"Never mind them — at best, they're third-grade apprentices!"
Lannuo said with disdain.
"Mm! That's true. For wizard studies, aptitude is more important!" Leilin agreed.
Though he found it somewhat ridiculous that these youngsters had already begun forming factions, he naturally chose the course of action that best served his own interests.
Among the apprentices, Jiamen had independent means to rely on, but Leilin didn't have such remarkable talent — he could only join a group. And when comparing options, the circle that quietly revolved around
"Haha… welcome! Welcome! With you joining us, our group grows even stronger. One day, I'll make that person regret it!" Kreweir said through gritted teeth.
Afterward, the group agreed to meet again that evening and dispersed to their respective cabins.
"Beilu, what did you mean earlier about not being on the same continent?" Leilin sought out the easygoing and warm-spirited Beilu. He'd been mulling over those words.
"Uh… well, you know, this continent of ours is actually quite small. Out in the wider world, it's known as the Keli Archipelago!"
"Archipelago??" Leilin's jaw dropped. Based on his half-year of travels, he was almost certain this landmass was at least as large as the Eurasian continent of his previous life — and yet it was merely an island group?
"Oh! My apologies — geography has always been my weak point. It used to drive my tutor absolutely furious!" Leilin explained.
In truth, the Farell family was only a viscount household with a short lineage. They simply didn't possess the deep heritage of a great noble house, so not knowing these things was perfectly normal.
"Haha!" Hearing Leilin's confession, Beilu burst into a cheerful laugh. "Same here! I've driven away five different etiquette tutors over the years! Eventually, my father offered a salary of ten gold coins per month and still nobody would take the job. This bit about the archipelago was something my father specifically told me before we departed!"
"So, to continue what I was saying — we're in the Keli Archipelago, and out there, there's another place called the Desert Archipelago!"
"Desert?" Leilin frowned. "There seem to be plenty of people here, and quite a few duchies too. Does 'desert' mean certain resources are scarce?"
"Exactly! For the Keli Archipelago, the local climate, environment, and possibly other factors have made it so this land can no longer produce the resources that wizards need. Apart from apprentices with no hope of advancement and wizards who've chosen to retire in seclusion, you'll hardly find any other trace of wizards on this continent!"
"I see!" Leilin nodded. Legends of wizards circulated in his hometown, but in the entire Farell family, only that old ancestor had ever laid eyes on a wizard — which spoke volumes about their rarity.
"But across the sea, where we're headed, lies the true continent! I've heard that not only does it have all manner of wizard resource sites, but also countless hidden ruins, laboratories, and other remnants. In every region, academies and schools have formed through the exchange of arcane scholarship!"
"On that continent, wizards aren't just legends! Though still rare, even ordinary people might encounter one! It's only there that we can truly pursue wizard studies!" There was unmistakable longing in Beilu's eyes.
"Oh, I see! What's that continent called?" Leilin asked again.
"I don't know!" Beilu shook his head. "That continent is far too vast! It's never had a single unified name. The place we're heading to is a long, narrow strip on the southern side of the continent, called the South Coast! The South Coast alone is several times larger than our entire Keli Archipelago!"
"Hssss!!!" Leilin drew in a sharp breath.
"It's that big???"
"This world is boundless — the higher you stand, the farther you can see! That's something a bard I'm very fond of once said," Beilu concluded.
"Thanks for the explanation! I think I need some time to digest all of this!" Leilin took his leave of Beilu and headed to the wooden cabin that was his assigned quarters.
A sheet of iron was nailed to the yellowed wooden door, bearing the symbol of the number "9." It was slightly rusted.
He pushed the door open, and a wave of musty, foul-smelling air rushed out alongside a cloud of dust.
Leilin couldn't help but sneeze twice.
"It looks like this is just a temporary base — pretty bare-bones!" Inside the cabin, there was nothing besides a wooden bed and a chair.
Leilin found a rag, wiped down the chair, and sat on it.
Creak!! Creak!! The yellow wooden chair groaned under the strain, making Leilin worry it might splinter apart at any second.
"Good thing I'm only staying one night! Conditions or not, I'd better tidy up first!"
Leilin patted the dust off his clothes and stepped out of the cabin. He had already arranged to meet George and his other friends, and now that his academy selection was settled, he ought to go tell them so they could exchange letters in the future.
Leilin and his batch of apprentices were actually on the later side. By the time every apprentice on his carriage had chosen an academy, the recruitment tents of the various institutions had grown nearly deserted, the whole area looking rather desolate.
"Nine-Ring White Tower — this is it!" Leilin made his way to the apprentice residential area behind the main grounds and stopped a familiar-looking girl from his carriage.
"Leisi, hi! Do you know where George is?" Leisi was a red-haired girl who had developed early; even now, her graceful curves were clearly visible.
