Watching Rock leave, Lucian shook his head with a smile, unconvinced by his idea, then turned his attention back to Arcane, reading it through to the very end, where he found a discussion paper submitted by Anchik and Springer—about the discrepancy between the actual and ideal performance of the cyclotron. They vaguely attributed it to energy converting into electrical charge, yet could not propose a formula or derive specific data to make adjustments.
"I hope more people start thinking about this question." Lucian closed the journal and devoted himself to analyzing the eighth-ring magic.
…………
July 3rd, morning. Waves of heat rolled through the streets.
Lowey didn't know how many times he had come to the Arlinger Magic Tower recently. All he knew was that if he still couldn't find a task he was capable of completing—one that paid enough to cover his rent—he would find it impossible to keep surviving in Arlinger, where everything was ruinously expensive. He would have to leave this "center of Arcane and magic" and seek opportunities elsewhere.
"It's all my own fault. Back at school, I was afraid of hardship and didn't work hard enough to become an Elite Apprentice. I couldn't get recommended for a decent position." Lowey didn't blame heaven or earth; he reflected on his own shortcomings. In the end, it all came down to his own lack of effort. Had he become an Elite Apprentice at school, he could have been recommended to the Mage Management Department, the Apprentice Examination Division, the Task Area, and other Council departments—or to the offices that major organizations, journals, and alchemical companies maintained in Arlinger. That way, not only would he have had contact with numerous full mages, but he would also have earned a salary generous enough to survive in Arlinger.
Lowey felt inside his coat. He had a recommendation letter from his school, addressed to a local magic organization in Peffos County, Holm Kingdom.
While other magic apprentices sent to remote counties—or even to the Solaris Archipelago branch—might consider being recommended to Peffos County, which ranked among the top three most prosperous regions in the Holm Kingdom, to be enviable, for Lowey, who had come to his senses upon graduation, anything short of Arlinger was meaningless. It meant being cut off from the "center of Arcane and magic research," and the gap between himself and his classmates who remained would only widen.
According to a sampling survey and statistics published by Arlinger Impressions—a tabloid weekly that had only appeared a few years ago—of the apprentices who stayed in Arlinger for at least three years after graduating from magic school, roughly one in ten became a full mage. The ratio for Elite Apprentices who had been recommended to good positions was an astonishing three to one, far surpassing the twenty-to-one ratio at branch offices in other countries outside Lantert.
The Solaris Archipelago branch and magic organizations in remote counties had an appalling ratio of thirty to one, enough to discourage anyone. Unless there was truly no alternative, no one wanted to go there—though it was said that the "Truth of the World" channel had improved matters considerably.
At the thought of this, Lowey firmly pulled his fingers away from his chest. He couldn't fall behind others from the very start.
But then the burning sensation in his stomach made him smile bitterly. To save money, he had skipped breakfast for quite some time now.
His family had never been well-off. If he couldn't find something that suited him and paid reasonably well, his dreams would have to bow to reality—unless he was willing to take on those obviously dangerous tasks.
"Life or dreams? What a difficult choice." Lowey quipped to himself, swallowed to ease the hunger, straightened his increasingly worn black apprentice robe, and headed toward the Task Area.
Finding an unoccupied silver-grey metal counter, Lowey raised his head slightly and studied the tasks displayed on the dark green magic water screen.
"Secret mining mission in the southern desert of the Gustaf Empire: fixed daily pay of one Arcane Point or one Gold Thaler, with additional compensation based on the quality and quantity of ore—see details for calculation methods. Strength requirement: none. Number: unlimited. Danger level: very high. Must contend with desert monsters, Church Night Watch, and clergy attacks. Additionally, the ore contains an invisible curse."
The generous pay dazzled Lowey's eyes, but the final description stopped him in his tracks. Without the strength of a full mage, completing the task safely was out of the question—at least seven or eight out of ten apprentices would die.
"...Hollening's Shop needs an alchemy assistant for a three-year term. Room and board provided."
Lowey was somewhat tempted. Though there was no pay and he couldn't buy materials or borrow books, the provision of room and board alone would offset Arlinger's prohibitive cost of living. Moreover, working as an alchemist's assistant could teach him a great deal.
"But I lean toward spellcasting rather than item crafting. A three-year detour would only push me further behind. I'd be better off going to Peffos County and keeping up with the latest research directions through the magic radio."
Lowey shook his head and continued scanning the tasks, but they were either too dangerous, too poorly paid, or too long in duration to address his current predicament.
After half an hour of reviewing the new postings, Lowey felt thoroughly dejected. Was he really going to have to leave Arlinger?
Around him, mages dressed in various styles finished accepting tasks and departed amid laughter and conversation. To Lowey, they might as well have been scenes from another world—a world brimming with color and light—while everything around him was shrouded in grey haze and dimness.
Refusing to give up, Lowey raised his head again, hoping to find a short-term, low-paying task just to get through the day, and then come back tomorrow to see if any of the newly posted missions might suit him. Suddenly, the dark green water screen flickered, and a new message leaped to the surface.
"Apprentice Recruitment Task: The Atomic Research Institute on the eighteenth floor of the Arlinger Magic Tower urgently needs ten apprentice-level assistants. Duration: three years. Strength requirement: at least High-level Magic Apprentice. Pay: ten Arcane Points per month, free foundational books on Arcane and magic, and laboratory equipment at no extra cost. Deadline: July 10th."
"Apprentice-level assistants?" Lowey repeated in a daze. The compensation listed afterward was so generous it seemed unbelievable.
Then his gaze froze. Those dark red words, standing out against the green backdrop, leaped into his eyes:
"Atomic Research Institute?"
"The Atomic Research Institute!"
In that instant, Lowey felt a fire ignite in his heart and surge up to his head, blazing hot, rendering him unable to think clearly. The Atomic Research Institute—the institute of Mr. Lucian Evans, the proponent of "New Alchemy." It was hallowed ground in the hearts of every mage who aspired to walk the path of elements and matter. A miraculous place where new research breakthroughs appeared every month, representing the absolute cutting edge of the atomic field.