. He looked old, his eyes were cloudy, and his eyes were half-closed as if he had not woken up. Even when Aldwin spoke to him, his face still looked a little listless.
If it weren't for the strong magical wave coming from him, most people would probably think that he was just an ordinary old man.
Lin Li looked at him, and was slightly surprised. This was actually another Legendary-mage …
"See?" After Macklin walked into the banquet hall, he gave Lin Li a look, and motioned him to look at the old man beside Aldwin. "This old man is one of the arbitrators of the Supreme Council. His name is Herza. Don't think that he is about the same age as Aldwin. In fact, he is old enough to be Aldwin's grandfather. For the past 100 years, he has basically handled the external affairs of the Supreme Council. As for strength … I only know that he is very strong!"
"How strong is very strong?" Lin Li was a little curious.
"Stronger than me anyway …" Macklin finished with a gloomy face, and seemed to feel very embarrassed. Hence, he shamelessly added, "Maybe even stronger than Aldwin …"
"That's really very strong …"
The two of them had just exchanged a few words when Macklin was called away, leaving Lin Li and the rest to look around curiously.
It was not until they were almost done looking that the three of them found a few empty seats to sit down.
As soon as Lin Li sat down, he found an acquaintance sitting next to him.
"Good evening, Mage Fedrick."
"Good evening, Mage Felic …" Fedrick really wanted to give himself two tight slaps. There were so many places to sit in the hall, and yet he had to pick such a godforsaken place. Great, now that this fella is sitting beside me, how am I going to eat dinner tonight …
Thinking of the Flaming Hands in the Shadowglen, Fedrick really could not sit still. He rubbed his buttocks on the chair, looking like he had hemorrhoids.
"What's wrong, Mage Fedrick? Are you not feeling well?" Lin Li saw that his expression was not right, and asked with concern.
"No … Nothing."
"Oh, yes, why don't I see Kayla and the rest?" Lin Li chatted with Fedrick enthusiastically, looking like an old friend who had not seen each other for a long time. If one were to look at the scene in front of them, they would definitely not think that it was this guy in the Shadowglen who used the Flaming Hands and almost burned Fedrick on the spot because of a disagreement.
"They … They are sitting with Sarsen …" Fedrick sat there, feeling like he was sitting on a piece of branding iron. Yet, he did not dare to change his seat. If this guy thought that he was not giving him face, there would be big trouble.
"Oh …" Lin Li nodded, and continued chatting with Fedrick.
Fedrick really wanted to hit his head against the wall. What was this guy trying to do? Why was he so persistent? There were so many people in the banquet hall, but why did he come looking for him?
Actually, he did not know that although there were many people in the banquet hall, Lin Li only knew a few of them. Since he was already sitting there and had nothing to do, he might as well find someone he knew to chat with …
He did not think that his existence would bring so much pressure to Fedrick …
Fortunately, just as Fedrick was feeling tormented by every second, President Aldwin stood up.
"Good evening, everyone." Aldwin had a gentle smile on his face. His voice was not loud, but it was just loud enough for everyone to hear. "The banquet will start soon, but before that, I have to introduce to you a big shot — one of the arbitrators of the Supreme Council, Mage Herza!"
"Clap clap clap clap …" The banquet hall was filled with warm applause. To most mages, the Supreme Council was the most mysterious place in Anril. A mage from the Supreme Council was worthy of their warm applause.
"Good evening, everyone …" Herza's voice sounded a little weak.
"Mage Herza is here for two things. The first is about the Shadowglen trial. Before the banquet begins, Mage Herza will give a small gift to the young lad who wins this trial." At this point, Aldwin paused for a moment. "The second thing is that the finals in a month's time will be hosted by Mage Herza personally."
The hall suddenly quietened down. Aldwin's last sentence had attracted everyone's attention. Even the higher-ups of the Alanna Guild of Magic could not help but hold their breath. No one had thought that the finals would be hosted by someone from the Supreme Council.
From this sentence, many people had already sensed something unusual. The trials in the past were mostly handled by the various guilds, but this year, not only did the Supreme Council arrange the Shadowglen mission at the last minute, they even wanted to host the finals. Before Aldwin's voice had even fallen, everyone was already guessing what all this meant …
At this time, Snakel stood up again. His voice was still weak, but the words he said had undoubtedly dropped a bomb in the banquet hall.
"The winner of the finals will receive the full support of the Supreme Council to establish a guild in a certain area."
This feeble sentence caused the entire banquet hall to explode into an uproar.
"Oh my God …"
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