Captain Kirkwul

Ourin was allocated in room 20. Most of the time, he stayed silent and trained. However, neither Joella nor Harry found it boring, as they remembered that Ourin's discipline and strength allowed the Steelcrest Alliance to survive accross the great plains of deaths. Although Joella possessed higher talent grade than Ourin, he was still much more talented, much stronger in her mind due to months of respecting him as a leader. Even with their low talent, Ourin stayed their leader.

The room was rather small; it was just a partition. There was enough space for three individual beds, but hardly any room to stand at all as they were just piled on top of each other, leaving barely enough room to get into them.

This reminded Ourin of the beds on the trains in his previous world, which were also as cramped, with barely enough room to stretch his limbs.

"Having a bed is considered good; I was just sleeping in my seat when traveling in the Great Plains of Death!" Ourin comforted himself

However, bells started to reverberate accross the ship. The rules were simple. The apprentices were free to do whatever they wanted during their free time, but they would have to stop everything at once and come to the deck once the bells started. Although it was the first time the bells reverberated since their boarding on the ship, it was to be expected since the Keying Ship had begun sailling in the afternoon.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Keying Ship! I am your captain - Kirkwul Kroft Leebar, and I wish you all a pleasant journey ahead!", he said in a loud voice. Although others could not fathom his strength, Ourin proceeded to scan his body, only to be stopped by a magnetic field preventing him from truly grasping his strength.

[Beep! Name: Kirkwul Kroft Leebar | Attributes unknown]

Either he was a master of disguise and body control, or he was yet another acolyte. However, his submissive self to the white-robed magus Nocturne who was busy completing experiments made it clear that he was just a subordinate, and not even a discipline, or else he would not be stuck with the task of being a boat captain.

"There are a few announcements of note. Apart from the Master Nocturne and those who reached the level 1 acolyte realm, the rest are not allowed to walk on the decks unless you wish to lose your life to sea ghosts!...The cafeteria is in Hall 1, and Hall 2 is where the washrooms are. As for Hall 3, it's a lounge; everyone is welcome to go there!"

A low-pitched male voice rang throughout the ship. Ourin looked around and noticed the sound was coming from a yellow bronze pipe, but did not know if it was an air duct or megaphone.

Returning to his room after the short announcement, Ourin placed his gear aside and laid on the bed.

"I heard Professor Nocturne say that the journey will last for roughly a month. What a long period of time! Nearly eight months passed since I transmigrated, but we still have not reached the academy yet!"

Absentmindedly, Ourin shut his eyes.

"Ding... Ding Dong…"

A melodious note rang, waking Ourin from his sleep. He climbed out of bed and looked out the window, and was greeted by darkness.

"It is already evening!", he thought half-mindedly

"Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening! Right now, the cafeteria is providing dinner. Today's menu is roasted dragon meat, enchanted bread, elven fruit salad…"

This time, the pleasant voice was that of a female's.

Ourin rubbed his stomach and hurriedly stood up. He straightened his clothes and ran towards the cafeteria accompanied by Harry and Joella, who were also waking up. Respecting Ourin's silent and discreet nature, they did not speak a word and followed him.

The corridor was rather dim, and there was a small lamp every few steps, which produced a yellowish glow. The surrounding metallic cabin doors opened by themselves, and acolytes came streaming out from them. The sight was too magical, but after two weeks of having boarded, such a sight was not very surprising. Captain Kirkwul's words were most likely directed to the newcomers, as there were batches of apprentices from other regions than the chernobyl islands.

Right now, Hall 1 was already packed with acolytes, but Ourin did not see Magus Nocturne. On the ceiling of the hall was a very large white-colored crystal, which emanated a bright white light, just like a miniature sun. For a civilization that did not discover electricity and mastered the elements through magic, its technology truly was extraordinary, the route of advancement having taken a completely different approach in comparison to Earth.

The cafeteria was filled with long tables and white chairs, and it looked a little like a university canteen. The chatters of nearly 250 students made it quite loud, but Ourin did not take much attention and focused on socializing and eating. It was common knowledge that he had become a knight recently.

"Hey, Ourin, here!" In a corner, Brice beckoned to him, sitting with a few other apprentice from the Chernobyl Islands who decided to join Mercifura Academy.

"I'm here!" Ourin collected a silver-colored tray and cutlery, and after deliberating, he picked up a piece of black wheat bread, a grilled flying fish steak, a knight fruit salad, and a bottle of elven cider, and sat beside Brice.

"You guys sure are early!" Ourin greeted them.

"It's you who's late, could it be that you overslept?" Brice said teasingly.

Ourin sat down and gulped down half a bottle of elven cider. "Yeah, I did oversleep a little!"

Looking around the surroundings again, "It seems like there are apprentices from many different regions?"

At this moment, besides the Chernobyl Island apprentices, the hall was also filled with foreigners. Ourin and his friends possessed fair skin and brown or dark-red hair. However, the majority of the apprentices in the cafetaria were blond, or even white-haired, something that was quite rare to see in the Chernobyl Island. They were foreigners. These boys and girls sat together according to their respective regions and seemed distant toward one another.

"That's right; we are on the same Keying Ship but we will all attend the same academy" Raelin explained, "However, due to the travels to the Death Beach being quite complicated, it was to be expected that most apprentices stayed with their acquaintances, mainly people from the same region as them. Furthermore, the majority of us come from noble lineage, and just like I have already came accross you in banquets in the past, they are probably the same"

"So it's like this!" Brice said with a tinge of regret. "My childhood friends have all boarded the dirigibles on the right, and it looks like the distance from Mercifura Academy to the other academies is rather far. I think there'll be some problem with communication next time!"

After eating dinner, the masses returned to their own rooms to rest.

Every day, apart from eating meals and sleeping, there did not seem to be anything else to do. This boredom lasted a whole five days. One evening, the groups did not wish to go back into that tiny cabin room after eating dinner, so they sat around the table and started to chat.

"Brice, what's wrong with you?" Ourin looked at Brice, who seemed to be in discomfort, and asked.

In these ten days, Brice, who was the reincarnation of a chatterbox, had spoken of topics ranging from his family tree to how a dish in the capital was created, as if he was speaking fondly to a lover.

Ourin and the rest had already adapted, from being annoyed at his words to getting used to them, and now it was the only joy on this boring journey. Of course, he did not trust Brice or the others. Harry and Joella were also warned not to forget that only those who had joined the Steelcrest Alliance could be considered true allies.

Brice's face was completely beaten up, and his nose was broken. However, he said nothing. Ourin scanned the room with his eyes, only to find a few mocking youths from the Paynasian Archipelago. Calming his urge to go and beat them up, knowing that trouble would arise, Ourin respected Brice's silence and said: "From now on, do not wander in the halls alone. We will stay grouped at all times. We will arrive in a few days, so there is no need to stir trouble, alright?"