For someone like Niffle, who comes from a wealthy family, being a Magic apprentice is not a good choice. At least, the other Magic apprentices she works with at the Beacon City branch of the guild have never seen anyone from a wealthy merchant family choose to be an apprentice when they have no hope of becoming a full-fledged Magic practitioner.
Because she was so rare, Ni Fu'er was among the most distinguished of these Magic apprentices. Even some actual Magic practitioners wouldn't dare to treat her as they would other apprentices - after all, while Magic practitioners may not lack money, they wouldn't casually offend an influential wealthy person in Beacon City.
As a result, Ni Fu'er ended up with a job similar to a front desk guide. This job requires dealing with many people on a daily basis, and among those who come to the Magic practitioners' guild, there are quite a few eccentric individuals.
Not to mention some Magic practitioners who are themselves somewhat reclusive and odd in personality, as well as troublesome ordinary people. For example, there are those who have no talent but stubbornly insist on joining the guild, or performers on the street who use misleading tactics to try to challenge those they think are Magic users...
But it was the first time someone brought a child along.
"So, miss, what are you here for?" Ni Fu'er speculated, observing that the young girl by her side was probably around twelve years old, while the older silver-haired girl didn't seem much older... Sisters? But the young girl's ears and tail didn't seem human at all.
Moreover, isn't this girl an incredibly rare beauty? Ni Fu'er was confident in her appearance, but in front of Tiran, she felt a bit lacking, except maybe in elegance.
"Testing magic," Tiran responded directly.
That answer wasn't surprising, as ordinary people often come to the Magic practitioners' guild to quickly and conveniently verify if they have any magic abilities.
"Alright, please register your name here, and I will take you to the testing room later."
Ni Fu'er pushed a registration list clipped to a writing board in front of Tiran and handed her a feather pen.
"Registration? No problem. Chirp, can you write your name?" Tiran bent down and easily lifted Chirp, who was too short to write her name on the registration list, to a height convenient for writing with one hand.
This question seemed a bit unnecessary, considering Chirp's almost artificial intelligence-like abilities. She could effortlessly absorb the knowledge of an entire library and write in any language if she wished, whether in Orcish or Elven. However, Ni Fu'er was surprised that it was Chirp, not Tiran herself, who was taking the test.
"I'm done." Chirp obediently handed back the writing board, and Tiran placed her back on the ground, holding her hand again.
"Chirp? That's a rare name..." Ni Fu'er reminded, "It must be a true name that comes from the heart, otherwise, if you pass the test but there are complications during registration, it will be troublesome."
"Understood," Tiran shrugged. It was indeed Chirp's name, and whether she registered or not was irrelevant.
"Then, please follow me this way."
As they walked towards the depths of the hall, Tiran saw many interesting gadgets, such as tools that could automatically clean with a spell spoken by Magic apprentices, and alchemical puppets that moved smoothly, resembling human figures. It reminded her a bit of her visit to the magitech capital, but here, compared to the rigid machinery and metallic atmosphere there, the Magic practitioners' guild gave off a more traditional and mysterious impression of Magic.
The main building of the guild had a unique interior design, with a large central pillar leading straight to the top like a tree trunk, extending support and walkways to the surrounding areas on each floor. The extensive use of transparent glass materials made the whole space look extremely open, giving Tiran the illusion of being in a modern-style building.
"Is that an elevator?" Tiran noticed the automatic sliding rail door behind the white pillar.
"Yes, it's said to be powered by an air Magic array supporting a huge disc that can bear several thousand kilograms. But we usually don't need it, as upstairs is where only the genuine Magic masters can go."
Ni Fu'er knocked on a door of a room as she led the way, "Mr. Pascal, sorry to disturb."
"Come in," came the permission, and Ni Fu'er pushed open the door.
The room wasn't large, and the furnishings were simple - a bookshelf against one wall, a chandelier on the ceiling, and a long table by the window with two crystal balls the size of bowling balls placed on top. Light streaming in through the window cast dappled shadows on the floor through the crystal balls from behind.
A young man in his twenties sat behind the table, holding a somewhat aged parchment scroll in his left hand and swiftly writing on a stack of papers in front of him with a feather pen in his right hand.
Even though he noticed the three individuals entering, he had no intention of looking up. While diligently writing, he said, "Please sit, focus your attention on these two crystal balls - one measures elemental affinity, the other measures mental strength."
Although the instructions were clear, Miss Tiran wasn't quite satisfied with this guy's work attitude. Ni Fu'er, not paying attention, let Tiran bypass the table and approach Pascal, teasing, "The esteemed Magic master seems quite busy, what are you up to?"
Tiran noted his gray robe and the mythril emblem composed of three oak leaves on his chest. A Level 3 Magic practitioner, not considered a master, but at this age, already someone to be admired by ordinary people.
—However, that was a different story in her presence.
But this hardworking guy seemed completely oblivious to Miss Tiran's dissatisfaction, replying impatiently, "Can't you see? Rushing experiment reports and writing papers!"
Ah, this...
Miss Tiran hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head for a closer look.
"Report on Enhancing Mana Utilization in Wind Crystal Refinement via the Viola Triangle Flame Magic Array"
Followed by the experiment purpose, participants and dates, materials, and instruments used, as well as various intricate diagrams.
Oh gosh, how did this bring back familiar yet fearful memories?
After observing for a while longer, Miss Tiran caught onto something fishy.
"Wha... Hold on a moment, you're, like, writing a paper now, right?"
"Yeah, so what?" The tone remained impatient.
"So... why are you copying this? Isn't this someone else's research?" Miss Tiran was puzzled.
"It's just a little bit! And I'm quoting, do you understand? Splitting bits and pieces and rephrasing in your own words so that the teacher's old-fashioned plagiarism detection methods won't catch it!"
Bro, you're contradicting yourself, so no need to try to explain...
