While thinking deeply, Mage Berold entered the living room and looked around.
After that, he sat down on the nearby Lawson sofa and spoke.
"Congratulations on your rank up, Mage Abium." He paused for a moment, took out a golden batch and a black robe from his space ring, and placed them on the coffee table.
"Teacher Zivior told me to give you these two gifts." He added.
Meanwhile, Abium bent down a bit, took the golden badge, and inspected it.
"Don't lose the badge. It is inscribed with a first-tier defensive spell and is a valuable artifact." Mage Berold said in a solemn tone.
'Oh? A mid-tier magic artifact? Is it one of the privileges?' Abium chuckled inwardly.
After storing it within his space ring, he added calmly, "I'll keep it with much care."
Afterward, he shifted his gaze towards the black robe and glanced at it quietly.
But soon, he frowned as he noticed that many runic letters were inscribed on the black robe and looked more complicated.
'Are they enchanted with magic runes circles? Spells?'
He didn't understand what those rune circles were for and asked.
"What are these rune circles, Mage Berold?"
On the other hand, Berold turned his face solemnly and spoke.
"This is a tracking magic rune circle and a communication magic rune circle, Mage Abium. With these rune circles, it would be easy for you to contact the institute if you were in danger."
'Oh? This robe is another magic item indeed.'
Abium nodded inwardly and asked more about the privileges.
Finally, Berold came to the topic regarding Noble title.
"For an official-tier academic mage, the King will only honor him with Baron title and allocate a small territory. However, as you can see, most official members prefer to remain here and train while passing their titles down to their children. What do you plan to do, Mage Abium?"
Abium didn't even show a hint of hesitation and responded.
"I will choose my territory."
"Oh? Then, I will send a letter to the Royal family and inform them about your advancement. The King of Peral Kingdom may bestow the noble title on you tomorrow morning. So, be prepared." He paused for a moment as he thought of something significant and added.
"There will also be a Royal Banquet happening in the evening. So, don't forget to attend the banquet."
Abium listened calmly and nodded.
After a short discussion, Mage Berold took out a large sheet of rolled paper and spread it on the floor.
"Now, it's time for you to choose your territory." Mage Berold said and pointed his finger at the paper.
No, it was the geographical map of the Peral Kingdom. It was well-illustrated and also had details about each territory.
All the territories under any noble's control were marked red, while the remaining areas were left unmarked. Abium also noticed that only a few territories were completely untouched by the nobles.
But as he looked carefully at the map, he realized that all those lands were not suitable for agriculture or monsters had already occupied them.
'If I choose any of these lands, I have to spend massive amounts of gold coins in the future. Even with that, I won't be able to keep these lands safely.'
He sighed. Alas, he already had an eye on one territory.
'Alastall woodland.'
It was situated in the east corner of the Peral kingdom and isolated from the rest of the kingdom. Only monsters and some pirates were living there now.
But Abium knew that territory would be somewhat safer during the chaotic era.
A mountain range also separated the Alastall woodland from the Peral kingdom, making that place safe from demons and devils.
On one side, the Devil's Sea acts as a border, while on the other side, the mountain range and dense woodlands act as a border.
'Once chaos sweeps into the kingdom, many people will migrate to save themselves from demons and monsters and finally build a city under the leadership of Duke Pawelinus.'
The only worry in Abium's heart was transportation and pirates.
He quickly shook those thoughts off and confirmed the location.
"Can I get this territory?" His tone was one of excitement.
Meanwhile, Mage Berold froze for a moment before giving him a puzzled look. He knew that monsters and pirates had already occupied this territory and felt confused by his decision.
Even entering that territory would be a tough challenge, much less moving there in masses and building cities and towns.
'But to choose that land, is he sane?' Mage Berold gave him one last look and nodded with a sigh.
"Are you sure you want to choose that land as your territory, Mage Abium?" Mage Berold asked again to confirm his words.
"Yes! I have decided." Abium said, without even the slightest hint of hesitation or worry.
"Be it then." Berold smiled forcefully, rolled the map before storing it in his space ring, and informed his Teacher Zivior through a communication ring.
