Anna's words sounded very inspiring. She had always done this. There was no use in blaming others. If there was a problem, she would find a way to solve it. If one way didn't work, she would find another way. Nothing could stop her from moving towards her goal.
But after listening to Anna's words, Natalie immediately lowered her head, like a little rabbit.
"No, I can't do it. I've already taken the exam seven times!" Natalie said frustratedly, "I'm so stupid. I'm obviously the only elemental affinity body in our family, but my talent is not good. I can’t keep up with others at all. The mage apprentices who joined the Mage Association at the same time as me are all one-star mages at worst, but I am still a mage apprentice and can’t pass the one-star exam at all.”
Anna thought about it. If she failed the exam seven times in a row, she would probably be so depressed.
However, according to her personality, if she fails the exam twice at most, she will summarize the reasons for failing the exam and then conduct targeted training.
"This time is different." Anna said gently and firmly.
Natalie asked with a sad face: "What's the difference?"
"I will accompany you to take the test this time." Anna said. Dibian had said before that her practical level could pass the test of a one-star mage, so she decided to give it a try to see if what Dibian said was right.
Natalie was not moved at all by Anna's "shared joys and sorrows", but felt even more uncomfortable: "Both of us are mage apprentices, and we can't pass the exam, so what's the use of taking the exam together!"
Anna smiled: "I haven't introduced myself before. My name is Anna. Today is my first day in Black Cloud City, and it is also my first day as a mage apprentice."
Natalie thought she heard wrong and looked at Anna in surprise: "You just became a mage apprentice? No, why did you become a mage apprentice so late? I have been a mage apprentice for eight years!"
Seeing Anna looking at her and smiling, Natalie had to suppress her doubts first and said: "My name is Natalie Wright. I am the youngest daughter of the Wright family and the only elemental affinity body of the Wright family. I think To become a one-star mage and a baron, with the title, I can get a salary from the lord, I can support myself, and my father can no longer force me to marry anyone else!"
Anna heard the most crucial point from Natalie's long words: "After becoming a baron, will the lord return the annual salary?"
Natalie said: "Don't you know? Although the annual salary of a baron is very small, only ten gold coins, if you save a little, it is barely enough. As long as I can become a one-star mage, I don't want to think about it anymore. If you upgrade, you don’t need to spend a lot of gold coins.”
Ten gold coins a year!
Anna has never been so eager to take the promotion test and become a one-star mage. She is too poor and does not have a single gold coin. She will not dare to interact with her classmates normally in the future. Interpersonal relationships are mutual, and she, who has no money, forces herself to join others, which makes everyone feel uncomfortable.
"Very good, now let's talk about the promotion assessment." Anna said ambitiously, although she has never even taken a literacy class now.
Natalie was completely led by Anna and said after hearing this: "The latest promotion assessment will be two months later. I can't pass both the written test and the practical test. What should I do?"
Anna took out the manual and turned to the page about promotion assessment. The promotion assessment includes two parts: theory and practical operation. The practical operation includes three parts: mental power, potions and practical combat. Only those who pass both parts can be promoted.
Natalie didn't know what Anna was looking at at first, but when she came closer, she found that she was reading a manual that was given when she first joined the association. She suddenly remembered what Anna said, that she had just become a mage apprentice today.
"Anna, did you really become a mage apprentice today?" Natalie still couldn't believe it.
"Yes, I just arrived in Black Cloud City today." Anna looked and pondered, then gave Natalie a perfunctory sentence before continuing: "Let me see your first seven assessment results."
Unexpectedly, Natalie shook her head vigorously: "No! I lost it all!"
Anna said: "Then I'll go to the association and ask? This kind of result should be kept on file, right?"
Natalie whimpered and looked about to cry.
Anna said helplessly: "I don't want to look at your results and laugh at you. I want to know your weak points so that I can complete special training in a targeted manner."
