LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 2: Earl Cherry
Luther rested for a while, then started walking toward the Department of Missions.
This department organizes tasks, evaluates them, and assigns them to suitable mages. Missions that require official mages need approval from at least the deputy chair of the department, who is a rank 2 mage.
However, tasks that only need mage apprentices can be approved by a mage apprentice in the department.
...
Upon entering, Luther took the device that displayed tasks and began scrolling down, searching for a suitable assignment.
Rachel saw this and thought the device resembled a smartphone on Earth.
"Help Master Obrien clean his old laboratory; reward: 5 magic crystals, expected time: 7 days."
"Travel to Wade Forest and hunt fire rabbits; reward: 15 magic crystals, expected time: 30 days."
"Travel to Salas Empire and act as a protector; reward: 1000 magic crystals, expected time: 365 days."
Luther took a look and shook his head.
"These tasks are not suitable." he thought.
The department will check the qualifications of the person who takes the task, and Luther's qualifications are low, no matter which aspect you looked at.
Cleaning the Lab requires knowledge about lab equipment, hunting require hunting skill, and a protector needs higher strength.
Also, these tasks pay relatively well, so there will be other apprentice mages who apply.
The academy will usually choose the person with the highest qualification.
So, he ignored every task that paid well and seemed complicated, scrolling down until he found a task that made him smile.
"Operate artificial sunlight formation for Earl Evan Cherry; reward: 5 magic crystals/year, duration: +1000 days."
The tasks come from various sources, including the academy itself, mages from the academy, mages from outside, kingdoms, and various nobles.
Each task will be thoroughly vetted, and anything that might harm Blue Light Academy will be removed.
The academy established the minimum pay for tasks requiring a rank-one official mage; however, tasks below the official mage level didn't have any minimum pay requirement.
Tasks requiring higher-rank mages than rank 1 are only approved in exceptional circumstances.
"This is what I was looking for! A very long-term task with a low risk far away from the academy!" Luther didn't hesitate; he registered his name and requested to take the task.
The pay for this task is horribly low; it has been posted for weeks, but people have yet to accept it.
There is a very high chance that the academy will quickly approve it for Luther.
All of this was done remotely through the device. It is said that the academy is mass-producing this kind of device.
Still, they aren't selling it yet, so one must come to the department personally to accept tasks.
Even if they sell it, Luther probably cannot afford it, so he didn't bother thinking about it.
As this task only involves operating a formation, even third-grade apprentice mages like him can handle it.
After 20 minutes, as expected, they confirmed Luther, and he received the date and location.
The academy would cover all travel costs to the destination.
These low-grade tasks are welfare for low-rank apprentice mages; otherwise, only the cost of travel will be a good chunk of the final pay.
There are many weak apprentice mages; the academy has an interest in finding jobs for them, so they allow such low-pay tasks.
There are plenty of tasks for official mages, so they have a minimum pay requirement.
After all, official mages are much rarer than apprentice mages, and anything that apprentice mages do, official mages can also do, but much better and faster.
The academy doesn't want official mages to use low-grade tasks to take off days from the academy; they only allow official mages to accept jobs that pay well.
...
Luther returned to his room and prepared for the journey.
The departure day is in 3 days, so he must be ready by then.
He gathered all his spell books and items that could be helpful. After a day of hard work, he packed a large bag containing his most valuable possessions.
Then, he went to sleep.
...
The next day, he opened the pill container and found another pill inside. Producing pills seemed to require nothing like moonlight or other ingredients.
However, why it hadn't produced any pills before that night remains unknown.
With a smile, he closed the container and started writing farewell letters to his friends.
Luther didn't have many close friends; still, he decided to maintain his relationships as much as possible so that nobody would get suspicious.
...
Soon, three days passed.
Luther began making his way to the airship station on the academy's south side.
Although the academy offers faster transportation methods than walking, they all incurred subscription fees, and Luther lacked the funds for such amenities.
Consequently, he had to rely on his own two feet.
After a while, he reached the station and took a seat.
The occupants were all mages, predominantly apprentice mages.
Official mages typically own private airships or rent entire ships for themselves.
Luther scanned the area, observing many boys and girls, mostly young, none of whom seemed to be official mages.
Periodically, an announcement over the loudspeaker informed everyone about the readiness of an airship.
"Airship number L-662 is ready to move. All authorized persons, please move to the right boarding area."
Luther stood up and proceeded there, presenting his document without any issues.
He found his seat.
A girl with sharp ears caught his attention.
"Half-elf, huh? It's quite rare," he thought.
The Blue Light Academy only admits humans, but some half-humans compatible with 'human race values' can also be admitted.
For instance, half-human and half-demons are prohibited due to their demonic nature conflicting with the academy's principles.
While some academies accept individuals from every race, they are typically associated with evil forces, as being a righteous force and taking demons is incompatible.
Demons meditate using dark elements and are evil; half-demons are also evil if they use dark elements, which they almost always do.
The girl, with beautiful blue hair, noticed Luther looking at her.
He swiftly turned around, pretending to be engrossed in a book.
The girl sighed, following suit, and began reading as well.
She is used to this; half-humans around the Blue Light Academy are rare.
...
After approximately 10 hours, the airship landed, and the loudspeaker announced that those destined for Gilbert Island could disembark.
The girl who had been sitting near Luther stood up and left.
Heading to Earl Evan Cherry's territory in Cherry City, Luther continued reading his book.
The airship would take him directly to Cherry City.
He waited an additional six hours, and finally, the loudspeaker announced, "Individuals whose destination is Cherry City can now disembark."
