When Anna got up in the morning, she looked at the place where Balaam had been lying. Of course, no one was there.
She pretended to walk over and bowed, then gathered her things, extinguished all the ashes from the fire, and covered them with soil.
Forest fire prevention is everyone’s responsibility.
It's not far from Black Cloud City. Anna walked there in about two or three hours.
She guessed that the devil was still following her, but as long as he didn't appear in front of her, she would treat him as if he didn't exist.
At first glance, Black Cloud City is much larger than Blue Stone City. At least the city gate is much taller and more majestic, and the number of people coming in and out of the city gate is also larger than that of Blue Stone City.
After spending many days in the wild, Anna felt like a beggar now. She took out the clean linen used as a handkerchief, carefully wiped off the dirt on her face, and then arranged her hair and clothes a little to make her look decent. , before entering Black Cloud City.
Although there are soldiers at the gate of the city, they do not stop people from entering or exiting. The laziness of these soldiers is exactly the same as that of the soldiers defending the city in Blue Stone City. They only looked at Anna twice because she was obviously a woman but wearing men's clothes. That's it. That's all.
After Anna entered the city, she first asked someone where the Mage Association was in the city, and then she walked past it admiring and observing it, and soon saw the gate of the Mage Association.
The building of the Mages Association is as eye-catching as the church. It occupies a very large area. The entrance to the street is a multi-story building, five stories high. There is a huge emblem on the wall, which looks like a sketch of a person reading a book. strokes.
Anna originally wanted to determine the location of the Mage Association first and then find a place to stay nearby, but when she saw this majestic place, she couldn't help but stop.
She saw some men and women wearing black mage robes similar to Ulysses's coming in and out of the Mage Association. Their mage robes were the same, but the badges on their chests were slightly different. Judging from the material of their lining clothes, these people's family background is very good.
Anna hid in the distance and observed for a moment. She noticed that the badges worn by some of the younger children were almost blank and had a black background, while the older ones had one or two golden stars. Those with three stars are almost thirty years old and above.
Generally speaking, the number of male mages is still more than that of female mages, but seeing that there are many female mages is an excellent incentive for Anna. She noticed that female mages have more patterns in their mage robes, and some of them will Wearing ankle-length skirts, with the skirt exposed outside the mage's robe, they look very playful, while some wear simple trousers and a pair of leather boots, which look particularly refreshing and neat.
Anna looked at it for a while and felt really envious. Then she thought that she could also study in such a place, and she couldn't help but get excited.
She thought about it and decided to find a place to tidy up before coming to the Mage Association.
The area around the Mage Association is considered a lively area. Anna first searched for places within a five-minute walk, but most of them were shops, so she had to expand the scope. Finally, she found a house willing to rent a room in a quiet alley about ten minutes' walk away. To her family.
There are only two people in this family, a grandmother and a grandson. The grandma's name is Givena. She is actually only forty-three years old this year, but she has long had gray hair. The grandson's name is Gore, who is seven years old this year.
Originally, when Anna asked, Givena was hesitant to rent it to her, but Anna made good use of her status as a future mage apprentice, and a small flame appeared directly in her palm.
Knowing that Anna was about to study at the Mage Association, and her dirty clothes were no longer an obstacle, Givena confidently rented her loft to Anna.
There is another staircase in the attic of Givena's house, which goes up from the side of the house. Usually Anna will not meet them. The lives of tenants and landlords are separated, and Anna is very satisfied with this.
Finally, after Anna saw the structure of the attic, she rented the place for one silver coin per month. The living conditions in Black Cloud City are indeed much better than those in Blue Stone City. Of course, it may be because the Givena family was once rich. Even the attic has a bathroom, water pipes and toilets, but the water pressure is insufficient and the water volume is a bit small.
Compared with the mess in Blue Stone City, life in Black Cloud City seems to be much cleaner and hygienic, perhaps because of the Mage Association in the city.
Because it was already noon, Givena warmly invited Anna to have dinner at her home after the negotiation was concluded, and Anna graciously agreed.
After dinner, Anna went back to her new residence and took a cold shower. She dried her hair and tied it into a centipede braid. Then she put on the skirt she wore in the past. She felt that she looked much better than before. This time Then I went out to the nearby commercial street.
Anna first went to a women's clothing store. It must be said that snobbery exists in any era. Because she was wearing a dusty skirt that was obviously from the lower class commoners, she almost didn't enter the store.
Anna is not angry either, the world is like this, what else can she do? If she can't change the world, then she will work hard to prevent these malicious people from appearing in front of her again.
So, a small flame appeared in her palm, and she said coldly: "I am a mage's apprentice, won't you let me come in to buy clothes?"
Mages are very common in Black Cloud City. Of course, the clerk would not be surprised to see a mage apprentice, but it is definitely not a wise move to stop a mage apprentice who will become a noble in the future. Even if she thinks that this mage apprentice is so old, I am afraid that I won't become a very powerful mage in the future, but as long as I am a one-star mage, I can become a baron and a noble. I am better than a commoner like her.
