Chapter 673: Chapter 419 Ceremony Conclusion_2
Seeing this familiar ring, Nois’s expression grew grave.
He picked up the crystal, and a familiar area was projected out.
"Roon Kingdom?"
Beside him, Colin was taken aback.
"To be precise, the entire Tilaimei Plain," Nois’s brow furrowed.
As he had said, the topography projected by the crystal gradually shrank; the Roon Kingdom, which had initially occupied the entire projection, eventually reduced to less than one-sixth of it.
The Golden Barley of Roon Kingdom, or rather Neustadt, was located right in the center of the Tilaimei Plain. It was not only the kingdom with the most farmland in the entire Tilaimei Plain—almost comprising half—but also the strongest kingdom of the Tilaimei Plain.
It nominally ruled over the other kingdoms of the Tilaimei Plain.
Thus, for the sake of convenience in management, the Tilaimei Plain was generally considered as one entity.
And that silver ring was the highest symbol of power in Tilaimei.
The Roon Family had existed for nearly a thousand years, and this ring was initially worn by a councilman from the Roon Family.
Although that councilman later died, the Roon Family had seen several councilmen since, and the ring had been passed down through their hands.
As a result, even when there were generations of the Roon Family without a councilman, the other councilmen still defaulted to the Roon Family’s stewardship over the Tilaimei Plain.
Of course, part of the reason was that even without a councilman, the Roon Family still had many high-rank wizards.
This situation persisted until the recent century, when gradual changes began to occur.
Nois was aware that many councilmen and families were gradually coveting the Tilaimei Plain.
This plain, which produced more than half of Neustadt’s food, could bring staggering benefits.
But that was in the past, before the divine assaults.
Had the farmlands not been contaminated, Colin would no doubt find it impossible to suppress a smile if he were assigned to manage the Tilaimei Plain.
But now... Nois looked up at the councilmen below the stage, his gaze pausing briefly on Nickler.
Unfortunately, just as Nickler could not prevent Colin from becoming a councilman, he could not change the fact that Colin had been assigned to manage the Tilaimei Plain.
"Councilman Colin, you have been assigned the Tilaimei Plain," Nois suppressed his emotions and proceeded with the ritual.
Then he took the silver ring out of the wooden box and handed it along with the crystal to Colin.
"When you take this ring, you become the de facto steward of the entire Tilaimei Plain.
From now on, the prosperity and decline of the entire area will reflect upon you, for better or worse."
"Accept the ring, I will find a way to deal with the farmland issue," Nois whispered to him finally.
Colin nodded and accepted it, his face showing little panic.
Such a reaction was somewhat disappointing to Nickler, who stood below.
In his opinion, Colin might not even comprehend what this truly meant for him.
The Tilaimei Plain was scarce in mineral veins and did not produce Magic Stones; its mainstay industry was the farmland.
But now, the farmland was destroyed, and according to Nickler’s inquiries, the task of removing the contamination from the fields was extremely difficult, if not completely unrealistic.
The Council’s wizards had already planned to cultivate new lands elsewhere.
Therefore, it was foreseeable that in the future, the entire Tilaimei Plain would rapidly decline, becoming as desolate as a desert!
At that point, Colin would not be able to gain a single Magic Stone from it, and if he failed to manage the ensuing famine and unrest well, he might even be punished by the Supreme Council!
It was important to understand that one of the greatest benefits of becoming a Supreme Council Member was managing a territory of one’s own.
Although nominally, the area they managed was not entirely their own, in reality, there was hardly any difference!
Councilmen could rely entirely on their territories to achieve freedom with Magic Stones, no longer needing to worry about resources for their cultivation!
After Colin took the ring, the badge presentation ceremony was essentially concluded.
Staff entered the stage at the right moment and, with the help of witchcraft, it wasn’t long before the solemn hall for the badge presentation was transformed into a reception hall.
