Over the next few days, the five of them continued their training journey, sweeping through the outer regions of the Magic Beast Forest at a pace of three to four Level 2 magic beasts slain per day on average!
Six-tailed Venom Centipedes, Bloodthirsty Red Ants, Golden-Eyed Demon Bats, Swamp Giant Crocodiles…
During the day, Meng Lei picked up loot and racked up kills. At night, he meditated to increase his spirit and mana, steadily raising all his attributes. His strength improved noticeably with each passing day!
However, all good things must come to an end.
One week later, Allison and the others' training trip was over. Their vacation had ended, and they needed to return to the academy. Meng Lei, too, had to head back to Magic Beast Village.
The group bid each other a reluctant farewell and went their separate ways.
"You little rascal, you're finally back!"
When Captain Hades saw Meng Lei return, the heavy weight in his heart finally lifted. Meng Lei had been gone for over twenty days, and he had been genuinely worried something had happened to the boy. Now he was safely back!
"I was only active around the outer edges of the Magic Beast Forest. What danger could there be?" Meng Lei laughed and quickly changed the subject. "Captain Hades, if we set out now, can we still make it in time for the magic test?"
"The magic academy entrance is only a few days away!"
Captain Hades shook his head. "Luckily, Magic Beast Village isn't far from the royal city—just five days' travel. Otherwise, you'd be crying right now!"
"As long as we can make it, that's good enough!"
Meng Lei breathed a sigh of relief. The Fire Dragon Kingdom was the Dragon God Empire's westernmost kingdom, situated right against the Magic Beast Mountain Range. It served as the empire's western shield against beast attacks. To better defend against the magic beasts, the Fire Dragon royal city had been built right on the edge of the mountain range.
That was why Magic Beast Village was not far from the royal city.
"Meng Lei, get a good night's rest tonight. We'll set out first thing tomorrow morning!"
"Understood, Captain Hades!"
…
He slept soundly that night.
The next morning, Meng Lei woke up early. After carefully packing his things, he headed to Captain Hades' house. To his surprise, Joanna, Joseph, Andrew, and their parents were all there too!
"Joanna? What are you guys doing here?"
Meng Lei looked at the three children, a little puzzled. The three little ones were his childhood playmates—the kind he had grown up with, playing in the mud together since they were in split-crotch pants.
"Heehee, we're going with Uncle Hades to the royal city to take the magic test!"
Joanna, wearing a simple coarse linen dress, flashed her cute little tiger teeth as she smiled. She was the only girl among the three. Though her clothes were old and worn, they couldn't hide her pretty features. If she were dressed in a luxurious noble gown, she would easily rival any young lady from a rich family!
"I see!" Meng Lei nodded.
"Big Brother Meng Lei, Uncle Hades said you went into the mountains alone. You didn't run into any danger, right?" Joanna asked nervously.
"I only stayed around the outer edges. How could there be any danger?" Meng Lei shook his head with a smile and changed the subject. "I thought I'd be going to the royal city by myself. Now it's perfect—with all of you here, the journey won't be lonely!"
"Yeah, yeah! We're all going together. We can look out for each other!"
Joanna clapped her little hands excitedly, her cheeks flushed pink. "By the way, I've never been to the royal city in my entire life! I wonder what it's like?"
"I heard the city walls are super tall, and there are lots of dragon-headed dragonfolk!"
"And huge buildings and neat, fragrant avenues!"
Joseph and Andrew's eyes sparkled with anticipation, their small faces full of longing.
"You'll see it soon enough!"
Meng Lei smiled. For villagers from such a remote area, their entire world usually consisted of nearby villages and the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Many of them might never visit the royal city in their entire lives.
The fact that Joanna, Joseph, and Andrew were going this time was all thanks to the magic test. If it weren't for the fact that it could change their children's entire futures, their parents would never have spent such a huge sum to send them.
Ten gold coins!
That was enough to support a family of three for two or three years!
And this was a gamble with a 99.99% failure rate. Those ten gold coins could easily turn into nothing—complete loss with no return!
So the parents of these three children must have made an incredibly difficult decision. After all, there were many children in Magic Beast Village, yet only these three families had the courage to send their kids to take the magic test.
"Joanna, listen to Uncle Hades on the road!"
"Andrew, remember to behave yourself. Don't cause trouble or get into fights!"
"Joseph, the royal city is nothing like the village…"
The village gate opened. An old, creaky ox cart slowly rolled out under the envious gazes of Joanna and the boys' parents, the villagers, and their little friends.
There were many children in Magic Beast Village.
But very few families had the courage to send their kids to take the magic test…
…
The old ox cart rattled and jolted the whole way, making for an extremely uncomfortable ride. Yet Joanna, Joseph, and Andrew—the three little ones—were incredibly excited. They chattered nonstop like three cheerful little sparrows!
Their excitement only lasted two days. After that, the long, tiring journey finally wore them down. The three kids gradually wilted like eggplants hit by frost…
Captain Hades had expected this, but there was nothing he could do. The school opening was approaching fast. They had to grit their teeth and push on to the royal city. No one could quit halfway at a time like this!
After five days of exhausting travel, they finally arrived at the royal city—Fire Dragon City!
…
Fire Dragon City was the capital of the Fire Dragon Kingdom and the largest, most prosperous city in the western part of the Dragon God Empire. Built on a vast plain, it was divided into an eastern and a western district.
The royal palace and the mansions of high officials and nobles were located in the eastern district.
The western district was essentially the academy city. The vast majority of magic academies and warrior academies were located there, making it very similar to a university town back on Earth.
At noon that day, Meng Lei and the others entered Fire Dragon City!
"Wow—"
The prosperity of Fire Dragon City was far beyond anything Magic Beast Village could compare to. Smooth, hard fragrant avenues, clean white buildings, shops filled with dazzling goods, and crowds of people of all kinds…
The three little ones were dazzled, looking exactly like Granny Liu stepping into the Grand View Garden for the first time.
"Is this the royal city? It's so beautiful!"
Joanna's eyes sparkled. She kept glancing left and right, excited as a happy skylark. In contrast, Joseph and Andrew—the two boys—suddenly became shy and awkward, constantly tugging at the hems of their coarse linen shirts.
"Country bumpkins!"
Passing noble ladies and young misses wore fashionable clothes, exquisite jewelry, and fragrant perfume. They didn't even spare Meng Lei's group a proper glance.
The noble young ladies born in the royal city naturally carried an air of superiority. It left Joseph and Andrew feeling ashamed and unworthy, too embarrassed to even look them in the eye.
Seeing the two boys' reactions, Captain Hades shook his head but said nothing. Everyone was like this the first time they entered the city. Back in his day, he had been even more overwhelmed than Joseph and Andrew!
You just had to get used to it.
Provided you ever got the chance to get used to it.
What surprised Captain Hades, however, was Meng Lei. The boy was calmly observing the bustling crowds, clicking his tongue in amazement and looking around with open curiosity. There wasn't the slightest hint of restraint or inferiority in him.
"This kid's temperament is truly extraordinary!"
Captain Hades nodded to himself in approval as he led the four children toward the western district.
That was where all the academies were gathered. It also housed the special area for testing magic talent—the place that would decide the children's fates!