Generally, if the family has the conditions to support a mage, children with elemental affinities will be sent to learn spells at the age of seven. After five years of study, they will become a one-star mage around the age of twelve. Like Anna, who is already seventeen or eighteen. A 2-year-old girl, if her talent is not too bad, is already a two-star mage.
Therefore, Anna, who is still a mage apprentice at the age of seventeen or eighteen, is the one with the worst qualifications in the eyes of the clerk. In the future, she may only be able to hover around the level of a two-star mage. Moreover, she is obviously already proficient in magic and is a sorcerer's apprentice, which means that her family is at least wealthy. How can she wear linen clothes that only poor commoners wear
The clerk murmured in his mind, but still led Ana into the store and let her choose freely.
Anna looked around. Most of the skirts here were complicated and cumbersome, and they were very beautiful. They were not suitable for work wear.
She finally settled on a simple and elegant skirt and a bright red riding suit. After trying them on, she was very satisfied and paid for them.
Anna's heart was bleeding when she paid. The skirt cost five silver coins and the riding outfit cost eight silver coins. She could only give the gold coins to the clerk to find.
Seeing that she paid readily, the clerk, who had originally suspected that she might not be able to pay, then sent Anna away with a sweet smile and said, "Welcome to visit next time."
Anna thought to herself that she would never come again unless she suddenly became rich.
After going home and changing into a skirt, Anna walked out to the Black Cloud City Mage Association.
Standing at the door again and looking at the magnificent association building, Anna suppressed her excitement and took a deep breath. Just as she was about to enter, she saw a man standing in front of the association building, looking at her casually.
-The demon is in that man's body.
Ana almost stumbled, thinking about ignoring him, walked in, and passed the man, but the devil did not stop her.
Rotgar possessed a random person in the city because he knew Anna would definitely come to the Mage Association. He was not in a hurry. He went to the Mage Association and randomly selected someone to possess. He was waiting for Anna when he saw her coming. , he did not come forward to talk to her. He chose this body at random. He was just an ordinary staff member of the Mage Association, not a mage at all. He did not want to use this body to get close to Anna.
He possessed this body just to make it easier for him to choose a suitable body to possess next.
The office building of the Mages Association is a bit like a company lobby. There is a service desk at the end, and a sweet-looking girl sits behind it.
Anna walked up to the girl, looked at the name tag on the girl's chest, and said with a smile: "Hello Theresa, I want to know how to test elemental affinity and join the Mage Association."
Theresa only thought that Anna was asking for her relatives, and showed a standard smile: "Hello, the process is like this. You need to fill in an application form first, and then take the application form to the testing room on the second floor. After completing the payment, you will be tested. , if you have elemental affinity, you will automatically obtain membership in the Black Cloud City Mage Association, and your subsequent rights and obligations will be explained by the instructor."
Teresa said as she took out an application form and placed it in front of Anna.
Anna picked it up, looked at it, and said politely: "Can you lend me a pen?"
Teresa has been a receptionist at the Mage Association for three years and has encountered various situations. It is not uncommon to fill out the application form on the spot here. She took out the ink and quill from the service desk and placed it on Anna He smiled and said, "You can fill it in slowly."
The height of the service desk was quite suitable, so Anna held the pen and slowly began to fill in the application form item by item. She was very grateful to Dibian for teaching her how to read, otherwise she would not be able to write an application form now, which would be so embarrassing.
The illiteracy rate in this world is very high. Families that have the conditions and ambition to send their children to become mages will ask teachers to teach their children literacy when they are very young. By the time they are sent to the Mages Association, they will have some basic knowledge. If a mage apprentice like Anna is illiterate, this may be the first time the Mage Association has encountered such a situation.
Name, age, home address…
Anna filled out each item and handed it to Teresa, asking if there were any mistakes or omissions.
Out of politeness, Teresa did not look at Anna when she filled out the application form. When she took the application form and saw that the age column said seventeen years old, she immediately looked at Anna in surprise: "It's you Do you want to take the test yourself?”
Anna nodded: "Yes."
Teresa glanced at Ana again in surprise, but without saying anything, she returned the application form to Ana with both hands and said with a smile: "There is nothing wrong with filling out this application form. You can go to the second floor from over there. This room is the testing room.”
Ana thanked her, took the application form and went upstairs where Theresa pointed out.
The main body of the Mage Association's building seemed to be built with a material similar to cement. When Anna walked up the stairs, she could feel the faint natural elements in the wall. It seems that mages were involved in the construction process.
Standing at the door of the testing room, Anna knocked on the door, not too nervous, because she knew that she was an element affinity body, but she just didn't know which elements she was affinity to.
