Day thirty.
The early morning sunlight filtered through the clouds and spilled onto the deck, coating the pale white bones in a layer of pale gold.
Ethan sat cross-legged on the stone bed and slowly opened his eyes.
After a full night of cultivation, the Life Seed within his body had become a bit more solid. He could feel the warm life energy flowing through him more smoothly; his muscles, bones, internal organs—every cell was being nourished and strengthened.
He wasn't far from the mid stage of a Great Knight.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking echoed.
Ethan's gaze sharpened.
On this airship, there was only one person who would knock on his door.
He stood up and pulled open the half-height low door.
It was the Spirit Bone Guard.
However, compared to their last meeting, its soul fire seemed slightly brighter.
"Prepare," the Spirit Bone Guard's voice echoed directly in his mind. "We are about to arrive at the academy."
Ethan's pupils constricted slightly.
It had been a month.
Finally, they were here.
Ethan walked to the edge of the deck and looked down.
The scene below had changed drastically.
A massive cluster of buildings spread across the land, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Towers, domes, spires, and rotundas—all sorts of buildings were arranged in an orderly fashion, with streets crisscrossing and cutting the entire area into countless regular blocks.
He did a rough estimation.
The scale of this architectural complex was at least ten times larger than that of the Imperial City.
One had to remember that the Imperial City of the Thorn Empire was a vast territory housing 800,000 people.
The airship began its descent.
It was fast, yet so smooth that no turbulence could be felt.
The pale bone hull pierced through the clouds and mist, descending toward an open camp on the edge of the building complex.
The airship came to a steady halt in the center of the camp.
Ethan stood at the edge of the deck, his gaze sweeping across the camp below.
It was vast and tidy.
"Go down."
The Spirit Bone Guard's voice rang out.
A pillar of light descended once more, enveloping him.
A sensation of weightlessness followed, and by the time he regained his senses, he was standing on the ground of the camp.
Behind him, the bone ship vibrated slightly and slowly rose into the air, heading back in the direction it had come from.
"Kyle, you idiot! You left the brat's identity crystal behind!"
A voice suddenly rang out from behind Ethan, tinged with a sense of frustration at someone's incompetence.
Before Ethan could react to what was speaking, the airship high in the sky paused. A crystal then drifted down from above—the very one Gal had given to the Spirit Bone Guard.
The person behind Ethan pointed a finger, and a beam of green light shot toward the crystal.
The crystal instantly transitioned from a free-fall to a slow descent.
The person caught the crystal, and the voice rang out again. "Be this careless next time, and I'll report you to the Master."
A voice drifted down from the ship, sounding somewhat nonchalant: "Oh."
The bone ship shuddered slightly, turned, and slowly sailed toward the horizon, soon disappearing into the clouds.
Only then did Ethan turn around to look at the person behind him.
It was, unexpectedly, another Spirit Bone Guard.
"Tsk, what a day." The Spirit Bone Guard looked down at the crystal in its hand, then looked up, its eerie green flames sweeping over Ethan. "Just you? Oh, they're all dead. Whatever, follow me."
It turned around and walked toward a large tent at the edge of the camp.
The space inside the tent wasn't large, and the furnishings were simple.
There were only three sets of desks and chairs facing the entrance.
Three young people were slumping in their chairs, looking utterly bored.
On the left was a tall, thin youth with messy brown hair, wearing a robe that had washed out to a dull gray. His legs were propped up on the edge of the desk, and he was tossing a crystal coin playfully.
In the middle was a round-faced girl, lazily leaning on the desk with her face pillowed on her arms, her eyes half-closed.
On the right was a sturdy youth with dark skin, arms crossed, leaning against the back of his chair and staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Holden, when is the last batch from the Thorn Empire supposed to arrive?" the tall, thin youth asked, his voice thick with impatience.
The sturdy youth named Holden didn't move. He just shifted his eyes and glanced sideways at the speaker. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"
"Sigh," Max sighed, catching the tossed crystal coin and slapping it onto the desk. "This three-magic-stone mission is a pain to take. It's such a waste of time."
The round-faced girl, Fay, lifted her head and yawned, speaking with sleep-filled eyes. "Heh, you don't have to be a guinea pig and you don't have to fight demon beasts, yet you're still unhappy. I don't know what..."
Before she could finish, she suddenly stopped.
Footsteps were approaching from outside the tent.
The three of them sat up straight at the same time, their laziness vanishing instantly as they quickly stood up and faced the entrance.
The tent flap was pulled open.
The skeletal figure of the Spirit Bone Guard appeared at the entrance, the eerie green flames in its hollow eye sockets flickering as it scanned the three of them.
"Lord Guard," the three of them spoke in unison, bowing slightly.
The Spirit Bone Guard didn't waste any motion. It simply raised its pale bone hand and tossed a crystal to Holden, who was in the lead.
"Fine, make it quick. This is the kid's identity crystal."
Holden caught the crystal with both hands. It felt slightly cool to the touch, and fine runes faintly flowed across its surface.
The tall, thin youth behind him stepped forward, flipped through a thick ledger in his hand, scanned it quickly, and then looked up, a hint of confusion flashing across his face.
"Lord Guard, according to the data sent over, the final batch of apprentices from the Thorn Empire should have a total of one hundred and forty-three people, but this..."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Ethan, then back to the single crystal in Holden's hand. He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was obvious.
The Spirit Bone Guard turned its head, its hollow eye sockets aimed at the youth, the eerie green soul fire burning calmly.
"Oh, it's fine. They're all dead."
The tent fell silent for a moment.
The tall, thin youth opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed his words.
The round-faced girl blinked, her gaze sweeping over Ethan twice, a thoughtful look flashing in the depths of her eyes.
Holden, however, remained expressionless. He simply nodded. "Understood, Lord Guard."
The Spirit Bone Guard said no more and turned to walk out of the tent.
Holden glanced sideways at Ethan, lifted his chin, and spoke nonchalantly, "You, stay here and do not move."
???
Ethan's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Holden pulled a palm-sized piece of parchment from his robe. The edges of the parchment glowed with a faint silver light, and its surface was covered with tiny, dense runes.
He held the parchment with both hands and stood up straight.
Max and Fay stood on either side of him, the expressions on all three of their faces becoming so solemn they were almost pious.
"In the name of the World Mother, I, Holden Sisley, a Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice of Blood Bone Tower Academy of the Three Rings Wizard Academy, ask for your witness."
"I, Max Wingate, Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice, ask for your witness."
"I, Fay Lauren, Third-Tier Wizard Apprentice, ask for your witness."
The moment their voices fell, the silver runes on the surface of the parchment suddenly blazed with light.
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