When Han Shuo's party of twelve reached the city gates, they were awestruck by the imposing gates of Zachius City. The entire gateway was magnificent, built wholly from the hardest stone. Perhaps because they had been soaked in too much blood, the stones were dark brown, as though splashed with bloodstains.
The walls, dozens of meters high, were densely lined with battle-hardened soldiers clad in armor and holding sharp weapons. Defensive measures of every kind could be seen everywhere along the walls.
Viewed from afar, the gateway resembled the bloody maw of a gigantic magical beast, its fangs bared to devour all things. Sharp, chilling spikes bristled all around the walls like the keen teeth in a magical beast's mouth. Their cold gleam glittered in the sunlight, creating an intensely intimidating sight.
The two enormous black doors, forged from some unknown material, now stood open. The gateway was wide enough for a dozen or so riders to pass abreast. It was very crowded before the gates now, with huge, peculiar magical beasts laden with all manner of supplies and people lumbering through the gateway and out of the city.
These magical beasts were larger than any beasts Han Shuo had ever seen, standing five meters tall and more than ten meters long. Their skin was dark brown, and their heads somewhat resembled those of elephants, with deeply wrinkled faces and two long, curved white tusks at their cheeks. The tusks alone were a meter long.
"Those are earth dragons, a relatively docile kind of magical beast. Earth dragons are easy to tame. They're slow, but they can carry heavy loads, making them the empire's principal means of transportation. Merchants use earth dragons to transport heavy goods and trade between regions." Seeing many of the students staring at the earth dragons in wonder, Fanny smiled and explained.
"Teacher Fanny, keep an eye on them. I'll go register with the officer and borrow a few warhorses while I'm there. Otherwise, we certainly won't reach Doro Town before dark on foot." Gene looked at Fanny with shining eyes and spoke with a smile. His gaze settled on her beautiful face and never once shifted away.
Everyone in the Necromancy Department knew how Gene felt about Fanny, and Fanny herself knew it better than anyone, but she had never given any indication of a response. Gene was in no hurry either. He seemed intent on moving Fanny with his sincerity and often seized opportunities to express his affection. Gazing at her lovingly for long stretches was one of his usual methods.
Watching Gene's undisguised gaze, Han Shuo could not help cursing inwardly. In his mind, Fanny had long since become his private possession, so naturally he resented someone else eyeing her right in front of him. But he was only an errand boy now, and his strength had not reached a level where he could show it, so although he was displeased, he could hardly lash out.
"All right, go ahead. I'll keep a close eye on them." Fanny agreed with a light smile, neither warm nor cold. Avoiding Gene's burning gaze, she turned to look at the magnificent walls and remarked, "Although I've seen them many times, every time I return here, I feel proud of Zachius City's gates. It's precisely because these sturdy gates stand here that the savage Orcs have repeatedly been forced to return empty-handed."
Han Shuo carried all manner of belongings on his back, almost burying his entire body beneath them. When everyone stopped, he did not come to a complete halt. He bent his knees and straightened again, raising and lowering his wrists in succession, constantly repeating the monotonous movements.
"Brian, what are you doing?" Standing beside Han Shuo, Amy saw the piles of belongings swaying on his body and could not help looking at him and asking in surprise.
At Amy's words, the others also noticed Han Shuo's movements. They, too, focused their attention on him, puzzled expressions appearing on their faces.
"Nothing. My body's a little sore. Moving around makes it feel better!" Han Shuo said evenly, wearing a dull expression that made him look genuinely rather dim-witted.
"Idiot, be careful. Everything you're carrying is valuable. If you accidentally break anything, selling you wouldn't cover the cost," Bella said coldly with a frown.
"You're the idiot, Bella. Those things are sturdy. How could they break so easily? Nobody gave him anything truly precious and fragile to carry." Lisa glanced at Bella disdainfully and sneered.
"Stop arguing all the time, you two. Every training trip brings dangers, great or small. You should work together, or something is bound to go wrong along the way." Seeing Lisa and Bella arguing again, Fanny frowned and admonished them.
Han Shuo ignored Bella's cold words entirely and continued his monotonous, repetitive movements. These movements were not part of the Demonic Cultivation Art Chu Canglan had left behind, but muscle-training exercises Han Shuo had seen before. To keep improving himself and advance beyond the "Solid Body" stage, he seized every moment to train.
A short while later, Gene returned empty-handed, looking displeased. Coming to Fanny's side, he said angrily, "Damn it, they actually demanded money from us!"
Fanny's dark brows furrowed at his words, and she said in surprise, "Our Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts is the cradle of the empire's knights, warriors, and mages. We nurture so many talented people for the empire every year. Even many of the officers and mages stationed here in Zachius City came from our academy. The academy has an agreement with Zachius City. How dare they refuse to lend us warhorses?"
"When I first said I was from the Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts, that officer intended to lend us the horses. But once I produced my credentials and he saw that we were from the Necromancy Department, he actually started mocking me and demanded fifty gold coins. He said we wouldn't get any horses without paying. He even said our department hadn't supplied the empire with any talent, so we shouldn't enjoy free privileges," Gene said furiously.
