Ten - First day in the ship

Entering the dirigible, Leylin was immediately stunned by its size. The whole place was like the inside of a cruise ship. Large hallways led to many entertainment areas as well as the bow of the Zeppelin where you could appreciate the outside view from a more ample perspective.

There were about three floors littered with rooms that could be used by all the passengers without trouble, it was the dorm area of the dirigible.

On the way, they saw many different types of people walking around and wearing the clothes of the staff. From dwarfs, to half-beasts and even some more exotic species of the world could be seen on the way there.

Comparing it to what he remembered from the books, he couldn't help but sigh in astonishment. It seems that the outer regions of the South Coast were truly underdeveloped. When compared to this amazing gigantic Zeppelin, the ones rode by the other major academies were all lacking both in terms of quality and novelty.

As he walked through the floors, Leylin also came to know that there was a clear division of power, for starters, the lower the floor where you stay, the worse the quality of the room was. Only Wetland Gardens Academy and the Ivory Ring Tower among all the academies travelling on this ship were allowed to take the rooms on the third floor, moreover, the smaller the number of the room, the better it was.

As such, Zephyr Magnussem took the first room, while his senior sister took the second. The other one hundred and fifty rooms were to be freely distributed between the acolytes of the Ennea Ivory Ring Tower, and the rooms after that belonged to the Wetland Gardens Academy.

"Hey, you bunch of trash, I don't care about your status, room number 3 is mine!" Just as the acolytes were about to discuss who would take which room, a boy with a boorish voice spoke with a threatening look on his eyes.

Seeing his arrogant behavior in front of so many people, Leylin raised an eyebrow in confusion, just who is he? Why does he dare to be like that?

Seeing his confusion, George explained. "That's the first prince of the Iron Dominion, Arcturus Thorn, they are a powerful kingdom on the northern side of the Chernobyl Islands, my father told me about them once, it seems that the king is a lord magi. They always send some talented youths to train on the South Coast. Rumors have it that they have managed to produce three official magi in five hundred years, it won't be long before they move out of the islands."

Nodding, Leylin couldn't help but smirk, many people here had outstanding backgrounds, he doubted that they would all be willing to obey that kid without a fight. Especially the other Fifth Grade Acolytes, it's not easy for a talented person to be born from a civilian family. Those people were usually descendants of Official Magus as well.

Sure enough, someone quickly stepped up to challenge him, It was a young girl with sharp eyes. Her body was covered by a hooded cloak and the most that one could see was her striking hair that shone with a vibrant red color and the bright green eyes.

Stomping her foot on the ground, she gave him a look of contempt. "Stand aside, monkey, I don't want to waste my time with you."

Those words raised the curiosity of many, who was this girl? Was she that dumb to challenge Arcturus?

Arcturus white face contorted in anger. Although he was greatly feared throughout the lands, those that hated him had given him a nickname that truly made him feel like killing everyone around him. Because of something in the blood of his family, his whole body was covered by hair, making them all look like half monkeys.

"Fucking bitch! I'll kill you!" His eyes were red with rage as he struck the girl with an enormous arm. The strike was so fast that it sent a wave of air around them. Based on the speed and the strength, it was clear that Arcturus had the physique of a preparatory knight. How would a frail and weak girl deal with that?

Just as the thought crossed their mind, a strange scene occurred. Closing her eyes, the girl leaned back and turned her body around, as if guided by gps, the moment Arcturus was about to strike, he accidentally moved too much hitting the sole of her raised feet. The impact was such that his eyes rolled over and disappeared inside his skull.

Looking at that overbearing guy losing in one strike caused a range of emotions in the crowd.

Many people were convinced right here and then. Although some fools still tried to fight for the better rooms, that was not the case for Leylin, he just picked the 8th room since there were six Fifth Grade Acolytes and didn't waste his time thinking about fighting for a better room.

The room he took for himself was impressively large. It had a large bed on the side with a very comfortable mattress and a bookshelf on the side. Looking at it, they all seemed to be about general knowledge about the South Coast. The contents spanned from the division of power between the various factions, legends, geography, culture, history and more.

On a corner of the bedroom, there was also something akin to a digital clock, the numbers were projected from the wall and floated midair. Not far from it there was a small area for lunches where cold beverages were stored inside an object similar to a freezer.

