Airship Ticket

The warm winter sun hung high in the sky, its morning light piercing the white mist that shrouded the town.

It was the remnant of last night's burning houses, as though the town had been wrapped in a layer of white mourning silk, devoid of even the slightest warmth.

Dago and Selena rose early. Dago planted three homemade incense sticks in the mound of earth over Mariko in the corner of the courtyard.

Selena asked what they meant, and Dago said it was a custom from his hometown, so that the departed would always remember that those above still thought of them.

After following Dago's example and paying her respects, she planted three incense sticks as well.

The two entered the empty tea room together. A thin layer of dust had already settled over the table.

By now, nearly everyone at the Wizard Inn had fled. Only an elderly man remained, holding his post at the inn's front desk.

Dago had once asked why he did not leave town. He said he had worked at the inn his entire life and only wanted to die in the place he knew best.

That was also why so many elderly people remained in town. Many no longer wished to leave, did not want to burden their families, and did not want to die far from home.

But at this stage, leaving town was basically no longer possible.

The forest outside the town had completely fallen. Black-Robed Wizards patrols were everywhere, and no town convoy could pass through the forest.

There was only one way left to leave town: take the Academy's rune airship.

But Dago still did not know how to obtain an airship ticket, so he decided to ask at Wizard Hall.

After telling Selena his plans, he arranged for her to remain at the inn and wait for news from him.

With the northern defense line destroyed last night, large numbers of hired wizards and civilians had died. People from the outskirts were all moving toward the town center.

As Dago walked through the town's streets, the smell of black smoke had yet to dissipate, mingling with the stench of blood and corrosive energy.

Spell craters left by the Black-Robed Wizards still scarred the streets. Elderly people and some middle-aged residents were cleaning up the aftermath of the battle, such as the corpses left behind when the black-robed figures fled.

The Duskblood Council generally had wizards specifically tasked with collecting corpses from battlefields. In the wizarding world, corpses were also a kind of material.

Dago stood before Wizard Hall. It remained as majestic and beautiful as ever. Even if the town fell, this place might not. It was a solid fortress protected by rune formations.

When he stepped into Wizard Hall, he saw many dried bloodstains on the marble floor.

A large number of hired wizards, mixed with a small number of Academy wizards, lay on the marble floor. It seemed this place had been turned into a temporary infirmary.

In a corner, a young hired wizard curled up beneath a faded wool blanket. The left leg of his trousers hung empty, and the bandages around the stump had been soaked through with blood, spreading dark brown stains.

His left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle. Sharp fragments of bone could vaguely be seen protruding beneath the bandages. Every weak breath pulled at the wound in his chest, knotting his brows and beading his forehead with fine cold sweat.

His eyes were half-open, but no light reflected in his cloudy pupils. There was only a deathly gray stillness, as though he remained trapped in memories of being slaughtered by the Black-Robed Wizards.

Not far away, another wounded man was struggling to shift his body, trying to pull up his slipping wool blanket.

A chunk of flesh had been corroded away from his right leg. The exposed muscle tissue glistened an unnatural dark green beneath the dim lights, and traces of corrosive energy seemed to remain within. Every movement made him clench his teeth in pain and let out a muffled groan.

Dago could not bear to watch any longer. He stepped forward and gently brushed the wound on the man's right leg with his snow-white right hand, using ice energy to clear away the remaining corrosive energy.

The man looked at Dago with hollow eyes, as though his soul had already left this battered body.

At last, he barely managed to squeeze out, "Thank you, Lord Wizard."

Only the wounded men's suppressed breathing, quiet sobs, and the hurried footsteps of wizards capable of healing spells filled Wizard Hall.

Dago got up and left the treatment area, an inexplicable anger rising in his heart, though he gritted his teeth and forced it down.

He went to the counter at Wizard Hall to ask about airship tickets. The receptionist pointed to another counter in the corner.

Dago quickly went to the counter he had indicated and discovered that the person behind it was the curly-haired young man he had met before.

"Hello, how do I buy an airship ticket?"

Dago asked kindly.

When the curly-haired young man recognized Dago, he glanced behind him. Not seeing the beauty from last time, disappointment flashed through his eyes. He said impatiently, "Go on, go on. Can you even afford a ticket?"

The moment he said that, spiritual force surged from Dago's eyes and pressed directly toward him.

Dago had already been in a terrible mood, and now this curly-haired young man dared to spout nonsense and provoke him.

The young man's face instantly turned pale, and cold sweat poured from his forehead. He felt like a rabbit facing the greatest of hunters, dangerous and deadly.

"M-M-M-M-My lord, I was wrong. I'll tell you, I'll tell you," he said, trembling and stammering.

"If you still fail to learn manners next time, very unpleasant things will happen. Keep that in mind."

Dago withdrew his spiritual pressure and spoke in an unfriendly tone.

The curly-haired young man wiped away the bead-sized drops of sweat on his forehead and nodded frantically.

"To obtain an Academy airship ticket now, you need to meet two conditions. First, pay one hundred Low-Grade Magic Stones. Second, provide valid proof that you have killed a Duskblood Council member."

The curly-haired young man did not dare meet Dago's eyes. He lowered his head and spoke respectfully.

Dago rubbed his chin, calculating whether he met the two requirements for an airship ticket.

The underlying meaning of those two conditions was that anyone who wanted to leave Academy Town at this stage had to be both wealthy and have rendered service to the Academy.

After thinking for a moment, he placed the Duskblood Council Insignia he had kept in his storage ring before the curly-haired young man.

"Will this do?"

The young man froze. At first glance, he was not sure whether it would count, because ordinary Duskblood Council Insignias were not that large, while Dago's was as large as a palm.

He carefully picked it up and inspected it again and again. Every Duskblood Council Insignia was specially made and contained a unique Dusk Crystal aura.

After a moment, he reached his conclusion: it was genuine.

Moreover, it was a Duskblood Council Insignia he had never seen before. With such a dense Dusk Crystal aura, this lord had apparently killed a high-ranking member of the Duskblood Council.

He then looked at Dago with reverence. "No problem. This is valid proof that you recently killed a Duskblood Council member."

Dago nodded. Then, as though performing a magic trick, he flipped his hand, and ten Mid-Grade Magic Stones appeared in his palm.

The curly-haired young man naturally recognized storage equipment. He looked enviously at the pile of Magic Stones in Dago's hand, took them, placed them in the safe behind him, and retrieved a gold card engraved with runes.

Bowing at the waist, he held the gold card up with both hands and presented it to Dago.

"When can I board?" Dago asked with a smile as he accepted the gold card.

"The airship leaves at noon today. Do not be late. Once it departs, the ticket is void. The ticket also has an anti-counterfeiting mark, and each ticket is for one person only."

The curly-haired young man answered seriously.

"Fine."

Dago put the gold card into his storage ring and turned away from the counter.

He quickly left the oppressive Wizard Hall. Dago took a deep breath of cold air, and only then did the burning sensation in his chest ease somewhat.

He decided to give this airship ticket to Selena and get her away from the whirlpool of war.

She was only a Second-Level Apprentice Wizard now and had mastered just two spells. Formal Wizard-level battles might appear in the coming conflict within the town.

To put it bluntly, even the aftershocks of battle could kill her.

He could not disregard his own safety and protect her unconditionally. He remained in town not only because he was powerful, but also because he could quickly gather the resources needed to advance to a Formal Wizard.

Chaos was the ladder of progress. That was one of the creeds he believed in.

All things considered, he should send Selena somewhere safe first. Only then could he truly let loose.