Natalie looked at Anna with red eyes and said doubtfully: "But didn't you become a mage apprentice on the first day? Why did you give me special training!"
At this time, Anna couldn't say that she was very talented, could learn things very quickly, and could still teach Natalie. She just said: "Before I became a mage apprentice, there was a mage who taught me a lot."
But this is the study room of the library, and Anna can't let out a small flame to prove to Natalie that although she has only become a mage apprentice on her first day, she is not a complete beginner who doesn't understand anything.
Natalie said with envy: "I really want to meet such a mage!"
Her family is just a baron, and they don't actually have much money. There are no magicians among her relatives, so they can only hire teachers through the association to take classes. Each class costs a gold coin. However, her talent is not good. The teacher told her that she would be good in class, but she would not be able to after class. She took dozens of classes, and she failed the promotion exam three times in a row, so her father refused to let her spend money to take classes anymore.
Therefore, she now reads books by herself in the elementary library. Only the goddess knows how much she can read.
"Didn't you meet him now?" Anna smiled.
Natalie looked at the confident Anna and felt that the other person was better than her in every way, so she suppressed the uncertainty in her heart, held Anna's hand and said, "Then I'll leave my future to you!"
Anna said: "No, your future can only be controlled by yourself."
Anna felt that making friends like Natalie as soon as she came here was the biggest gain today. It seems that since she came here, she has no close friends.
Of course, it is not impossible to talk about benefits when making friends. Although Natalie failed to pass the one-star mage exam seven times, she is familiar with the Mage Association. If she has any questions, she can easily get answers from Natalie. Teaching others in the process of learning also consolidates her own learning. Only when she can explain it clearly to others can she prove that she has really understood it.
She likes this win-win.
At this moment, Natalie got some encouragement from Anna's words. She said with bright eyes: "You are right, I can only control my future! Let's start special training tomorrow!"
But Anna directly poured cold water on it: "Not tomorrow, I have to go to literacy class."
"Literacy class?"
"Oh, it's just an introductory class." Anna thought for a while and said, "But the planning can be done in advance. Let's meet in the association's cafeteria at noon tomorrow. Prepare your previous assessment results."
Anna stood up as she spoke and waved her hand to Natalie: "Then I'm going back first. I still need to tidy up the house. See you tomorrow."
Natalie waved goodbye to Anna in a daze, and when she saw her disappearing at the door of the library, she showed worry on her face.
Anna actually has to take an introductory class! Why did she feel that she suddenly had no confidence in her special training
"But why do we have to meet in the cafeteria tomorrow?"
Natalie murmured in a low voice, and suddenly noticed a few people in the corner of the study room when she raised her eyes. Those people were all civilians. Although their families had some money, their talents were average. They always studied very hard and often stayed all day long. I read books in the association library, so I eat in the cafeteria. As for the association canteen, no nobles ever went there, not even her.
Natalie suddenly remembered that when Anna introduced herself, she did not say her last name, and she covered her mouth with a complicated expression.
"Ana is a civilian?"
Natalie has never interacted with common people before. Although everyone is in the same association, those common people seem to be either afraid of the nobles or disdainful of them. Of course, she will not take the initiative to associate with them.
Of course, because of her lack of talent, others had become one-star mages, and she was still just a mage apprentice, so she didn't have much contact with the noble mages of the association.
"Anna is the only one paying attention to me..." Natalie whispered with red eyes, so what if she was a commoner? After all, she, a noble, was forced to marry a smelly old man
After Anna left the association, she thought about taking off the badge and putting it away.
The promotion assessment will be held in two months. She wants to take part to test her level. At the same time, it will also be convenient for her to show her talent. Just after becoming a mage apprentice, he became a one-star mage. Is this enough to cause a sensation? Good teachers should be constantly looking for her to accept her as a student, right
Speaking of which, she seems to have seen that it costs money to take the promotion assessment.
She took out the brochure, turned to the page, and saw "Registration fee is five gold coins." She felt bad.
