CH265
Helag's design, created by Deep Blue, was so advanced that compared to it, his own ideas seemed like a child's scribbles.
The difference was too vast, making any comparison meaningless.
Helag spread out the parchment and picked up the quill to begin drawing the design.
This action caught Israel's attention. He glanced at Helag, a bit surprised.
Starting to draw after just ten minutes?
That couldn't be right. He must be sketching a rough draft.
Israel thought this as he returned to his book.
Helag, however, had no intention of holding back. He planned to give Israel, the evaluator, a small shock.
He had thought it over: there was no need to hide his talents when it came to wizard arrays. Much of it depended on talent and intelligence.
Moreover, in a place like the Land of Dawn, where there were so many talented wizards, if he didn't stand out, no one would take notice of him.
Compared to the geniuses of the Land of Dawn, Helag was still quite ordinary.
He knew that only by showcasing his potential would others be willing to invest in him.
From what he had learned, the Land of Dawn was a place where talent would always shine.
If you were good enough and had potential, Seranthiel would definitely take notice of you.
As an official member of Seranthiel, it was unlikely anyone would take unnecessary risks to harm him—it wouldn't be worth it.
The status of a wizard array master was highly respected, and every faction would welcome a talented one with open arms.
A skilled wizard array master was invaluable.
Wizard arrays had a wide range of applications and were essential in many fields.
If Helag could establish himself as a talented and promising wizard array master, many things would become much easier for him.
He had thought about all this before coming to the evaluation, which was why he decided not to hold back.
With the quill in hand, Helag began drawing the wizard array design smoothly and effortlessly.
Israel noticed Helag's fluid movements out of the corner of his eye and became curious. He put down his book and glanced at the design Helag had already drawn.
What he saw immediately caught his attention.
Helag had only drawn about a quarter of the design, but even that was enough for Israel to see several impressive aspects.
Israel glanced at Helag, then continued watching as the design took shape on the parchment.
Helag's hand barely paused as he quickly completed the entire wizard array design.
Once finished, he lifted the quill and said, "Mr. Israel, I've completed the design. Could you please check if there are any issues?"
Israel gave Helag a look, then picked up the parchment and carefully examined the design.
For a full half-hour, Israel was silent, completely absorbed in the design.
After a long pause, Israel finally looked at Helag and said, "There's nothing wrong with the design. Go ahead and complete the evaluation. I'll talk to you afterward. I apologize for taking up half an hour of your time. Do you need me to extend your time?"
Israel had been so engrossed in the elegant simplicity of the design that he lost track of time.
To him, the design was almost a work of art—something only another wizard array master could truly appreciate.
Normally, reviewing the design should have only taken a few minutes, just enough to check if it met the task's requirements.
But Israel had spent a full half-hour admiring Helag's design, inadvertently cutting into Helag's time for setting up the array.
Technically, Helag could request an extension.
However, from the design alone, Israel could already see Helag's immense potential and talent in wizard arrays.
In his opinion, someone capable of creating such a design wouldn't have any trouble setting up the array.
Helag smiled. "No need, I have plenty of time."
With the design complete, Helag could easily set up the array without Deep Blue's assistance.
The design was so simple and straightforward that it wouldn't take much effort to implement.
Helag picked up the Shadow Branch, channeling his magic to inscribe the runes one by one, gradually forming a complete wizard array. He then embedded the array into the Shadow Branch.
Once the magic-constructed array was imprinted onto the Shadow Branch, the branch's surface shimmered briefly.
It didn't look much different, but with a bit of magic, the array could be activated instantly.
"Mr. Israel, I'm finished," Helag said.
Israel nodded, picked up the Shadow Branch, and said, "Please wait here. I'll take this to the testing grounds to verify its functionality. If everything works, you'll have passed the evaluation."
"Thank you, Mr. Israel," Helag replied.
After waiting for about half an hour, Israel returned with a smile. "Mr. Helag, congratulations. You've passed the First-Level Wizard Array Master evaluation."
The staff member in high heels and black stockings entered the room as well, her name tag reading "Betty."
She spoke softly, "Mr. Helag, please follow me. We need to register some information and complete your wizard array master certification."
What followed was a series of forms and procedures.
The Wizard Array Association needed to record Helag's information and synchronize it with the magic network.
By the next day, Helag's magic stone profile would display a new tag: First-Level Wizard Array Master.
After completing the registration, Israel, the bearded evaluator, smiled warmly at Helag. "Got any plans for tonight? How about we grab a drink at the tavern?"
Helag chuckled at Israel's friendly expression. If he weren't a man, he might have thought Israel was hitting on him.
"Sure, I'd love to," Helag replied with a smile.
Israel patted his belly and said, "Great! I've reserved a private room at the Silvermoon Tavern."
With that, Israel led Helag out of the Wizard Array Association, and they took a carriage to the Silvermoon Tavern.
By this time, the sun was setting, and the area around the tavern was becoming more lively.
It was clear that Israel was a regular at the tavern, as many people recognized him and greeted him along the way.
Israel greeted them all in return, clearly well-acquainted with the crowd.
CH266
Helag followed Israel into the Silvermoon Tavern and into a small private room.
The room wasn't large, designed to seat no more than four people.
"Order whatever you like," Israel said as he sat down.
"I'm fine with anything, no preference," Helag replied.
Israel chuckled. "Alright, I'll order for you. Fire Dragon Whiskey—you've got to try it. You won't be disappointed."
He gave a few instructions to the waiting server, who quickly returned with a tray holding two glasses of fiery red liquid.
