As the Arcane Council headquarters neared closing time, Lucian brought the revised paper—updated according to the Storm Dominator's guidance—to the Mage Management Department.
"Good afternoon, Professor Evans." Behind the reception desk, Katrina looked up in pleasant surprise at the sight of Lucian.
She was tall and striking, with a beautiful figure and a youthful radiance that held powerful appeal for many unmarried official mages. As a result, even as evening approached, several young men still lingered in the lobby of the Mage Management Department. Some pretended to be enjoying wine at leisure, performing every movement with exaggerated elegance. Others deliberately discussed the latest Archanist theories, occasionally dropping incomprehensible jargon to showcase their arcane and magical abilities. Still others were bolder, taking advantage of the opportunity to approach Katrina and the young woman beside her with inquiries, drawing sharp glances and dark looks from the other mages.
At the sound of Katrina's distinctly joyful voice, they all turned their gaze—along with the other young woman on reception duty—toward Lucian.
A refined and quiet face, neat and elegant attire, and on the index finger of his right hand, a beautiful, dreamlike pale purple gemstone ring—all of it registered in their eyes in an instant.
"That's… that's the Holme Crown Ring?! Professor Evans? Lucian Evans?!" They quickly realized that the person before them was one of the two most outstanding young mages of the current generation—rumored to already be a fifth-rank Archanist!
Many of the mages rose and bowed respectfully. "Good afternoon, Mr. Evans."
At the same time, they were all privately speculating about the relationship between Lucian and Katrina. From the way she addressed him, the two apparently had some kind of teacher-student arrangement. But it was clear Katrina was not yet Lucian Evans's formal disciple—if she were, she would address him simply as "Professor" without the surname.
Even so, they couldn't help but feel envy toward Katrina. Though Lucian Evans was still a mid-rank mage, he was universally recognized as one of the mages most likely to advance to high rank. The Holme Crown Award and his several papers had thoroughly demonstrated his achievements in the arcane arts, and his advancement in magical rank proved that his Archanist level wasn't a sudden fluke but built on a deep foundation.
Studying under such a teacher—her future was guaranteed to be bright. At the very least, advancing to official mage and Archanist shouldn't be difficult. Being recommended for this position proved that Katrina's arcane and spiritual talent were exceptional; what she lacked was simply a good teacher's guidance and the accumulation of resources.
Nodding politely to the surrounding mages in return, Lucian walked up to Katrina and smiled. "Good afternoon, Katrina. Which stewards are on duty today?"
"Mr. Eric, Mr. David…" She rattled off six names in quick succession. "Professor Evans, have you come to submit your paper?"
Lucian nodded slightly. "Yes. The application may take some time, so don't rush it—and let the others know as well."
"Whether or not the application succeeds, being able to study under you is already a wonderful thing." Katrina noticed the envious gazes around her and felt even more certain that her decision had been the right one. An opportunity like this—if she didn't seize it, she would surely regret it until she cried!
Lucian exchanged a few satisfied pleasantries, wearing a faint smile as he headed toward the offices in the back. His target was naturally the acquaintance, Mr. Eric.
The other young woman on reception duty watched her companion chatting so familiarly with Mr. Lucian Evans, and a sharp envy and a faint sense of inadequacy welled up inside her.
Although she too was an outstanding graduate of another magical academy, "Allingham," with exceptional arcane and spiritual talent, beautiful looks, and many suitors, the first time she had seen Katrina she had felt like an immature girl standing beside her. When discussing arcane theory and magic, Katrina's insights were so profound that she often gave her the impression of having wasted three years of study. She had barely managed to adjust her mindset—comforting herself that everyone has their own strengths—when she witnessed this scene, and a powerlessness washed over her, as though Katrina was blessed by fate and favored by the gods. There was simply no way she could compare.
"Katrina, I didn't know you knew Mr. Evans—and that he's your teacher?" The young woman asked with studied nonchalance, her emotions a tangled mess inside.
Katrina smiled easily. "Professor Evans and I came over from across the continent on the same ship. He guided me a great deal along the way. Later, I was fortunate enough to reunite with him at the Douglas Academy of Magic, where he gave me private tutoring in the arcane arts."
"That must be fate…" the young woman murmured softly, voicing what everyone around them was thinking.
As a girl who hadn't yet come of age, Katrina still harbored a bit of childish pride. She raised her chin slightly with self-satisfaction, while unable to resist a smug thought: *Professor Evans is also a disciple of Lord Storm Dominator—that's not the kind of thing I'd go around telling just anyone.*
…………
"One thousand one hundred and twenty-four Archanist points, sixty-five arcane points. Evans, you became a fifth-rank Archanist a full year faster than I expected." Eric handed over the badge, now bearing five silver stars, a faintly skeptical smile still on his face. "The pace of arcane development these past few years has been suffocating. Let yourself fall behind even slightly, and you'll find you can't understand the content in the journals anymore."
Over the past decade, in the field of arcane arts, new discoveries and new theories had appeared one after another in a dizzying stream. Even Lucian, after being away for over a year, returned to find that the topics everyone was discussing seemed somewhat "ahead of the times."
"Mr. Eric, you've had quite a productive year as well—your Archanist level has already risen to the fourth rank." Lucian glanced at Eric's Archanist badge and noticed it had changed to four silver stars.