Charlie followed in Anthony's footsteps, moving downwards from the clean and beautiful to the dilapidated and decrepit. The air was filled with a strange scent, as the underground district's environment was typically poor, even in the Miraculous City.
"What does Qiandu want to see you about?"
Charlie had always sensed Anthony's interest in Qiandu, and finally, Anthony's curiosity got the better of him and he asked.
"The teacher should know about the ships from Haines that were attacked at sea, right?"
"I've heard about it, and I've also heard that a servant apprentice gained the status of a formal apprentice as a result."
Anthony paused for a moment, then exclaimed, "Wait, could that servant apprentice be you?"
"It was me."
"I see."
Charlie asked, "Teacher seems quite interested in Qiandu, huh?"
Anthony looked at him and said, "Of course I'm interested. If an apprentice has won the highest points for their teacher's academy for two consecutive years since their enrollment, all teachers would remember their name."
Perhaps they had wasted some time, Anthony instructed, "Don't ask so many questions first. I'll take you to meet my other two apprentices, and you can get to know each other. Then I'll explain everything to you."
"Okay."
Anthony then waved his hand, casting a light spell on the two of them, and they quickened their pace, weaving through the dense underground corridors.
After nearly ten minutes, they turned into a long corridor, and at the far end, they could see a black door through the dim magical lights.
"This is the place. It's a bit secluded, but at least the environment is quiet." Anthony glanced back at Charlie, suddenly looking displeased. "You can't be serious! That distance wasn't that far, but you're already drenched in sweat and so exhausted even after the light spell? Your physical fitness is terrible!"
Charlie shook his head and explained, "That's not it. I was just trying to memorize the route, and the mental exertion took a toll on me."
The truth was far more complex than just memorizing the path. While recording visual information, Charlie was using his chip to analyze it in real-time, drawing on his architectural knowledge to reconstruct the underground area's structure and calculate his position. This massive amount of computation had left him feeling quite fatigued. In just 10-15 minutes, he had managed to map out a detailed 3D model of the areas they had passed through, and he planned to explore the entire underground district further to obtain a complete dataset.
Anthony understood, chuckling, "You're just making things harder for yourself! The underground district of the Arcane Circle is known for its complexity. You should know that the Arcane Circle originally developed from underground, and the history of the underground area is much longer than that of the surface palaces. Even some apprentices who have lived here for a year or two still haven't fully grasped the situation."
"Okay!" Charlie shrugged, then asked, "Teacher, do all the apprentices stay in the underground area?"
Anthony shook his head, "Of course not. The rules of the Arcane Circle are ruthlessly competitive - survival of the fittest applies to everyone in the system. Your treatment basically reflects your standing and personal strength within the Arcane Circle. If you want better treatment, you must prove your worth. For apprentices, the best way to do that is to defeat your peers."
With that, Anthony called out towards the room, "Jerry, Erin, come greet your new classmate."
The door opened, and a boy and a girl, both around 11 years old, emerged. The boy was thin and unremarkable-looking, but his eyes were particularly sharp. The girl had a pretty face with a few faint freckles on her cheeks, giving her a demure appearance.
Jerry looked Charlie up and down, then quickly lost interest, turning to Anthony. "Teacher, I've finished the task you gave me. You can come and check it when you have time."
He said this with a slightly upturned corner of his mouth, as if trying to show off in front of Charlie.
Anthony smiled approvingly. "Good, the amount I assigned you should keep you busy for a day. Now, how about you, Erin?"
The little girl, feeling a bit timid under Anthony's gaze, stammered, "Teacher, I... I'm still working on it. I've only completed half the drying process for the withered grass."
In comparison, the assertive Jerry stood out, and he now wore a proud expression, looking casually at Charlie and Erin.
Anthony nodded, "It's okay. The drying of the withered grass is a task that requires a lot of patience, so I assigned it to you specifically."
Hearing this, Erin's expression relaxed a bit, but it caused a slight change in Jerry's demeanor, and a complex emotion flashed across his face.
Anthony led the three apprentices into the room and said solemnly, "As of today, my apprentice recruitment process is basically complete. The three of you are the new members. Erin was the first to join, Jerry was the second, and Charlie was the third. Get to know each other, as you will be spending the next three years together."
As soon as Anthony finished speaking, Jerry raised his hand, and with the master's permission, he began.
