School Awaits

They were in a flying ship, the exterior gleaming with golden plates that caught the brilliant sunlight as they soared through the blue skies.

The body of the airship moved with the structural support of black polished wood that had been lacquered to shine under the metal.

Long windows of glass ran serially down the sides, allowing the passengers to gaze out through the clouds and over the landscape stretching down below.

Within it, the corridors were paneled in the same dark wood as the body, giving it a sleek yet cozy feel. Plush chairs with crimson cushions were set around small tables while lamps were hooked into the walls.

The cabins branched off the main passage; each one furnished just as richly as a fine hotel.

At the heart of the airship were the engine rooms; full of whirring gears and hissing steam propelling them through the sky.

Up on the main deck, a few people strolled about taking in the sights, while others sat in rattan chairs under shade umbrellas.

The wind whipped loudly, bringing the smell of a distant storm. Crew members scurried to and fro, checking instruments and adjusting valves to keep everything running smoothly.

Their aviator goggles reflected the glow of the setting sun as they sailed off toward their destination.

Northern stood on the deck of the ship, bewildered as he took in the entire visage that sprawled out before his eyes which were filled with awe at the enchanting view.

'Just how far has the civilization of this world gone?' Northern glanced around with dancing eyes. 'Now, I'm really looking forward to seeing the academy.'

Intrigued by the intricate workings of the aircraft, Northern decided to do some exploring beyond the lavish passenger quarters.

He made his way down creaking wooden stairs to the lower decks, past whirring gears and hissing pipes releasing plumes of steam. The engine rooms pulsed with mechanical energy as crew members shoveled coal into fiery furnaces. At the rear part of the ship was the crystal room— a sealed room emitting blue lights from the tiny line of space between its metallic door and the wooden wall of the vessel.

Inside the room was a blue crystal shard, resting in enchanted bindings. This crystal was a powerhouse of soul essence harvested from a rift just like the one used as a measuring device.

Crystals were just one of the instrumental resources found in the rifts—they were objects that held an incredible amount of soul essence.

Soul essence at first instance was seen as an energy flow that originated from one's soul. Although that theory was not wrong, at a point, intellectually awakened masters began to think otherwise.

However, they soon found out that there was nothing wrong with the theory, as more things about rifts were being revealed, the theory became a fact. A fact that rifts are the greatest manifestation of souls.

It sounded vague and intangible however, there was no better theory to explain what rifts were.

Of course, the fact that they linked another dimension to Ul'Tra-el was one thing that made it dangerously unique.

Another was that it was a different entity from the linked dimension itself, but if harnessed rightly, rifts had the soul power needed to revolutionize the entire world of Ul'Tra-el to a level of civilization that had never been recorded by other worlds.

The crystal inside this room emitted raw magical energy that allowed the ship to defy gravity and propel itself forward.

Surrounding the Crystal Room was the Engine Bay with steam boilers, pistons, turbines, and gears. This machinery helped regulate, distribute, and convert the crystal's magic into controlled thrust for the propellers at the stern or rear.

The steam engines were powered by coal furnaces which were powered by the stokers shoveling fuel to heat boilers that drove the steam-powered components. This reinforces the crystal magic with mechanical energy.

Towards the front and side were lighter-duty steam engines for electrical, heating, and cooking. as well as cabins, galleys, and storage rooms.

There was an endless amount of things to look at and take note of, the people were a sight to behold. They were from different regions and cultures, and dressed in distinct ways. While some wore neatly tailored suits with Panama hats; others dressed in light tunics, baggy pants, and tiny shoes, and most wore fancy fabrics with vibrant colors be they male or female.

It kind of insinuated to Northern that there were more of these people on the ship. He wondered if they were all going to the academy too.

The journey became a little bit boring, and since he wasn't really a sociable kid, he wasn't able to strike up a conversation with anyone.

His white hair often caught people's attention and they would compliment him heartily. But Northern's reply was usually curt.

As the increasing compliments eventually began to bother him, Northern spent more time in his room.

After he teleported to the ship, he discovered from Gilbert that all of them had happened to teleport into the ship simultaneously, but he had arrived a little bit later.

He was shown to a small corner room on the ship that hosted a small bed and a table standing next to it. On the table was a lamp and a dusty old book.

Northern tried to read the book but was unable to. Particularly because they were letters he couldn't read. There was nothing spectacular about a book he couldn't read, after all, several languages existed in Tra-el, of which he had learned two.

The common one, Vaixsic, and Krewun, which was his mother's native language. He would have learned his father's as well, but even Shin wasn't fluent in it.

It was a hassle learning from such a person.

The languages were quite diverse, most clans and families had different languages, but one could say they all originated from the common one.

When their histories were investigated, the etymology of each word was often found to be more related to Vaixsic than any other language.

Other continents also had their own language and the central plain even had its own common language.

'I should consider delving deeper into languages too' Northern noted to himself, still gazing at the strange book he had no clue about.

It could be a language belonging to any clan for all he could tell. But the mystery of his not being able to decipher it tempted him to steal it.

'Who knows... there could be a lot of useful information, or it could be total junk. It could be either one, but Northern's curiosity got the best of him.

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Northern was woken up by the harsh sound of the ship's horn. It was to signify that a stop point was being reached.

Immediately he woke up, someone brazenly kicked his door open.

"Get up brat! School awaits!"