019 Wealth is Combat Power_1

"Let me see."

Iris extended her delicate hand, and Lin Ge almost without hesitation placed the gemstone in her palm.

Iris's slender fingers closed, barely holding onto the gemstone.

"You really trust me, huh? Aren't you afraid I'll trick you?"

Lin Ge said indifferently, "If you like it, you can have it."

To him, whether it was gemstones or magic artifacts, they didn't hold much significance since if he took them back to Earth, they'd likely turn into rocks.

Moreover, he didn't want to become some sort of mage who could call the wind and summon the rain here.

"What's the matter, trying to buy me off?" Iris wrinkled her cute nose. "It's not that easy, here, take it back!"

She tossed the sapphire back to Lin Ge.

"I've erased the mark on it, so you guys can use it with peace of mind," she said.

Lin Ge looked at Iris with some surprise, not expecting that she would take the initiative to help him.

"Why are you staring at me like a frog? It's disgusting," she said.

Lin Ge smiled and said, "Thank you."

Iris harrumphed and turned to leave the bar.

After that, no new customers entered the establishment, Karina and Prince Lieyang did not appear, and only Lanya kept sitting at the bar chatting with Lin Ge. Since there were no customers, Lin Ge occasionally fed her some fruit, such as oranges, grapes, tangerines, and blueberries.

Since they had agreed to go to the Mage's Guild for testing after work, Lanya spent the time sharing with Lin Ge many magic common sense facts about this world.

Through her, Lin Ge learned that this world was filled with magic power, and humans could channel magic power into their bodies through meditation and store it within themselves.

But as everyone's physique is different, the amount of magic power one's body can contain also varies, and only when a certain storage amount is reached can one release magic. The Mage's Guild's test mainly focuses on this aspect.

Lin Ge had played some role-playing games, so he understood it as a mana bar—without a long enough mana bar, naturally, one couldn't cast magic.

But magic power is not the only thing that can be carried in the body; there are many other storage methods, hence the variety of magic artifacts available.

Thus, money and wealth became important indicators of a mage's strength because even the fastest spellcasting speed couldn't compete with instant magic artifacts.

Like a peasant mage with immense talent facing a noble mage with only a 5cm mana bar but who is extremely wealthy, possessing high-level magic equipment, endless Mana Replenishing Potions, and high-tier Magic Scrolls, the likely victor would be the latter.

To put it simply, a high-level free-to-play account is no match for a low-level pay-to-win account.

Apart from the mana bar, there is another important indicator for mages in this world: intelligence, or the ability to learn magic.

Each type of magic is like a math problem; not everyone can learn it. Those who can't, simply can't. They can only copy others' answers. In the realm of magic, if you can't learn certain magic, your only option is to use the corresponding scroll.

But this is not easily quantified or tested, only judged through the speed of learning magic, so the apprentice test does not include this indicator.

In short, the three major indicators to judge a mage's ability are magic power, wealth, and intelligence.

After work, Lin Ge changed his clothes and went with Lanya to the Mage's Guild, this time without his cell phone.

The Mage's Guild was located on the eastern side of Castalon, unlike the hustle and bustle of Uradaha Main Street, the eastern streets were clean and tidy, free of any street stalls. Along the way, Lin Ge only saw mansions belonging to nobles and the wealthy.

Arriving in front of the Mage's Guild, the huge dome-shaped building looked opulent and beyond reach. An ordinary person, just by standing in front of this structure, would feel overwhelmed by an air of nobility and sanctity, losing the courage to step inside.

Lin Ge sized up the building in front of him, thinking that this must be a place where very rich people stay.

They entered the Mage's Guild, and the spacious hall was silent, its polished floor reflecting the magic chandeliers' light, making it all the brighter.

In the center of the hall stood a life-like statue. Lin Ge's gaze was drawn to it, not just because of its graceful figure or beautiful face, but more importantly, because of the noble and sacred aura it exuded.

Such exquisite sculpting skills could convey the temperament of a real person was truly remarkable. Lin Ge had never seen such level sculpture work on Earth.

Lanya whispered, "That's the Magic Goddess Freya."

Lin Ge nodded, pulled his gaze away, and went with her to the guild counter to register. After registering, they moved to a corner on the west side of the hall.

There was a pristine white stone platform about one meter high, with a floating crystal ball on top of it.

It was a meditation crystal used to help the person in contact focus their attention, absorbing the magic power around them. If the absorbed magic power was sufficient, it would make the crystal ball emit a bright light.

As long as someone could make this crystal ball light up, they would pass the mage talent recognition test.

The elven clerk smiled and said, "Please place your hand on the crystal ball and keep it there for ten seconds. If the crystal ball lights up within ten seconds, you will have passed the test."

Lin Ge did as instructed and placed his hand on the crystal ball. It felt cold and smooth, and the moment he touched it, he entered a wonderful state.

He felt a peace he had never known before, and something invisible began to pour into his body from all around.

Three seconds later, a dazzling blue light bloomed within the crystal ball.

"It's a strong blue light, Sir, you possess a superior talent," said the elven staff member with a smile.

Superior talent, that doesn't seem too bad, Lin Ge thought to himself. Then he asked,

"May I remove my hand now?"

"Yes, you may. If you're sure you want to join the Mage's Guild, please come with me to the registry to enroll."

"Is there any kind of membership fee to be paid?"

"No fees are required to register as an apprentice, only grading examinations entail a fee."

So, mages have a grading system too—something Lanya hadn't mentioned before.

"What ranks are there for mages?"

"Once an apprentice mage passes the first test, they become an official mage. Official mages hold a respectable status in all the countries of the continent and are sought after by the nobility.

Further up are magicians and grand magicians, ranks not easily attainable by most; however, with your talent and dedicated cultivation, becoming a magician should be within reach."

The elf's demeanor was even warmer than before as she patiently explained to Lin Ge, since it had been several years since Castalon had seen an apprentice with such superior talent.

"Thank you, please take me to register."

"Sure, follow me."

Registration required a current address. Lin Ge, not knowing how to write the script of this world, asked Lanya to write down the address of the Emerald Bar for him.

After completing the registration, the staff member handed him a round badge signifying his identity as an apprentice—silver in color with the image of the Magic Goddess Freya engraved on it.

As they were leaving, the clerk who handled the registration reminded,

"The guild's library offers entry-level magic books freely accessible to apprentices. If you don't have a master, you can learn the elementary magic in the guild's library."

"Thank you, I will come and check them out when I have time."

Lin Ge was somewhat interested in magic, but as he didn't know the script of this world yet, he couldn't study it. So, after leaving the Mage's Guild, he asked Lanya if there was any magical tool that could help him quickly grasp the script of this world.

After thinking for a moment, Lanya told him that there were things like knowledge scrolls in this world; one only had to open the scroll to acquire the knowledge contained within. However, they were mostly used for learning high-difficulty magic and combat skills. Not only were they expensive, but they also were rare. Learning to read and write was something only children and the illiterate needed, and no one would waste a precious knowledge scroll on that.

Lin Ge couldn't help but sigh, "It seems that becoming a true mage will take a long time."

Lanya suggested, "Your bar's manager is so capable, why don't you ask him? Maybe he has a way for you to quickly master the script of this world."

Lin Ge's eyes lit up, right, the manager who handled a bar connected to different worlds might find this task extremely easy.

"Thank you for reminding me, I'll go back and call him right now."

Just then, Lanya suddenly said in a low voice, "Um... can I stay at your place again tonight? I don't have a single gold coin left on me."