After finishing lunch, Curator Jin Kela hurried out again.
Shen Xuan returned to his room, collapsed onto the soft, large bed, and took out the Admission Ticket to inspect it closely.
"I wonder what the environment in an otherworldly academy is like. It might actually be quite interesting."
"Besides, letting Xiaoxue go live in such a distant place all by herself... As an older brother, I'm more than a little worried..."
The more Shen Xuan thought about it, the more he felt this was simply the truth.
[Master, are you certain it isn't because you are fond of Luo Xiaoxue?]
"Pff—"
On the other side, Luo Xiaoxue's heart was a tangle of three conflicting emotions: trepidation, reluctance to leave, and excitement.
Ever since she could remember, she had lived her entire life in Winter City. The only people she knew were her immediate neighbors, and she had no conception of what the outside world was like.
If she truly went to study at Roland Empire Central Academy, she wouldn't be able to return home for a very long time. She wouldn't see her grandparents, nor her little friends in the city.
Yet, she also yearned to see a broader world.
And...
"I must master greater power. Only then can I protect my grandparents—oh, and that big idiot of a brother, Shen Xuan!"
This time, her utter powerlessness amidst the fire made Luo Xiaoxue acutely aware of her own insignificance.
She never wanted another day to come where she could only stand by and watch helplessly as the people most precious to her fell into mortal danger, completely lacking the strength to save them.
...
After packing her luggage and saying farewell to her friends, two days slipped by.
Early on the morning of the third day, just outside the city gates, a merchant caravan bound for Rhode City was on the verge of departure.
Luo Xiaoxue and Shen Xuan boarded the caravan's carriage under the watchful, parting gazes of Curator Jin Kela and Stanley.
Watching the two children who were about to embark on a distant journey, the two elders' eyes were filled with reluctance to part as they instructed, "You two must take care of yourselves and stay safe along the road. It's a pity there are still so many matters in the city awaiting my attention, or else I'd accompany you both to Rhode City."
"Grandpa, Grandma, don't you worry. I've grown up now and can take good care of myself. Besides, isn't Shen Xuan coming with me?" Luo Xiaoxue comforted them.
Curator Jin Kela shook his head and sighed, "It's precisely because he's going with you that I can't possibly feel at ease..."
Shen Xuan: (;￣д￣)
How on earth did he catch a stray bullet while just standing there? Was he supposed to turn into a Monster and devour this white-haired loli or something?
Old Man Jin smoothly changed the subject, turning to the caravan leader to say, "Mr. Anta, I'll have to entrust these two to your care."
The round, plump merchant with a wisp of a beard on his chin bowed respectfully and replied, "Lord Jin, please rest assured. Our caravan will deliver Miss Luo and little brother Shen safely to Rhode City."
Curator Jin Kela nodded. "I wish you a safe and smooth journey."
Before long, the leading carriage lurched into motion. Carrying a full load of cargo and a retinue of some thirty guards and hands, the caravan set off down the grand highway.
Shen Xuan and Luo Xiaoxue had been assigned to a carriage in the middle of the caravan, which would be safer than riding at the very front or back.
Scarcely had they left Winter City behind when the caravan leader, Anta, rode up on horseback to converse warmly with Shen Xuan and the girl.
"You two, I hear you're heading to Rhode City to take the entrance examinations for Roland Empire Central Academy?"
"Yes, we'll be troubling Mr. Anta along the way," Luo Xiaoxue did not deny it. This was hardly a secret that needed hiding.
"Oh, no trouble at all, no trouble! To be frank with you two, my own daughter happens to be going to Rhode City to take the entrance exams for the magic academy as well—though she's trying for Rhode Magic Academy. It has some renown, of course, but compared to Central Academy, it falls far short." Anta laughed heartily, his tone casually taking it for granted that the two youths would undoubtedly pass the exams for Central Academy.
Then he raised his voice and called out, "Lina!"
Hearing the summons, a timid young girl wearing brown cloth garments and short brown hair lifted the carriage curtain and came over to where Shen Xuan and Luo Xiaoxue sat.
"Father." The girl cast an inquiring gaze toward Anta.
Anta smiled and introduced her, "This is my daughter, Lina."
Luo Xiaoxue felt a mild surge of surprise; she hadn't realized there was another person of their age group on this carriage.
However, the girl named Lina appeared somewhat constrained, perhaps owing to a shy disposition.
After introducing them to one another, Anta found a casual pretext and rode off.
Watching that round, plump back retreat, Shen Xuan didn't need to guess to know what the caravan leader was plotting, but so long as it posed no threat, it didn't matter.
As a competent merchant, Anta naturally hoped that Lina could forge a friendship with Luo Xiaoxue and Shen Xuan. The two youths had the most illustrious and powerful figures in Winter City standing behind them; even if they ultimately failed to enter Central Academy, their "background" alone made them immensely valuable connections to cultivate.
Once he departed, the heavy silence returned to the carriage.
Lina stood awkwardly, completely at a loss for what to say next.
Shen Xuan lazily leaned back against a stack of cargo, closing his eyes to rest.
Seeing that she couldn't rely on him, Luo Xiaoxue had no choice but to break the ice herself. She smiled warmly at the short-haired girl and said, "Lina, I never imagined you'd also be applying to the magic academy in Rhode City. What a coincidence! Let's both do our best."
Luo Xiaoxue's words and demeanor were entirely proper, carrying a touch of the refined elegance of a young aristocratic lady—completely different from the lively, adorable little loli she acted like around Shen Xuan.
"Ah—O-Okay! Miss Luo!" Lina's cheeks flushed slightly as she flurriedly replied. Even though she was visibly taller and larger than Luo Xiaoxue, her timid personality made her seem much more like the younger sister.
"Just call me Xiaoxue."
"R-Really? May I?"
"Of course."
...
The two girls rapidly grew familiar with one another, chattering away like little birds about various interesting topics, leaving Shen Xuan sitting off to the side feeling thoroughly out of place.
Yet, every so often, Lina cast furtive glances in his direction.
She had heard tales of Shen Xuan. Rare as a "God-tier Talent," someone like Shen Xuan, who possessed zero magical aptitude, was practically impossible to find across the entire Roland Empire.
The former had been regarded as the empire's future hope since birth, effortlessly acquiring all manner of magical resources and personal guidance from imperial grandmasters, whereas the latter enjoyed no such treatment whatsoever.
Still, Lina hadn't expected Shen Xuan to be such a strikingly handsome young man—he looked precisely like a prince who had stepped right out of a painting, provided one completely overlooked his utterly slovenly attire and grooming.
[Master, the girl named Lina has been observing you continuously. She may have already fallen in love with you.]
[Hint: Successfully confess your feelings to any female to increase Master's maximum mana pool.]
"Get lost. I have zero interest in all this romantic nonsense," Shen Xuan replied lazily.
Every single day it was just some utter garbage quest!
Yet the moment he finished thinking it, he quietly cracked his eyelids open by a tiny sliver, his gaze seemingly drifting quite casually toward a certain white-haired loli.
[In that case, regarding the time you and Luo Xiaoxue shared a single soup spoon...] The System's voice chimed in once more.
Instantly, veins throbbed on Shen Xuan's forehead!
"Stop! You are forbidden from mentioning the soup spoon ever again! Are you never going to let this running gag die?"