"Ricky, you're a casting master in the inferior Mortal Level! Are you seriously asking me what the
Casting Guild is?" Bertha said, surprised.
Even one who was not a casting master would know that there was a Casting Guild!
"Bertha, you know that I've never been invested in this kind of stuff at all," Ricky explained awkwardly.
"Well... alright..." Bertha said, not knowing what else she could say.
"Ricky, do you know of the division between Realm and Land of the Misty South?" Elder Samuel asked
Ricky, leaning forward to gaze at him seriously.
"No, Elder. I must admit that I am not quite familiar with it."
"The Misty South is incredibly vast, and it is connected by the Realms, part by part. I do not know the
exact number of Realms, seeing as how I am just a demi-immortal warrior. It is only those who reach
the level of innate spiritual king that are qualified to roam around the Misty South.
Every Realm is divided into several Lands, so to speak.
The Realm which we reside in now is called the Realm of Wilderness, and Snow Land is one of its four
Lands."
"I see. Do you mean to say that there are two more Lands except the Snow Land and the West
Desolate Land?" Ricky asked.
"Yes, Ricky. The Heaven Wood Land and Earth Fire Land," Elder Samuel replied.
"So the Casting Guild is..." Ricky murmured.
"The Casting Guild is co-founded by the top casting masters in the entirety of the Misty South. It exists
in every Realm," Elder Samuel clarified.
"Casting masters earn an identification tag from the Casting Guild as long as they pass the
assessment!"
"And what is this tag used for, Elder?" Ricky asked, thinking in utilitarian terms. He was unwilling to
waste his time on the assessment unless it would become useful.
"The use? It comes in handy," Bertha interjected.
"First of all, with the approval of the Casting Guild, you can be considered as a qualified casting master
in the Misty South, — much like how the establishment of your Misty South Faction had to be approved
by the other three Factions of the Snow Sect!
Secondly, the identification tag is equivalent to a travel pass of the Misty South. You will save quite a bit
when you get in or out of anywhere.
Thirdly, casting masters can go in and out of any inn, shop and buy what they need at half price with
the identification tag.
And, at some auctions, the casting masters of the Casting Guild can get a discount for the thing they
wish to purchase!
Most importantly, when you become a casting master of the Casting Guild, you will be protected by all
Casting Guild branches which spans the entire Misty South. It may not necessarily the most powerful
guild, but definitely among the top."
"Terrific!" All these benefits caught Ricky's interest.
"Yes, that's how identified casting masters are treated. And it's something that a lot of powerful warriors
can't enjoy because they aren't casters," Elder Samuel added. "Of course, when the Casting Guild
needs help, we are obliged to give a hand."
"Certainly!" Ricky nodded.
He thought it over. It would be a win-win situation for him.
"The more you go through, the more you will be able to asses the status the casting masters of the
Misty South!" Elder Samuel said.
"When will we set off, Elder?" Ricky asked eagerly. At this point, he was exceedingly curious as to what
the Casting Guild looked like.
"Tomorrow!" Elder Samuel answered, a smile on his face.
"Okay, I will go and get ready. Goodness! My Misty South Faction has just been founded but I, the
leader, am leaving it right away!" Ricky quipped.
"Yes, apparently so. Get some rest. We will set off at daybreak."
...
And with this, Ricky returned to his courtyard and told Grace and Heather that he was going to head to
the Casting Guild, accompanied by Elder Samuel.
They both supported this decision. Grace told Ricky that for the meantime, he needn't worry about the
affairs of the Faction, because he could count on her.
Ricky also discussed his departure with Edgar and Autelan, finally feeling less guilty about leaving their
newly-formed faction.
At dawn the next day, Ricky arrived at Elder Samuel's courtyard, finding that the Elder was already
prepared and had a Snow Vulture prepared.
Bertha was already perched on the back of the Snow Vulture.
"Bertha, you're coming with us, aren't you?" Ricky asked.
"Of course. I will pass the assessment of the intermediate Mortal Level casting master and get the
identification tag this time," Bertha replied confidently.
"Guess I have to congratulate you on your immediate victory!" Ricky laughed.
"Why? You don't think I can pass it?" Bertha said, a little miffed.
"Bertha, you misunderstand me!" Ricky just wanted to congratulate her ahead. She was reading into
his words far too much!
"All right, let's go!" Elder Samuel interrupted, clambering up onto the vulture. With a flap of its mighty
wings, they began their journey.
"Ricky is so talented in casting...Oh, how I admire him!" the disciples of Elder Samuel said admiringly
as they watched their departure.
"We better stop with the idolizing and redirect our energy to practice our casting! Otherwise we will be
likely to fall behind..."
"How about joining in the Misty South Faction? It will be convenient for us to consult Ricky if we
become fellow members!" a disciple suggested, his eyes bright with the idea.
"I agree!"
...
Once Ricky had left with Elder Samuel, Elder Logan and his crew were also ready to take action.
At the moment, Sean and Harald were in Elder Logan's room.
"Elder Logan, Elder Samuel has set off with that little bastard," Sean reported.
"Just as I expected! That little bastard has already become a casting master of the inferior Mortal Level!
I'll bet anything that Samuel will try and induct him into Casting Guild by means of the test!" Elder
Logan said.
"If this happens, even the Dominant Top Elder will have to think twice before he takes action to deal
with him. None of the powerful warriors dare to be openly opposed to a member of the Casting Guild!"
"Not even you, Elder Logan? Aren't you one of the Elders of the Casting Guild in the Realm of
Wilderness?" Harald asked.
"The internal strife is a big taboo in the Casting Guild! Unless I can become a casting master of Spirit
Level, I have less mobility when it comes to dealing with annoyances like that Ricky!" Elder Logan
answered.
"So we have to kill him before he takes the assessment, then. His talent really worries me quite a bit!"
"Elder Logan, is it really that serious? Although he has some talent, he still has an incomplete spiritual
meridian after all!" said Harald, still unwilling to recognize the magnitude of Ricky's skills.
"Stupid boy! You still think that he only has an incomplete spiritual meridian?" Elder Logan scoffed.
"Elder Logan, do you mean..."
"Don't forget that the sect chief is in with this bastard. It is not impossible that he covered up something
for him! We don't know what Zenith did to help Ricky stay alive in the Blizzard Cliff! We need to nip this
in the bud.
Besides, he humiliated our Casting Faction in front of the whole Snow Sect! That was unforgivable!
You two, go tell the Refinement Faction! Tell the Endless Shadow so they can immediately prepare!"
Elder Logan ordered, his fierce eyes ominous with hate.
...
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