For the association, these five gold coins are actually a welfare. It just blocks people from coming for the assessment when they have nothing to do, and reduces the pressure on personnel.
Whether you are a noble or a wealthy commoner in the association, as long as you don't take exams frequently, the money is not a problem.
She, a pauper, couldn't afford the money.
"Being a mage is really expensive."
Anna sighed with emotion, remembering the bag of gems Balan placed in front of her at that time. She should have touched his body after he "died"... Having no money is really harder than being cursed!
After Anna returned to her residence, she started to tidy up the room. The bed was a new one prepared for her by Givena, but it could be said that she didn't have anything of her own. It could be seen that the attic was cleaned frequently and it was very clean. She could just clean it a little.
After washing the clothes she had changed before and drying them, Anna flopped down on the bed, closed her eyes, and couldn't help laughing after a while.
She finally truly embarked on the path of a mage!
It doesn't matter if she doesn't have money, she can earn it. As long as she has the ability and works hard enough, there is no obstacle that she can't overcome!
For example, at noon tomorrow, she could ask Natalie if there was any way for a mage apprentice to make money quickly.
Anna rolled over and sat up. As soon as she got into the meditation posture and was ready to start meditating, she heard the noise coming from downstairs. She seemed to also hear Givena's voice.
Anna looked down from the street-facing window of the attic and saw several men talking to Givenara, saying things like "move out" and "mine".
Anna's heart skipped a beat when she heard the word "move out". She had just moved in and had worked hard to tidy up the room. If anyone dared to ask her to move out at this time, she would never be done with him!
Anna hurried downstairs and happened to see a man raising his hand to hit Givena, but Givena shrank her body and her arms were bruised.
"Stop," Anna said.
Seeing someone meddling in other people's business, the tall man said fiercely: "This is our family matter and has nothing to do with you. Stop meddling, or I'll beat you up too!"
Anna said slowly: "How come it has nothing to do with me? I live here."
As she spoke, she slowly took out her apprentice badge and pinned it on her chest. She looked at Givina and smiled: "Givina, I just wanted to tell you that I am already a mage. What do you have with them?" Question? You can tell me."
Givena's eyes lit up when she saw the badge that Anna took out. She glanced at the man secretly. The latter shrank her hand because of Anna's mage badge, and even took a step back.
Although there are many mages in Black Cloud City, compared to the entire population of Black Cloud City, they are still very rare. It is difficult for ordinary civilians to say a word to the mages. When the man saw the badge representing the mage in Anna's hand, he became a little scared. .
Nobles and mages must not be provoked, especially mages. Even mage apprentices will become nobles in the future. They cannot afford to offend nobles, let alone mages!
Jivina said hesitantly: "We just had a little dispute, and it's okay now."
Before Anna could ask, the man quickly said: "Yes, yes, it's just a small dispute. I'm sorry to disturb the mage, let's leave now!"
Seeing that Anna had no intention of stopping him, the man quickly ran away with his people.
Givena waited until they were all gone before holding on to the wall and saying, "Thank you very much, Master Anna!"
"Who are they?" Anna asked.
"The leader is my brother's son. Because my husband and son are gone, he wants to rob my house." Givena wiped her tears, "What if Gore and I are kicked out? Life!”
"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, they won't dare to come again." Anna reassured.
"Thank you very much, Master Anna!" Givena thanked him repeatedly.
"If you really want to thank me, why not treat me to dinner? I like your cooking skills very much." Anna smiled.
Givena also smiled: "Of course, it's my honor that you like my cooking skills."
Anna knew that Givena initially agreed to let her rent the attic of her home for the sake of her "little flame". It turned out that it was because the family was in trouble and she wanted to put a great god in the house to control the house. No wonder the rent was not collected. Somewhat cheap.
