Loki: I know I said 2-3 but I’m having my exams next week so sorry bout that
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Looking at the red card in surprise, Sun was speechless. The thing before him was a Sorcium card! Not just any Sorcium card too, it was scarlet!
Waving it around is equivalent to smacking a person with a gold bar to make him acknowledge you. It was certainly a prestigious item.
Both elderly men watched intently as Sun delicately held the card in one hand. One of the functions of a Sorcium card was to measure the depth of one's power. For example Virgil Arsoe had a rating of 168.8 in this regard, the average of Scarlet magi being 140. With a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 9999 it can cover even the most absurd of existence.
It is generally regarded as an accurate way to estimate the power of a Sorcerer. Too bad there never was a sorcerer like Sun before.
Sun bound the card with ease. It emanated a soft luminescence that was tinted red. When the light show was over clearly printed on the back of the card was... "Min/Max Value exceeded."
The dumbfounded Virgil stared at the impossible text before him. Max value exceeded! Impossible!
"C-can we redo that?! It seems the card was defective." He muttered to himself whilst producing another Sorcium card, it was his own copy, it looked just as impressive if a bit worn. Chanting some words he reset the card and handed it to Sun. He being the guild master of Shard's mage guild had the authority to reset the cards.
Shrugging a bit in helplessness Sun took the offered card and bound it with his soul. Once again a soft red light emitted from the card. Once it died down the words "Min/Max Value exceeded" were prominently written.
"I-I see. That's certainly an interesting result." Virgil muttered mostly to himself.
Taking back his card from Sun he went to a corner still dazed and muttering things like "Certainly if it's like that the use of Sorcery would..."
Meanwhile Vulcus also had a surprised expression. Being old meant that he had learned more than a few bits of knowledge. He too had never heard of such a result. Even that hermit in dragon mountains carrying the [S class] talent [Unlimited mana] only had a result of around 5000.
Looking at the unassuming teenager in front of him, he couldn't even tell if the boy had magic power. He shook his head at the youth's talent.
Hiding one's aura was specially hard the stronger one gets, even he had trouble restraining his aura but this kid was making it look easy despite the seemingly impossible amount of power he held.
"Tell me kid, what is your talent?" Vulcus asked curiosity overwhelming his shock of the results.
On Sun's part, he was very nervous about what was happening. When the card showed some kind of result he thought he had been discovered however it seems the two old men had different ideas.
Sun hesitated as he pondered over the question. Should he lie? The man asking was a saint surely he would easily tear apart a flimsy lie as soon as he hears it.
"I gave an oath to someone not to reveal my talent so readily." He said, as if testing the sentence out. Given the disadvantageous nature of his talent his father had Sun make an oath on safeguarding his talent.
Vulcus nodded in understanding sensing the truth in Sun's words.
"Uhm, Sun-sama, Vulcus-sama. I hate to interrupt your conversation but Vi-sama has finished the staff. Would you like to see it now Sun-sama?" Rimmu said as he entered pausing ever so slightly at seeing two saints and the Virgil.
After a sigh of relief as he followed the Rimmu and Rayu, Sun left the two old men to themselves. Glad that he escaped those two relatively unscathed.
"What do you think of that one Virgil?" Vulcus said as he watched the leaving young saint's back.
"If he used a lot of mana it is indeed theoretically sound that the white flames would create a crystallization effect. Interesting... Now could this effect be replicated? It seems more experiments are ---" Virgil stopped muttering as he registered Vulcus' question.
"Sun-sama is quite extraordinary. I myself have gone to the site where he fought that Tiangou and I find myself mystified on his techniques. Somehow he was able to produce mana so pure it crystallized upon stabilizing. Quite incredible. What say you though Vulcus? How would you rate him?"
Vulcus sighed while rubbing at his temples. "That kid was dangerous. I sat here all the while and I couldn't even gauge his strength. If I didn't know he was a saint and I didn't see the results of that Sorcium rating I wouldn't even think he can fight! No wonder even Levaria got fooled." Despite being young Levaria was no slouch at gauging enemy strength, an invaluable skill to any adventurer.
"An interesting young man has appeared I wonder how this will affect the world? Specially with the things that are going right on now at the imperial capital." Virgil mused.
"Unexpectedly informed are you? Why don't we talk about it while we drink I haven't seen your ugly face for some time now."
"Indeed after seeing you and experiencing your unique stench I need to wash it all off with alcohol." Virgil answered back without batting an eye.
After a few moments both old men were laughing away.
°°°_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_°°°
The first thing that Sun noticed as he followed Rayu and Rimmu was that as he was being led to presumably another luxurious room both Rayu and Rimmu were acting oddly. As if they were rats going into a cat's playpen.
The second was the sound of metal grinding metal. Somehow just like his guides he too was feeling restless.
Tink Tink Tink Tink
It was a constant metallic thunk sound that sounded out in a fixed interval.
Who was this Vy-sama that made his staff, Sun wondered. Why was it that these two high ranking merchants who were relatively at ease with saints nervous now?
He was led to a large metal door about twice his size. Looking at the door Sun couldn't help but feel nervous. A motif of a horned goat was carved in the door proudly staring down everything on it's nose was a ring of metal used for knocking. It was also much notably colder now than it was before.
Tink Tink Tink Tink
As if to add a more sinister background a blanket of fog seeped from the below door.
Rimmu and Rayu both stopped and looked at him as if urging him to enter. Sun looked at them with incredulous eyes? Where they trying to get him killed? What sort of evil with was this Vy person?
Slowly he approached the goat head motif and knocked on it with the knocker. A small banging sound was produced as a result. He did it thrice and waited.
After a moment the door creaked and opened slowly.
"Good luck Sun-sama." Was all Rayu said as he suspiciously backed away.
