“We are following the rules here. You’d better go back and not waste any more time here.” That Old Magician still spoke coldly. To become a magician, one not only needs talent, but also the aid of many magical tools and magic crystals. If you come from a village, even if you can afford the expensive tuition, you might not be able to buy those auxiliary devices. So he had reason not to admit Gaia.

Those who had previously enjoyed watching Gaia, the country boy, make a fool of himself, also started gossiping. For a moment, the magic hall became noisy again, and quite a few people began to complain about throwing those two commoners out so as not to waste everyone’s time.

Most of the people who could enter the hall had some status or position. In the Zachariah Empire, there was also a special trend: magicians generally came from noble families. So almost everyone here had a noble title. Therefore, for nobles, no matter how pitiful commoners were, they would not feel the slightest bit of sympathy.

Voices of discontent echoed throughout the magic hall. Some nobles even wanted to personally throw these two country folk out, but refrained because of their own noble status.

“A bunch of idiots! I haven’t even touched the third magic orb yet!” Just as the hall was in an uproar, a childish voice suddenly rang out, stunning everyone present.

Chapter 007: Unbelievable

“It really lit up! It really lit up!” Jill forgot the mysterious magician’s quiet warning and couldn’t help but shout out. He was the only one present who felt happy for Gaia.

Of all the people, Gaia was of course the most excited. In fact, he himself wasn’t sure he could light up the third one. Just now, amid the coldness and mockery of those people, Gaia suddenly remembered that when Lord Bruce tested his magical talent in town, he hadn’t let him touch the third magic orb. Now, hearing that he could light up even more orbs, he finally mustered the courage to touch the third one.

Back then, not letting Gaia touch the third magic orb was understandable. In such a remote town, there had never been a child who could light up three orbs. Almost everyone regarded Bruce as the greatest magician and thought it impossible to surpass him. So when they saw this child light up two orbs, most people didn’t think any further and just basked in the joy of that stage.

As for the test here, not letting Gaia touch the third orb was also normal. Gaia’s earlier embarrassment had exposed his lack of ability as a country boy. With so many people to test, the Old Magician was growing impatient, and Gaia had left a very bad impression on him. So the Old Magician felt there was no need to waste more time on further testing.

“What’s there to be excited about? The average number of orbs lit by children admitted to our academy is four. Even lighting up three is considered rather weak.” The Old Magician recovered from his slight surprise and, to cover up his earlier lapse, spoke with disdain.

At this moment, the surrounding nobles also felt there was no need to be so surprised. So what if he lit up three? It wasn’t anything special—compared to their own children, he was still a notch below. Of course, some of the nobles’ children had only lit up three as well, and those people obediently kept their mouths shut.

“I haven’t touched the fourth magic orb yet!” While everyone was talking, Little Gaia’s childish voice once again drowned out everyone else, leaving them all a bit stunned: That’s right, this kid hasn’t touched the fourth one yet.

The Old Magician looked at Gaia’s face and suddenly felt that, although this dirty child looked rustic, his features were quite regular—especially his eyes, which shone with a strange brightness, giving off a special feeling. This feeling, imperceptibly, lessened his dislike for the boy.

Who doesn’t like cute children, especially those who are older? Although the Old Magician couldn’t possibly like Gaia just from taking a closer look, at least when testing the fourth magic orb for him, he was a bit more serious.

Gaia was now actually a little excited, because he realized his guess was right. Lighting up three magic orbs meant he had surpassed Bruce’s talent. That meant his magical talent was even closer to Shade’s. Thinking of Shade, he wondered: since people here generally light up four orbs, did Shade’s talent already reach a very high level?

At this thought, his excitement faded a little. Although he was happy for his friend’s achievements, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed in comparison. So when he placed his hand on the fourth magic orb, his mood was actually calm.

“I don’t believe he can light up the fourth one.” Some petty nobles seemed to have taken a dislike to Little Gaia. Even though their own children had finished the test, they still lingered in the hall, wanting to see just how much this country boy was really worth.