Chapter 19
The Cardenas’ estate expanded far beyond what Leonard knew of it. Though the carriage was considerably fast, it took nearly an hour for them to arrive at their destination. They traversed the span of a whole barony, and then some.
The knight halted the horses with experienced hands and hopped off, handing the carriage off to an attendant. Then, he turned to Leonard.
“You can go in through that door over there. Someone else will escort you from there, so don’t worry and go ahead,” he said.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And I’m sorry about before.”
Leonard had no idea what he was talking about, but the knight had already turned around and left.
Did he put something in my bread? It tasted fine, though. Leonard didn’t have an answer, but he simply shrugged it off and headed toward the building standing before him.
As soon as he stepped inside, the air changed. In fact, it felt heavier. Perhaps this was an important place in the family and treated with greater care? People who were incomparably stronger than the instructors at the training facility were walking around solemnly.
A knight emerged from right beside him like a ghost. “Are you the last trainee from this year’s class?” he asked.
“Yes. My name is Leonard,” Leonard replied impassively.
When he didn’t react, the knight smiled faintly. “You’ve got nerves of steel. My name is Usher, and I’m a bachelor from the Order of the Fledgling Dragon. I’ll be the one showing you where you can go and answer any questions you have about them. You can call me Sir Usher.”
“Yes, Sir Usher.”
“Follow me. Stay close.”
The mid-rank knight started walking without further ado. He did this every year, so he was very used to it.
While following the knight, Leonard carefully observed his surroundings. As with the room where he’d had his Blood Awakening Ceremony, his senses couldn’t penetrate through any of the walls.
It appears they used some kind of hybrid or unique building material. I don’t think there’s any technique I can use to see into the rooms from the outside.
Back in the Central Plains, this kind of construction would only be seen in places like the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Cult or somewhere in the depths of the royal palace. There were even some acclaimed sects who couldn’t afford this kind of technology. Despite its cost, this entire building seemed to be constructed to prevent people from perceiving through the building’s walls.
Leonard shook his head, gaining a newfound sense of just how wealthy the family was.
At some point, his surroundings began to change, as if an illusion was being lifted around him.
“Surprised?” Usher asked.
“… Yes.”
The knight seemed to understand. “It’s impossible to even get in here without clearance. Even I am not allowed in here, except when I’m transferring trainees.”
He pointed to the stone gate in front of them. It was about three meters tall and wide enough to let about five or six people pass through. What was unique about it, though, was that it had no handle and simply had a large hole.
Leonard’s eyes widened.
This gate allows you to traverse space.
He never could have dreamed of such a device back in murim. Sure, Immortals could use land shrinking, but to have a device that could jump across kilometers at a time?
Mages were innovating their own combat skills, unrelated to martial arts. If an opponent could appear and disappear wherever they liked, it would be very difficult to take them out.
“Here’s how it’s gonna go. It’s simple really. I’ll tell you all the places you can choose from and the pros and cons of each one. Then I’ll set the gate to your desired destination, and you’ll be off,” Usher explained.
“Sir Usher,” Leonard said. The knight nodded for him to continue. “Which place will give me the most mana sources based on my performance?”
When he unified the elements, the penta-core became a little more efficient, but it was still far inferior to single cores and duo cores. Moreover, a place with an abundant amount of mana sources would also be abundant in mana in general, which meant the difficulty of the training regiment and level of skill required would increase accordingly.
A martial artist who shies away from struggle is like a dumpling without filling.
That was why those on the Demonic Path were a step above martial artists in the Righteous Faction and Evil Faction. They were subject to the principle of the survival of the fittest from a young age. It was either kill or be killed, and they honed their martial arts just to survive. Even if they wanted to rest, they simply couldn’t. It was a harsh life.
“There’s one place that comes to mind, but it’s not suitable for first-years,” Usher said in a rare, impatient tone. “You’re not even supposed to be able to choose where to go, but you’re special. However, I don’t recommend it. Even people with single cores don’t last for more than a month or two before they request a transfer.”
“What is the place called?”
“Galapagos.” Usher let out a long sigh when he realized Leonard wouldn’t budge. He pulled out a large map and rolled it out across the table. “It’s on the fringe of the Arcadia Empire. It’s uninhabited, other than members of the Cardenas family.” He added that it was the most dangerous place where the Order of the Fledgling Dragon Knight was stationed and that it had the highest mortality rate for trainees.
Usher explained, “Though it’s nothing compared to the Corroded Realm where members of the Seven Great Orders are stationed, the deepest parts of the Galapagos Island are almost as dangerous. It’s so bad that the banneret stationed there, Bradley, will have to request backup from Commander Fabian if any demonic activity is detected.”
Usher’s expression seemed to ask if Leonard still wanted to go.
“Please send me to Galapagos Island,” Leonard said without hesitation.
Though Usher wanted to dissuade him further, he’d already said everything he could as a guide. Looking resigned, he turned to retrieve something, then handed Leonard a pouch. The pouch looked humble, but Leonard sensed a mysterious energy inside it and tilted his head.
“You have good senses. It’s overlaid with subspace magic,” Usher explained.
