Water Mage in the Flame Realm

"——A little less than seventy percent. So far."

When An Ya delivered this statistic, her expression was completely calm.

Shocked and losing composure? She'd already gone through that when she first received the data results...

So now An Ya was truly unflappable! Not pretending at all.

However, this calm was immediately shattered by Andrew's reaction.

"Oh."

Andrew nodded, even more composed than An Ya.

An Ya: "?"

She couldn't help but furrow her brows, looking at Andrew.

When An Ya works, she is very serious and is definitely not the unconditionally gentle and compliant type.

In her view, letting her current boss — Andrew — know the meaning behind these statistics is part of her job!

The way to do it: Don't say a word, just watch you!

She stared at Andrew until he was slightly taken aback and realized something: "What? Is there a problem?"

Then Ivan interjected eerily from the side: "In top cities like Scholar's Fortress and Warm Fire City, the awakening probability of professionals is about... not even twenty percent."

With a thud.

Andrew plopped from his chair to the floor, then quickly bounced back up, waved a "Water Ball Technique" to soundproof the room, and then let out a sharp scream: "What? Seventy percent? How can the professional awakening rate be so high?!"

An Ya: "..."

Ivan: "..."

Andrew realized his faux pas after shouting: "Ahem, uh, sorry, I'm a bit ignorant."

Yet in his heart, he was gaining a deeper understanding of the tremendous power of his "Enlightenment" magic.

He already had a vision in his mind: In the near future, on the streets of Wildfire Town, professionals were everywhere, mages were as numerous as dogs!

Not to mention what might happen if these professionals are well-organized into a powerful army, the effect they could achieve...

Even if these professionals were left to their own devices, Andrew would still reap considerable benefits!

Because the stronger the quality of the citizens, the greater the magic power increase when spreading and gathering his own magic power through the "Gate of Enlightenment"!

"Currently, when I enter 'Degree State,' the magic power amplification is almost double."

Andrew couldn't help but feel excited, "When these seventy percent 'Potential Professionals' awaken to become 'Apprentice Professionals,' and further become 'Official Professionals,' by how much will my magic power boost increase when I enter 'Degree State'?"

An Ya specifically explained: "Among all town residents showing signs of awakening, those with increased 'Direction Change Rate' make up half; those with increased 'Linear Speed' make up a quarter; and those with significantly increased 'Fire Element Affinity' make up a quarter."

Andrew listened carefully.

A boost in "Direction Change Rate" is a sign of awakening as a Desert Hunter, or Deep Blue Guard.

A boost in "Linear Speed" is a sign of awakening as a Crimson Knight.

An increase in "Fire Element Affinity" is a sign of becoming a Warm Fire Mage. Awakening as an Earth Fire Mage requires not only an increase in fire element affinity but also a synchronous increase in earth attribute affinity.

After listening, Andrew asked: "So, does that mean half are potential Desert Hunters.

The remaining half is equally split between potential Warm Fire Mages and potential Crimson Knights? Is that correct?"

"Yes." An Ya nodded.

"No potential Flame Warriors or Earth Fire Mages?"

"None. Not a single one." An Ya shook her head.

"Then... what about other professional types?" Andrew asked as if casually.

An Ya was taken aback and said: "Other professional types? These are all the professional types... Ah, are you asking if there are any 'Frost Guard' awakeners? There aren't any."

She thought Andrew was asking about the Royal Court's special Frost Guards, like the deceased mayor of Wildfire Town.

Ivan knew: Andrew actually wanted to know if there were any potential Water Mages among the awakeners.

Judging from An Ya's answer, the answer was naturally no.

"Does this suggest that Water Mages are more cursed and restricted than Desert Hunters?" Andrew pondered, "Desert Hunters are cursed never to break through to Tier Nine. Water Mages can't even awaken... Hmph."

The room fell silent for a moment.

An Ya compiled the list, but based on this list, what to do next was Andrew's decision.

Andrew thought for a moment, then instructed: "Copy the list of potential Warm Fire Mages and potential Crimson Knights for Miss Barbara. I'll go ask her to help with some guidance later. Like what to watch out for during awakening, that sort of thing."

This was a very natural arrangement.

Since there are signs of awakening, they should fully engage in what needs to be done during the awakening period. As for training, organizing, and managing after awakening... that's something for later. There's no need to overthink it now. You have to eat a meal one bite at a time, after all.

An Ya acknowledged with a hum and quickly handed over a backup of the list.

Andrew received it and stored it safely.

A moment later, An Ya handed over the list of potential Desert Hunters again.

Andrew, however, received it and immediately passed it to Ivan beside him.

Ivan took it without a word, turned, and immediately walked out. He had already talked to little Sophie about the relevant teachings for the awakening period once before, and now it was just a matter of gathering the people again and saying it again. No big deal.

