9: Chapter 9 Arrival in the Wizarding Continent

Walking onto the deck, hundreds of people were peering over the ship's railing, their eyes filled with excitement.

At the horizon where the sky met the sea, an endless expanse of lush, massive land, like an ancient behemoth, abruptly and domineeringly occupied everyone's vision.

Seeing this, excitement also appeared in the eyes of Byron and his two companions.

Having stayed on the ship for over a month, they were finally able to go ashore; how could they not be excited?

"Little ones, ahead lies the Wizard Continent. Are you all ready?"

Klevin's crisp voice completely confirmed everyone's conjectures.

The entire deck went silent for a moment, then erupted into enthusiastic cheers and shouts.

It was amidst these cheers that Klevin and Andrei suddenly appeared on the deck.

"Quiet."

Klevin's voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone on the deck.

In an instant, the cheering crowd on the deck seemed to have their throats gripped, and the noise stopped abruptly.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down and was looking at them, a smile appeared on Klevin's face as he stood on the roof and spoke.

"Little ones, before we set foot on the Wizard Continent and enter the Dark Eclipse Wizard Academy, we still have one thing to do."

"Now, those of you who signed the contract with me earlier, stand to my left; those who did not sign the contract, stand to my right."

Hearing this, although they did not understand why, everyone still obediently and quickly stood in their designated places.

Soon, two distinct teams appeared on the deck.

The number of people on the left was smaller than on the right, but not by much.

As for Byron and his two companions, they were currently standing in the team on the right.

Byron looked at the people in the two teams and discovered that several men and women with the same third-grade Aptitude as him had also signed the contract and were standing in the team on the left.

Byron also noticed that those people held their heads high, and when they looked at him—someone with the same third-grade Aptitude—their eyes carried a trace of disdain and contempt.

However, Byron did not pay much attention to this; he just took a few glances before looking away.

Looking at the team on the left, the expressions on Klevin and Andrei's faces became excited.

"Boom—"

Without any warning or prompt!

The huge sailboat plunged into the sea, kicking up a monstrous wave.

Facing this sudden turn of events, everyone standing on the deck watched in horror.

But the next moment.

Everything froze.

The monstrous wave that was about to rush into the sky seemed to have been hit with a pause button, and it silently and eerily fell back into the sea.

Just like that, a destructive natural disaster that could have triggered a tsunami and wiped out the entire island simply disappeared without a trace.

"Klevin, you are still as impatient as ever, not cherishing our property at all. This is not a good habit."

Just then, a hoarse, cold voice rang out.

Byron looked toward the source of the voice and saw that a person was standing in mid-air above the sailboat.

The man was tall and thin, like a stalk of straw, with a gloomy face and deep eyes that seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts.

When this person appeared, Klevin and Andrei did not hesitate at all; they knelt directly on the ground, their postures humble, not even daring to lift their heads.

"Greetings, respected Lord Lucius."

Facing the old man's questioning, Klevin did not refute or offer any defense, his voice trembling.

"I am sorry, respected Lord Lucius. This matter is my fault, and I am willing to pay the corresponding price to make up for my negligence."

This scene was like a heavy hammer, leaving everyone present dumbfounded.

In their eyes, Klevin and the other, who were so unattainable, were now acting so humbly before this withered old man.

Byron did not make any unnecessary movements; like everyone else, he kept himself hidden.

He dared to conclude that this old man was definitely a big shot; otherwise, he would not have reduced Klevin and Andrei to this state.

The wizard Lucius ignored Klevin and turned his gaze to the deck.

When he saw the two teams on the deck, which were not too different in size, a hint of joy appeared in his eyes, and his expression finally eased.

"Forget it. Considering you have worked hard during this time and found so many reserve forces for us, today's incident will be overlooked. If there is a next time, then do not blame me."

Klevin bowed respectfully again: "Thank you, respected Wizard Lucius."

Lucius: "Klevin, which team signed the contract? I will take them away now, so as not to cause issues if someone from the academy comes later."

Klevin hurriedly pointed to the group on the left: "Respected Wizard Lucius, it is that group."

Lucius nodded: "Very well. I will take these people away, and I will send the rest of you on your way."

At the same time, Andrei respectfully held the steam train in his hands and handed it to Lucius.

Lucius merely waved his hand, and the steam train vanished.

The next moment, Byron felt his vision blur.

When he came to his senses, he was already standing on the ground, in front of the lush forest by the coast.

As for the sailboat that had brought them here, it had mysteriously disappeared at some point.

Seeing this, Byron's yearning for wizards grew even stronger, and he could hardly wait to be promoted to a First-Rank Wizard Apprentice.

But this thought had only just arisen before Byron suppressed it again. He could not ruin his future because of a momentary impulse.

This strange encounter sparked faint discussions among the crowd.

Klevin and Andrei, standing at the forefront of the team, exchanged a glance, seeing the grievance and unwillingness in each other's eyes.

"Tsk, tsk—that old guy Lucius is still as rude as ever, and he even calls himself some kind of noble. It's truly laughable."

Just then, a burly middle-aged man appeared beside Klevin and Andrei, smiling and teasing.

When Klevin and Andrei saw him, their eyelids twitched, and they were about to salute, but the middle-aged man interrupted them.

"Alright, I am not Lucius. You don't need to do that. Your mission ends here; hand them over."

After Klevin handed the crystal ball containing the list of personnel and their Aptitude to the man with relief, he turned and left without hesitation, disappearing into the dense forest.

At the same time, the big man turned his head to look at Byron and the others.

"Alright, little ones, welcome to the Dark Eclipse Wizard Academy. I am your handover mentor, Gerald, a Bloodline department mentor."

"Next, keep your mouths shut and follow closely in my footsteps. If anyone walks too slowly or leaves the team without permission..." Gerald grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.

"Then I won't bother collecting your corpses."

After speaking, the middle-aged man turned around and strode into the dark forest.

Byron did not hesitate at all; he grabbed Gray, who was still stunned, and followed closely.