Hearing this, the students all shared his indignation, shouting angrily that they wanted to settle the score with that officer. Being treated with contempt clearly felt terrible indeed. These students already felt somewhat aggrieved at having entered the declining Necromancy Department, and now that they had been dismissed so completely, they naturally found it hard to suppress their anger.
"Forget it. Take fifty gold coins from our funds and give them to him. These officers have lived here a long time, and our Necromancy Department really has declined and holds a low position even within the Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts. It's inevitable that they'll look down on us. Once I return to the academy, I'll report this to the dean. For now, let's avoid a dispute with them." Fanny shook her head and dejectedly offered everyone a few words of persuasion before addressing Gene.
At first, Gene disagreed, saying they could not indulge these arrogant soldiers like this. But after Fanny gently reasoned with him, he finally shook his head and sighed softly. Taking fifty gold coins from her dispiritedly, he walked toward a corner of the gateway.
Han Shuo observed the others, then looked at the dejected Fanny. He could not help fixing his gaze on that officer in the distance, thinking, One day, the Necromancy Department will regain its former glory in my hands, and the very name of necromancers will once again strike terror into people's hearts.
"Don't lose heart, either. When Necromancy was in its heyday, no one dared look down on it. But there was a period when all the other schools suppressed it. There was supposedly even a magical war that left necromancers with devastating casualties. Many astonishingly powerful spells were lost, and that was what caused Necromancy's decline.
"We're heading into the Dark Forest to explore this time because I heard someone discovered a Death Cemetery there. Supposedly, many years ago, mages who conducted advanced research into Necromancy stayed in that Death Cemetery. If we can find it and obtain the books on Necromancy inside, perhaps we can change our department's current situation." Seeing that the students were also downcast, Fanny offered these words of comfort.
Hearing Fanny's words, everyone perked up, their faces filling with surprise and delight. They all seemed ready to take this training trip seriously.
Seeing how excited they all were, Fanny sighed softly to herself for no particular reason. Although there's word that someone discovered the Death Cemetery, the person who found it died shortly after leaving it.
The Dark Forest was vast. Finding the Death Cemetery within it would undoubtedly be like searching for a needle in a haystack, and even she held no hope. Moreover, if such a place really had been discovered, countless adventurers would surely flock there. When that happened, obtaining what they needed from the Death Cemetery with only the twelve of them would simply be unrealistic.
Fanny had only said those words to comfort everyone. Their main objective this time was still to test the students' Necromancy and help them gain an understanding of magic out in the world.
"Oh, aren't you people from the Necromancy Department? Are you going on an adventure too? Heehee, why are you all standing here?" Just as the members of the Necromancy Department were lost in their thoughts, a bright female voice rang out from afar.
Eileen, the Light Department student they had met last time, approached from a distance on a tall warhorse, accompanied by several Light Department students and teachers, as well as Claude, the knight who was persistently courting her. Their horses' hooves clattered as they came.
"None of your business. Watch you don't fall off your horse," Lisa cursed coldly, giving Eileen a disdainful look.
"Heehee, I know. You must not have borrowed any warhorses yet. Well, that's hardly surprising. Your Necromancy Department hasn't contributed anything to the empire, so of course it's a little inappropriate for you to use its resources for free. Hahaha!" Eileen giggled, her saintly face filled with mockery and ridicule.
Although Lisa and the others were furious, what Lisa had said was the truth. They could only grit their teeth and seethe, unable to find any words to strike back.
"Hello, Teacher Fanny." Bichir, a senior mage and light magic teacher, greeted Fanny with a smile from his warhorse.
"Hello, Bichir. Are you heading into the Dark Forest to explore as well?" Fanny returned his greeting with a smile and asked mildly.
"Yes. We plan to go to the Dark Forest and help the nearby villages hunt down the magical beasts that frequently cause trouble, easing some of the empire's burden while giving the students a chance to practice using magic. Haha, we'll be off first. See you again if we get the chance!" Bichir spoke courteously, but Han Shuo still detected a hint of contempt in his eyes, as though he looked down on their party.
Only after Bichir and the Light Department group had swept past on their tall horses did Gene return with six warhorses. In both build and number, these horses were clearly inferior to those the Light Department students had just been riding. It seemed that even after paying an extra fifty gold coins, the Necromancy Department still could not receive equal treatment.
But there were twelve of them and only six warhorses, so two people would have to share each horse. The students exchanged looks and quickly found partners, leaving only Han Shuo, Fanny, Gene, and Bark without anyone to ride with.
"Bark, you ride with Brian. I'll ride with Teacher Fanny." Gene's eyes shifted, and delight immediately spread across his face as he spoke to Bark with a broad smile.
"No! I absolutely refuse to share a warhorse with this filthy errand boy!" Bark held a grudge against Han Shuo and immediately shouted his objection.
Gene's feelings were plain for everyone to see, and this was a perfect opportunity to get close to Fanny. At Bark's shout, he was about to speak in annoyance when Fanny suddenly smiled and said, "Since Bark is unwilling, Brian can share a horse with me."
"Hehe, thank you, Teacher Fanny. Here I come!" Overjoyed, Han Shuo cheerfully passed Gene and strode toward Fanny.
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