Chapter 36: Icebird—Liana
Seeing Merrill successfully selected, the other worried children suddenly felt hope ignite within them.
The second child to step forward was a boy standing at an impressive 1.8 meters tall. Though his appearance seemed quite mature, Matthew paid it no mind.
Becoming a mage only depended on intelligence attributes, not height, looks, gender, or race.
The boy was visibly nervous as he grasped the testing crystal, closing his eyes and focusing with all his might.
Despite his best efforts, the crystal remained unlit. Matthew shook his head and calmly said:
"You don't have the talent to be a mage, but you could become an excellent druid."
This young lad, named Haggis, had an astonishing perception attribute of 15, charisma of 11, and both strength and constitution at 10.
Normally, with such physical talents, he would be better suited to becoming a cleric or paladin.
However, a druid could be controlled more easily, unlike the other two classes, so that was his only option.
Haggis, though tall, still had an immature mind and couldn't tell the difference between a mage and a druid.
He simply celebrated with a clenched fist and then, remembering something, nervously asked:
"So, did I get selected?"
Matthew smiled warmly and nodded without hesitation:
"Of course, you'll receive initial training as a professional. Once you become one, you'll be assigned a role."
Yes, you'll be working for me soon enough!
With Merrill and Haggis setting a good example,
Matthew was pleasantly surprised to find that, despite most of the 15-year-olds tested lacking the talent to become exceptional mages—like Merrill, at best able to become low-level spellcasters—
Nearly half of them still possessed potential to become professionals in other fields.
This was an outstanding ratio, which reminded Matthew of the future age in the Prime Material Plane when heroes would rise and legends would shine brightly.
Indeed, they didn't just appear out of nowhere; many "ordinary" children with potential to become professionals were simply overlooked.
Of course, Matthew knew that the root cause of this was the distribution of resources, the competition for them, and the cost-effectiveness of nurturing talents.
No matter the world, it was always the same!
But in this world, resources and talent equaled power itself, so the class system was more entrenched, theoretically enduring forever.
However, Matthew wasn't burdened by such concerns. Knowing what was coming, he chose to take in as many as he could.
Ralph the steward meticulously recorded every child selected for their professional potential.
Both personal and family information was recorded and kept confidential.
These children were the lord's valuable assets!
While the physical development of the 15-year-olds had begun to settle, the 13- and 14-year-olds exhibited even greater potential.
After some thought, Matthew decided to select many children whose attributes were within two points of qualifying.
Top talent was essential!
But a vast foundation was just as crucial.
The 300 children aged 10 and up were quickly sorted.
In total, 165 children with professional potential were selected, 14 of whom had mage potential.
The most gifted child had an intelligence of 14, marking them as one of the more talented peers, with about a 5% chance of becoming a high-level mage—a small gem that had slipped through the cracks.
The children under 10 were intentionally left for last, as Matthew was curious to see if these untested ones would bring any surprises.
The first few didn't light the crystal, but their natural talents weren't bad, with one or two attributes reaching 8.
Then came the tenth child—a small figure wrapped in a black robe, walking forward alone.
The other children glanced at her with a mix of curiosity and fear, their expressions strange.
The more unusual their reactions, the more interested Matthew became. He spoke softly, with as gentle a tone as possible:
"There's no need to be afraid. I'm the lord of Bay Village. I'll protect everyone's safety, including yours. In my eyes, everyone is equal."
His gentle yet commanding voice seemed to relax her a bit. She bit her lip softly.
Although she no longer had much hope, she was still willing to try, for the sake of her bedridden mother.
After all, if selected by the lord, even just getting a full meal would allow her to save some food for her mother.
The rough linen cloak fell away, revealing silver-white hair and a thin, gaunt face.
A faint chill emanated from her as Matthew calmly observed the frail-looking girl, his face betraying no emotion, though inside, he was struck by a powerful realization.
"Icebird—Liana!"
Anyone with a title like that had to possess at least legendary-class strength and have accomplished feats of astonishing magnitude.
In the future, in the tumultuous wars across the western lands, the name Icebird—Liana would appear frequently.
As one of the top combatants of the Witch Coven, her stunning beauty and near-demigod sorceress power at level 29 were often mentioned by players.
Her greatest feat was destroying the central city of the Pfizer Trading Company, killing three legendary mages, and escaping unscathed from the clutches of two demigod archmages.
To put this into perspective, in the future, after the fall of the Netheril Empire, Pfizer Trading would inherit vast resources and grow into a massive slaving organization akin to a nation.
Many countries and regions would suffer greatly under its raids and attacks.
Players who regularly harassed the Pfizer Trading Company naturally regarded Icebird—Liana as a powerful, beautiful, and highly popular potential ally.
However, many players who delved into the lore of Icebird—Liana found little information.
She had been adopted by the Witch Coven as a child…
She had no family or friends...
Her accent suggested origins in the eastern provinces...
She particularly hated criminal organizations like Pfizer Trading...
She showed no mercy to evil forces, often disregarding her own safety!
After destroying Pfizer, she inexplicably defected from the Witch Coven and disappeared without a trace!
The amount of information was staggering, and Matthew suspected she could go through several significant turning points...
Could destiny truly be decided in such fleeting moments?
Who could say?
Staring at this unremarkable, somewhat thin face, Matthew's face bloomed with a bright smile. The long-awaited system notification finally appeared.
He had found the real surprise!