"L-Leilin!" Leisi flushed slightly. During the carriage ride, Leilin had stepped in several times to save a number of apprentices, and this girl had taken quite a liking to him.
"George is in Room 13! I'll go get him for you!" Leisi hiked up her skirt hem and darted off.
Smelling the faint fragrance of perfume in the air, Leilin felt his heart skip a beat.
"Leilin!" His daydream was quickly interrupted by a surprised voice.
George had clearly bathed, changed into fresh clothes, and shaved his beard — he looked quite sharp now.
"So, have you picked a school?" George clapped Leilin heartily on the shoulder.
"Done — Black Bone Forest Academy!" Leilin answered.
"Black Bone Forest, huh!" George rubbed his chin. "From what the senior girls told me, it seems to be a school famous for shadow and necromancy-type spells! I hope you won't cry yourself to sleep because of skeletons!"
"Senior girls?" Leilin shook his head, raising his opinion of George's flirting skills yet another notch.
"Heh heh… everyone who came to take the apprentice test is from a noble family, and I just happen to know one — a distant cousin of mine!" George grinned slyly, wearing an expression like he'd hit the jackpot.
"As for skeletons, I think you can see them not just at night, but during the day too!" Leilin laughed bitterly. Not long ago, he had just completed his enrollment contract under the watchful gaze of a skeleton frame.
"Anyway, now that you know the place, let's keep in touch from now on!" George dropped his earlier joking manner, his expression turning sincere.
"Let's keep in touch!" Leilin nodded.
"Oh, right! Do you know where Besta went?" George suddenly asked.
"Besta?" Leilin shook his head.
Ever since the Scavenging Wolf pack attack, this always lively and beautiful girl had grown much more quiet, though she had managed to hold on until now.
"Mm! I heard from the others — her aptitude is poor, second class only, so she got into the Wetland Garden!"
"Got it. Thanks!" Leilin had absolutely no interest in this girl.
She might have been the woman his predecessor was deeply infatuated with, but to him, a girl of thirteen or fourteen was still a child! The few previous encounters had been nothing more than a child's mischief.
"Well? Feeling like it's a shame you didn't manage to get with her…?" George switched back to his sly, leering grin.
"Get lost…"
After an hour or two, the sky had grown completely dark, and Leilin joined the other apprentices at the Black Bone Forest grounds to enjoy the dinner provided by the academy.
The food spread was quite lavish — since they would be leaving tomorrow, the school was being generous in this regard.
There was all manner of fruit wines and spirits, fragrant roast goose, caviar, truffles, and fruit salad — a feast that opened Leilin's appetite wide after having eaten nothing decent since setting foot on the grasslands.
The apprentices split into several clusters to eat and drink. A glance from the corner of Leilin's eye revealed the skeletal instructor
"We're incredibly lucky to have gotten a fifth-rank aptitude apprentice in our cohort!"
Beilu tore off a roast goose drumstick and took a vicious bite.
"Ever since Jiamen arrived, Instructor Duolote has had several private talks with him — who knows what they're discussing?"
"During the apprentice stage, good aptitude has a decisive impact on
Kreweir's voice turned cold. Beilu swallowed a gulp of juice, quickly lowered his head, and fixed his eyes on the roast goose.
"For Wizards, aptitude is important, but it isn't everything. Only the accumulation and deepening of knowledge is the driving force behind a Wizard's constant advancement!"
Another third-rank aptitude apprentice chimed in to add.
That was all well and good in theory, but watching Jiamen chatting and laughing with the instructor off to the side, the mood in their little circle immediately sank. Everyone ate their food in silence, their appetites gone.
"Haha…
On the other side, in the circle formed by the low-aptitude apprentices, Gulicha sat in the center, apparently recounting an adventure story.
He was a gifted speaker with a humorous tone. Niss and Duoduo Li'er clutched their bellies and giggled nonstop, like two cheerful larks.
In comparison, this side was downright dreary.
Everyone exchanged glances, craning their necks and pricking up their ears to listen. Only Kreweir maintained his proud, aloof expression.
Seeing that even Lannuo, a fourth-rank aptitude apprentice, looked like he desperately wanted to go listen but was too shy to do so, Leilin laughed inwardly.
"At the end of the day, they're still just kids!"
Dinner came and went. After bidding each other farewell, everyone returned to their own quarters.
After the simple cleaning he had done that day, Leilin's wooden cabin was barely habitable — at least there wouldn't be quite so much dust.
Leilin lay down on the bed without even taking off his clothes, staring blankly at the ceiling with unfocused eyes, as if lost in a daze.
"I've finally entered the Academy! The path of Wizard cultivation has opened its doors to me at last!"