After looking around, Pei Ze had a general idea of the situation.
The tasks on the plaza could mainly be divided into three categories.
The first category was miscellaneous tasks.
These included cleaning laboratories, tending to medicine gardens, serving as a teaching assistant for Meditation classes, and so on.
This type of task was the easiest and simplest, with a high degree of safety. However, they were long-term, and the rewards were underwhelming.
A seven-day task often yielded only about 10 contribution points, just enough to buy two Spirit Storage Grass Leaves.
The second category was experiment-related tasks.
They usually involved only one thing: assisting a Wizard with an experiment.
Not only were these tasks short, but the pay was also temptingly high.
A single day's work could earn 50 contribution points.
However, from what Pei Ze observed, very few people accepted these tasks.
As for the reason, he didn't have to think hard to figure it out.
It all came down to the uncertainty and high risks involved in experiments.
It was said that during the Dark Age, many Wizards who lacked test subjects would lure apprentices with high pay to assist in experiments, leading to the deaths or mutations of many.
In that era, the number of Wizard Apprentices who died in Wizards' experiments was no less than the number who died in combat.
However, over the subsequent tens of thousands of years, as the transmission of knowledge became more refined, Wizards no longer needed to rely on human experimentation. Many dangerous experiments were gradually outlawed.
Even when they truly needed test subjects, Wizards preferred using slaves captured from the Colonization Planes for their experiments, rather than wasting their own apprentices.
Nowadays, the risks for experiments requiring an apprentice's assistance were generally very low.
Of course, low risk wasn't the same as no risk.
Any experiment had the potential for an accident.
Therefore, unless an apprentice was desperately short on money, none were willing to risk their lives for an experiment-related task.
Pei Ze was no exception. He skipped right over these tasks without a second glance.
The final category was combat tasks.
As the name suggested, these were tasks that required combat, including guarding a mining area or medicine garden outside the city, clearing monsters out of a mine, or hunting down dangerous creatures in the wilderness.
These tasks were the most dangerous, but the rewards were usually substantial, starting at a minimum of 100 contribution points.
After a moment's hesitation, however, Pei Ze decided against them.
He had yet to master a single magic. Relying solely on his Knight-level physique to take on such a task was no different from suicide.
The only ones who dared to take on combat tasks were either Third-level Wizard Apprentices or Second-level Wizard Apprentices who owned Magic Items.
'Looks like I'll have to choose a miscellaneous task.'
Pei Ze shrugged in resignation and began to browse the tasks.
But just then, his eyes suddenly froze on something.
'Task No. 877'
'Task: Tend to Medicine Garden No. 8. Duration: 7 days.'
'Requirements: Mastery of the following subjects: Plant Cultivation, Basic Alchemy, Supernatural Material Identification, Natural Philosophy, and Rare Botany. Must also be proficient in the 'Plant Spirit Light' magic.'
'Reward: 50 Contribution Points.'
Among the many miscellaneous tasks that offered a mere 10 contribution points, this one stood out like a crane among chickens. Its reward was a full five times higher than the others!
'Fifty contribution points... The reward is high, but the requirements are also very strict,' Pei Ze mused.
Of the five required subjects, Basic Alchemy and Rare Botany were both advanced courses. Aside from apprentices who specifically aimed to become Alchemists, most students would only have a superficial understanding and never study them in depth.
As for Plant Spirit Light, it was a type of Zero-Circle Magic used to accelerate plant growth.
By the same token, no one except aspiring Alchemists would bother learning such a magic, as it was of little use for increasing one's personal power.
And those who were determined to become Alchemists usually came from wealthy families, so they would never deign to take on such a task.
The apprentices who were interested didn't meet the requirements.
This created an awkward stalemate.
'No wonder this task has been up for so long with no takers.'
Pei Ze smiled faintly. He couldn't speak for others, but this task was perfect for him.
He had never studied the two advanced subjects, but that didn't matter. With his Eye of Omniscience, as long as he found the right books in the library, he could master them in minutes.
The Plant Spirit Light magic, however, would take some time to analyze and master.
After a moment of thought, Pei Ze quickly made his decision.
He would take this task!
The task would last for seven days, and the reward could be exchanged for seven days' worth of Spirit Storage Grass Leaves. He could even save the rest to buy a magic model. This task was definitely worth doing!
But before he could do that, he first had to learn Plant Spirit Light.
'I only have 7 Gold Coins left. I'm still 13 short of what I need to buy Plant Spirit Light.'
Pei Ze's brow furrowed. Money really was a huge problem.
Just then, a voice called out from behind him.
"Pei Ze."
Pei Ze turned to see a group of people standing behind him.
Five men and three women, all of them familiar faces. They were the group from Class 3 who had been promoted to Wizard Apprentice before him.
The young man in the lead was Shao Hong, whose aptitude in Class 3 was second only to Cheng Li's.
"Long time no see, Pei Ze."
Shao Hong raised a hand in greeting. The genuine smile on his face gave off a disarming sense of friendliness.
Pei Ze remained unconvinced, however.
As far as he could remember, he and Shao Hong had barely exchanged a few words, and Shao Hong had never been this friendly to him before. This sudden change in attitude was clearly because of his new status as a First-level Wizard Apprentice.
It was a classic case of treating people differently based on their status.
Still, you don't slight someone who's being friendly, so Pei Ze returned the greeting.
"Long time no see."
"I heard you'd been promoted to Wizard Apprentice, so I figured you'd come check out the mission area. I came looking for you, and here you are," Shao Hong said with a smile.
"Did you need something?" Pei Ze asked.
Shao Hong's expression grew serious. "We're here to invite you to join our society."
"A society," Pei Ze repeated, raising an eyebrow.
The so-called societies were groups formed by the apprentices themselves for mutual aid and to exchange knowledge and insights.
High Tower Academy had a long-standing tradition of such societies.
A few of the most outstanding ones had even been around for hundreds of years.
The Shadow Snake Society, the Wisdom Society, and the Rose Society, for instance, were all famous, well-established societies in the academy that had attracted countless exceptional Wizard Apprentices.
In addition, many new societies founded by incoming students would also spring up each year.
Of course, for various reasons, these new societies rarely lasted more than a couple of years, and would often fall apart before long.
"We're all from Class 3, and we know each other pretty well, so we decided to form our own society," Shao Hong explained. "We can exchange knowledge and information, and also prepare for the upcoming trial together."
"Trial?" Pei Ze raised an eyebrow, curious. "What trial?"