Chapter 49: The Journey Ends

Close to six days had now passed of Aron and the others repeating the same routine. Travel to a new area, lure beasts, kill said beasts and move on. They did this consistently without fail everyday.

Today, everyone had gathered on the deck of the airship but it was not to hunt. Approximately one kilometer away from them, a large city could be seen along with hundreds of airships patrolling it's skies.

"It's even more majestic than the rumors say..." Scarlett was the first to reveal her amazement towards the large city of Galos, home of the Galos Academy and arch mage.

"I heard that even though it's smaller in size compared to Ettenheim's capital, it's still the most prosperous and secure city in all of Pesia." Jin added as he crossed his arms and admired the city. Whereas Oxin went as far as standing atop the rail before showing a wide smile. "It's far better than I could have ever imagined!" She exclaimed with the most excitement.

Aron, Evanora, and Jagu on the other hand only quietly looked at the city without sharing their thoughts on it. As they got closer, they could hear the cheers of people from all over the city. No grand welcoming was present nor was there any group of people gathered, the residents of Galos city simply cheered as they went on about their daily lives.

"Is it always going to be this noisy?" Jagu growled irritatedly while rubbing his ear. Jin found this funny and didn't hesitate to laugh. "Well you always boast about how good your senses are, not feeling too pleased now, are we?" he asked Jagu mockingly but only received an irritated look in reply.

"We'll be docking soon." Scarlett pointed out with a smile on her face as their airship went towards a field that held multiple large platforms that airships settled atop of. Around the field numerous figures could be seen walking around, working or even preparing to leave. It was as busy as a market, only far less crowded.

Scarlett had soon left the deck to go pilot the airship and properly land on the platform which she did near perfectly before rushing back to the deck with a proud look on her face but when she did so, she got zero recognition for her efforts. "You know it's even harder perfectly landing an airship than it is flying one, right?" She asked in an irritated tone but before anyone could answer, the exiting platform extended to the ground.

However, before the group could disembark, they noticed a large group of individuals gathering around the airship. The most noticeable group was the one that wore a matching attire and held lances in their hands. Among this group of armed individuals, however, was a young woman who had an entirely different attire altogether and rather than a weapon, she simply held a book in one hand and a pen in another.

"Let's go," said Aron after noticing the hesitation everyone showed, after all, they knew they had committed what many would consider crimes during the journey. But seeing as Aron hadn't let them down thus far, they followed his lead and began to descend behind him.

Once they got to the bottom of the platform, the young woman who stood in front of the armed men showed a smirk towards the group before adjusting her glasses and then speaking. "Welcome to Galos City, contestants or rather students now like myself. I'm a student under the scholar program who volunteered to be in charge of guiding you. My name is Ariel." She stated with a smile before narrowing her eyes on Aron who remained indifferent.

"Are we lead to the academy from here?" Aron asked plainly to which Ariel shook her head. "No, before you're officially deemed students, you each have to go through a theory test to see what level of knowledge you possess and then screening to answer any questions you may have then, finally, an interview to set up your student identity." Ariel explained, but before starting anything, she took out a golden envelope and passed it to Aron.

"What is this?" he asked as he looked at the envelope oddly before Ariel showed a smirk and replied. "That is an invitation of status, granted only to extraordinary contestants. How extraordinary? Well, you're the first person to receive this invitation in ten years. Your screening, exam, and interview will all be done separately from the rest." Ariel explained perfectly, acting like she didn't know who Aron was already and he himself was doing likewise.

"I see," Aron replied indifferently as the invitation could both be a good thing or a bad thing, which remained to be seen. "No cheer? No celebration? No tears? My, it's almost like you knew you were a once in a lifetime talent. Anyway, please follow me." Ariel teased before turning and leading the way.

Scarlett looked hesitant to move and looked back at the ship which caught Ariel's attention. "If you have anything you wish to take, best take it now, otherwise everything of value inside will be taken and exchanged for gold on your behalf." Ariel explained but seeing as only the items they had agreed would be sold were left, no one looked back again.

As they exited the platform field, the group was led into a large institution-like building with the sign "Galos CheckPoint" on the top.

"Is this the building where all contestants get screened, tested and the like?" Jin asked out of curiosity as he saw other young looking people heading towards the building. Ariel didn't answer immediately but first reached closer to the building before coming to a halt.

"Yes it is. You are to go inside and from there someone will lead you to your assigned room for testing, screening, and the interview. Once done, you shall find me outside waiting to lead you to your temporary housing or if you prefer, I could purchase you homes fitting your interests by the time you return subtracting the amount from the gold we get after calculating your inventory on the airship." Ariel explained and the group turned their attention to Aron almost immediately.

"Nothing grand, preferably near the business areas of the city but with all the right amenities. The others will give you their own preferences, I'll be going ahead." Aron replied quickly before giving the others a nod and walking away. "Not much of a talker is he? Well then, shall I get your preferences?" said Ariel with a smile on her face as she watched Aron walk away.

After going inside, Aron found a large spacious lounge with numerous seats, many of them occupied by other contestants of different ages, sizes, and even race. At the far end of the room were two large doors and above a pair of curving stairs on either side of the lounge. 'Just how many contestants are there?' Aron thought to himself as he thought they'd be among the last to reach as the journey was only a few days away from ending.

After taking that short moment to observe, Aron turned to walk to one of the free seats present, with numerous gazes on him and anyone else who came in. After all, it's only natural for people to gauge each other and be curious of someone's strength.

However, before Aron could take a seat, an older looking gentleman atop the stairs made an announcement that drew everyone's attention. "Excuse me, contestants, may the young man in possession of the gold invitation please make their way up the stairs for their procedures." He announced in a calm and formal tone before waiting with his hands behind his back.

'And there comes my first obstacle in this city.' Aron thought to himself before taking out his golden envelope and proceeding up the stairs while numerous contestants watched and spoke in whispers.