"That reminds me, your highness, which element do you have affinity with?"
"Ah!" Ezra exclaimed as he realized he hadn't bothered to check what his affinity was.
Frankly, with the gangs, guilds and schemes, it just wasn't on his mind. And more importantly, he knew his affinity. One of the reasons why he was called Dark Knight in his former life was because his affinity was, as you can probably guess, darkness.
But that was his affinity in his past life. Since he reincarnated into a new body, there was a high chance that he gained another affinity.
To understand what affinity was, one has to understand the elements.
Elements were earth, water, air, nature, fire, light, darkness, spirit, and many, many more. They are the components that make up the world, each one with its own uses.
Each living being was attuned to some elements more than the others. The reasons for this varied according to each individual.
Some were hereditary, thereby inheriting by bloodline. For some, it was their personality and talent with the usage of mana.
Affinity signified which element a person was compatible with, and which he was not. For example, take someone with affinity for the spirit element. They dealt with souls. It was by this set of mages that items like soul scrolls and soul compasses were made. They also dealt with ghosts and other astral creatures.
Should a mage with an affinity for fire learn spirit spells, he would be able to use them, but with a horrendous mana usage.
The base for the usage of any element was mana, meaning that, theoretically, anyone should be able to use any spell from any element as long as they had enough mana. But when were things ever so simple?
This is where affinity came into play. It reduced the amount of mana needed and increased the potency of the spell.
The speed with which someone masters spells is also influenced by their affinity with the element of the spell. It was how mages knew which spells they were to learn.
Suppose a fire mage used mana to create a fire tornado. Should a nature mage use the exact same amount of mana to cast the exact same spell, it might not amount to enough fire to burn down a tree.
And then comes the matter of those who have considerable affinity with more than one element. Those who had dual, triple or even quadruple affinities.
People who had affinities with two or more elements were often children whose parents had affinities with those elements.
These ones could use one just as well as the other, before choosing either to specialize in one rather than the other, or to become a dual element mage.
It should also be mentioned that even affinities had grades, and those grades decided how strong one could grow without the help of external resources, further classifying those with the same affinity into segments.
Items and artifacts existed that could grant someone a new affinity or increase it, but they were even more costly than spatial rings and, depending on who made them, there could be side effects.
One could already imagine how ruthless the competition would be. Not everyone could be a mage, and of course, not everyone wanted to be.
That was why other paths to power existed.
For Knights, their affinity didn't matter much at the early ranks because, unlike mages, they strengthened and widened their meridians to increase the size of their mana pool while also cleansing their innards and strengthening their bodies.
But that didn't mean it didn't have its uses. For Knights, one's affinity defined the best and most compatible mana techniques for him.
Mana techniques were cultivation techniques for those who followed the path of strengthening their physique.
The meridians in the human body numbered hundreds and ranged in size. Not all of them were needed for performing a task. This meant that one had to use specific meridians to bring out the maximum efficiency in a movement.
Mana techniques are books containing instructions and illustrations that have been compiled through research spanning centuries. They explained which meridians at which part of the body should be cultivated in order to allow fluidity with particular movements.
So, if someone trained to be an assassin, he would use a mana technique that complimented silent movement. Swift but fatal moves that would allow instant beheading and allow one to blend in the environment.
If mana techniques were the soil that would be determined by a person's affinity, then combat arts, combat manuals or martial arts were the seeds that would germinate depending on how compatible they were with the soil.
A combat art is, in essence, a way of fighting, a way to fight.
It was ranked in the same way as mana techniques.
They depicted a specific set of movements that would dictate one's fighting style and sometimes, with a particular sort of weapon.
If a mana technique complimented fast movement and deadly strikes, but the person learned a combat art like crushing boulder fists that gave up speed for power and vitality…such a person would be like a wooden house built on a foundation made of steel.
The consequences of such actions would be severe if he persisted. At the very least, he could get his meridians crippled. At worst…he would die.
So, commoners who find themselves in such situations, either because they chanced upon the mana technique, or were ignorant at the start, would either get a new combat arts or modify the combat art to suit the technique.
Now, back to the present.
"I don't know my affinities" Ezra rubbed his hair with a look of embarrassment, leaving Bard wide-eyed.
'He doesn't know his affinity, but he can use aura?! Forget it. Let's just be happy that I choose such a person as my lord'
Bard took deep breaths, calming himself down as he tried to be optimistic.
"My liege, give me a moment" Bard said as he approached the stone wall and infused mana into it. A green rune lit up and a small rectangular cupboard came into view, which Bard opened to reveal…orbs!
Snow white orbs standing on small silver three-pointed bases.
It was an item Ezra was familiar with. He had seen it once when he was in the army, and that was also the day he found out that he had an affinity for darkness.
It was an affinity orb, an orb that measures one's affinity.
It was an item that could be found at any and every Missionary for anyone to use, but of course, it wasn't for free. At a time it was, but then it became too much of a hassle, with people coming over and over again with hope that they would be the lucky person others would be envious of.
So, the Empire set the fee to 7 silver per try, effectively raising the standard, as you had to be well off to be capable of affording it.
Any person discovered with rare affinities like space, spirit, psychic and gravity were sponsored by the Empire or a noble family. And while there were many restrictions, you would probably eventually repay the debt. Many commoners would take such a chance every time, as it is a chance to increase their status. If they performed well enough in battle, they could even become nobles themselves.
The affinity orbs were all segregated based on elements, meaning that each one only worked for a specific element. Those that worked for fifteen elements also existed, but it wasn't something just anybody could get their hands on.
Yet now, Ezra could see two rows of affinity orbs. There were at least twenty.
…!
Ezra found that he might have underestimated the title of Head Alchemist as he asked…
"So, you have an orb for each elements gathered here"
"No, the lowest orb here contains three elements"
The answer shocked Ezra, but once he thought about it, he realized that it wasn't actually that absurd.
No matter how good an affinity orb was, it was only used to measure affinity. Once that was done, it was practically just an antique.
This realization led to more questions…
"Then why do you have so many of them?"
If it was only collecting dust, why did he buy so many?
"I didn't buy these, I didn't buy any of them"
"So…they're all gifts?"
"Yes, my liege, gifts from different people with different purposes. I thought it a waste to throw away, so I just kept them here. I never thought I would be using them like this"
"So, that means…you never found someone to give them to?"
"Yes, well, I never really looked for them"
"So, does that mean I can have all of them if I want?"
"Hmm, I don't know why my liege needs it, but if so, then yes, my liege can have them all, I only need one"
AH!
Ezra truly felt blessed at this moment. What else could he ascribe it to? The sequence of having Bard as a subordinate and collecting ten treasures wasn't even included in the plan, yet now…he had unknowingly hit the jackpot.
The affinity orbs opened up many possibilities he hadn't thought up before.
He was skeptical at first, but now…
'There's definitely going to be a change of plans. With this, I can easily gather an army of elites'
That possibility, combined with the factors already in the plan, could allow both Ezra and the guild to have unprecedented growth.
"Hehehe"
Unknowingly, he was already grinning madly.