After that, he bid farewell to Abium and walked away in disappointment.
On the other hand, Abium sat down meditatively and checked the abnormal spell inside his mind.
It floated at the center of those six spell models and looked spooky.
'Azolla, what is this spell model?' He asked with a frown.
'I also noticed that earlier, kid. Although I don't know what spell it is, I am sure it is related to time. The question is which time it represents. Is it the past, the present, or the future?' Azolla asked.
At that moment, Abium tried to cast that spell but couldn't.
'It's not working!'
'Hm? Maybe it has some restrictions, kid. We'll do some research about this later.' Azolla added.
'I agree.'
Abium nodded, then thought about something and asked.
'Azolla, how much spirit power do I need to create a first-tier spell?'
'For each first-tier spell, you need 20 spirit points. But it would be best to construct it after raising your spirit power to 30. If you construct it now, there is a high chance of failure due to mental strain.'
'30!'
He heaved a deep breath as he heard Azolla's reply and pondered.
'If it goes at this speed, I might take years to break through into the next tier. Is there any shortcut to improve my spirit power quickly?'
'Kid, even those ancient mages couldn't fully grasp the mystery of the spirit realm.'
'You mean that empty void?'
'Yes. Anyway, although some forbidden artifacts are out there to help you increase your spirit power, it's too early for you to explore and search for them.' Azolla warned him.
Meanwhile, Abium furrowed his brows and fell into deep thought.
After some time, he took out the black robe and wore it. Then, he also took out the golden badge and put it on the chest area.
'It's time for me to leave this magic tower.'
First, he headed to Mage Zivior's office and informed him that he would be out for a few days. Following that, he proceeded to the sixth layer, brought four chaos crystals for 4000 white gold coins, and quietly left the White Magic Tower.
Within a few minutes, he reached the metallic gate and noticed goblin Grold standing at the entrance.
"Kekeke, are you planning to go somewhere?" A familiar creepy voice came from Grold's mouth as it stared at him with interest.
Meanwhile, Abium bowed his head politely, took out a chaos crystal from his space ring, and gave it to Grold.
"Yes, Sir Grold. I want to return to the Royal Capital." He added.
Meanwhile, the goblin stared at him for a second and snapped its fingers.
Within seconds, Abium noticed that the space around him began to twist and pull him into the space.
As Grold saw him disappearing into the void, it blinked its eyes before smiling.
"Kekeke, Interesting. He is the one who advanced into an official tier, huh?"
Once again, it snapped its fingers.
A small red butterfly came out of the goblin's forehead a second later and started flapping its wings.
Meanwhile, Grold opened its mouth, recited a chant in an unknown language and conjured a few eerily blackish letters out of thin air.
A moment later, the goblin used its spiritual power, moved the mysterious letter towards the butterfly, and let them attach to the butterfly's wings.
After that, Grold opened its mouth once again and spoke.
"Tell Iskax to keep an eye on that elven kid."
As the goblin spoke, the tiny butterfly flapped its wings before creating a small gap in the space and disappeared from there, leaving a ripple behind!
...
Second Layer, Inside the Northern Tower, White Street, Commoners' Borough.
It was around 5. P.M
Suddenly, the large magic circle in the second layer of the Tower flashed with red light, illuminating the surroundings in a dim red glow. A moment later, a humanoid figure appeared in the center of the room.
Abium groaned as he walked towards the metallic door, opened it from inside, and walked out.
Then, he climbed to the first floor through the straight staircase, stepped out of the Northern Tower, and soon noticed a few carriages standing a few yards away from the Tower's entrance.
He hurriedly moved towards the nearby horse-drawn carriage and spoke in an authoritative tone.
"Get me to Nobles Borough."
Meanwhile, the carriage driver got startled by his sudden arrival and almost shouted. After a slight surprise, he hurriedly bowed his head, jumped down from the driver's seat and opened the carriage door along with the silk curtain.
"Please get in, My Lord."
As Abium walked into the carriage, he closed the carriage door, climbed onto the driver's seat, and started driving the carriage.