The Vice-Principal said, "Alright, go ahead and put it on. This hat will tell you which path you're destined to excel in."
Anaxa stepped forward, reached out, and picked up the hat. At that moment, the hat twitched and said, "Hello there, adorable newcomer~"
Although the hat had eyes and a mouth, its "eyes" were actually two buttons, and its "mouth" was a crooked, stitched line, giving it an endearingly awkward appearance.
What was truly astonishing was that with just these button eyes and stitched mouth, the hat could actually blink and speak. It continued, "Hurry up and put me on! Let me see what your talents are!"
At Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat essentially used a magic known as Legilimency to read memories and determine which house each student should be assigned to. This made Anaxa wonder if the hat before him might employ a similar method.
Thinking of the worst-case scenario, if this hat—personally crafted by the Headmaster—had any hidden flaws, such as containing secret and dangerous mental suggestion magic, wouldn't that mean the entire Arcane Federation was under his control?
Despite his musings, Anaxa unhesitatingly placed the hat on his head. Whether there was something wrong with it or not, he wasn't afraid.
Immediately, the hat began muttering to itself, "Hmm, let's see what your future holds..."
Time slowly passed—ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds. The entire hall fell into an eerie silence, no one daring to speak. For Anaxa, however, there was no sensation at all, as if he were wearing an ordinary hat.
After a while, Anaxa heard a faint murmur. The hat muttered to itself, "This can't be right... why can't I see your future?"
Finally, the hat quietly announced the test results: "This freshman... possesses no aptitude for any School."
This was hardly surprising. After all, Anaxa wasn't a Wizard to begin with. Whatever magic the hat had used seemed to have no effect on him, naturally failing to produce any results.
But for the Vice-Principal and the bespectacled Teacher standing nearby, this outcome was unprecedented in the history of the Arcane Federation. The Teacher exclaimed in shock, "How is this possible?!"
Among the Eight Great Schools, surely one would stand out as most prominent, most proficient, right? If none did, wouldn't that mean a complete lack of aptitude? Wouldn't that just make him an ordinary person?
Yet anyone who could enter this school, pass the graduation exams, and reach the Sorting Hat for talent assessment must be a genius. How could an ordinary person possibly stand here? This was a paradox, something that should be impossible!
Moreover, Anaxa had recently overturned the Arcane Federation's centuries-old magic theory and casually cast a Disintegrate spell, making the current situation even more perplexing.
Anaxa merely raised an eyebrow, removed the Sorting Hat from his head, and asked with a hint of mockery, "Is this thing even reliable? Could it be like your Arcane Federation's magic theory—wrong for centuries and already broken?"
"How could that be? Are you questioning my... Mmmph!" The hat immediately tried to protest, but Anaxa silenced it with a firm grip. The Vice-Principal, puzzled, asked, "A flawed magic theory? What does that mean?"
The bespectacled teacher quickly explained in concise terms, leaving the Vice-Principal dumbfounded. At this point, Anaxa interjected, "So, I can now freely choose any school I want, right?"
Since Anaxa had already passed the assessment, they couldn't possibly expel him just because he lacked innate talent, could they? The Vice-Principal, still processing the teacher's explanation, nodded numbly and said, "Y... yes, any school is fine. The choice is entirely yours."
After identifying a student's talent, the hat merely offered a recommendation; the school didn't enforce it. However, most students tended to follow the hat's guidance anyway.
Without hesitation, Anaxa declared, "Then I choose the Transmutation School."
In essence, the Transmutation School trained Alchemists, perfectly aligning with Anaxa's expertise. Choosing it was a no-brainer.
Only now did the Vice-Principal turn to Anaxa, asking somewhat cautiously, "So, how exactly did you reduce the Magic Power Loss to below twenty percent?"
Anaxa replied casually, "I'll write a paper about it later. I don't want to waste time here explaining the details verbally."
This technique for reducing Magic Power Loss was merely the cornerstone of Ohema Magical Technology, nothing particularly groundbreaking. It was akin to Newton's First Law in physics. Okhema had already advanced to researching nuclear fusion, so even revealing this concept to the Arcane Federation wouldn't pose any major issues.
Moreover, Anaxa was only sharing a fundamental law, yet in return, he would gain direct access to the Arcane Federation's accumulated knowledge spanning centuries. It was clearly a mutually beneficial exchange.
Although the Magic Power Loss Theory was originally developed by Melly, Anaxa's current appropriation might seem unfair. However, this could be easily remedied: Tribios could later prepare a special meal for Melly as compensation, which she would undoubtedly appreciate.
After choosing their school, the next step was to depart for their respective districts. The Vice-Principal chanted an incantation and cast a spell, summoning an Arcane Gate—a Sixth-Level Conjuration School spell. After conjuring the portal, she stepped through first, with Anaxa close behind. The Glasses Teacher could only watch helplessly, as he had to return to his teaching duties.
The Transmutation Tower, one of the Arcane Federation's Eight Mage Towers, operated on a different educational system than the foundational campuses. Instead of a single teacher overseeing a class, each teacher mentored a small group of apprentices—perhaps two or three, or even a dozen, depending solely on the teacher's preference.
In essence, the relationship shifted from teacher-student to master-apprentice. Thus, newly assessed students' first priority was to find a mentor. Naturally, those with exceptional talent would often be approached by teachers seeking promising disciples.
"Normally, the hat would provide a rating of your innate abilities," the Vice-Principal explained. "The higher the rating, the more eager teachers would be to take you as their apprentice. But all your talent scores are zero... at least, according to the hat's readings. Finding a mentor might be challenging."
"But what's wrong with the hat? It's never malfunctioned before!"