333 New Sea Adventure
Talking with his friends was excellent, but Arthur did not wish to get in their way. Instead, he saw how focused Lucas was in his smithing process, and Liz also with her enchanting, so he wanted to leave them alone to do their own things. After catching up with the news, he left them, returning to Nefion and Eleonora’s room.
Arthur spent quite the time exploring Ouroboros and talking with everyone, so when he returned to Nefion’s room, the duo, father and daughter, had finished their reunion and were ready to speak about the future.
“How was the reunion? Many tears, old man?” Arthur said jokingly.
“Strong dragons like me do not cry.”
“Yeah, sure. So, Eleonora will be staying with you?” Arthur asked.
Instead of Nefion, Eleonora answered, “yes, I will. Father said he would help me with my dragon powers and mage path. Also, Odemore is close, so I can always go there.”
“Good. Also, old man, do you have any sparing teachers or know some who need a job?”
“I can fetch you a few. What elements are you looking for?”
“One for each, if possible. Odemore aims to be the only school that teaches all elements, open to everyone!”
“Well, with your name backing it up, I know you will get many students. Also, your good relationship with my school is known to everyone, which will boost it even more.” Nefion said.
Arthur was glad the old man would lend him a hand. He had many things to do, including getting Signy on track with everything, such as the new teachers who would arrive and the students. But the most important thing was to prepare for the expedition!
It would be costly to get the best ship and all the necessary food for such a long journey, but the Archimage said he would pay for it, which was nice. But still, Arthur had many things to take care of.
“Then I must say goodbyes to you two,” Arthur looked through the window with apparent sadness, “I’ll prepare all the things I need for my journey and then leave. I hope everything works for you.”
It was not the end of the world. Arthur could still contact them during most of the journey, but one thing that bothered him was that his anchor spell would not work due to the long distance.
If something terrible happened while he was away, there was no way of knowing or helping. But the consequences could be much worse if he stayed without leaving to explore this imminent threat.
He and Nefion were the only ones with the power of a rank 3 mage, and no one else could go but them. Now, the two could not go together, or else the continent would be unprotected, so Arthur was the one who would go.
Arthur hugged Eleonora and Nefion, leaving Ouroboros afterward and flying back to Odemore, which took him little time and effort. It was time for a reunion with Signy, Wisa, Jane, and Sybille.
All of them sat at a table inside Wisa’s office — not the comfiest or largest place, but it was the only place they had. Arthur wanted to let Signy know about his plans, including adding new teachers and students for Odemore.
Not only that but about their expedition, which would surely take years for them to return. During that period, Signy would be the person in charge of both this Odemore and would have to help Helga if anything went wrong on her side.
“Are you sure I can take this position? You trust me a lot,” Signy said, looking at Arthur, Jane, and Wisa.
“We do trust you. If you need help with anything while we are away, you can go to the Ouroboros School.” Arthur said.
“Ouroboros School?”
“Yes. It is the strongest magical school on this continent, where Eleonora is with her father, the leader of the school and a rank three mage.”
Signy relaxed a bit after hearing that. She was scared of assuming such an important position without anyone around to help her. Still, everything would be much easier if someone powerful like Eleonora’s father were there to help her.
“Can we still keep in touch while you are away?” Signy asked.
“Yes and no. We can send messages through my secret mark, but it will reach a point where the distance is too much; therefore, the connection will end.”
That was the case for everyone, not Signy alone. Arthur would be able to send messages until probably half of their journey, but after that, the distance would destroy any form of connection, and they would be all alone. So it was a price they had to pay for going on such a dangerous journey.
They explained how the school should work and what Signy had to aim for. Also, Arthur told her about Kai and Theo, who would probably leave their respective schools soon, and could help her if needed.
Everything was settled, and the future looked bright for Odemore — if the demon continent threat ended. Arthur now needed to speak with the Archimage about the ship and the supplies for the expedition.
He sent him a mental message and got his response almost immediately.
“Hello, Arthur. Yes, we got your ship and supplies ready. Could you come to the town of Ront? It’s a town near the north shore of the continent. You know, the demon continent is to the north.”
Arthur was happy to see the Archimage prepared the needed things, so he, his wives, and his maid Sybille left Odemore, traveling toward the northern part of the continent.
They did not rush the journey, using their time to enjoy every view — Arthur knew his future was an endless sea with nothing to see…
But just like everything in life, it ended, and they reached the town of Ront, which wasn’t small or big. Merchant ships frequently visited Ront, but not many mages went there, as there weren’t many exciting things for them.
The Archimage himself was there, waiting for Arthur by the harbor. Behind him, Arthur saw an incredible ship, well-designed and made with the best materials possible. Arthur did not know, but it was a famous ship of the central continent and was arguably the best.
“My dear friend Arthur and his companions! I got you a crew for the journey, but they are below rank 1. I can’t remove too many forces from the central continent, or it could get vulnerable.”
Arthur was not expecting a crew at all, but it was nice that the Archimage provided him with that too! But the problem was how much food they would need to feed everyone?
“Are you worried about the food? I put it all inside special crates; each crate can store a lot of food, and it does not spoil! You should be okay for at least 10 years, although I believe someone with your power doesn’t need to eat that often anyway,” the Archimage said.
“That much food?”
The Archimage really put effort into that, and judging by how everything was done so fast, Arthur believed the man had done it beforehand, even before the meeting, as if he knew Arthur would accept the task.
“So, have a nice trip, everyone. I will take my leave,” the Archimage said, flying away from the harbor.
A dangerous expedition into the sea was about to start, and even though Arthur was scared, he was excited. New land to be discovered, and he would be the pioneer!