But Anna didn't feel like she was being plotted. Everyone got what they needed and it was mutually beneficial. Isn't it great
Early the next morning, Anna changed into the bright red riding outfit and went to the Mage Association. She had no other good clothes to wear. The skirt was washed again and she couldn't bear to buy new ones, so she had to make do.
Teresa saw Anna, handed over a piece of paper, and said with a smile: "Master Anna, I have a memorandum from you."
Anna thanked her and took it and saw her introductory guidance course schedule written on it. At nine o'clock in the morning, she would be taught by a two-star mage named Leon Freeman in Meditation Room No. 1.
There was a clock in the office hall of the Mages Association, and it was still only 8:20. Anna was not worried about being late. Seeing that there was no one else at the service desk, she just stood there chatting with Teresa.
"Teresa, you know I'm new here and don't know anything. What kind of person is this mage Leon Freeman? I mean, will he be very aggressive in class?" Anna asked.
Teresa laughed, and quickly held back her laughter and said, "Don't worry, Master Leon Freeman is not evil, he just takes everything seriously. He has rich teaching experience, and you will be sure to learn from him if you take his class." You can learn a lot.”
Anna nodded, fearing that this serious mage would be taken over by a demon... The fear of being dominated by a demon teacher, I don't know when it will end.
She asked again with a curious look on her face: "How are the teachers for the introductory class selected? Do they sign up voluntarily?"
"Yes, the association will provide subsidies for teachers who take the initiative to take introductory classes."
"How much is the subsidy?" Anna asked casually.
This is not a secret that cannot be told. Teresa replied: "Five gold coins per person."
Anna's expression condensed: "Does it mean that no matter how many mage apprentices you teach, you will only be given a subsidy of five gold coins, or you will be given a subsidy if you teach just one."
"It's the latter. The Mage Association is very grateful to its members for their contributions to the association. They know that this gold coin cannot buy the kindness of the members for their sacrifices for the association's growth. They can only make some compensation as much as possible." Theresa said .
Anna felt that she was distorted by jealousy, and she quickly asked: "Then what conditions need to be met to contribute to the association?"
Teresa smiled and said: "A one-star or above mage who has joined the association for more than eight years."
Anna's hope was suddenly popped like a bubble.
Being a mage costs a lot of money, but it is also easy to make money, provided that she is not just a mage apprentice. But if she wants to upgrade, she has to pay a lot of money. This is really a desperate loop.
"Will teachers of paid courses also receive subsidies?" Anyway, it was just a beginning, so Anna simply asked.
"There is no subsidy, but there is a course fee. The minimum guarantee is one gold coin, but if you want to designate a mage and the other party is willing to teach, there will be a higher price, and the teaching mage will decide the price." Theresa said, "There are teachers With study, you will get twice the result with half the effort.”
"Yes." Anna sighed. It's a pity that she is poor and can't make money.
Fortunately, there are still so many books in the library. Her self-study ability is not weak, so it is not a big problem.
"Thank you for answering my questions so patiently. I just came here and I don't understand anything. If you ask any stupid questions in the future, please don't laugh at me." Anna said with a smile.
Teresa smiled and said: "How dare I laugh at a mage? If you have any questions, just ask me."
Because of Anna's casual attitude, Teresa also dared to tell some jokes. She has been in the Mages Association for several years and has met all kinds of mages. She has long since developed the ability to use different attitudes when facing different mages.
After saying goodbye to Teresa, Anna went to Meditation Room No. 1 according to what was recorded in the manual.
The meditation building is a three-story building with more than fifty small rooms, which is enough to meet the needs of the association members. Meditation Room No. 1 is the simplest, unprotected meditation room, free of charge, and very suitable for introductory guided courses.
Anna arrived at 8:50. To her surprise, there was already someone in the meditation room No. 1.
She looked over and saw that there was no demon on the other person, and she was relieved, but then she noticed that the other person's profile was very young, probably about the same age as her, and he was probably not the mage Leon Freeman. In other words, she was happy too early.
