As Lothur and Annaliese made their way to the Christen family estate, the old supervisor of the exam for 1-star formation masters rushed to the core of the association building.
After arriving at the office of one of his superiors, he soon was face to face with that person to talk about the case of the genius who had shown himself today.
"Philip, I haven't seen you in a while... How is your family?" The man that this old man was looking for got up from his chair and showed one of his hands to this newcomer.
The white-haired old man greeted this superior of his within the Association and commented. "There is nothing new..." He laughed. "At my age, there aren't many adventures left to cause great happiness or sorrow."
"Haha, but you are still young. At 500 years old, there's still a lot to live for in this world!" That fellow who looked younger than Philip said with a good mood, but he was much older than this old man. "Anyway, what brings you here? It's been a while since you last came to my office with no prior scheduling."
"I'm sorry about that. But I just met quite a fellow. I came here to talk about him with you." He saw that man's gestures and sat on a sofa in front of the armchair where such a person sat right after him.
"Oh? So it's not a problem... Is this person that relevant? What did he do to make himself stand out?" He asked in curiosity while playing with his black beard.
Philip then narrated Lothur's achievements in the 1-star formation master exam. "Well, he scored perfect on each test in our evaluation for new members. In the first test..."
"... Finally, he produced an Iron-grade formation with 100% efficiency!" This elderly-looking individual said this with his eyes shining in excitement.
2-star formation masters could replicate Lothur's achievements. But there were not many such individuals of the same age as that young man.
As such, even if Lothur were someone very talented and had already reached the second rank of this profession, his results would be no less impressive.
One way or another, he could be considered a genius, which is why this man was so excited to talk about him with this individual.
"He did all that, huh?" That fellow, another 2-star formation master, only much more powerful than Philip, commented in a low voice, interested in Lothur. "What was the level of that fellow? By the way, don't we already have his record? It's not uncommon for some young men to try to redo their tests to improve their records."
"I couldn't sense his cultivation level. On the surface, he seems to be just a mortal." Philip said without further ado. "As for the record, this was his first time taking tests at our institution."
? The Formation Masters Association used a blood registry, something that had required a drop of Lothur's blood when he registered earlier. Because of this, there was no way this man could be wrong about the silver-haired young man's youth and that this was his first time trying to join the Association.
"That's unusual... But you said you invited him and he refused. So, what can we do? A genius is no big deal if he cannot commit to our cause." This individual shook his head, feeling it was a shame for a talent like that to be wasted on someone without purpose.
"But..." Philip stood up, trying to find his words. "But I think we should try one more time. He seems very young. Maybe he can mature if the Association guides him!"
This old man looked into his superior's eyes and suggested. "He said he didn't want leadership responsibilities. So why don't we give him a chance to be one of us without having big duties? He may change in the future, and in the worst case, we won't lose anything by having him with us!"
The Association, an institution spread all over the continent, had tens of thousands of geniuses in its ranks who received support from it.
Considering this, having an extra one would not make much difference from the point of view of that institution's resources.
On the other hand...
"Besides, he could be our hope for the next movement of powers at headquarters!" Philip clenched his fists in determination.
Like every organization, the Association had its leadership, which changed from time to time. Not only this, but it also had its factions, which could benefit more or less depending on those in command.
Since the position of leader of this organization changed every 100 years, Philip and his superior always had in mind such an event, which could change their lives depending on the results of their posts.
Their post was not Peters City's but Leopoldine's one. All the associations of this profession scattered throughout this state were part of the same faction.
Therefore, bringing a talented young man to their side was the same as strengthening their faction and consequently increasing their chances of success in the following change of association leadership!
Upon hearing such a thing, that man, one of the strongest formation masters of this province, could not help but think more about this situation.
"Sigh..."
"Our rank is already nurturing two other geniuses. So, the most I can do for someone who doesn't want responsibility is to give him access to our library and awards when he does something for the good of the Association." He said, thinking it was worth trying to move this young genius.
Hearing that, Philip smiled, feeling that this was the right choice for the future of all of them, something that did not go against Lothur's wishes but had the potential to bring benefits to them.
"I will go find him and make that offer!" He said before thanking his leader a few more times and leaving in a hurry.
"Lothur, huh?" The black-haired man stood thinking about what he had just heard. 'I think I've heard that name somewhere before... But it must not be the same person.'
'That would be impossible!'
...
While old Philip was proceeding to the Frost estate, the place Lothur had identified as his address, this fellow and Annaliese arrived at the Christen estate.
They were, at this moment, at the entrance of this estate, from where they could see a large mansion of unique style, with many different curves and colors, lit up by formations.
Lothur noticed this as he saw the family's guards overseeing him and Annaliese.
"We were not warned that there would be a companion..." One of them said in a low voice as he looked at Lothur.
Lothur smiled and said. "They didn't tell me that I couldn't bring a companion... So, what are we going to do? If I am prevented from entering just for that, I will leave and not return in the future."
Annaliese continued hugging one of his arms as she watched the expression of those people from this local bourgeois family.
House Frost had no enmity with that organization. But the Christen family did not want to relate to power with so many enemies. After all, they were not nobles, just wealthy merchants.
So to avoid problems, they did not want to allow Annaliese to enter their estate.
On the other hand, talking to Lothur was important to the woman behind the Patchwork House!
"Tsk!"
"Fine, but don't cause trouble, and avoid mentioning that you came here." The lead guard in that place said in a tone that carried his displeasure. "We definitely will deny any involvement with House Frost!"
...