Chapter 40: The Great Vessel

Seven days later.

Barulek Port.

Unlike the bustling scenes of the past, the docks were much quieter today. The vast area that would normally have been teeming with people, shoulder-to-shoulder in a sea of thousands, now held only about a hundred young men and women scattered sparsely along the waterfront.

"Has the area been sealed off?" Lin Wei stood among the crowd, his eyes subtly sweeping his surroundings.

Encircling the few hundred people present was a ring of imperial guards clad in heavy armor. Each gripped a long spear and wore a sword at the waist, exuding a ferocious aura. It was clear at a glance that these were true soldiers hardened by the crucible of the battlefield.

They stood at intervals, forming a tight blockade around the entire Barulek Port, allowing not a single idle bystander to enter.

"If I’m not mistaken, the royal family of the Glimmermoon Empire must be deeply intertwined with the wizarding circles..." A glint of speculation flashed in Lin Wei’s eyes. "These imperial soldiers are clearly the most elite forces from the capital, yet they’ve all been dispatched here as guards..."

"Mr. Lin Wei!"

As Lin Wei was quietly observing the arrangement of the port, a clear female voice came from behind him.

He turned slowly. Two lively and beautiful figures appeared before his eyes.

"Miss Weiss, Miss Velia."

Lin Wei greeted the two with a smile. Standing before him were the sisters Weiss and Velia, whom he had parted ways with just a few days prior. Now, however, they looked somewhat haggard.

"It seems you both passed the aptitude test as well." Lin Wei mused for a moment, a faint smile touching his lips.

Weiss merely nodded gently, but Velia seemed quite excited. Despite the fatigue on her face, a smile blossomed there. "That’s right, both my sister and I passed the wizard qualification test. It looks like you did too, Mr. Lin Wei!"

"Mr. Lin Wei, what’s your wizard aptitude?" Weiss looked at him, curiosity in her eyes.

Lin Wei glanced at the sisters and replied softly, "Third class aptitude. If I’m lucky and work hard enough, perhaps I might even become a full-fledged wizard."

"Third class..." Envy flickered across the faces of Velia and Weiss.

"And you?" Lin Wei countered.

Both Weiss and Velia unconsciously lowered their heads, a hint of dejection appearing on their faces. Lin Wei understood at once.

"I’m second class," Velia pouted, a trace of regret in her expression, "and my sister is a grade below, first class."

Wizard aptitudes were divided into five classes. According to the gaunt old man who had tested Lin Wei, first and second class were the lowest ranks among those with wizardly potential. Even after a hundred years of effort, it would be difficult for them to become full wizards, their talent only a shade above those with no wizard aptitude at all.

"It’s all right. As long as you study diligently at the wizard academy, becoming a full wizard is still possible." Lin Wei’s tone was full of encouragement.

Words of reassurance cost nothing and did not diminish his own interests; Lin Wei was never stingy with such gestures of meaningless generosity.

Upon hearing Lin Wei’s words, both Velia and Weiss were visibly moved. To be encouraged by someone they admired filled them with a warm sense of strength.

"Mr. Lin Wei, we won’t let you down!"

Velia, it seemed, had been weighed down by her aptitude these past days. Lin Wei’s encouragement was like a ray of sunlight piercing through the gloom of her mind.

Weiss nodded emphatically in agreement.

"Not let me down? What a pity..." Outwardly, Lin Wei’s expression did not change, but inwardly another voice spoke: "What right do you have to let me down? A little kindness from a stranger, and you open your hearts so easily. This isn’t kindness—it’s foolishness..."

Suddenly, Lin Wei recalled the words of the gaunt old man.

"The order of the wizarding world... is no order at all."

"How will such innocence survive in the world of wizards? If we meet again, I truly look forward to seeing how you’ve changed... provided, of course, that you’re still alive by then..." Lin Wei’s eyes were filled with pure indifference, but neither Weiss nor Velia noticed the slightest trace of it.

"By the way, which academy are you two entering for your studies?" Lin Wei asked, as if in passing.

Velia’s demeanor had clearly improved, the gloom all but vanished. "We were admitted to the ‘Six Lights Nest.’ What about you, Mr. Lin Wei?"

Lin Wei instantly recalled the “Six Lights” emblem on the sisters’ wizard tokens from before. "So, the White Wizard’s faction..."

"I was accepted into the Shadowed Forest Academy," Lin Wei answered truthfully.

"Shadowed Forest... what a strange name..." Velia glanced at Weiss, murmuring softly.

Lin Wei’s face remained impassive: "So those two White Wizards didn’t explain the factions to these sisters."

Back then, after he had left, the little girl with braided pigtails had briefly mentioned Black Wizards, but had not elaborated for the sisters.

Velia seemed about to ask more, but suddenly, the previously calm crowd erupted in commotion.

"Look! The great ships are coming!"

Someone shouted from within the crowd.

One by one, the diverse group of young men and women instantly wore matching expressions of expectation and curiosity.

Lin Wei followed their gaze into the distance.

He saw a dozen or so massive ships gliding slowly toward them from the horizon. They advanced in a loose formation—not quite in perfect order, but maintaining the same steady pace.

"As expected of ships meant for wizards..." Lin Wei narrowed his eyes and could not help but marvel.

Each colossal vessel towered over a hundred meters above the waterline, surpassing any luxury cruise liner Lin Wei had ever seen in his previous life. Moreover, every ship’s hull bore a different emblem—distinct in form but all dazzling and magnificent.

"Those must be the academies’ crests..." Among the dozen ships, Lin Wei spotted one adorned with the image of a ruined tower, identical to the design on the reverse side of his wizard token.

The hundreds gathered were utterly captivated by the arrival of these great ships. The vast expanse fell silent, not a sound to be heard.

Only the seagulls skimmed over the water, leaving behind sharp, clear cries in their wake.

Under the eager eyes of the crowd, the ships slowly docked, their towering hulls like mountain peaks casting vast shadows that instantly enveloped the assembly below.

With a thunderous roar, enormous, exquisitely crafted gangways were lowered from the ships, perfectly bridging the gap between ship and shore.