This second assessment tested willpower.
Edward led the more than one thousand people who passed the first assessment into an empty room.
Under everyone's confused and nervous gazes, he took out a bottle of dark purple Potion and smashed it directly onto the ground.
The bottle shattered, and the liquid within, under the effect of a magic spell, rose into a purple mist, quickly filling the entire room.
Everyone was caught off guard and enveloped by the purple mist, inevitably inhaling the purple vapor.
Some reacted quickly, covering their mouths and noses, but even if the purple mist didn't enter through their mouths and noses, it seeped in through exposed skin.
All the assessed personnel in the room quickly fell into illusions, and they forgot that they were undergoing an assessment.
Everyone felt as if they were immersed, having arrived at a Castle and entered a large cauldron for a Wizard transformation.
The scalding, lava-like blood-red Potion made everyone feel excruciating pain, as if their bodies were melting, and the hot Potion drilled into their bodies, burning their internal organs.
Such pain caused countless people to scream, even though Lord Sylas had said that as long as they persevered, they could transform into a Wizard.
But still, many people could not bear such pain, struggling to escape the cauldron or simply falling into a coma.
The next second, those who didn't persevere regained their conscious awareness.
Only then did they realize they were still in the room for the assessment, and the incredibly painful sensation instantly disappeared, like a very real dream.
"Assessment failed, you may leave," Edward's calm and clear voice broke through to those who had not yet recovered from the illusion.
Regardless of their unwillingness or thoughts, those who failed the assessment could only walk out of the room with their heads down.
For a time, the number of people in the room became fewer and fewer, with only a small portion still struggling in the illusion.
Butler Edward and Mayor Graeme were also in the room, but they had used protective spells in advance, so they were not affected by the Potion.
Mayor Graeme looked at those people with pained expressions, immersed in illusions, and asked curiously, "Mr. Edward, what Potion did you just use? Did Lord Sylas give it to you?"
Edward shook his head, his tone somewhat self-satisfied, "This is a confusing Potion I made myself. Of course, Lord Sylas also gave me a lot of guidance. It was specially prepared for this assessment, allowing people to experience firsthand the process we went through when we became Wizards."
Mayor Graeme immediately took a sharp breath, unable to help but feel sympathy for these people for a few seconds.
The pain of transforming into a Wizard still made him shudder when he recalled it, and he even lacked the courage to try it a second time.
And these people being assessed were now going to experience this pain firsthand.
Isn't that too cruel? Aren't you afraid of leaving psychological trauma on these assessed personnel?
As if knowing what Mayor Graeme was thinking, Edward explained again, "Don't worry about them, the confusing Potion will not leave them with side effects. After they wake up, they will be like they had a dream, and they will quickly forget, not remembering the pain at all."
Hearing this, Mayor Graeme also breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, after the confusing Potion wore off, only two hundred and forty people successfully passed the assessment.
Upon receiving this result, Mayor Graeme was clearly not satisfied.
This was only the second round of assessment, and only two hundred and forty people remained.
After the third round of elimination, how many people would be left?
He wanted to increase the number of slots for his city's personnel, but the person in charge of the screening was Butler Edward, so he couldn't show favoritism.
Edward, ignoring Mayor Graeme's thoughts, immediately started the third round of assessment.
Just as everyone who passed the first two rounds of assessment waited nervously for what the third round of assessment would be, Edward didn't make them go through any more trials. Instead, he took out a glass spinning top and slowly walked past the assessment personnel in the first row.
Just as everyone, including Mayor Graeme, was puzzled, Edward paused in front of one man in the first row.
He looked at the slightly glowing spinning top in his hand and announced expressionlessly, "You, eliminated!"
The eliminated person was startled, then showed unwillingness, wanting to say something, but fearing Edward's status, he dared not argue and could only walk out of the line with his head down, heading towards the door.
Mayor Graeme, however, became anxious. Every person from Bree City eliminated meant Hogsmeade profited!
He quickly grabbed Edward, "Mr. Edward, give me a hint. What exactly is this third round of assessment? He didn't do anything, so why is Hal being eliminated? He's a good young man in our Bree City and usually very excellent."
The eliminated young man, who had walked to the door, heard the Mayor's words, paused, and turned around, also wanting an explanation.
Edward glanced at Mayor Graeme, then swept his gaze over everyone present, explaining calmly, "This third round of assessment tests loyalty."
He held up the glass spinning top in his hand, "This is a scrying mirror made by Lord Sylas, capable of discerning people's hearts. Only those most loyal to Lord Sylas can pass the third round and obtain a slot to become a Wizard."
Hearing Edward's words, everyone stirred, looking at the glass spinning top, their thoughts varied.
Mayor Graeme also had no objections now; otherwise, wouldn't they be choosing disloyal people to become Wizards?
And the eliminated person at the door now looked guilty, no longer daring to be disobedient, and quickly lowered his head and fled.
People's hearts vary; even Lord Sylas's subjects are not all loyal and devoted. At most, they are ordinary people who want to cling to the protection of the strong.
If one day Weathertop faced an insurmountable crisis, these people would not have the determination to fight to the death, but rather scatter like monkeys when a tree falls.
And such people actually accounted for a significant proportion.
But it cannot be said that they were wrong, after all, this is the philosophy of survival for many ordinary people.
So, even when Edward used Lord Sylas's special scrying mirror to detect that the person was disloyal, he didn't dwell on it.
After explaining, Edward continued to use the scrying mirror to test each person.
Each assessed person watched the scrying mirror nervously and uneasily, deeply afraid of being found disloyal in their hearts and being eliminated.
Even the most loyal people were somewhat insecure, worrying that their loyalty was not enough.
And Edward was like an emotionless elimination machine. When the scrying mirror in his hand lit up, he mercilessly eliminated a person.
The brightness of each person's scrying mirror was different; some were brighter, some just glowed faintly, barely noticeable if not looked at carefully.
These all depended on their loyalty to Lord Sylas. The less loyal they were, the brighter the glow.
But no matter how faint the glow from the scrying mirror, as long as it glowed, Edward eliminated them without hesitation.
As Lord Sylas's most loyal butler, he would not allow anyone with even a hint of disloyalty to receive his Lord's grace.
And watching the number of people dwindle, Mayor Graeme's face was also filled with worry.
Edward continued to detect. When he came before a middle-aged man, the scrying mirror suddenly became very bright, automatically spun, and emitted a piercing shriek.
Seeing this, Edward's calm eyes instantly turned cold, revealing a sharp edge.