After dinner,
Colin habitually went to the Meditation Room to start meditating... As for Barney's words, he didn't take them to heart at all and had long since discarded them.
Lighting the calming incense and sitting on the soft mat in the Meditation Room, he began to meditate.
Since he had absorbed the Golden Four-leaf Clover, he had clearly felt that his magic power increased faster during meditation than before.
His talent had obviously improved... it had probably reached Second Class.
These changes were reflected on the Golden Paper, which showed that the progress of the Intermediate Wizard Apprentice rank was increasing faster.
In the past, increasing the progress by one point would take about twenty days, but now it should only take about ten days.
As night fell, Colin concluded his meditation.
He could indeed feel his talent had improved, though he could only estimate vaguely and it was not precise.
At that moment, he had a thought—
"Perhaps… I should buy a Talent Crystal Ball to test my specific talent after the enhancement."
...No sooner said than done.
The next morning, he took a carriage straight to the city center.
There were only two places on the island where one could find Talent Crystal Balls, one was a shop outside Wizard Territory on the mountain, and the other was Wizard Alley in the center of Blackstone City.
If he went to the mountain, the steep paths would be difficult for ordinary carriages, and he would have to walk. Starting from outside the city gate, it would take him more than an hour to reach the shop outside Wizard Territory, and even longer from his home on Palm Street.
However, if he chose to go to the city center, though it took more than an hour as well, he wouldn't have to walk as he could reach there directly by carriage.
Between the two options, the choice was clear.
Sitting in the carriage, Colin lifted the window curtain of the carriage compartment and absentmindedly surveyed the outside.
Passersby were coming and going, most dressed in linen clothes, looking slender.
Soon, the carriage reached a long yellow mud slope. On both sides, many vendors carrying sea fish or other miscellaneous goods were peddling.
This area clearly had more people than other places. The speed of the carriage also slowed down.
And with more people, the smells became mixed, especially on an island with limited sanitation.
In a moment, the stench of sweat, the fishy smell of sea fish, the stench of feet, and even a faint smell of urine all wafted in from the window.
Colin slightly frowned and lowered the curtain.
...
Sigh~
"Master, we've arrived," Arthur said respectfully.
The black carriage gradually stopped, and Colin opened the door, stepping down at a leisurely pace.
His eyes were met by a narrow brick stone street, flanked by various shops on both sides.
The environment here was somewhat better, at least.
The sanitary conditions of Blackstone City were indeed not to be complimented. Only rich neighborhoods like his residence and this city center were slightly better.
Walking into the alley, in a daze, Colin felt as if he had returned to Wizard Territory. Most of the pedestrians here were wizards; ordinary people were nowhere to be seen.
Speaking of which… the last time he bought Knight Combat Skills and bee stingers here. Unfortunately, plans couldn't keep up with changes, and he had yet to practice that resplendent skill even once.
After all... his energy was limited, and there were many skills on the Golden Paper that he hadn't practiced to the limit yet, not to mention practicing a normal knight combat skill.
While thinking, he walked into a general store.
Before long, he came out with a Talent Crystal Ball the size of two fists.
This crystal ball wasn't cheap, costing him five Magic Stones.
Hurrying home, he couldn't wait to go down to the basement. Focusing his mind, he placed his hand on the transparent crystal ball.
Moments later, a white mist began to slowly rise inside the crystal ball.
Colin carefully observed the size the mist occupied—
It was about seven-tenths.
A flicker of understanding crossed his eyes; seven-tenths was already the highest level of Second Class, any higher would be First Class.
Although he had anticipated it, knowing the specific results still made his heart leap with joy.
A wizard's talent, besides inherent ability, consisted of at least half learning capacity.
But still, inherent ability also accounted for half; considering the original owner's talent was only Fourth Class, even though the Golden Paper indirectly enhanced his talent, the True Talent was still Fourth Class... Now being upgraded directly to Second Class was indeed compensating for a deficiency.
Time flew by quickly.
To Colin's surprise, although he did not take over Barney's night shift that evening, Barney did not bother him again afterward.
"Maybe he thought I went?" Colin speculated to himself.
A week passed, and Sunday arrived.
That morning, the sky was faintly lit.
Oak Street.
There were few pedestrians.
Clip-clop!
A carriage sped down the dirt road, with a Guard Knight dressed in leather armor riding a black horse alongside it.
Inside the carriage, Colin frowned slightly, as it was supposed to be his day off.
However, for some unknown reason, Flower had sent a guard to deliver a message, instructing them to gather at the Patrol Department immediately.
Upon receiving the news, Colin called to Arthur to ride to the Patrol Department, and they were now on their way.
Clip-clop, clip-clop~
The horse hooves struck the dirt road, kicking up a slight dust that merged into the thin morning fog.
Soon, he arrived at the Patrol Department.
After getting off the carriage and approaching the entrance, he gently pushed open the doors of the hall and walked in.
At that moment, Flower was sitting in the middle of the hall on a recliner, taking big bites of a crispy roast chicken.
Some people had already gathered in front of him, but by the looks of it, a few were still missing.
Colin stepped forward, walking into the crowd, and waited quietly.
Crack~ Crack~
Time passed slowly with the sound of Flower crushing chicken bones.
After a while, more people arrived, but it seemed not everyone was there yet. Flower had not begun to speak; he was just focused on eating his roast chicken.
Colin carefully scanned the room and mentally counted the number of people.
'Only one person is missing, and that seems to be… Barney?'
At that moment, the door to the hall was pushed open.
Barney rushed in, looking somewhat disheveled, with sweat on his forehead due to the hurry.
'He must have just gotten out of a woman's bed.'
Colin observed Barney discreetly from a distance, and he could smell the scent of Barney's perfume.
Barney positioned himself on the far left and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Flower looked up at Barney, swallowed the last bite of food, and slowly began to speak:
"Now that everyone is here, I'll keep it short."
"Barney," he said coldly.
"...Yes! Lord Flower," Barney stammered, promptly responding.
"Come here." Flower slowly stood up, smiling mysteriously at Barney.
Barney stepped out of the line with a puzzled look on his face.
As he saw Flower's smile, his heart skipped a beat.
He felt a mix of nerves and anticipation.
"Could it be…"
Although he knew it was impossible, the impossible thought suddenly sprang to his mind.
"Could it be that Lord Flower, noticing my hard work over these past days, plans to announce my appointment as Deputy Leader in front of everyone!"
This thought overwhelmed him, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt it might not be so far-fetched. Subsequently, every minute action of Flower, even the grease staining his hands, seemed to be evidence supporting his theory…
Although he thought a lot, only a moment had passed in reality.
Feeling the gaze of those behind him, Barney straightened his back, feeling a surge of pride.
After adjusting his expression, he 'casually' turned his head with a detached look, his gaze sweeping from left to right, pausing on Regina for a moment, before he put on a solicitous expression and stepped toward Flower.