Someone in the room shouted to come in, and Anna pushed the door open. She found that the room was not particularly big. An old mage wearing a mage's robe and gold-rimmed glasses was leaning on the desk and squinting while reading. Anna didn't even come in. What a reaction.
Anna walked over, looked at the two-star badge on the other person's chest, and said politely: "Hello, I'm here to test the elemental affinity."
The old mage took off his glasses, looked at Anna, stretched out his hand and said succinctly: "Application form."
Anna handed over the application form.
The old mage glanced twice, then looked up at Anna with a serious expression: "Are you testing it yourself?"
"it's me."
The old mage said: "Let me remind you first, the test is five gold coins per time. After the test, no matter whether you have elemental affinity or not, you will not be refunded."
"I know." Anna nodded.
The old mage nodded: "As long as you know, just pay."
Anna took out five gold coins and handed them over, but she still felt reluctant to give them up.
She doesn't have a single gold coin on her now, and she doesn't know how expensive it will be to study in the future? She still has to think of ways to make money and study while working...
After the old mage took the gold coins, he opened the drawer and took out a square box the size of a mobile phone. When he opened it, he saw a carefully carved ore inside.
The old master said: "Put your index finger on it, press it tightly and don't move it."
Anna did as she was told.
The old mage picked up the tea cup and took a sip of the scented tea with a special fragrance. He picked up the quill and turned it gently, and suddenly said: "Why are you testing it when it is so big?"
"I just saved some money," Anna said.
The old mage glanced at Anna and then looked away: "Being a mage costs money. Unless you have amazing talent, it will be difficult for you to get promoted without money."
Anna smiled: "I happen to be the kind with amazing talents."
The old mage glanced at the overconfident Anna in surprise, laughed and scolded: "You are not old, but your tone is not small! Don't move around, the test is not finished yet."
Of course, Anna didn't dare to move. She was testing five gold coins once. If she moved and the test was inaccurate, she would be asked to retest and charge her another five gold coins. Then she would be useless.
However, this test took so long, it was comparable to her previous physical test of bone density.
"alright."
Hearing what the old mage said, Anna took her hand back. Only then did she notice that some colors appeared on the ore.
I have to say that this testing process was not what Anna imagined. In her imagination, the test should be the kind of crystal clear crystal ball. She put her hands on it, and then there was a bang, and the light was shining...
Think about it, the mixed element ore used for testing is so valuable, why make a big piece of it with all the bells and whistles.
The old mage was writing in the second half of the application form and said as he was writing: "There are quite a lot of natural elements that you are compatible with, but remember to bite off more than you can chew and just focus on the use of one or two elements."
Anna responded obediently: "Okay."
She suddenly felt like she was seeing a doctor, and the old mage was writing a prescription to treat her...
"Here, go next door and see the guide. He will tell you everything you need to know." The old mage returned the application form to Anna.
Seeing the old mage's plain expression, and not looking at her in shock like a treasure after the test, Anna very doubted whether there was something wrong with Dibian's judgment that her talent was astonishing.
She also wanted to use the gimmick of "amazing talent" to trick a teacher into having sex for free.
"Excuse me, can't this test reveal my talent?" Anna asked anyway.
The old mage took a slow sip of tea and then said slowly: "A mage's talent can only be reflected through ordinary study. What's the use of just measuring elemental affinities?"
"That's it, thank you... I wonder what you call me?" Anna asked before leaving.
The old mage glared at her: "Why are you so close! Do you still want to take advantage of me?" He poked his badge heavily with his thin fingers, "Did you see that I am seventy years old this year and I am still only a two-star mage? , either you don’t have money or you don’t have talent, there is almost no benefit to be gained from you tampering with me, so hurry up and leave!”
Anna really just wanted to ask the old mage's name out of politeness, but she didn't expect to be robbed of the name in such a way. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she had to run away quickly.
After going out, Anna looked at the test results written by the old mage in the second half of her application form.
She has affinities with six elements, except for darkness and earth, and the most affinitive among them is the element of thunder.
Anna remembered that Lei's inherent attributes were destruction and entanglement, and she couldn't help but feel weird. According to the general novel convention, her affinity element should be closely related to her character. Is she essentially a violent person
But she was relieved to remember that Ulysses's most affable element was fire, and that he himself was actually cold.
Looking up at the closed door of the testing room again, Anna couldn't help but laugh.
Although the old mage's attitude is not very good, if the entire Mage Association has such an atmosphere, she should be very happy.
Unlike in the Earl's Mansion, where she was just a low-level civilian maid, no matter how friendly the nobles were to her, they actually looked down on her from the bottom of their hearts, which made her very unhappy.
From this point of view, the devil has some merits. After all, in his opinion, "everyone here is rubbish". He looks down on all human beings, which is equivalent to "everyone is equal".
Anna knocked on the door next door with a smile on her face. After hearing the response from the person inside, she pushed the door open. As soon as she said "you", she slammed the door again.
No, why did that demon appear here with another person possessing him! Did he want to surround her alone