In the afternoon, within the Wizard College, on the temporary examination grounds, as the magic was dispelled, Ivina and the others appeared bewildered as they broke free from the Magic Domain.
"What happened to me? Was I dreaming?" "You rabble, I am the rightful lord of this place!" "It's all right not to be the town mayor!"
Because everything built within the Magic Domain felt so real, many were still immersed in the scenes they had constructed and couldn't extricate themselves even after the magic vanished. It took gradual memory restoration for them to come to their senses.
The expressions of the five present varied, but they quickly realized that everything they had just experienced was a part of the test, and they had addressed these scenarios on their exam papers.
However, compared to sitting in place and devising various strategies like a paper general, practice was obviously much harder.
Some were halted at the very initial small town, their rudimentary management skills leading to widespread public grievances in the entire territory. Others advanced ambitiously, obtaining high positions yet unable to resist the pleas of relatives, frequently showing nepotism and abusing power, until they ended up behind bars...
"Managing a territory is really troublesome. It's better to just keep focusing on magic!" a wizard sighed, clearly knowing his own outcome.
The faces of the others did not look good either.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your test is over. Go back and wait for the news," the Great Wizard Alade said as he waved his hand and brought the next group of people over to put on the rings.
When Monroe stepped out of the examination grounds, a cold sweat broke out on his back. He hadn't expected these wizards to possess methods that could make one lose consciousness without realizing it.
Fortunately, it was just a test. The others had not taken advantage of the magic to interrogate him; otherwise, the consequences would have been unpredictable.
Ivina followed Monroe out of the examination grounds, her mind still replaying the various experiences within the Magic Domain.
"Don't worry too much, Ivina. This test wasn't easy. There probably isn't a single person who passed it perfectly. You and I may still have a chance!" Monroe spoke reassuringly.
Monroe also had to admit that the wizards' examination design was quite impressive. Achieving comprehensiveness was not easy, and the traps within were countless—an incautious step could lead to a pitfall...
Luckily, after years of experience in the Northern Territories, managing a mere village was a steady affair for Monroe. He had successfully rooted out every dissenter hidden among the townspeople and quelled numerous uprisings of the poor!
Such performance should be considered top-notch, right?
The kingdom-wide selection examination, just as Lynn had anticipated, drew everyone's attention. Whether it was wizards, commoners, nobles, or traveling merchants, all discussed how many would pass the council's assessment and who would become the new lord of Fire Oil City.
Meanwhile, Lynn and several councillors had quietly moved to the underground of the Duke's estate.
After nearly three months of expansion and repair, the estate's underground had been completely hollowed out, forming an approximate hundred-acre square.
Hundreds of robust columns stood tall around the perimeter, supporting the vast subterranean space, with a central altar-like area enveloped by rings of Mithril, extending outward, each ring inscribed with dense alchemy runes.
Vittorio spoke proudly to Lynn about the operational principles of the magic reactor. The blueprints previously provided were filled with numerous precise and complex instruments that the council's Alchemists couldn't produce. However, they had managed to replicate the effects of these instruments using magic and alchemy.
"If it's suitable, I think we can start it up tonight!" Vittorio said solemnly.
Lynn nodded, as Vittorio was so confident, it was best to proceed sooner rather than later!
Harrov and Aurora were also quite expectant. Perhaps they would complete the legendary promotion ceremony tonight.
The group walked together to the outskirts of the colossal 'altar,' where Tic and others who had been tirelessly constructing the fusion reactor all night gathered around.
"Master Lynn, esteemed councillors, can you now tell us what this thing is actually for?" Tic asked curiously.
To create this underground space, the council had used a countlessly vast amount of manpower and resources. They had even drained most of a lake to extract two new elements from the water, an operation unprecedented in history.
"It's nothing much, just creating a Sun with magic to provide us with an inexhaustible source of energy!" Lynn said with a smile.
"Create a... Sun?" Tic was momentarily stunned, wondering if the Star of Magic was joking with him.
In the kingdom, there were rumors that someone's new magic pulled down the fervent sun from the sky, but any wizard with a bit of astronomical knowledge knew that was impossible. The sun overhead was millions of times larger than the land beneath their feet—if they pulled that down, everyone would be finished!
"Or are you planning to experiment with your new magic in this place?" Tic immediately thought of this possibility.