The drinks looked quite unique, with a small flame burning brightly within the liquid.
The server placed the glasses in front of them, bowed respectfully, and left.
When Helag touched the glass, he found it ice-cold, a stark contrast to the flames dancing inside.
Israel eagerly picked up his glass and took a large gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Go ahead, try it. This is the specialty here. You won't find it anywhere else in the Land of Dawn except the Silvermoon Tavern," Israel enthusiastically recommended.
Helag lifted his glass and took a sip.
At first, it was smooth and mellow, with a surprisingly pleasant taste.
But as the liquid settled in his stomach, it felt as though a fire had ignited inside him, spreading a warm sensation throughout his body.
The warmth was incredibly soothing.
Helag found it quite enjoyable and took another sip.
No wonder Israel was so insistent on recommending this drink. Aside from the taste, it offered a completely different experience compared to other alcohols.
It was a drink that made your whole body feel comfortable.
Seeing that Helag liked it, Israel was even more pleased and took a few more big gulps.
After a while, Israel asked, "You're certainly deserving of being an official member of Seranthiel. You've got real talent. How long have you been studying wizard arrays?"
Helag thought for a moment. "About three months, I think."
*Pfft! Cough! Cough!*
Israel was in the middle of drinking when he heard Helag's response and immediately spat out his drink, spraying it all over the floor.
"How long?" Israel asked, unsure if he had heard correctly.
Helag, a bit embarrassed, repeated, "Three months. Why?"
Israel rubbed his head, making sure he hadn't had too much to drink.
After confirming that Helag had indeed said three months and not three years, Israel asked incredulously, "Really? Just three months?"
Helag nodded. "That's right. I'm from the Barren Lands. I've only been in the Land of Dawn for a short time and only recently started learning about wizard arrays."
Israel was even more surprised but then seemed to understand. "No wonder I haven't seen you before. If you were a local, I would've noticed someone with your talent long ago. So, you came from the Barren Lands? I remember hearing something about that. The organization did mention recruiting people through the frontier wars."
Israel, being a member of Seranthiel himself, had heard about the recruitment of individuals from the Barren Lands through the frontier wars, but he hadn't paid much attention to it at the time since it didn't concern him.
Now that Helag had brought it up, Israel recalled the situation.
Looking at Helag more seriously, Israel shook his head in admiration. "I can't believe you've only been studying wizard arrays for three months. You're a genius, truly a genius!"
Helag scratched the back of his head, pretending to be modest. "Actually, I had a bit of an advantage in this evaluation."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Israel asked, curious about what Helag meant by "advantage."
"Well, a few days ago, I saw a task on the magic stone that was identical to the evaluation task. So, I had already been thinking about the design for a couple of days. I just didn't expect it to show up in the evaluation," Helag explained, a bit embarrassed.
Helag decided to come clean, thinking that Israel might find out about this later anyway.
Since Israel had set the evaluation task, he was likely acquainted with Barren, the person who had posted the task.
If Helag and Israel became closer in the future, there was a good chance they would run into Barren again.
At that point, if the topic came up or they added each other as magic stone friends, Barren would realize that Helag was the same "newbie" from before.
Rather than waiting for that awkward moment, Helag decided to be upfront about it now.
Israel nodded in understanding. "That explains it. But still, it's no small feat. You only had a few days to think about it. The wizard array you designed—many people wouldn't be able to come up with something like that even if they had a year. Some things just come down to talent; hard work alone can't always get you there."
In Israel's eyes, the few days Helag had spent thinking about the task didn't really matter.
The wizard array design Helag had created was so elegant and simple that most people wouldn't be able to replicate it, no matter how much time they had.
It wasn't something that could be achieved through sheer effort alone. Without a certain level of talent and ability, it would be impossible.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Israel. I'm still new to this and have a lot to learn," Helag said humbly.
Israel thought for a moment and asked, "What books have you read so far?"
"I've read all the books on wizard arrays available on the first three floors of the Silvermoon City Library," Helag replied.
"All of them? Impressive, very impressive," Israel said, clearly satisfied. It showed that Helag had a strong drive to learn.
"Send me your address through the magic stone. I'll send you some books on wizard arrays that I think you'll find helpful," Israel offered.
"Thank you!" Helag said gratefully, raising his glass. Israel laughed heartily, and the two clinked their glasses and continued drinking.
"No need to thank me. With talent like yours, if I don't help you grow, even Lord Mick would blame me. There's a gathering in a few days, mostly wizard array masters. If you're free, you should come. I'll introduce you to some people."
It was clear that Israel intended to help Helag make a name for himself.
Since they were both members of Seranthiel, there wasn't much to worry about in terms of loyalty.
Israel's message was clear: he wanted to help Helag enter Silvermoon City's circle of wizard array masters, make some connections, and expand his network.
"Mr. Israel, I won't say too much, but from now on, drinks are on me whenever you want," Helag said with a smile.
"Better watch your wallet then, haha! But don't worry, wizard array masters don't have to worry about money. You'll be rich soon enough," Israel laughed.
Wizard array masters were even more profitable than potion masters. A single first-level or second-level wizard array could fetch a high price.
Back in the Barren Lands, the Terchy family had spent a whopping 80,000 magic stones to purchase a second-level wizard array.
The price was so high mainly because wizard arrays were scarce in the Barren Lands, and there were very few ways to acquire them.
In the Land of Dawn, they wouldn't sell for as much, but they still weren't cheap, usually ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of magic stones.
The price varied greatly depending on the type of wizard array.