Graduation Ceremony

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

After saying goodbye to Mr. Tie Zhesheng, Bell finally walked over to Hermione and apologized.

He had noticed when Hermione arrived earlier, but he had been at a critical stage of artifact refining and couldn't spare the attention to greet her. Before he knew it, he had kept Hermione waiting for half the day.

"It's fine. It's getting late—you must be hungry, right? Come on, let's hurry and get dinner."

Hermione stepped forward and linked her arm through Bell's, wiping the sweat from his forehead as she spoke softly.

It was already getting dark outside, probably past six o'clock. She had come over after lunch, which meant Bell hadn't eaten lunch and had to be starving by now.

"True. I didn't really notice until you mentioned it, but now I feel like my stomach's stuck to my back. Let's go. We still need to pack tonight after dinner."

With that, Bell and Hermione headed outside together.

He hadn't forgotten that they were returning to Britain tomorrow. More accurately, he didn't dare forget. If they got back late because of him, his mother would probably swallow him whole.

The next morning was the Academy's Graduation Ceremony.

Of course, calling it a ceremony was a bit of an exaggeration. There wasn't much to do. The headmaster went onstage, gave a brief speech, and stepped down in less than half an hour. The rest of the time was left entirely to the students.

Close classmates and teachers said their goodbyes and offered one another blessings. The sorrow of parting permeated the entire Academy.

With the convenience of spells, distance could not truly keep two Cultivators from meeting. But once they began working, everyone would only grow busier and busier. The days of living together like this