"Okay, rest for a while and leave early. We should be near Everbright Cliff now, so there shouldn't be any interruptions. If you meet other teams, don't engage with them—just follow the path," Ian said, waving his hand to signal Lancer to leave.
"Yes, young master," Lancer replied, bowing before returning the way he came to implement Ian's plan.
The place where the Ignisia Tower was located was called Everbright Cliff. It was named so because, as the name suggested, the cliff was always bright and visible, even on the darkest night.
Of course, the reason lay in the Ignisia Tower itself and the methods of wizards.
However, the place Ian was heading to wasn't directly the cliff but the city of Everbright, located far below it. As far as he knew, without the methods of wizards, no one could set foot inside the Ignisia Tower, even if they wanted to.
Thus, Everbright City was established to facilitate the first selection process: the qualification test.
If he remembered correctly, there was a huge crystal called the Keystone in the center of the Everbright City, directly connected to the Ignisia Tower. This crystal was used to test the qualifications of youngsters from across the continent.
Every time the Ignisia Tower opened, it would supply mana to the Keystone, which helped test the participating youngsters holding Ignisia Tower tokens.
Without the token, the Keystone wouldn't work, and one couldn't enter the tower. Perhaps this method was intended to limit the number of participants in this barren land, which was now monopolized by stronger factions.
In fact, there used to be a more traditional wizard qualification test before distributing the Ignisia Tower tokens to prevent them from being wasted.
But now, it seemed that no wizard cared about this continent and directly distributed the tower tokens to each empire's representatives, resulting in such a wasteful approach.
"Ian... Do you want to do it?"
Just as Ian was lost in thought, Lyra, who was in his arms, squirmed and placed her lips close to his ear, whispering as she bit it gently and licked it with her long tongue. One of her hands was already moving downward restlessly trying to grab his rod in a warm embrace of her hand.
"Shh... You girl, what are you doing? We're already near our destination."
Seeing Lyra getting restless again, Ian cursed softly but still closed the carriage window, pulling her closer in his arms as they prepared for another passionate moment.
"Mmm..."
'Well, sometimes having an active partner isn't so bad,' Ian thought, indulging in yet another round of pleasure while their entourage moved steadily toward Everbright City.
With such a romantic girl by his side, willing to cater to his every need, the long journey was far from boring.
---
"Sorry, sir. You're quite late." A middle-aged man bowed and apologized.
"Except for the Royal Suite, there really isn't any room available," he said with a slightly embarrassing tone to Lancer who had been asking for accommodations.
He wasn't lying; they were indeed quite late, and all the rooms had been booked except for a Royal Suite reserved for entertaining royalty.
Hearing his words, Lancer looked ashamed, realizing he lacked the skill to haggle in such matters.
After only a day of travel, Ian and Lyra had finally arrived in Everbright City by evening.
However, just as his father had feared, they were late, as evidenced by the difficulty in finding accommodations.
In fact, they were so late that the Ignisia Trial was scheduled for the following day, just around the corner. If Ian hadn't arrived, Ron might have had to postpone it.
"Okay then, the Royal Suite it is. Make the preparations," Ian said decisively. He didn't want to waste time wandering around at night.
"But...Sir... that's reserved for royalty."
Just as the middle-aged man was about to refuse, he suddenly felt his mind go numb and abruptly changed his words.
"Okay, young master. Please follow me," he said, leading the way.
Seeing this, Lancer was getting confused when Ian ordered,
"Just follow him and make the arrangements."
"Yes, young master," Lancer replied. Though it was unusual, he didn't overthink it and followed the man to handle the details.
'Heh, mind-control skills are quite handy at times,' Ian thought, walking leisurely toward the Royal Suite with Lyra by his side.
"We were almost late, but at least we made it," Lyra said, relieved that they had arrived in time. She was unaware that Ron was one of Ian's subordinates.
"Yeah, but it's better this way than waiting," Ian agreed, ignoring the glances from the people around, most of which were directed at Lyra.
With her striking beauty and exotic figure, such attention was inevitable. If she weren't practically glued to Ian, someone might have even tried hitting on her.
As they began to climb the stairs, Ian noted the Inn's ancient-style interior, filled with crude imitations of wizard runes and symbols meant to evoke the feeling of a wizard's abode.
The owner of the Inn clearly had a talent for business, even naming it the "Mystic Haven." The tall, tower-like building was clearly designed to resemble the Ignisia Tower.
So, to reach the Royal Suite they just booked, they had to climb several flights of stairs, as there was no lift.
But the effort was definitely worth it since after reaching the topmost floor, Ian was greeted with a breathtaking view of the Ignisia Tower, shining brightly atop the Everbright Cliff, visible from the large window.
Although he had glimpsed its silhouette from the ground, the view from the top of the Mystic Haven Inn was far more striking. Unfortunately, due to the distance, he still couldn't make out the details of its structure—only its commanding and awe-inspiring presence.
'Tomorrow...'
Tomorrow would mark the day Ian entered the Ignisia Tower and began his true journey as a wizard, determined to change his fate as a mere passerby villain.
It would also be the start of the well-known story 'Arcane Passage' and the unknown one he would carve with his own strength.
So, in the midst of the known and the unknown, Ian had to navigate his way toward the true destiny that was meant for him.
"Let's go; it's time to rest."