Luther was pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the airship; there was no noticeable vibration during the landing or the travel.
Although the airship had a capacity of 100 people, he was the only one among the remaining 20 passengers going to Cherry City.
Obviously, Cherry City is not a popular destination.
Luther stood up and exited the airship.
The airship had landed right in the castle.
As he looked around, he saw a few people waiting to greet him—10 in total.
Six of them exuded a strong aura, likely knights.
The knight's path is an alternative to that of a mage, with four levels in total.
A Knight Attendant is barely stronger than the average adult.
A Formal Knight possesses inhuman strength and can easily defeat mage apprentices if they don't use spells.
Grand Knights are monstrously strong and can resist some spells from mage apprentices.
Lastly, Legendary Knights, while capable of swiftly dispatching mage apprentices, are akin to paper tigers when facing an official mage.
Official mages have quick minds and keen senses, enabling them to cast spells almost instantly.
When Legendary Knights confront a rank one spell, they have no chance of resistance.
It's crucial to note that official mages are only at the first rank, with mages having at least ten ranks, each incomparably stronger than the previous one.
Of the remaining four people, three were ordinary individuals.
At the head of the group was a man dressed in luxurious attire, observing Luther intently.
His aura was especially strong, likely a peak Grand Knight or even a legendary knight.
The man smiled and greeted him, saying, "Hello, Mage Robles! I am Earl Cherry, the one who requested your help."
He pointed to his right, introducing his eldest son, Dale, who, despite a deep interest in mages, unfortunately lacked mage talent.
Without a mage talent pill, he can never meditate and advance.
As for buying a mage talent pill, it's so expensive that even an earl can't buy it.
Earl Cherry then gestured towards two girls behind him, saying, "These two are my twin daughters, Gina and Myla." The girls smiled warmly at Luther.
The girls aren't even knight attendants.
It's not unheard of for women to become knights, but it's rare in kingdoms around the Blue Light Academy.
Noble families usually are the only ones to have knight training books, but most of the time, they only allow boys to train and marry off girls to other families.
Girls are as able to train in the knight training method as boys, so this culture cannot be justified by saying girls aren't suitable for knight training.
Knight training, like mage training, relies on internal energies and has nothing to do with muscles, as evidenced by the Eael here, who looks slim.
Not allowing girls to train is pure sexism, pure and simple.
Luther responded, "Happy to meet you, Earl! I'm looking forward to being your guest and assisting with the operation of the formation!"
The Earl and his family exchanged smiles with Luther and led him to the farming grounds.
Earl Cherry provided explanations and highlighted critical points about the formation.
The formation had been set up a century ago; typically, an apprentice mage operated it. However, the recent passing of the apprentice mage due to old age left them without anyone to manage the formation.
Consequently, they had no choice but to seek help from the academy.
Upon reaching the location of the formation, situated in the center of a vast farming area, Luther observed the cultivation of expensive trees and plants.
A large mansion stood at the heart of the farming area, with the formation core housed within it.
More accurately, it could be said that the mansion was constructed around the formation core.
After providing Luther with the necessary information, Earl Cherry and his children leave, leaving one of the knights behind to introduce Luther to the mansion's servants.
Luther nodded throughout the introductions, and once he became familiar with the surroundings, he dismissed the knight.
The mansion housed ten servants – six women and four men.
Their responsibilities were limited to the mansion's operation and did not extend to the farming area or the formation.
Luther made a mental note to be cautious and not allow the servants to approach him.
Consequently, he summoned the chief servant, a man in his forties, and instructed that his room was off-limits, with strict orders that nobody could enter.
Afterward, Luther entered the bedroom, placed his belongings down, and settled in.
Of course, he kept the pill container on his person, considering its immense value. After taking a brief rest, Luther realized it was already late at night.
Operating the formation at night wasn't challenging; it consumed one magic crystal per month and required no energy from him. He only needed to sense the energy and allow it to circulate naturally.
While more advanced formations could operate independently, this formation requires supervision.
The Earl provided the necessary magic crystals, relieving Luther of any concerns.
He proceeded to the formation area and operated it for a few hours. When activated, the farmland outside illuminated as if it were daytime.
...
As morning arrived, Luther enjoyed his breakfast and then collapsed onto his bed, exhausted from all the traveling.
After a few hours, he woke up and glanced at the pill container, discovering several pills inside. The sight brought a smile to his face.
Seating himself, he began to meditate and placed one pill in his mouth. The root mana started spreading throughout his body, converging below his stomach in his aperture, and after a while, it was completely absorbed.
"It will probably take a few months before I can reach the 2nd rank mage apprentice! Advancing with pills is so easy!" he exclaimed, visibly thrilled.
Rachel sighed inwardly, cursing at the apparent lack of talent he displayed.
Talent, she knew, was the endpoint. A rank two talent meant one couldn't surpass a 2nd rank mage in their lifetime. However, having a rank two talent didn't guarantee reaching rank 2; it merely indicated an inability to go higher.
In reality, most individuals with a rank two talent remain stuck at the grade 1 mage apprentice level.
Geniuses typically have rank 8 or 9 talents; some even possess rank ten talent. As far as Luther knew, no mage had ever reached rank 10, but certain individuals were born with the potential to achieve it.
The notion of rank 10 symbolized invincibility, though Luther could not verify whether it was true.
...
The sixth day of the fourth month of the year 989952
Luther is excited.
"Tonight, I will attempt to reach the rank two apprentice mage!" he thought eagerly.