Beta lead the way towards the school gates unabashedly. He wasn't apologetic at all for making them wait for a long time and just walked faster with his back straight and looking dignified. If it was a normal crowd, who didn't know Beta, that saw him be arrogant after his blunder, they would've already thrown a fit for his rudeness. But, the strange thing about their reaction was they just stifled their laugh and some even couldn't help but snicker.
With one look closer at Beta, especially the tip of his ears, they would notice that it was tinged red. He was blushing out of embarrassment. He really didn't mean to be that late and it would really reflect badly on their class reputation if they were the last ones to show up. Everyone understood how he was feeling so they found it amusing. Beta, on the other hand, tried to control his expression but he still couldn't help but slightly blush.
The advancements that happened to him were not just his strength for the past year, but also his emotions. Even though he believed himself to be a scientific kind of guy, he had also improved with how he interacts to his peers along with how to express certain emotions that he learned after observing them. After all, if he couldn't adjust and blend in with his surroundings, people might start digging about him. But he also learned that it was refreshing to let go of his control and be free with his friends. So, he didn't mind at all that they wanted to laugh at him because he knew, it wasn't out of malice but more like laughter against a friend's mishap.
"Eherm…"
Beta cleared his throat once and that was the signal for them to be quiet and get serious. They all looked ahead and noticed that they were close to the meeting point so they all put on a neutral expression. Beta, with the whole squad following him, Domian and Brian, which were right next to him, they all stared in front, with clear anticipation.
"What do you think will we use for transportation this time?", Brian asked, a little excited.
"Maybe horses again?", Domian answered after thinking for a bit.
"I doubt it'll be horses. It would take too long and we have way more people going there. Carriages may be our transportation this time. But they are not too fast either, so who knows.", Beta commented after analyzing the situation.
Brian and Domian nodded at his remark, but from behind them, they heard someone joining in their conversation.
"I suppose it will be a carriage as well, but a special one.", Sophie said nonchalantly.
"A special one? How so?", Beta asked with raised eyebrows. Since Sophie came from a noble family, he wasn't too surprised that she knew of things that were out of their reach.
"You will see!", she replied with a small smile plastered on her face.
Beta was wondering why she was being so secretive, but he just shrugged it off and continued on his way.
Soon, they arrived in front of the school. As Beta and the others looked around, their mouths suddenly fell open. Not too far away from where they were standing, were several huge carriages. But they weren't the normal ones for four or maybe even six people. The carriages were rather long and were pulled by two big bulls instead of horses. They were, nonetheless, harnessed the same way as horses. At the front part of the carriage, was a door which led into its interior. From the outside, Beta and the others could see that both sides and its front had sturdy windows that would survive an attack from small beasts. As they looked through the windows, they could see two rows of seats with a walkway in the middle. And finally, when their eyes fell on the front, they noticed that in one of those carriages, Lores was looking back at them. He left the carriage and waved at them gracefully.
"You're finally here my unrivaled and brave students! We have been waiting for a long time already! Well, anyway, get into the carriage, we should leave soon!", Lores said while pushing up his glasses, holding up his nose to the sky.
Even though they were glad to have spotted their teacher, after hearing what he just proclaimed, their expressions became awkward. But then again, they were slowly getting used to how embarrassing their teacher can be at times like this, especially with a big crowd onlooking. So, as usual, their solution was to not look at him and pretend that they didn't hear anything.
"How is this still a carriage?", Brian asked, bewildered.
"How is it not a carriage? It's just a bit bigger and more comfortable. The tires are made of elastic wood, so you will barely feel any bumps on the road! The academy specially ordered this type of carriage for this expedition because it's faster and transports more people. If we used normal carriages, our headmaster would die before we even get there! So, of course, the academy didn't hold back at all with the expenses.", Lores explained carefully. He then added, "Oh! And also, these Black Bulls will bring us to our destination within a few days, not to talk about the one or two weeks it would have taken with only horse-drawn carriages."
Brian looked at the bulls carefully, trying to judge their strength. He knew they were a type of beast, so he was still a bit careful. Even tamed beasts have their own pride, so getting on its bad side would definitely not be a good idea.
"Let's get in.", Beta announced to the group.
Following that, they all entered the carriage, choosing their favorite spots. Beta, Domian, and Brian chose to sit in seats that were arranged just like in a carriage, facing each other. As Beta looked through the window, he couldn't help but marvel about the weird construction of the carriage. At the same time though, he couldn't help but admit that it was definitely an extraordinary invention. It served the purpose of transporting a lot of people at a quick pace. There wasn't just enough space for Beta's squad, even other teams can fit into it comfortably too. The seats were strapped with soft beasts' furs, making it enjoyable to use this kind of transportation.