Anna didn't want to conflict with other mages, so after thinking about it, she simply stayed outside the meditation room. It was still early anyway, so she could follow the teacher in pretentiously when he arrived.
She leaned against the wall and thought about what kind of person the teacher was and whether he was too serious. Then she saw the young mage coming out of the meditation room, looked at her and said, "Are you Anna?"
Anna was stunned, looking at the mage who was a head taller than her when he stood up, and also noticed the badge on his chest.
Two gold stars!
He actually made an empiricist error!
Anna didn't want Master Leon Freeman to see that she misunderstood that he was not a teacher because she thought he was young, so she nodded quickly and said: "Yes, Master Leon Freeman, I was a little nervous for the first time in class. I wanted to Come in later.”
How could she forget that most mage apprentices are children of seven or eight years old, so what's wrong with letting a mage who is about the same age as her and has ten years of experience in learning spells take the introductory class
Leon nodded without saying anything more. When he turned around, he said, "Come in."
Anna quickly followed.
After the slight embarrassment dissipated, she was now only happy.
After Dibian, her teacher is no longer the only demon! No matter what happens in the future, at least now, she can take a serious class!
Anna's excitement seemed to come from Leon's first class. He thought for a while and said, "Don't worry, the introductory course won't teach anything too difficult."
The space in the meditation room is not large, maybe only about ten meters square. There is a cushion in the center for the mage to sit and meditate. There is a table on the side with paper and pen and ink on the table, and in the corner there is There is a small wooden coffee table with floral tea and snacks on it.
"Okay, teacher." Anna replied slightly cautiously.
This Lyon mage looks young, but he gives people a sense of oppression that they dare not act recklessly in front of him. Until then, she noticed the teacher's youth and handsomeness.
He has short brown hair and gray eyes, so light that nothing can leave a trace in his eyes, which gives people invisible pressure.
"Do you know how to meditate?" Leon asked.
"I know. A mage once taught me, and I have a little experience." Anna said.
"Then sit down and let me see." Leon said, taking the lead in sitting down at one end of the cushion.
Anna sat down on the other side in a meditative posture.
Previously, Leon taught the mage apprentice children. In the first lesson, he would teach them some basic knowledge and basic meditation knowledge. But there are also elders in the family who have already taught, and he will modify the teaching content and progress.
Seeing that there was no problem with Anna's movements, Leon asked again: "Can you feel the natural elements already?"
"Yes, I also know a little bit of magic." Anna said, "such as lighting and detection."
"When using the detection technique, the range should not exceed this meditation room." Lyon said.
Anna did as she was told and opened her eyes to find Leon taking notes.
She was almost moved to tears.
"What's wrong?" Leon frowned and asked when he saw Anna's expression was a little strange.
Anna smiled quickly: "This is the first time I have met a teacher as serious and responsible as you. I am very touched."
As if he didn't expect Anna to say this, Leon was stunned for a moment before lowering his head and continuing to write on the paper, saying: "Your detection skills are very good."
"Thank you, teacher!"
After being praised by a talented two-star mage, Anna suddenly felt more motivated to study. When she was studying with Di Bian, Di Bian always praised her so much that she felt embarrassed. Teacher Lyon's relatively restrained praise sounded very comfortable.
Of course, it was better than the devil's teacher who taught her crammingly and didn't even look at her learning results.
Anna was smiling happily when she saw someone at the door of Meditation Room No. 1 from the corner of her eye. She only glanced at it and the smile on her face disappeared.
You can't mention the devil, right? As soon as you mention him, he comes out!
The person standing at the door and leaning against the corridor was the poor man possessed by the devil. He should be a young nobleman.
After Leon finished taking notes, he noticed Anna's gaze and looked outside. Seeing the person standing at the door, he frowned in disgust, suddenly stood up, walked over and slammed the door.
Anna suddenly laughed, Teacher Lyon, well done!