69novels Page 66
Page 66
The whole process was like an interview. Levin sat at the table, holding a moonstone, with a floating notebook and mechanical pen beside him.
Each time someone came, Levin would have them touch the moonstone, record their name, age, health status, and other basic information, and then ask them a few questions, similar to Muggle psychology tests, to understand the person's general personality. A pen would swiftly record the data.
Then it was the next person's turn.
Because the information to be collected is extremely detailed,
Even though the entire centaur tribe has a population of only a hundred, there are only twenty or thirty centaurs queuing up.
It took Levin about an hour to finally finish interviewing everyone.
This earnest attitude drew nods of approval from the horsemen.
Comrade Levin is a very honest man.
Is Levin really honest?
If Levin himself heard this, he would probably burst out laughing.
Actually, if you're just choosing a Druid apprentice, there's no need to go through all that trouble.
Levin only needs to cast an Appraisal spell to find the one with the highest Perception attribute.
Then test its natural adaptability with moonstone.
Only two conditions are needed to filter out centaurs who can become druids.
Levin's basic data and personality questionnaire actually served another purpose.
In fact, when Margaret sought the druids' help from Levin, Levin already had a clear understanding of the centaur tribe before him:
Short-term partners, long-term subordinate forces.
The reason for conducting such a complex questionnaire is not, as Levin and Margaret said, that only centaurs with suitable personalities can become druids.
Perhaps true druids have such requirements, but Levin personally passed on the tradition, so there wouldn't be so many taboos.
Levin's true intention was to legally assess the younger generation of his future partners and subordinates, so that he could find a foothold to intervene in the centaur tribe at any time in the future.
And, most importantly, choose a druid apprentice whose personality is most "suitable".
After flipping through the notebook, Levin got the answer.
“The one who is qualified to inherit the Druid lineage is Daisy.”
Levin announced this publicly in front of the centaurs, then shouted into the crowd.
“Come here, Daisy, come to me.”
Soon, a half-grown blue centaur emerged from the group of centaurs... and it was a female centaur.
She was about fifteen or sixteen years old in human years, with a beautiful face, rose-red pupils, and a slightly ripe papaya that was faintly visible beneath her bodice.
But what's most captivating is her hair color.
Undeniably, most female centaurs admire human attire and will imitate human women by wearing jewelry and braiding their hair.
No female centaur was as radical as Daisy.
She didn't have any embellishments or braids, but this young centaur had somehow gotten his hands on hair dye from some little wizard and had creatively dyed his hair and tail in rainbow colors.
If this color scheme were worn by an average person, they would most likely be mistaken for a "punk" or "emo" style.
But it looks surprisingly good on her.
When Daisy stood before Levin, the centaurs gasped in surprise.
"How could it be Daisy?"
"Daisy? Her? That rebellious girl?"
"How can a centaur with hair dyed like that be the Son of Oak!"
Even Daisy herself was surprised:
"Mr. Green... are you really going to choose me as your Druid apprentice?"
"of course."
The surrounding centaurs raised even more questions.
"Objection! Objection! Daisy is unworthy to be the Son of the Oak!"
"Son of the Oak, you must be mistaken."
“Son of the Oak, shall we test it again?”
Listening to her compatriots' speeches, Daisy's eyes were filled with sadness and insecurity.
Even Margaret couldn't help but run to Levin's side:
“Mr. Levin, it’s not that I doubt you, but can Daisy really become the Child of the Oak? I mean, are you mistaken?”
Daisy herself hesitated and said:
"Are you sure you didn't mispronounce my name...? I mean, there are clearly many centaurs who would be more suitable than me..."
She was interrupted by Levin halfway through her sentence.
“I know better than anyone who is more suited to be a druid! In my heart, whether it’s talent or personality, you, Daisy, are the best candidate to become a druid. I firmly believe that.”
"But if you don't believe in yourself, you can choose to give up your spot and I'll choose someone else."
Daisy looked down at Levin.
From the boy's eyes, she could sense his trust, approval, and a barely perceptible hint of disappointment.
She, who had almost given up on herself, suddenly began to hate her own cowardice and self-doubt.