Smiling happily, he couldn't help but praise the services provided by the owners of the ship. Little did he know that only the first ten cabins offered this type of treatment.

As he walked around, he accidentally bumped into something. Scared out of his shit, he jumped back and brought his hand towards his cross blade. The moment he looked down, he was stunned by the sight of a cat looking at him in anger.

"Mister, please do not step on Anya! Anya is here to take food orders, not be stepped on, nya!" Hissing at him, the cat... eh, whatever it actually was, spoke in a cute but angry way as it stared at him.

"Oh!" Leylin nodded, albeit a little embarrassed but still somewhat wary as he didn't even notice its presence before hand. "By that, do you mean to say that there is no cafeteria or restaurant on this ship?"

Anya shook her small head. "No, that's not it, those in the first ten rooms are qualified for room service if they wish. You can request almost anything, food, entertainment, etc."

Hearing those words he couldn't help but link the word entertainment to a certain type of service offered by some women. Shaking his head, he looked at her and replied. "No need, just tell me when I can go to the cafeteria to eat something."

"In that case, there's no need for Anya to do anything! The chef will warn everyone when the food is ready!" Having said so, the cat walked away and disappeared inside one of the walls.

Speechless, he could only scratch his head in confusion. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that he was going insane.

After some time training and reading inside his cabin, a voice reached all of the rooms. "Good evening! Those that wish to eat can already come to the cafeteria, today's menu is..."

Listening to the announcement, he quickly left his room and went to the cafeteria. On his way there, he met people from various academies. One look at their professor was already enough to tell their identity as they wore the badges of the faction they represented on their chest. Mercifura Academy, Wetland Gardens Academy, Hand of Femke and more could be seen all around.

As he walked somewhat absent mindedly, he accidentally bumped into someone. Frowning, he looked forward only to notice his Senior Sister.

"Ah, Lady Angelia!" Leylin exclaimed while giving her an apologetic look.

Angelia turned around and gave her usual coquettish smile. Unlike last time where her whole body had been covered from head to toe in linen robes, this time she was wearing a complete set of armor.

Thinking about the sturdy sensation he felt when he bumped at her, it was clearly because of this armor. Looking at it now, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The whole armor seemed to emit a soft white glow and slightly radiated with energy.

"Impressive, isn't it? It took me seven years to complete the entire set. You will also have yours eventually." Lady Angelia smiled proudly as she patted the metal plate covering her whole body.

"Eh, it's impressive indeed, but why are you wearing something like this here, Lady Angelia?"

At that question, Angelia looked towards the left where a small group of acolytes had gathered, the feeling of suppression that came from that place was a clear indication of their identity, they were all Level 3 Acolytes going back to their academies.

"You see, it will take us two months to arrive at Nightless City where our Ennea Ivory Ring Tower is. During this time, it's a tradition for the various academies to challenge each other." She replied while licking her lips, her eyes stared at the crowd as if she was looking at her prey.

"Why?" Leylin couldn't understand why they would do that. Maybe the few level 3 Acolytes could have some sort of fight, but what about the new recruits? The best amongst them only knew how to swing swords. It seemed like a pointless challenge.

"Because it's lucrative and it can improve the reputation of the faction we belong to. There are even some cases where new acolytes will exchange academies midway during the travel. Of course, that's only limited to the 5th grade acolytes as you are the only ones qualified to participate in a battle of your own. So, how is it? Want to participate?"

Leylin scoffed at her words, although silently. For what? A few magic crystals? And then make unnecessary rivalries and enemies? Ha! As if. Moreover, what if some people here had already received extensive training and surpassed him? He wasn't like the original who could just look at someone and the determine the other party's strength.

Being cautious is the path to victory when you don't know your enemy.

Besides... Leylin stared at the crowd that was slowly getting into the mood of fighting with insults being thrown everywhere. This situation was the perfect opportunity to gather Intel about his fellow schoolmates and also the talents joining the other factions. Thinking about it now, he shouldn't have been so eager to train... Because of his anxiousness, he missed their fight to choose the rooms.

Shaking his head, he put on a smile and replied his senior sister innocently. "Although I don't wish to fight, I'd like to watch the battles, is that allowed?"

"Sure."