Chapter 11: Another Trouble

Angel looked at Molo with full confidence. He believed that as long as the Wizard took action, his mentor would surely be saved!

Leon looked at Angel with doting eyes. Although he felt a bit of resentment that his younger brother had wasted such a great favor on saving Jon, when he recalled Jon's contributions to the Pat family over the years, that trace of regret in Leon's heart vanished with the wind. If the favor was wasted, then so be it; as long as his brother could be happy, it was worth it.

The two brothers had different thoughts, but both firmly believed that Jon's chronic illness could definitely be cured by Molo.

However, reality always runs contrary to expectations.

When the green halo disappeared from Jon's body, Angel immediately wanted to step forward and ask Molo, but he was stopped by Leon. This was because Molo had once again caused his crystal ball to levitate, his expression shifting from the initial ease and comfort to one of grim confusion.

Could it be that even the Wizard could not treat his mentor? Was his mentor's illness truly the Gaia Consciousness rejecting an outsider?

No, that couldn't be.

The hope that had soared high in Angel's heart became uneasy at this moment.

After a long while, Molo stopped his spellcasting.

There was a look of bewilderment on his face, as he had not detected any illness in Jon. The feedback from his spells also indicated that everything was normal.

The result was normal? That was the most abnormal thing of all.

Any discerning person could see that the gaunt and skeletal Jon was absolutely terminally ill. Furthermore, he was not even fifty years old; such extreme frailty was definitely an anomaly.

Yet, no anomaly could be found!

Could it be a curse from an evil spirit? With this doubt in mind, Molo extended his mental tentacles to probe Jon's body. If there were any abnormal conditions, his mental power would easily be able to capture traces of them.

...Nothing. Still nothing.

Molo was truly at his wit's end. He had only just advanced to a high-level apprentice and hadn't even begun learning Level 3 cantrips. He had used every cantrip he possessed for disease detection, but they were completely useless against Jon.

He had no way to help.

Molo looked at the anxious Angel, feeling a slight sense of embarrassment. He had boasted earlier, only to be immediately slapped in the face by reality.

He feigned a cough twice, then wore an apologetic expression as he said to Angel, "I am afraid I cannot treat your mentor for the time being."

"I just performed a detection, and there is nothing wrong with his body. Since the tests show no issues, physical treatment is naturally impossible." Molo changed the subject: "However, he does indeed look like he is suffering from a serious illness. Perhaps the problem lies in his spirit or his soul."

Angel remembered his mentor saying that his body was indeed fine, and that the cause of his organ failure lay with the Gaia Consciousness.

Hearing Molo's words, although he didn't mention the Gaia Consciousness, Molo did confirm that his mentor's body was fine. So, it must be an issue with his spirit or soul?

Was the Gaia Consciousness eroding his mentor's soul?

Molo didn't know it, but his words led Angel to fill in the blanks, arriving at a plausible-sounding answer. Regardless of whether it was correct or not, Angel himself believed it to some extent.

"Then... is there no way to treat a problem with the soul or spirit?" Angel asked urgently.

"There are certainly ways. However, I am currently unable to do so." Molo sighed helplessly. "If I were to advance to a formal Wizard, perhaps I would have a way to treat him. But as a Wizard apprentice, I have no means at all."

"Could a formal Wizard treat my mentor?" Angel pressed.

"I dare not speculate on the capabilities of a Wizard, but saving an ordinary person should be no problem. Even if a person were dead, a Wizard could rescue their soul from the Land of Eternal Darkness."

Angel: "Then... when will you be able to advance to a formal Wizard, sir?"

Molo was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile: "It took me nearly 60 years to advance to a Level 3 Wizard apprentice... As for a formal Wizard? I have basically no hope in this lifetime. That realm cannot be reached simply by piling up time."

Molo explained the state of Wizard realms to Angel: Talent determines the speed of advancing to a formal Wizard. Once one becomes a formal Wizard, talent becomes less significant. But before becoming a formal Wizard, talent is arguably the most important link. Some people enter the realm of formal Wizards after a few years of study, while others study their entire lives and cannot even break through as a primary apprentice. This is the difference in talent and opportunity.

Molo considered his own talent to have reached its limit; to ascend to a formal Wizard, he would have to rely on opportunity. But opportunity is not something you can have just because you want it. Moreover, in most cases, there is only one part of opportunity for ninety-nine parts of danger.

Opportunities are all fought for with one's life. Opportunities obtained easily are few and far between, unless one hits a stroke of great luck—which was the case for Molo this time.

Molo's words plunged Angel into total despair. A formal Wizard... they were nearly extinct in the Old Continent. Where was he supposed to find one?

For a time, everyone fell silent. Leon patted Angel on the shoulder, wanting to comfort him but not knowing what to say.

After an unknown amount of time, Molo spoke again: "I remember you saying earlier that you had two troubles. Since I cannot help you solve this one, why not tell me about your other trouble?"

The other trouble... A flash of lightning seemed to cross Angel's mind. He remembered Molo saying that as long as one became a Wizard, they could save their mentor... and that if one had good talent, they could become a formal Wizard in a short time...

Good talent? If he could become a Wizard, did that mean he could save his mentor himself?

Angel recalled the other small trouble he had mentioned earlier, which stemmed from his curiosity about transcendent beings and his desire to follow in their footsteps.

He also wanted to become a transcendent!

"Mr. Molo, can I become your apprentice and learn the knowledge of Wizards?" Angel asked very solemnly.

Molo was taken aback, and it was quite a while before he burst into laughter.

"A Wizard, it's not as simple as you think. The prerequisite to becoming a Wizard is that one must have talent. Talent is something that, after traveling all over the empire and testing nearly ten thousand people, only my two grandchildren possessed. You can see how rare it is..."

Angel was not deterred by Molo's words, but insisted: "Then could you check, sir, if I have talent?"

Molo looked Angel up and down, and after a while, he nodded: "Testing for Wizard talent is very simple... If you are willing, you can even have everyone in the Pat Manor tested. Consider it me returning your favor."

Molo's words sounded very generous, implying that he would help the Pat family cultivate Wizard talent. But in reality, given the scarcity of talented individuals, finding one was already extremely difficult, let alone cultivating a family Wizard!

Furthermore, testing for talent actually consumed nothing at all; it only required a medium. The medium could be reused and suffered almost no loss.

He had come this time on a mission to recruit talented individuals for the academy. The academy naturally provided him with the medium, so his previous words were basically equivalent to getting something for nothing. He didn't have to pay anything, yet he earned back someone else's favor.