RE: LORD OF TIME

Throughout the Silver Wing Kingdom, the Aether Affinity Test was conducted once every six months, meaning there were two tests each year.

According to the Eastern Empire’s calendar, a year consisted of twelve months, with each month having thirty days.

The first Aether Affinity Test was held on the 5th of January at the beginning of the year, while the second was conducted on the 1st of July.

However, although the test was held twice a year, academies recruited new students only once a year—in July.

William had turned sixteen in February, causing him to miss the first Aether Affinity Test in January.

Fortunately, that did not delay his enrollment because every academy in the Silver Wing Kingdom accepted new students only in July.

Even those who passed the January test had to wait several months before they could enter an academy.

The four carriages moved smoothly along the wide road as William and the others looked out through the windows at the bustling crowds outside.

They were currently passing through the market district, so both sides of the road were lined with all kinds of stalls and shops.

William was also looking out the window, but his mind was completely elsewhere.

’If I remember correctly, we should be heading to the Evaluation Center right now...’ He thought as he gazed at the towering building in the distance.

Richard’s duty was to escort the tested individuals to the City of Vance.

The City of Vance was extremely large, covering an area of nearly one hundred and fifty thousand square miles.

Other than the Sun and Moon Academy, there were many other academies here as well.

However, none of them could compare to the Sun and Moon Academy.

All the other children who had traveled with William would choose one of those academies for their future studies.

Richard was currently bringing them to the Evaluation Center, where their Aether Affinity would be tested once again.

Once it was confirmed that there were no mistakes in their previous test results, they would receive the qualification to enroll in the academy of their choice.

Soon, the four carriages came to a stop in front of a tall building with a plaque reading Evaluation Center hanging above its entrance.

"I appreciate you all coming this far to help me," Richard said to the four carriage drivers, who were actually Baron Xing’s guards and had accompanied them to ensure their journey remained safe.

"This is a small token of my appreciation."

He handed each of them a pouch of coins, and none of the four drivers refused.

"It was our honor to be of assistance, Lord Richard," They replied with respectful bows.

After exchanging a few more words, they departed with the carriages.

Richard then turned toward the fifteen children, including William, and explained why they had come here.

"Once your Aether Affinity Test results have been verified, the people at the Evaluation Center will send you to the academy of your choice."

As he spoke, he looked at Abel and handed him a letter.

"Your task has also been completed. Hand this letter to the Task Center, and you will receive your reward."

"Thank you, Lord Richard," Abel said with a slight bow as he accepted the letter.

However, he didn’t leave immediately and instead looked at William.

"Junior, you are planning to join the Sun and Moon Academy, right?"

William nodded.

"Then I will wait for you. Once your evaluation is complete, I will personally take you to the academy."

"Thank you for your help, Senior," William replied with a nod, accepting Abel’s offer.

"Come with me."

Richard led William and the others inside the building.

Because the Aether Affinity Test had recently been conducted throughout the kingdom and the academies were currently recruiting new students, the building was crowded with people who had come for the same purpose as William and the others.

Richard walked to the front counter and greeted the middle-aged man standing behind it.

Since Richard frequently visited the Evaluation Center to escort students back to the city, he was already quite familiar with the man.

Within a few minutes, he had completed the necessary procedures and led the group to the second floor.

The second floor was filled with employees busily retesting the students brought by different Overseers.

One of the employees who was currently free approached Richard’s group and led them into a vacant room.

Inside the room, there was nothing except an Energy Crystal used to test Aether Affinity.

The employee began retesting each member of the group while comparing the results with the information Richard had submitted to ensure there were no discrepancies.

When it was William’s turn, the crystal once again shone with a brilliant purple light that was almost crimson.

The employee was visibly surprised by the result and couldn’t help clicking his tongue in envy.

After the Aether Affinity Test was completed, the employee asked Richard whether there was anything special about any of the fifteen children.

Among everyone present, the only one with something noteworthy was William—a person who supposedly possessed a Legendary-grade trait.

The information about the trait had already been added to William’s records.

Of course, it was only recorded as an unconfirmed report and not officially verified.

Once everything was finished, all fifteen children, including William received their evaluation letters from the employee.

"You can all wait in the reception hall downstairs," The employee said as he led them out of the room. "Once enough students have gathered, we will send everyone to their respective academies together."

Other than William, who planned to leave early with Abel, everyone nodded before heading back down to the reception hall.

"All of you should work hard after entering the academy and never slack off," Richard said to the group once they were back to ground floor.

Everyone nodded before entering the reception hall to wait until enough students had gathered to be transported to their respective academies.

Richard then looked at William, who was still standing there, and patted him on the shoulder.

"You have excellent talent. But remember, talent can only display its true potential if you work hard."

"Thank you for your advice, Lord Richard. I will remember it," William replied with a respectful bow.

"Hmmm..." Richard nodded before waving his hand.

"Go on. Abel is still waiting for you outside."

William nodded and left the Evaluation Center.

"Junior, you are done."

As soon as he stepped outside, William saw Abel standing beside a carriage, waving at him.

While William had been completing his evaluation, Abel had already hired a carriage since the academy was quite far from the Evaluation Center.

"Get in. It will take us about half an hour to reach the academy," Abel said as he stepped into the carriage first.

William followed him inside and as soon as they were seated, the carriage started moving and headed deeper into the city.

They encountered no delays along the way, and roughly half an hour later, they finally arrived at their destination.

As the carriage came to a stop and William slowly stepped out, a massive crimson entrance came into view. Across its arch, the words Sun and Moon Academy were boldly inscribed, radiating an imposing aura.