“Subspace magic?”
“It looks small, but it has the capacity of a typical warehouse. I’ve already put in your mana sources, so use them wisely. If you’re shortsighted and end up wasting them, you’ll be in trouble later,” he warned.
He had enough mana stones to transport exactly one person and inserted them into several notches. Magic devices that affected space and time were extremely dangerous in general, and if a single shard was out of place, it could cause a huge disaster. It took a few minutes for Usher to finish setting up the portal.
Vrrrrr—!
The stone gate shook violently as it sucked in the surrounding mana like a void to connect to the destination.
“Go! Hurry!” Usher shouted urgently.
Leonard forgot to even answer, and he leaped through the portal. A strange sensation enveloped him. It was something he’d never experienced before, even when he was the Sword Emperor. For once, he felt a chill go through his spine. He felt as if he were falling through clouds, as if dropping off from a sky-high fortress wall.
It felt as if his soul were getting farther and farther away from his body. It seemed like this floating feeling would last forever.
Fwooosh!
Thankfully, it didn’t, and the sensation soon stopped. He finally felt the ground under his feet.
“—Urp.” The contents of his stomach threatened to come up, and he barely managed to force it down. Was this why the knight who had given him the bread apologized?
Thankfully, the vertigo from teleporting settled down after he took a few breaths.
A wave of heat suddenly attacked him.
Is this… Galapagos Island?
Leonard stood up from his hunched position and looked out into the blindingly sparkling ocean. It connected to a beach, which then led into a tropical rainforest. The sunlight was so hot he thought his skin would blister, and the air was humid. This place resembled the extreme climate of Nanman, which he’d only been to a few times.
I haven’t obtained Water and Fire Resistance yet, so I suppose it’ll be troublesome for some time.
Most people thought of deserts and tundras when someone mentioned extreme weather, but tropical climates like this were even harder to survive in. Leonard knew this very well, as he’d been all over the world, including the North Sea and Nanman.
The leaves were so dense that one could barely see in front of oneself. Poisonous insects and snakes lurked in blind spots, and the game was not only smaller than those found in mountains and grasslands but also harder to catch.
“Someone’s coming.” Leonard sensed a human presence in the distance. They were other members of the Order of the Fledgling Dragon Knight, teenage trainees who were a few years older than him. What were they called? Pages? Either way, the fact that they were on Galapagos Island had to mean that they had ranked high in their trainee classes.
“Woah. We actually got a first-year?” cheerfully said the young man who spotted him first. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a nutty rookie. How long do you bet it’ll take for him to start whining about transferring?”
“I give it a week.”
“A month. If they send a first-year, there must be something special about him. I’m sure he’ll be useful.”
The living conditions on Galapagos Island had to have been very harsh, as there were scratches and rips all over their armor and capes. They couldn’t be more than three or four years older than him, but their rough skin and unruly hair made them look juvenile.
Leonard automatically assessed their skill and was a little impressed. All three of them have just entered the Peak Realm. They’ve been through real battles.
Even among the finest up-and-coming masters, only a very few attained such power before turning twenty. However, this was probably the standard for the knights on the island.
“It’s against the rules to meddle with first-years. Stand aside, unless you want to receive disciplinary action.” A hefty voice made them freeze in their tracks.
“S-Sir Banneret! I’m sorry!”
“We will leave immediately!”
“Please excuse us!”
The young men scattered, not daring to disobey. Leonard understood why and watched them leave.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sir Banneret.”
The man rivaled Fabian in size, and his chiseled facial features looked as if they could carve through rock. He had an immovable presence, a testament to how much he’d honed his unique abilities.
He’s just on the brink of reaching the Creation Realm. He's powerful enough that if he comes across an opportunity, he'll have no trouble breaking through.
The banneret Bradley was the island’s overseer. He scanned Leonard and said, “I’ve heard a lot about you. I am supposed to give you special treatment. Commander Fabian even wrote a letter of recommendation for you, Leonard.”
“Yes, sir.”
“My name is Bradley. I am a member of the 1st Division of the Order of the Fledgling Dragon, and I am in charge of this island. I am also a high-rank Basilisk Knight. I am in charge of your safety and teaching you basic mana cultivation.” He was as still and sharp as a statue. Only his lips moved slightly. “Starting from today, you will spend half a year in the custody period. The rest of the year will be spent in the probation period. During this time, no one on this island can touch you. However, once it passes, you will have to protect yourself and your belongings. Am I understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. We will have a lesson on mana cultivation shortly. However, I can give you a few hours if you want to rest.”
“I don’t need to,” Leonard said immediately. He didn’t even need to think about it.
“I like it.” Bradley grinned. “I hope you’ll stay here for a long time.”
Galapagos Island had a little over a thousand residents. In addition to the mid-rank knights who were there for supervision, there were a little over eight hundred trainees. The youngest was in their third year of formal training, while the oldest was in their seventh year. Several first-years had been sent to the island in the past, but not a single one had ever stayed.
However, the Commander himself had written a letter of recommendation for Leonard even though he had a penta-core. The boy just might stand a chance.
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