Yuri Burns of Lilith's Cottage wore a stormy expression as she spoke into an emerald-encrusted ring on her finger. After receiving confirmation from a formal wizard of Lilith's Cottage, she turned her glare toward Gregor.
"The deal is settled."
Without waiting for Gregor's response, Yuri fixed her gaze on Locke, Lorne, and the other five students. "You seven will come with me."
"The wizard ship will arrive at Lilith's Cottage territory in ten days. Be assembled on deck at noon that day."
She shot a venomous look at Ruxin, who wore a relieved smile. "Lilith's Cottage isn't someplace people can enter and leave as they please."
"I hope certain individuals won't regret this decision later."
Ruxin's smile vanished as she lowered her head guiltily. "I'm sorry, Teacher Yuri, I—"
Yuri Burns didn't wait for explanations, turning on her heel to gather the other prospects originally assigned to Lilith's Cottage. For the academy, this exchange was nothing short of humiliating.
Lorne gave Locke a bitter smile and whispered, "To think we'd encounter this kind of mess the moment we enter the wizarding world. Let's hope Lilith's Cottage doesn't make things difficult for us."
Locke remained more optimistic. "Don't be so pessimistic. Though we were cultivated by Virdantia, we're now Lilith's Cottage's prospects."
"I doubt we'll face special discrimination. That would be absurd."
He frowned. "Though I wonder how my debt to Virdantia University will be handled now."
Lorne considered this. "Likely transferred to Lilith's Cottage when we sign the new student agreements."
"Still, Lilith's Cottage is a mid-to-upper-tier organization in the southeast quadrant. This might not be a bad outcome."
After parting ways with Lorne, Locke returned to his cabin to continue studying. With the Rose Red Jade, his mental strength could progress further, though without an amethyst matrix, he couldn't monitor his precise growth.
Ten days later, the wizard ship docked at a verdant plain dotted with rolling hills in the distance. As Locke disembarked, he saw the slopes blanketed in violet-red unknown flowers and clusters of towns with architecture starkly different from Corfu Island's, more fantastical, with some settlements featuring red brick and white walls in bustling prosperity, others dominated by emerald-green structures where trees and buildings intertwined seamlessly.
The port city itself teemed with non-human races, dwarves pushing carts, lizardfolk hawking wares from street stalls while absently flicking scaled tails, and tall elven women carrying bows and quivers. Yet humans remained the majority.
Yuri Burns addressed the thirty-plus prospects as they gathered onshore:
"As you can see, the southeast quadrant is a mid-magic environment."
"Unlike your mortal worlds, many races coexist here, though humans still dominate numerically."
Her raspy laugh carried across the docks. "Lilith's Cottage, as the region's premier potion-selling organization, maintains an open-door policy. Hence our territory hosts numerous non-human settlements, and even our academy admits non-human wizards."
"Prepare yourselves accordingly."
"Transitioning from low to mid-magic may cause temporary discomfort, but this will pass after a night's rest."
She gestured broadly. "Technically, you're already within Lilith's Cottage. We're an open-network institution welcoming most wizards."
"These cities and towns all fall under our domain. Our wizards reside in cottages scattered throughout."
"Annual potion auctions here draw massive crowds."
Her tone turned warning. "Many wandering wizards and failed apprentices also linger in our territory, renting shops and land. Stay vigilant, the academy won't intervene if you're swindled."
Locke noted her emphasis on "failed."
Yuri's gaze swept over the clueless newcomers as she chuckled darkly. "Lilith's Cottage isn't a charity. Our support has limits."
"Prospects who fail to advance to second-class apprentice within five years face expulsion."
She pointed at the port city. "Some of those washing out right now crowd these streets."
A cruel grin spread across her face. "Many doomed apprentices join dangerous experiments as test subjects. Others drown in debt with no hope of repayment."
"But that's far off for you."
Her expression sobered. "Now is your brightest moment. Advance to second-class swiftly, only then will you truly belong to the academy, safe from elimination."
"Additionally, each of you will be assigned a formal wizard mentor."
"Though in practice..." Yuri smirked, "...the wizards will delegate your training to their first-class apprentice students like myself. Only second-class apprentices merit direct instruction from formal wizards."
"Your schedules will include public academy courses and specialized magic training arranged by your mentors."
With a clap, she concluded, "Orientation complete."
"Level 5 and 6 aptitude prospects, follow me. The rest, find your mentors using the provided materials."
"It's time you learned self-reliance."
As she strode away, Yuri muttered under her breath, "This recruitment mission took over half a month for just 20 contribution points. What a waste."
"Next time, I'm refusing all new student assignments." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel·fire·net