"Do you know what happened last night?" another apprentice asked.
"Last night... Lord Milo!" an apprentice suddenly greeted, respectfully, to someone across.
Lex turned his head and saw another accompanying First Rank Wizard, Milo, arriving.
"Lord Milo," he greeted respectfully.
Milo ignored the apprentices' greetings, walked calmly to the instructor's position, and spoke.
"Good morning, Lord Colin."
"Good morning," Colin responded.
The two were not familiar with each other and, after exchanging pleasantries, they fell into silence.
It was not until the time to depart was near, when Mayer and Sovoc arrived successively, that the atmosphere became less awkward.
"Do you all know what happened last night?" Mayer asked first.
"Last night?" Sovoc questioned, "Did something significant happen last night?"
Although the Silver Ring's location was in the south side of Neustadt City, just like Litt Street, it was also under the jurisdiction of the Yista School.
However, if the Yista School's residence was considered the center, then Litt Street and the Silver Ring residence were at the two farthest segments.
Last night, although he heard the sounds of battle, by the time it reached the Silver Ring in the north, the noise was not very significant, so he did not pay much attention to it.
"Lord Mayer, do you have any news?" Milo asked curiously from the side.
Colin remained silent. Had it not been for his encounter with Margaret last night, a fellow wizard from an affiliated school, he would probably be in the same state of ignorance as Milo and the others.
"I won't hide it from everyone," Mayer shook his head and responded, "I am not entirely sure about the specifics of what happened last night."
He then turned to Colin and added, "I remember that the Tin Saint School's residence is right in the Hwapei District... Lord Colin, do you know what exactly happened last night?"
Colin nodded, just as he was about to answer, when a female voice interrupted.
"There's no need to guess in the dark. Last night was a secret operation of the Nine Major Schools to raid the Divine Believers, which has successfully concluded and achieved great success!"
Margaret landed from the sky, creating a gust of white dust.
She wore a smile, looking somewhat tired yet in an unusually good mood... It was unclear if she had received some benefits last night.
Then she turned around, surveyed the ring of apprentices standing before her, and slowly began to speak.
"Among you, some might already know bits and pieces and might have noticed that some apprentices you saw yesterday... haven't arrived yet."
"Under normal circumstances, your Schools would have received detailed notices later today, but since you'll be following me to the airship shortly... At the request of the Schools, let me briefly explain."
"Firstly, those apprentices who haven't arrived... well, those unfortunate souls tainted by the Divine, unless something unexpected happened, are likely all dead as of last night."
As soon as Margaret finished speaking, some apprentices appeared somewhat shocked.
Although last night's incident was significant, its range wasn't very wide — it was only within the entire Hwapei District, and the voice of the City Lord of Neustadt only covered that area.
Therefore, aside from the apprentices of the Tin Saint School, the others were not very well-informed.
However, such information, such a hugely successful secret operation, required stringent confidentiality during and widespread publicity after its completion.
Especially now, as these apprentices were about to head to the distant southern seas...
"Lex! Mulan still hasn't shown up?!"
The apprentices around Lex looked upset as they inquired.
"I'm not sure either..." Lex shook his head, feeling a bit uneasy... Could it be as Lady Margaret said, that Mulan is already dead?
Above, Margaret continued her speech.
"This time, the believers lurking in the city corresponded with two Divines, the specifics of which should not be circulated... What you need to know is that the Major Schools undertook numerous actions, mostly happening in the Hwapei District..."
"Regardless, the Divine Believers lurking within Neustadt have all been eliminated, and any conspiracies they secretly plotted have been nipped in the bud..."
Colin listened attentively to Margaret's speech... So, the city's Divine Believers were actually two groups of people?
But soon, he noted an even more crucial detail —
Were all these Divine Believers primarily assembled in the Hwapei District?!
He knew that the Hwapei District... was indeed the stronghold of the Tin Saint School.
For some reason, he felt a slight heaviness in his heart.
"The incident with the Divine Believers' invasion, as Margaret stated, all the Divine Believers as well as the Polluters have been eradicated,"
"However, this does not mean that the matter has come to an end,"
"... usually the Tin Saint School that governs the Huapei District, I'm afraid they cannot avoid being held accountable."
Colin sighed quietly.
"Being a member of the School, in a larger sense, his fortunes were tied to the School's; they thrived or faltered together…"
"However, thankfully this incident did not lead to more severe consequences, so the punishment should not be too harsh,"
On the other hand, Margaret's speech was also coming to an end.
"Over the past hundred years, the Wizard World had been in a temporary calm, with no massive descent of Divine beings."
"But now, far south in the distant sea, the Divine are sweeping in again, and the reason why the location for this Alus Association meeting has been moved from the Secret Realm to the far southern sea is precisely because of this."
Margaret's expression was stern.
"I won't say more than necessary, but you must all know that the Divine are the eternal enemies of wizards..."
Looking around, not one of the Apprentices below had a relaxed expression; although Margaret spoke diplomatically, they all understood—
"This Alus Association meeting, I'm afraid, will be very different from the previous ones."
The likelihood of danger to life was far greater than ever before...
"Follow me."
Margaret concluded, taking the lead and walking towards the row of carriages outside the door.
The Yista School's carriages were parked on the road outside the courtyard, forming a long line.
Margaret herself got into the very first carriage, which was reserved for her personal use.
The carriage was a stark grey, cold as lime cement, and the creature pulling the carriage, with a bloodline of Demon Beast, also bore a pure grey coat to match the carriage, complete with two short horns grown from the sides of its head.
Meanwhile, the four Official Wizards from their affiliated Schools each boarded one of the four carriages prepared for them.
Once all the Apprentices had boarded the carriages, the one carrying Margaret at the front started moving timely.
"Go!"
Hooves in motion, wheels turning.
Colin gently lifted the grey curtain of the carriage window, looking back.
The carriages, seemingly cast from the same mold, lined up in a long procession, speeding down the broad road, stirring up thin dust...
Watching this scene, Colin felt a moment of abstraction and involuntarily thought back to when he had joined the Tin Saint School, those who arrived after these Wandering Wizards, the Official Wizard Apprentices from the affiliated Schools,
also a convoy of carriages, also in such a manner, wheels rolling, forming a long procession.
Only, unlike that time, he was no longer a Wandering Wizard Apprentice standing outside observing the carriages...
The departure spot was in the central square of Neustadt City.
Perhaps because Margaret's speech had taken some time, by the time they reached the central square, it was almost filled to the brim with carriages.
Fortunately, it seemed that areas had been marked off in advance; Margaret's carriage led them to the far left side of the square.
"Whoa—!"
The carriages stopped.
"Form up in a line here, stand in place, don't wander around, and wait for my instructions to board the Airship,"
Margaret commanded the Wizards Apprentices as they dismounted the carriages.
Colin stood behind Margaret, surveying his surroundings.
After all, this was his first real encounter with the central square of Neustadt City... Although he had passed it when heading to Copper Rose Street before, he had never entered it.
Unlike the usually empty central square he had seen on other days, today it was much busier.
Most captivating of all were the three steel Airships, large and two small, parked in the very center, all in a shade of grey-blue!
Although he had experienced flying in airplanes in his past life, and once in a steel Airship in this world... it did nothing to stifle his current amazement.
The size of the Airships was truly astounding, with the largest one almost half the length of the square!
"Is this the Airship we are going to board..." Colin couldn't help but marvel.