More than ten days passed. The ship finally docked again. Yuri and Villet disembarked with several other apprentices and followed the people waiting on shore.
Only Anglie, along with two apprentices from other countries whom he did not know at all, remained aboard the ship. Then there was the black-robed man.
The four of them sailed on for another two days before reaching their final destination—Sunrise Land, meaning the Land Where the Rising Sun Ascends.
"This is the final stop. Disembark." The black-robed man pressed some sort of switch by the rail. With a boom, the heavy, broad boarding ramp dropped down onto the sea bridge below.
"There are two Wizard organizations here: Ramsoda Academy and Liliado Lodge. Follow the signposts yourselves. This place is close to where the Wizards live, so there are no unusual dangers."
After they disembarked, the black-robed man gave them a brief explanation, then abandoned the three of them on the shore. He boarded the ship himself and soon departed.
The entire coast was deserted. Morning sunlight spilled across the beach, reflecting off a vast stretch of golden sand.
Anglie glanced at the other two but did not speak. He turned and headed inland. He noticed a narrow path worn into the ground by frequent footsteps, and through the coconut grove not far away, he could vaguely make out a signpost. A man in a grayish-white robe stood there quietly, waiting for them.
Half an hour later...
Led by the man in the grayish-white robe, Anglie and the other two stood before the ruins of a massive ancient city.
The ancient city's crumbling walls gave off the nauseating sensation of the inside of a sewer pipe—grayish-black and crawling with blue-green vines. Huge, thick black roots coiled across the road. Hoarse, strange cries occasionally rang out