CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 27: BOARDING THE SHIP

"Are you the wizard apprentice ready to board the ship?" the man in the black hood asked.

"Yes, sir." Emil could sense the strong magic power from the other person, even though he was intentionally holding back.

"Do you have a token?" the hooded man continued to ask.

"Yes," Emil took out his ring.

The hooded man took the ring, examined it in his hand: "Hmm, a token from the Moonlight Forest, this is the second time I’ve seen this ring. Follow me. Due to previous delays in our journey, we will only be staying here for one day."

"Second time..."

Emil associated with many thoughts, guessing that the first time was with his red-haired mentor.

It seems that the hooded man has been on this ship for many years.

"I’m leaving," Emil turned back to say goodbye to the three of them.

"Take care!" Herag stepped forward and gave him a strong hug, and Melissa also gave him a hug.

"Let’s go." The hooded man urged impatiently and turned to leave first.

Emil slung his backpack over his shoulder, took the package handed by Herag, and quickly followed behind the hooded man.

"I’m Dino, a Level 1 Wizard from Dream Island. There are five levels on the ship; you apprentices live on the third and fourth levels. The conditions there are a bit rougher, but safer than above. The sea is dangerous; try not to run up without a reason."

As Dino led the way, he explained some of the ship’s rules to Emil.

"Mr. Dino, how many wizard apprentices are on the ship?" Emil asked.

"Including you, there are eleven in total, with two from the Coleson Continent, including you. We will stay here for a day to see if anyone else comes."

Emil followed Dino onto the deck; standing on it, he realized it was even more spacious than it looked, almost as large as a square.

Most on the deck were busy sailors and five or six young people scattered along the sides of the ship, enjoying the breeze; they looked about Emil’s age.

When Emil boarded the ship, these people glanced at him, then turned their attention away, as if they were accustomed to new wizard apprentices joining at every stop.

Dino turned back to warn: "Try not to cause conflicts on the ship; don’t affect its sailing; and do not cause any damage to the ship, or I will feed you to the fish."

"Understood," Emil nodded.

"Follow me." Dino led the way down the stairs into the cabin.

Emil followed, stepping on the wooden stairs which creaked from age and disrepair.

Once inside the cabin, it was dim; lamps hung on the walls, casting white light from slabs of white stone.

The passageway inside the cabin was somewhat narrow, Emil noticed the wall materials were special wood with a metallic sheen.

He pressed his hand against them, finding the wood extremely hard.

Dino noticed Emil’s actions and said without looking back, "This is wood from the Forbidden Magic Forest; it is the hardest known wood and possesses high magical resistance."

"Forbidden Magic Forest..." Emil attempted to inject some magic power into the wall, finding resistance.

The two bypassed the first level, went down the stairs to the third level.

"The rooms on the third level are full, you’ll have to go to the fourth level."

Emil glanced towards the corridor, several rooms had lights on while others seemed unoccupied, perhaps their occupants were sleeping or up on the deck.

The fourth level was narrower than the third, with fewer rooms; Emil counted only five rooms in use.

Dino led Emil to a room, took out a key, opened the door: "You will stay here; the fourth level is rougher but fewer people means fewer conflicts. You are a First-Class Apprentice, right?"

"Yes," Emil replied.

According to the Starry Sky Meditation Technique, Emil needed to meditate on six stars to meet the mental power requirements of a Second-Class Apprentice.

Generally, people have one to two points of spiritual power before meditation; Emil estimated the Second-Class Apprentice standard to be seven to eight points.

Receiving confirmation, Dino said: "Then this is suitable for you. The third level has Second-Class Apprentices, more than one, so be careful."

At that moment, the room opposite Emil’s lit up.

Dino introduced: "The person opposite is also from the Coleson Continent, boarded at the last port. That’s about it, just don’t cause trouble and wait quietly until we reach land. The second level is where you eat; go there if you’re hungry, and try to avoid the deck. I don’t have the energy to look after you all."

"Yes, I understand, Mr. Dino," Emil said politely.

After giving these instructions, Dino left, looking busy.

Emil checked his small room; it was dark and he struggled to locate a lamp on the wall.

The lamp was similar to those in the passage, consisting of a white stone and a glass cover.

Beneath the stone lamp was a small switch; Emil pushed it upwards and the lamp illuminated with soft white light.

Pulling the switch downwards extinguished the light.

"What kind of stone is this..." Emil studied the lamp, which was simple in design.

The structure consisted of a base, a switch, and the main body of the white stone and glass cover.

"The mystery must be inside the base." Emil sensed a faint magic flow inside the base but dared not take it apart, not wanting to be tossed overboard.

With the light turned on, the room felt bright and despite its narrowness, Emil felt a sense of warmth.

The room contained a single bed, with barely a person-wide gap between the bed and the wall, just enough for Emil to stand.

A wooden board fixed to the opposite wall by ropes served as a small table when pulled down.

The room’s ceiling housed two cabinets for storing luggage and personal items.

Emil stowed his package inside, containing preserved meat, dry food, and other long-storage items prepared by Herag and the others.

After putting his package away, Emil lay on the single bed; the boards were hard but acceptable.

A thick quilt covered the bed; he felt inside with his hand, finding it slightly damp.

Knock, knock...

A gentle knocking came from the door; Emil checked a small map, noting a person standing outside—judging by the silhouette, a woman.

He opened the door to see a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, with long golden hair, delicately featured, smiling kindly.

"Noble?"

Emil noted her light gold dress, with her silver-gray coat adorned with gold tassels—a standard noble attire, and not of a minor noble.