Why can't I be as confident in myself as I was when I chose to dye my hair rainbow colors?
Last time, I was isolated and helpless in the tribe.
But this time, someone actually believed in him!
She suddenly felt a strong urge to avoid disappointing the boy in front of her.
So she raised her head and said firmly, "No, I believe in myself. I want to become a druid!"
"Great! Then come with me."
Levin smiled with satisfaction, grabbed her hand, and led her toward the stone circle.
The other centaurs could only watch them depart with complex expressions of envy and disappointment.
"That, thank you."
"On the way to the center of the stone circle," Daisy whispered.
"What are you going to thank me for?" Levin asked, puzzled.
“I want to thank you for choosing me and for believing in me…” Daisy looked at the wizard, her gaze intense.
“That’s because you’re the most suitable person to be a druid,” Levin said, waving his hand.
“But I’m still very grateful for your trust.” Daisy shook her head and said solemnly, “It’s really important to me.”
Then, she began to tell Levin about her past.
Perhaps because she had been holding it in for too long, she said a lot in one breath.
"Before that, no one had ever treated me like that. I didn't like gathering, I didn't like sewing, and I especially didn't like being coy and dressing up; I wanted to run, I wanted to participate in the hunt, I wanted to do things that weren't typical 'horsewoman' things, but no one in the tribe supported me."
“They all laughed at me, accusing me of breaking the traditions of the centaurs and being a bad colt.”
“Once, I thought, since they criticize me like this, I might as well go along with them and go even further. So I used the herbs I had secretly collected to exchange for a few bottles of hair dye from the little wizard in the castle, and then used them all on my hair and tail.”
No wonder her hair and tail looked like a rainbow; I thought she dyed it on purpose.
"After that, there were even more centaurs accusing and ostracizing me, but I didn't care about them. I liked the way they got angry when they saw my hair!"
"However, even so, I still couldn't do what I wanted to do, and could only follow the other centaurs and do those hateful jobs... until you chose me."
At this point, she looked at Levin gratefully.
"So, thank you, Mr. Green."
“It’s all over now, Daisy.” Levin patted her shoulder—the highest point he could reach—and comforted her, “As a druid, you’re a big shot in the tribe, with enough power to control your own destiny.”
"At that time, you can freely choose to hunt with male centaurs, run freely on the grasslands, and even do things that centaurs cannot do!"
"Mmm!" Daisy's eyes filled with tears after hearing Levin's words.
She has waited too long for this day.
"Finally, before bestowing upon you the power of the druid, I must tell you in advance that there are some rules and precautions to take when becoming a druid..."
“I know, Mr. Green. I will definitely follow the rules and remember to dye my hair and tail back.”
Before Levin could finish speaking, Daisy spoke up.
She knew very well that since Levin had helped her break free from the shackles of the centaur tribe's traditions, she naturally had to abide by his requirements and rules.
Even if the other party has many or strict demands, it is still much better than the oppressive days in the centaur tribe.
However, after hearing her ingratiating words, Levin was first taken aback, then shook his head, both amused and exasperated.
“I’m sorry, Daisy, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not talking about the rules you’re thinking of.”
"I just want to tell you that the most basic taboo for becoming a druid is to love nature and not to do anything that disrupts the balance of nature, otherwise you might be abandoned by the power of nature 2.9. But I believe that as a centaur, you would not do that, right?"
"Furthermore, considering your mental state and receptiveness, I will not teach you all the Druid skills at once. You will only be able to learn the most basic parts at the beginning."
"But I will come to test and examine you from time to time. Only when your mastery of druidic power reaches the standard will I teach you advanced powers."
Realizing that the other party's so-called rules weren't the kind of constraints I had imagined, I realized I had been judging them by my own petty standards.
Daisy felt guilty and sad.
"I...I'm sorry, Mr. Green, I misunderstood."
"Haha, it's okay, Daisy. I understand your lingering fear."
Levin patted her shoulder again, in a manner incongruous with his age, and comforted her:
"Don't worry, Daisy, I don't have so many rules here, so many things you can't do. My only requirement is that you study this power well and grow up quickly."
"I understand, Mr. Green, I won't let you down!"