Normally, at this time, councilmen with urgent matters would leave, while those who weren’t busy would stay to socialize with other councilmen who also remained.
But this time, almost all the councilmen stayed.
"Congratulations on becoming a Councilman."
As a newly appointed Councilman, Colin naturally stayed behind.
He stood beside a table covered with a pristine white cloth, where one Councilman after another came over to offer their congratulations.
After the event, Colin had gained much, broadening his horizons, and obtaining a clearer understanding of the upper echelon of the Wizard World.
Among them, the one who made the most lasting impression was the genius Wizard named Ryden Zlit.
"Ryden Zlit, you are very strong. We should spar when you have the time."
Ryden extended his hand and said just that one sentence. After their handshake, he turned and left promptly.
Moreover, seemingly to prevent the influence of his Family from lingering behind him, Nois did not stay with Colin until the gathering was completely over.
"How do you feel?"
The two walked along the corridor when Nois broke the silence.
"Not bad."
"That’s good." Nois smiled, paused for a moment, and then continued, "Do you remember the Great Councilman who sat at the very center of the front row at the beginning today?"
"I do."
"He is Nickler Tate, an elder of my Family. The Wizard who challenged you to a duel was most likely acting under his orders."
Colin’s steps faltered slightly.
"My Family is both a support and a constraint," Nois said calmly. "That’s why I didn’t continue to accompany you after the badge ceremony."
"You shouldn’t wear too many imprints of the Tate Family.
Although you might miss out on some benefits at the start, only by doing so can you lessen many more constraints later on. You understand, don’t you, Colin?"
"Uh-huh." Colin nodded.
"Work hard to improve yourself," Nois patted Colin’s shoulder. "I’ll help you find a solution to the issue of the polluted farmlands."
"Thank you," said Colin, then paused before asking, "Lord Nois, aren’t you curious how I, who has just advanced to Third Rank, was able to defeat the Intermediate Third Rank Carl?"
Nois stopped walking, looked at Colin with a smile, and asked, "Are you a Divine Believer?"
Colin shook his head.
"Are you plotting a conspiracy against Wizards?"
Colin continued shaking his head.
"Since it’s neither, then I have no need to probe into your strength. It’s your secret, and when you wish to tell me, you will naturally do so," Nois continued, "Besides, there are many geniuses in this world. It’s not unheard of for a Basic Level Third Rank to defeat an Intermediate Third Rank. Furthermore, you only broke through Carl’s defense, causing the Witch Array on the Dueling Platform to transport him out. If it were a life and death battle, the outcome would still be uncertain."
Colin nodded and said no more.
Nois, satisfied with Colin’s composed demeanor, nodded inwardly in approval.
In truth, he had lied. Indeed, there were instances of Basic Level Third Rank Wizards defeating Intermediate Third Rank Wizards, but Colin defeated a Supreme Council Member of the Intermediate Third Rank, one of the finest among Wizards!
And strictly speaking, Colin wasn’t even truly a Basic Level Third Rank Wizard yet; he had only just advanced to Third Rank!
"By the way, there’s one more thing. Are you thinking of switching Schools?" Nois asked.
"As a Councilman, you shouldn’t continue to remain with the Tin Saint School. Tin Saint School is a subsidiary of the Yista School. If you want, you can now join the Yista School."
"Can I choose not to join any School?" Colin paused before asking.
His sole purpose of joining a School before was to acquire knowledge, primarily the complete heritage of the Meditation Method.
But now that he had become a Councilman, he no longer needed to worry about access to the Meditation Method knowledge, and he couldn’t think of any reason to continue staying with a School.
"...Of course, you can." Nois was taken aback for a moment but answered with a smile.
"Just go to the Tin Saint School later and, with your Councilman Badge, you can leave the School."
"In terms of status, a Councilman is ranked higher than most of the high levels of the Tin Saint School. If there is a legitimate reason, you could even command them."
"I understand," Colin nodded, already starting to adapt to the change in his status.