Wace returned to his room as the formal eptance of his apprenticeship would happen in the evening. It seems that it''s not as simple as ''you''re my apprentice now'' to receive the status of being one.


    They seem to be preparing something.


    Wace even heard from the servants that the apprentices must really be a single before epting this status as the Grand Arcanist''s Apprentice.


    ''Is it that important? Why would they not ept those that aren''t single?.'' Wace can only put this at the back of his mind. Anyway, this should be answered soon.


    He only had to wait for the evening toe.


    As Wace nned to have a chat with Avalon, he heard a knock on his door and as he opened, he saw the smiling Tristan.


    "Come in... So what would you like to talk about?" Wace said after letting him in.


    "Ah... Since I''ll be leaving the Manor, it may be difficult for us to meet in the future. Well, I have a Silver Membership card from our New Era''s Magic Shop, you can have this. There''s an auction about to happen two days from now. I just like to invite you there since there will be a lot of interesting and mysterious objects to be sold at the auction..." Tristan handed the card and trailed his voice as he tempted Wace.


    "Auction?" Wace was a bit confused by this sudden invitation. They only met a few times and couldn''t be called friends at all.


    "Yes. It would be on the 5th floor of the same shop where you saw me. There will be a lot of interesting things there."


    "Mhmm... But why would you invite me? You even gave me this Silver Membership Card. I heard that you have to spend at least 100 or 200 million credits at the magic shop before you can get this card."


    [ 300 million credits. I found records that other apprentices of ine Allusia also received free membership from the New Era''s Magic Shop. Lacus Minerva was noted to have received Gold Membership on the day she was appointed as an apprentice. ] rified by Avalon but only Wace could hear this.


    "Of course, you''re an apprentice of Sir ine so we can do this much."


    Tristan indeed replied matter of factly. His smile doesn''t look like from a thirteen years old kid but from a sly merchant.


    ''Right, if I remember correctly, this Lacus Minerva''s Mana Artifacts were being sold at their shop. It seems that the shop earns a lot due to Cloud Hawk Manor''s craftsmen, huh.''


    Wace could only guess that his status seems to be more convenient than what he had assumed before.


    Anyway, he wasn''t officially an apprentice yet since if that was the case, he should''ve received the reward from the Pathfinder due to the mission he got.


    Previously, Wace was only interested in bing an apprentice of a Grand Arcanist for the sake of his mission and level up his Void Phase but now, it seems to be going a bit more interesting for him.


    "Alright, I''ll ept. But too bad, I don''t have a lot of money with me. So even if there are some interesting things there, I can only watch them." He couldn''t help it. He spent almost all his money on his new factory and for the materials needed for his products. His new Simtion Pods wouldn''t be ready until a couple more weeks so he''s pocket wasn''t really in a good condition.


    "That''s a shame. You can borrow money from your master. He''s super rich."


    Wace smiled wryly upon hearing this.


    "No, I won''t do that. Anyway, that will be a good experience for me so I will attend the auction. Thank you for giving this to me." Wace had only tried an online auction before when he was still capable of connecting to the Dark Net of Gctic Federation. So aside from gaining experience, he wanted to see the event for himself and broaden his horizon about


    "Haha. Is that so? Then let''s meet at the auction. My sister would be there too. Here''s my contact."


    Tristan made sure to leave his details like a professional businessman before going out of the manor.


    ***


    "It''s time. Follow me."


    It was already seven in the evening when Clyne came to his room and brought him to meet the Grand Arcanist.


    Wace was now standing in front of a 5 meter tall and 3-meter wide door. The room was a bitrger than usual. At the same time, he was feeling a bit stuffy just by getting closer to the room. The ce was definitely protected by a higher level of magic.


    "Alright. I can''t enter the room. You can enter now since Sir ine was expecting you."


    Wace nodded and thanked the butler. He pushed open the wooden but tough-looking door and entered therge room.


    The first thing that he noticed within was the Mana Density which almost suffocated him at the first breath.


    The walls were made of an unknown metal. The room was dimly lit and had a vibe of mysteriousness.


    At the center end of the room, he could see ine Allusia''s frame but what was even more amazing was the thing behind him.


    Thud!


    The door closed and at the same time. Avalon warned him.


    [ We have lost connection to the mainframe. ]


    ''Tsk. This is bad.'' Wace immediately understands the situation. The room was isted with a different level of magic that he had never encountered before.


    Although losing Avalon''s connection to his main body won''t cause a problem in itsputing ability, his separated A.I. would take action.


    That''s right, it was programmed to investigate the ce where the connection to Wace was lost.


    It means that the A.I. will send either some automatons, drones or maybe the mech frame if necessary just to find out the problem. It will most likely try to hack any surveince cameras around. In short, it will be dangerous for him and for the city.


    Sigh~


    ''There''s nothing I can do at the moment... I must finish this ceremony as quickly as possible.''


    He couldn''t ask the Avalon some questions like how long will the other part of it take to send investigators as it would surely be noticed by the Grand Arcanist.


    "You look nervous. I''m not scary."


    ine noticed Wace''s expression had suddenly changed after seeing him.


    "Er... I was just surprised at that thing behind you."


    "Haha! I understand how you feel. I was also shocked seeing this for the first time." ine smiled understanding Wace''s current predicament.


    "May I ask what is that thing called?" Wace was curious about the design of the machine.


    "Mhmm... Excited, huh. This is rted to your apprenticeship. The requirements I ced were a bit harsh because it''s not easy to wield these things..."


    "These? So there''s more of this?" Wace just wanted to get more information about it.


    "Yes, all my apprentices have one but there''s a limited number of them."


    Wace was impressed after hearing ine''s answer. It seems that this world was doing good in technological advancement. This is an amazing discovery.


    The Grand Arcanist continued.


    "Alright, thest part you need to be recognized as my apprentice is this."


    ine already stood up beside therge humanoid metal disyed in the room and patted it.


    "This is called an ''Iron Knight''. my gift to you for being my apprentice. You just have to enter andplete the process."


    ine then threw a metal key to Wace. Thetter caught it and understood that it is needed to activate the thing. Wace even heard the notification of Pathfinder about thepletion of his mission. It was definitely his reward for getting a Master.


    He nced at the key he was holding. It seems that the key was the sign of him being an apprentice and this was recognized by the Pathfinder. He ignored the notification for now and focused on his front.


    "Yes... M-master." He was still not ustomed to it.


    Wace looked at the four-meter high humanoid mechanical suit. It resembles a small version of a Mech Frame.


    He and Avalon were sure that this thing had never appeared in public.


    ine smiled and exined the situation as Wace prepared to enter the mechanical suit.


    "Sixty. Our country only has sixty of these Iron Knights. I have acquired 10 of them. I n to give nine of it to my apprentices to continue my legacy."


    Wace was amazed upon hearing this. To acquire thatrge number from the very limited supply tells a lot about the influence of his master.


    "Are we unable to reproduce them?"


    ine shook his head to answer Wace''s question and stayed silent for a while before exining further.


    "We can''t. The blueprint of this Arcane Technology was found in the northern continent and the most important heart or core of these Iron Knights was discovered alongside the blueprint. We have no way to reproduce them. You''ll know a lot more once you activated it. Have a look." ine finally said as he waited for Wace to check the machine.