"Now that all of you have a seat, prepare yourselves and then we will take off!", Lores said to everyone.
Not too long after that, the carriage started moving. Lores sat at the very front, next to the coachman, who sat in front of a small open window. He then used his soulpower to signal the bulls to move. Beta found it interesting to look at, as he had never seen anyone control beasts with their soulpower before. He was wondering if that was something only possible with a certain element, but his thoughts quickly got interrupted by Sophie, who suddenly stood next to him.
"Can I sit here? It's too noisy over there with the normal students", Sophie said, slightly annoyed.
When Beta looked behind him, he could see that there indeed was much activity in the back part of the carriage. The students of the normal classes seem to be having fun while sounding like growling beasts.
"Sure.", Beta answered, not too surprised by her decision. In Beta's view, the students at the back didn't behave better than some dumb beast. Even though he liked the idea of this big carriage, he would have preferred if there was more privacy for the ones who rode it.
Beta moved next to the window and Sophie sat next to him. With her there, the four of them talked a bit before everyone minded their own business and became quiet within the time spent in the carriage. Sometimes, they still talked to each other, cultivated or read a book. It took them three days to finally arrive at their destination, in which Beta couldn't train any of his abilities because he didn't know if there were any changes to him once he goes into the Void World. It almost made him go insane, not knowing what to do. Not training for three days made him feel uncomfortable and kind of jumpy, but luckily, he had the Monkey Stick Tactics which he read within that time. But that was also the reason why he became unsettled. Reading about the techniques and how to properly execute them, brought forth his desire to test them out even more. But he couldn't just stand in the middle of the carriage and train with his staff. What if he accidentally smashed the head of someone into little bits? That would be quite difficult to explain. In the end, Beta thought of the whole trip as torture which tested his patience. He shook his whole body and stretched his muscles to clear the weariness away whenever they had a small stop. To be sluggish in an unknown dangerous area that would only court death. After a short warm-up, he finally started to observe his surroundings.
When Beta saw the view in front of him, he was completely baffled. A grand city erected itself before him, if it weren't for the passage of time that is. The once grand city now was nothing more than ruins. Walls that once towered over everything were low enough to look over them, with countless rubble filling the area. What was quite interesting was how the houses, that stood closer to the center of the city, were mostly undamaged. Compared to the houses at the outer ring, it was a difference like day and night. It was already a good feat for a building to still have its walls, not to talk about the roof. As Beta was thinking of how many years might have passed since this city was populated, his eyes fell on the middle of the city. A giant castle, showing the city's former glory, stood there. It was made of smooth grey stone, looking as if no time had passed at all. The only flaw was that one part of it had a huge hole in it as if something had exploded there. Beta was also able to make out a flowing river that seemed to enter the city somewhere in the northern parts. Sadly, he wasn't able to see more as he was too far away.
"Don't dawdle around here! Let's go into the camp first!", Lores said, smiling at them. He knew all too well that these kids would be stunned at the sight of their first trip to the ruins. But now wasn't the time to have a sightseeing tour so he had to interrupt them.
Everyone nodded at him and left the carriage orderly. Once they were next to the carriage, they finally looked at the camp. Although it was called that, it looked more like a small village with a bustling market at its center. Several big tents covered the vicinity, creating enough resting space for everyone.
"Class 2-S, follow me!", Lores shouted at the mass of students. Because one year had passed, the original class 1-S obviously turned into class 2-S.
Lores' shout was then followed by a bunch of students making their way through the crowd. Soon, all ten students stood before him, waiting for him to lead the way. Lores turned around and walked into the direction of a certain tent.
"This is where you will stay for now. Since you are the S class, you won't have to share it with others. In the middle, there is a curtain that can be used to separate the tent into girls' area and boys' area. I will sleep right opposite of you in the tent, so no one will dare to do anything to you as long as you sleep here. Take note that if you decide to sleep in the city, I can't assure your safety. Well then, now it's on you guys. I will head out later and only come back at night. Prepare yourselves properly before going into the city. Also, keep in mind that Beasts may not be the only enemy you will have to face in the city.", Lores explained carefully, looking at them meaningfully. After saying, "Command goes over to Beta from now on.", Lores left the tent hurriedly.
Beta looked around him at his classmates and quickly started ordering them around.
"Sophie, you will take four people and go to the market to buy enough food for the next week at least. Also buy the usual essentials, trap disarming kits, lockpicks, sleeping mats, firewood, repair kits for weapons and armor, bota bags, and whatever else you can think of that might have some use. The rest others, including me, will gather information about the city especially regarding the people and beasts in it. If possible, there should also be information about its history. All clear?", Beta gave his orders in a professional, adept manner. He had done the same drill many times over the last year, so no one had any complaints and finally headed out.