“Sacred Selection? Sister Sela, what is that?”
Selina blinked and looked at Sela.
Sela explained: “The Sacred Selection is a ceremony that all Imperial citizens must undergo when they turn 5 years old. At that time, specialized personnel will visit towns and cities with crystal balls that can test talents, conducting talent tests for children aged 5 and above. If someone with outstanding talent appears, they will receive focused training from the Empire and the Church. The routes are planned in advance, and each town is visited roughly once every five years. The children tested range from 5 to 9 years old. It is rare to see a child who hasn’t been tested by age 10.”
Selina suddenly understood.
“For many years, it was Prefect Robert who was in charge of the Sacred Selection in this area. May I ask what happened to Prefect Robert?” the priest asked respectfully.
Dikara said: “Watch your words. He should now be called Lord Robert. He finally made it and was promoted to Vice Bishop of the Central. From now on, I will replace him for the Sacred Selection in this area. Remember well, my name is Dikara.”
“Understood, Lord Dikara. I will now gather the children over 5 years old in the town.”
“No need for that trouble. My men have already gone to gather them.”
Laite was stunned.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps came from outside.
Laite paced out and pushed open the door.
He saw the Prefect’s two deputies leading dozens of children.
Looking around, he found the footsteps came from three tall knights behind the children.
They were clad in thick silver armor, with a balance emblem on their pauldrons telling their identity, and the scars on their armor seemed to tell their stories.
“I remember that in the past, the accompanying Imperial personnel were always civil officials from the Tribunal. Why are there suddenly three Order Knights this time?”
Order Knights?
A new term appeared in Selina’s ears.
She looked at the three huge tin cans.
They looked a bit like Space Marines from Warhammer 40K.
This appearance was truly the heaviest of heavy-armor knights.
“Two 6th-rank and one 7th-rank. For just a Sacred Selection, is this really such a big deal?”
Sela also showed a puzzled expression.
Dikara said: “Looks like it frightened you. Not long ago, there was an incident where a crystal ball was stolen. Although this thing is expensive, it only has one use: testing talents. Since it’s an ancient relic, if one is lost, it cannot be replaced. The Empire has increased its security measures, and for such itinerant Sacred Selections, the original Tribunal members have been replaced with Order Knights.”
Selina curiously stared at the three big iron cans.
The thick shields were thicker than her own arm.
The runes engraved on them she could not read, but she could fully feel the pure magic contained within.
When she grew up, she must absolutely not mess with these iron cans.
“Are all the children over 5 years old here?”
Dikara asked Laite.
“Wait, Lord Prefect. I’ll go get the roster for this Sacred Selection.”
Laite said, then hurriedly ran behind the podium and took out the small booklet.
He then began to verify the number of children against the roster.
Selina walked over to Laite, jumped up to glance at it, and saw that many names had been crossed out.
This reminded her of the couple who had tried to adopt her but failed.
Although there was magical support, the infant survival rate in this medieval setting was not very high.
After a moment, Laite finished counting the children and said: “I’ve finished counting. Everyone is here.”
After speaking, he glanced at the parents who were blocked outside by the three knights, their faces full of anticipation.
If their child could test with high talent, the whole family would soar to success.
However, Dikara didn’t hold much hope for these country children.
The probability of a genius appearing in such a remote area was next to nothing.
One blue in twenty years was considered lucky, and purple was even rarer.
The vast majority were white or yellow talents.
Those with white talent would live as commoners and farm the land here for a lifetime.
Those with yellow talent would receive a recommendation to join the local soldier corps.
Blue talent could become part of the reserve knights.
Purple talent would receive focused training and become the backbone guarding the Empire.
But the test still had to be done.
The Empire’s operation still relied on these white and yellow talent individuals.
Dikara swept his gaze over the children ranging from 5 to 9 years old, then turned around to look at Laite and the church members of this town.
Just as he was about to give orders to prepare for the test, his gaze was unconsciously drawn to a certain blonde girl.
Unlike those nervous little brats, Dikara saw composure and calm in her eyes.
“What’s the situation with that girl?”
“Reporting to Your Excellency, this child was adopted by us. She hasn’t turned 5 yet.”
“She’s 4 years old, right?”
Laite wiped cold sweat and replied: “Yes, that’s correct.”
“How far is she from 5?”
“Well, since she was found, we don’t know the exact details.”
Laite scratched his head.
Although he also liked this child, due to his busy priestly duties, he rarely learned about her.
He mostly heard about her from Manila.
Dikara strode directly in front of Selina, crouched down to be at the same eye level, and asked: “Little girl, what’s your name?”
“Selina.”
Selina replied flatly.
Dikara adjusted his glasses and continued: “Let me ask you, how far are you from 5?”
“Everyone treats the day I was found as my birthday. Calculating now, about two months left.”
“Two months, huh. By the time I come next, she’ll probably be 9. But this kind of thing happens often. Let’s make a small exception and test her together.”
Dikara waved to his two deputies, and soon an iron box was brought out.
Selina noticed that the three people were all carrying similar bags.
Considering the theft incident he mentioned earlier, two of the bags should be decoys.
As the real crystal ball was taken out, the three Order Knights immediately went on alert and quickly surrounded the church exit.
Their tall figures and imposing helmets created a pressure that prevented the watching parents from daring to step forward.
One of the Order Knights stepped inside the church.
He took off his helmet, revealing a slightly frightening face.
Some children started crying when they saw his face.
Selina curiously examined this Order Knight.
He seemed to be the captain of the three-man squad.
The scars on his face all represented his past experiences.
He said: “Now we will begin the Sacred Selection. Line up! Under the witness of the Goddess’s Prefect and the Emperor’s Knight, I declare the Sacred Selection officially begins. Line up and come one by one. Start from the tallest.”
The children quickly formed a line.
The Order Knight put his helmet back on, probably because his appearance scared the children.
Selina gave him another look.
Though his appearance was fierce, his heart was quite gentle.
“White, white, white. Hmm? Yellow. This one is not bad. What’s your name?”
“My name is Aodebiao, sir!” said the slightly chubby 8-year-old boy.
“Okay, I got it. Kid, let me ask you, which one will you choose, the Church or the Empire?”
“Of course the Empire! My father’s leg was injured by a monster. I want to become a knight, drive away the monsters, and let everyone be free from monster attacks!!!”
“Hmm, a very good ambition. Lao Cui, give him the letter of recommendation.”
The Order Knight was taken aback.
This was the child who had been scared to tears by him earlier.
After hesitating for a moment, he searched his bag and pulled out a letter of recommendation.
The boy also mustered his courage, walked up to the knight, took the letter of recommendation, and showed a happy expression on his face.
Selina seemed to hear the knight sigh, but it was very faint through the helmet.
According to her expectation, such letters of recommendation were mass-produced.
You could say there were as many as you wanted.
But the boy was very happy.
Selina didn’t know how high the casualty rate for common soldiers was, but from the knight’s reaction, it wasn’t low.