After finishing his statement, he turned to Colin and put on a smile, continuing,
"Wizard Colin, I have already reported to the School, and now I leave him in your hands."
Colin wore an expressionless face; he glanced at Oliver and then at the apprentice, feeling a bit irritable and disdainful towards Oliver's approach.
Although he did not know why Oliver specifically came today, he was genuinely uninterested in meddling in these trivial and sordid affairs.
Bearing his patience, he responded indifferently,
"There's no need, I haven't taken this matter to heart. If there's nothing else, Sir Oliver, please leave; let us consider the matter closed."
The young apprentice lying prostrate on the ground trembled slightly upon hearing this, and a glimmer of hope began to shine in his lifeless eyes.
However, Oliver's next words instantly shattered his hope.
"Wizard Colin is generous! But rules are rules, and I will report to the School later to expel this man!"
Oliver smiled subtly, his tone mild, yet his words were extremely harsh.
Colin's expression remained unchanged, but he frowned inwardly.
He did not sympathize with the young apprentice; his compassion wasn't that overflowing.
After all, regardless of the young apprentice's reasons, the terror and fear he had caused Renee and her sister were genuine.
Moreover, if he hadn't returned promptly, the young apprentice would not have spared the two Renees…
What he couldn't understand was—why this unfamiliar First Rank Wizard, Oliver, was trying so hard to please him?
Colin remained silent, not responding.
Oliver did not seem embarrassed; he smiled and continued,
"Actually, I have another purpose for my visit."
Just then, a brown public carriage suddenly stopped by the roadside in front of the Colin Family's house.
Clack, an apprentice also clad in the Tin Saint School's standard wizard robe got down.
He looked toward Colin and the two others, his gaze lingering briefly on the kneeling Andrew, before hastily approaching.
"He's probably an apprentice sent by the School to deliver the token."
As the new apprentice arrived, Oliver seemed to know something; looking at the freshly alighted apprentice, he said,
"A token?" Colin raised an eyebrow.
By then, the apprentice had approached and respectfully greeted, observing the school badges on Colin and Oliver's chests,
"Good day, gentlemen."
Then, raising his head, he confirmed with Colin,
"May I speak with Master Colin?"
"I am," Colin replied gravely, feeling somewhat dejected.
He had only been back two days, yet not a single day had been peaceful.
If it were not for the knowledge needed to advance to Second Rank Wizard, he would have considered leaving the School to find a quieter place to practice in solitude!
At this thought, his mind suddenly halted...
'Practice in a different place…'
Yes! Why shouldn't he find a more secluded place to temporarily hide during this critical time before his advancement?
Once his physical foundation was fully strengthened, he could return here!
As for mentor Atbolde, all he needed to do was persuade him a bit further to temporarily use his Ancient Tree Spring Pendant.
Moreover, by acting more indifferent and leaving directly,
the Hidosh Family would most likely not go to great lengths as before.
Instead, they would silently wait for Atbolde to transform and die off completely just as before!
The more Colin thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
He had been troubled yesterday about how to deal with the enemy of his mentor—the Hidosh Family.
After all, being a First Rank Wizard and a student of Atbolde, he was a highly conspicuous target, undoubtedly a thorn in their side.
Switching factions directly was the simplest and most effective method.
But doing so would mean neglecting Atbolde, clearly defying the principles... He is certainly not one without compassion or loyalty!
However, his current thoughts broadened his perspective—
Between changing schools or continue clashing with the Hidosh Family, there might be a compromise, a buffer strategy...
Colin felt a surge of excitement.
Yet, this plan was still far from perfect. Where to go and what reason to give required careful consideration.
Though many thoughts filled his mind, in reality, only a moment had passed.
The new apprentice continued to speak:
"Master Colin, good morning, congratulations on successfully advancing to First Rank Intermediate Wizard!"
With both hands, he handed over an oval-shaped silver plate with feather engravings, adding,
"This is a special token called Silver Feather, issued by the school to certain outstanding members. Please accept it.
With it, you can collect a thousand Magic Stones from the school each month and annually select one book from Black Castle's library from the third level down that either matches or is below your strength in witchcraft knowledge and so forth..."
Colin accepted the Silver Feather Token somewhat surprisedly. It had "Colin Leonard" clearly engraved on it.
Perhaps it was because among his students, it had been ages since anyone obtained the Silver Feather Token that Atbolde hadn't mentioned it to Colin.
Yet in fact, not only in the Tin Saint School but almost in every large school, there is a system like this to distinguish the elites from ordinary members... just called differently.
"Congratulations, Wizard Colin." Oliver, standing nearby, congratulated timely, his teeth sparkling and his expression exuberantly friendly, instinctively endearing him to others.
But Colin hadn't forgotten the fate of the apprentice at his feet, and he didn't engage further.
However, perhaps noticing the hint of surprise on Colin's face from earlier, Oliver went on to explain:
"The Silver Feather Token isn't just about collecting Magic Stones and selecting books once a year... it's also a symbol of status."
"If I heard right—right after you advanced to a first-rank wizard, you went to the far Southern Sea Domain."
"So perhaps you don't have a strong concept of the status a first-rank wizard who can obtain a Silver Feather should have in the Tin Saint School,"
At that moment, Oliver's tone carried a hint of envy.
"The Tin Saint School possesses three grades of tokens: Copper Feather, Silver Feather, and Golden Feather."
"Though the Silver Feather is only the middle grade, for us ordinary wizards, having a Silver Feather Token is already the pinnacle!
And they are exceedingly rare, with the vast Tin Saint School having no more than a hundred!"
"Any wizard who obtains a Silver Feather Token will receive greater resource allocation from the School.
At least half of them can eventually become Second Rank Wizards, and one-fifth could even reach Third Rank!"
"As for those with Golden Feather, they mostly remain hidden deep within the school, and only come out after at least becoming Second Rank Wizards... so they are hardly seen."
Listening to Oliver's explanation, Colin gradually understood.
He knew his skills had become exceptionally excellent after his sustained efforts, but he had never conceptualized it.
But a Silver Feather Token, it seemed to be a partition.
Wizard Jonah yesterday probably guessed that I'd likely receive the Silver Feather Token, which is why he proactively sought to favor me.
And today Oliver personally brought Andrew to apologize... it's probably for the same reason as well.
'Silver Feather Token...' he fingered the token in his hand, murmuring inwardly.
Now, it appears that choosing to display some of his talents brought much more impact than he had anticipated...
"The Silver Feather Token is a milestone." Oliver watched him, then suddenly said,
"I'm just the first, Mr. Colin, after a few days when news of your receiving a Silver Feather spreads, many more will come knocking at your door."
Colin heard this with some resignation.
It was a benefit but also a burden.
At least for the next two days, he wanted to focus on breaking through the Yi Guang Breathing Method to see if he could further advance on the path of a Knight.
"So, what you mean is,"
He stopped dwelling on it, looking up at Oliver in front of him.
Oliver still hadn't revealed his true intentions.
"I came on behalf of Lord Yasi," Oliver smiled, looking earnestly at Colin,
"The Lord wants you to change factions, to join us, and leave Atbolde."