The door opened and closed.

Andrew remained imperturbable, quietly shifting his magic power from the 'Enlightenment Normal State' to 'Degree State' the instant Ivan left the room.

Cultivate good habits: When the Soul Guard is not around, don't take risks; honestly revert to "Degree State" mode.

Because to be alive is to be able to contribute.

To be alive is to be able to rely on one's own Water Magic to bring happiness to the people of this world.

What Andrew himself hadn't realized was: Becoming a Water Magic Lord not only changed his career path and lifeform, but also quietly altered his mindset.

As a Magic Lord, Andrew knew that his life no longer belonged solely to himself.

Therefore, taking good care of oneself is itself a responsibility to the people of the territory. Only by seriously taking responsibility, leading everyone in the territory towards a better tomorrow, can one gain everyone's trust—trust is the true foundation upon which the magical effects of the "Gate of Enlightenment" can manifest.

An Ya saw the extraordinary tacit understanding now displayed by Andrew and Ivan, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

"By the way."

She suddenly remembered something and handed over a large package of materials, "The meat of the Deep Sea Giant Cactus you asked me to prepare."

This was something Andrew had previously asked her to help with.

The meat of the Deep Sea Giant Cactus was exactly the main ingredient Andrew promised Purple for the preparation of a Magic Potion for the critically ill patients at the Living People Cemetery.

Andrew took the materials and kept them safe.

Then he looked up again, seriously looking into An Ya's beautiful eyes, and said, "Thank you, Sister An Ya! It's truly wonderful to have you as our administrator here in Wildfire Town!"

This was spoken with complete sincerity.

What he didn't say was: What virtues does this newly appointed Water Magic Lord possess to warrant such a dedicated, reliable, and stunningly beautiful woman to manage his territory?

Truly fortunate!

"Why so polite?"

An Ya smiled slightly, "This is what I should do."

After all, she wasn't Barbara, a young girl who had just turned eighteen.

If Barbara heard Andrew say those words, that cold-faced girl would probably blush uncontrollably.

An Ya was just slightly startled, seemingly not expecting Andrew, as a distinguished Mage, to express such words of gratitude to her.

But she quickly returned to her usual demeanor.

It was only after Andrew asked some detailed questions about Wildfire Town's affairs and got up to leave that An Ya watched Andrew's back and quietly said to herself, "The person who should say thank you is actually me."

Andrew had not yet looked closely at the list of potential Warm Fire Mage candidates to be given to Barbara.

Of course, even if he looked, he wouldn't find anything special.

Because An Ya hadn't included her own name on that list.

The effects of "Enlightenment" are quite magical, but they're more of a "trigger," kind of like "Teachers lead you to the door; cultivation relies on the individual."

After receiving the stimulation of the "Enlightenment" magic, the more diligent and proactive a person is, the faster they progress.

Take little Sophie for example—after Aunt Sofia refused Andrew's request, she resolutely sided with Andrew, just a half-grown child, yet insisted on staying by the unconscious Barbara in the tent. Therefore, she showed signs of Professional Awakening the fastest!

However, there was one person whose awakening speed was even faster than little Sophie's.

This person was An Ya.

An Ya went to Baal Town overnight after last night's battle and invited Purple.

Then, on her first day as the administrator of Wildfire Town, she gave Andrew a grand gift: A list of Awakened.

Therefore, she should not be on that list of potential Warm Fire Mages because—

"I have already awakened."

An Ya smiled, her lips curving.

With a lift of her hand, a bright flame appeared in her palm.

Although it was just a small flame, it was lively, cheerful, and full of spirituality!

She was not a potential Awakened.

She had already become a Warm Fire Magic Apprentice.

And a top-tier talent who directly leapt to the "Advanced Apprentice" level upon awakening!

At this moment, the flame in her hand was clearly a nascent form of the "Fireball Technique," not simply Warm Fire Magic.

The reason why she didn't tell Andrew was because she was worried it would affect her work as an administrator.

Compared to cultivation and research, An Ya's interest or work enthusiasm was more in "management."

"Yes, let's continue working beside Andrew purely as a manager, and work well for him, and for everyone in Wildfire Town!"

An Ya easily made a choice that ninety-nine percent of people wouldn't make or even consider.

She truly had no interest in personal power enhancement.

She was the type who wanted to contribute more to the community.

"The only question is..."

An Ya looked down at the flame in her palm, "Why is my magical flame... white?"

She only thought for a moment before shaking her head, "Never mind, it's not important!"

She was indeed the type not fervent about magic, having thought just a moment about the question, "Why is my magical flame white?" before feeling a bit sleepy.

She quickly rubbed her cheeks with her hands and perked up again.

And began to think about what work she should do next.

The work of an administrator.