As the old man finished speaking, the apprentices below fell into a bit of a panic.
"What should we do? How are we supposed to choose?" Beilu's face was bitter.
"Paying is naturally better than not paying! That's just common sense!"
"You should still have some extra Magic Stones, right?" Leilin said, somewhat puzzled.
"But... I only have one Magic Stone left on me. My family originally sacrificed an entire battalion just to obtain two Magic Stones!"
Beilu was clearly reluctant to part with them, and Leilin was also startled, involuntarily reaching for the pockets on his body.
"I never expected that the value of Magic Stones would be even greater than I imagined. Robbing Olin back then really was a huge bargain!"
"Wait, no. Our Keli Archipelago is known as a desert for Wizards — our innate resources are scarce. On this continent, the value of Magic Stones and similar resources might be relatively more abundant!"
"This kind of thing is your choice alone," Leilin said to Beilu.
"Alright! First up — Lannuo!" the old man called out.
"Which one do you choose?"
"I... I don't have any Magic Stones left. Could I pay later on credit? I have fourth-tier aptitude!" Lannuo's face flushed a little red.
"Not bad aptitude! Too bad, rules are rules!" The old man shook his head.
He pointed at a crystal ball on the table, and Lannuo's name appeared inside it, along with many unfamiliar names, flickering back and forth.
The black python Banban flicked its tongue, tapped the crystal ball, and the flickering text stopped: "Lannuo! Mentor Ganfulin!"
"Take this! One set of apprentice clothing, one identity badge! One crystal ball containing a beginner-level Meditation Method for apprentices! And your room number and key!"
The old man tossed a black package to Lannuo, then snapped his fingers — BOOM!!! A black sphere suddenly appeared inside the room, floating in midair.
"Follow this Shadow Servant. It will take you to your mentor!"
The old man made a dismissive gesture. Lannuo followed the black sphere out with a helpless expression.
"Next! Luoxi!"
The apprentice who had mocked Duolote at the tomb entrance stepped forward. Although he looked considerably better, cold sweat was still beading on his face.
"Oh! What do we have here? A Nightmare Mark! Poor little fellow! You're in for a rough month ahead!"
"C-Could you remove this mark for me?" Luoxi's voice trembled slightly.
"Sure! One hundred Magic Stones! No credit!" The old man agreed without hesitation.
Luoxi shook her head, pulling a Magic Stone from her pocket. "I want to choose my own mentor myself!"
"Mm!" The old man took the Magic Stone and tossed a massive tome resembling a dictionary to Luoxi. "The profiles of all willing mentors are in there. Take your time to choose!"
*Thud!* An hourglass appeared on the desk, with grains of sand steadily falling.
"I forgot to add, one Magic Stone only buys you one hourglass's worth of time to choose. If you exceed it, you'll have to pay another Magic Stone!" The old man's smile was chilling.
Luoxi swallowed nervously, watching the falling sand, and hurriedly began flipping through the pages.
"This hourglass, it only seems to give about five minutes! Not even enough time for a quick scan!" Lei Lin's eyes narrowed.
"Time's up!" As the old man spoke, the tome slammed shut on its own with a loud clap.
"Well? Have you decided, or do you need more time to choose?" the old man asked.
"I've decided! I choose Teacher Vivian!" Luoxi took a deep breath.
"Take your things and follow the servant!" The old man tossed another black bundle identical to the previous one to Luoxi and summoned another Shadow Servant.
Luoxi gave a slight bow and followed the floating servant out the door.
"Next! Kreweir!"
...
The old man called out again. Lei Lin watched closely as the apprentices went up one by one. Kreweir was clearly wealthy, paying three Magic Stones to review all the profiles before making his choice.
Beilu, in the end, did not pay the Magic Stones and opted for a random draw. Whether the result was good or bad, no one knew.
"Next! Lei Lin!" The old man called Lei Lin's name.
Lei Lin took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Choose for yourself!" Lei Lin handed a Magic Stone to the old man.
"You know the rules!" The old man snapped his fingers, and the hourglass flipped over, beginning its countdown.
The dictionary-like tome was heavy and had a tangible texture to its cover.
Lei Lin flipped through the pages rapidly, scanning the information on the parchment.
"It's the language and script from Keli Island. It seems these were prepared specifically for apprentices from our region."
"Chip! Record this, extract the information!"
"Lisiteer, Necromancy System mentor, specializes in Mutationology, Neurology, and Negative Energy structures.
Can provide three paid knowledge items for free.
"Requirement: The apprentice must assist in one experiment every month, and may not refuse under any circumstances!!!"