Watching this phenomenon, Mitchell frowned slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he still said to Gaia, “Now repeat after me: ‘Great Rosa God, I am your most devout follower. Please grant me the power of the gods! I—Gaia, am willing to sign the divine contract with you!’”

Gaia’s little face, full of excitement, finally broke into a smile. Thinking that he was actually about to sign a contract with a god, his heart surged with emotion. Almost as soon as Mitchell finished reciting the contract ritual, he spoke up: “Great Rosa God, I am your most devout follower. Please grant me the power of the gods! I—Gaia, am willing to sign the divine contract with you!”

The scroll flashed with a beam of light, the light growing stronger and stronger. Faintly, a divine statue could be seen within the glow. But just as the statue became clear, all the points of light shattered, scattering like fragments in the air, gradually fading away...

“Is it done? Have I signed the contract? Can I sense the elements now?” Having completed the entire ritual, Gaia fired off a series of questions. He couldn’t wait to cast magic.

Seeing this, Mitchell’s brow furrowed tightly. He carefully examined the contract scroll for a long time, then solemnly asked Gaia, “Do you feel any kind of power attached to your magic cyclone? This power would turn your magic cyclone golden, and its capacity would increase a bit.”

Gaia quickly entered a meditative state and looked inward at his body, but his magic cyclone was still the original gray, and there was no expansion at all.

Chapter 012: I Am Also a God

“No, I don’t,” Gaia said in disappointment.

Mitchell’s body trembled slightly. Normally, after every mage signs a contract with a god, the contract scroll would automatically disappear. But the scroll, its pattern still covered in blood, remained, which made him uneasy. When Gaia denied his earlier question, he finally realized something, but soon showed a look of disbelief. He took out another contract scroll and had Gaia repeat the process.

Gaia did as instructed, confused, but still failed. The scroll, its pattern covered in blood, still lay there quietly, and Gaia felt no change in his cyclone.

“How is this possible, how is this possible!” Mitchell cried out, losing his composure. He took out yet another scroll and had Gaia do it again, very carefully, but the result was the same.

Little Gaia had no idea how much blood he had shed, but he still hadn’t succeeded in signing the contract. However, since he didn’t know what signing a contract with a god was actually for, he wasn’t anxious.

“Such a talented child, and yet... and yet he can’t sign a contract with a god...” Mitchell slumped in his chair, looking utterly dejected, as if he himself were the one unable to sign the contract.

Gaia said nothing, looking at Mitchell in confusion. He waited until Mitchell recovered from his disappointment before finally asking, “Teacher, what’s going on?”

“Sigh! Gaia, while you’re still young, you should choose another path. You can’t become a mage,” Mitchell said with a sigh, his voice unusually old.

Half a year ago, when he saw Gaia’s talent in the magic hall, Mitchell placed great hopes on him. In fact, only he in the entire magic academy knew that Gaia’s magical talent might exceed level six. The reason he didn’t let Gaia continue testing was because a child with magical talent above level six might be recruited by a more prestigious magic academy. The aging Mitchell hoped to train an outstanding disciple to inherit his legacy before he died, so he kept this secret.

When Gaia managed to cultivate a magic cyclone in just half a year, Mitchell became even more convinced that his talent exceeded level six. He was so overjoyed that he barely slept for days. To be able to train a mage surpassing the level of a magister—this sense of pride was irreplaceable.

It had been so hard to find such a disciple, but... but he couldn’t sign a contract with a god. Mitchell had placed so many hopes on him, but... it felt like falling from heaven straight into hell. Even the weathered Mitchell was dealt a heavy blow.

“Why can’t I become a mage?” Gaia asked anxiously.

“Child, magic is the most wondrous thing in the world. To fully master it, we must rely on the power of the gods. There’s only one reason you can’t sign a contract with a god: you are someone abandoned by the gods. How can someone abandoned by the gods practice magic?” Mitchell said weakly.

“Why do you have to sign a contract with a god to practice magic? And isn’t there another possibility if you can’t sign a contract with a god?” Gaia said.

“What possibility?”

“I am also a god!” answered nine-year-old Gaia.