"My name is Jerry, and I'm from Thomson City. My talent is an affinity for potions, which increases the potency of magical potions by 30%, with further potential for improvement. That's why I chose to become Anthony's apprentice - my talent aligns well with the teacher's research field, and I believe our collaboration will yield remarkable results."
It was clear that Anthony also had high expectations for Jerry's talent to bring something extraordinary to the profession of potion-making.
After Jerry spoke, Erin timidly glanced at Charlie and said, "I'm Erin, from a small fishing village. I... I don't have any special talents."
It was a severely self-deprecating self-introduction.
Anthony supplemented, "Erin's talent is plant communication. She can engage in simple telepathic communication with plants, which is a rather rare talent, with a rating of 68."
Aside from Erin, the other two apprentices could sense the significance of that "rather high" rating.
Charlie smiled calmly and said, "I'm Charlie, from Haines City. My specialty is memory and data analysis."
Hearing this, Jerry's expression relaxed, and he gave a dismissive look.
Anthony also added, "Charlie has exceptional innate spiritual power. He is the only new apprentice today who has broken through the Deep Sea Sanctuary, and he has great potential."
Alarm bells!
At this moment, Jerry was like a cat that had quietly bristled its fur. He could feel a sense of pressure.
Anthony said, "Next, I need to explain some basic rules of the Arcane Circle to you. Listen carefully, as they are directly related to your interests in the Arcane Circle.
The Arcane Circle operates on a traditional master-apprentice system. Each mentor can take on three to five apprentices, and the apprentices' performance directly affects the points the mentor can earn, which in turn determines the resources the mentor can access. Conversely, the mentor's strength and resources are of immense importance to the apprentices.
The master-apprentice relationship is the most crucial one in the Arcane Circle. Once established, it is generally difficult to change. So you must cherish the bond between you. You are in direct competition with the apprentices of other mentors, but you should also cooperate with each other."
The three apprentices nodded in understanding.
"Another thing, I might as well be upfront with you. Your teacher, me, is not in a very good position in the academy. In the Arcane Circle, there is an elimination system for mentors, like a big sword hanging over our heads, to ensure the academic and teaching standards.
Simply put, the 5% of mentors who earn the least points each year will be marked for elimination. If you're marked for three consecutive years, you'll lose your status as a mentor.
I've been marked for the past two years, and this year is the last. The outlook is not good, and due to the consecutive underperformance, my teaching budget and point exchange privileges are at the lowest level."
Anthony purposefully paused here, looking at his three apprentices. Charlie and Erin remained composed, but Jerry's emotions were somewhat complex, as expected of a young teenager.
Anthony didn't mind the apprentices' current mindset and continued, "I'm working on a very valuable long-term project. It's because of this project that I haven't had enough time to earn points the last two years.
If the project succeeds, I won't just recoup the points I lost before, but I'll also gain much greater rewards, and even break through the current mentor level. You will also receive huge returns as a result.
Now, the project has reached a critical final stage.
The unfortunate part is that the seven apprentices I had before all applied to change mentors. They were shortsighted, impatient, and couldn't see the project's potential or wait for its success.
Out of the seven applications, only one was successful, as it requires other mentors to be willing to accept them, and the evaluation rests in my hands.
As I mentioned earlier, changing mentors is a taboo in the Arcane Circle. It's seen as a betrayal, and those who go down that path rarely end up well."
Charlie frowned slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. This was a blatant threat, wasn't it? Furthermore, if all of Anthony's previous seven apprentices had applied to change mentors, it itself indicated a problem - the greater mistake might lie with this mentor, and the project he was so adamantly pursuing might be an impossible one to complete.
Anthony swept his red eyes over the three apprentices and said, "So, it's best if you don't even think about changing mentors. Besides, with your talents, it's unlikely you'll gain the favor of other mentors. Take Charlie, for example - he was originally a servant apprentice, and it was pure coincidence that he gained the status of a formal apprentice. In the talent assessment, he only scored 26 points."
Hearing this, Erin was a bit surprised, and Jerry showed an expression of disdain.
Charlie didn't mind having this private information publicly disclosed, but a mentor casually revealing his apprentices' secrets as leverage for his sermon was certainly an ignoble act.
Another self-insecure mentor.
Indeed, for an apprentice with inferior talents to survive in the Arcane Circle would be extremely difficult. Compared to others, Charlie's starting point could be described as an uphill battle.