Chapter 915
Chapter 915
Anton was certain that everything he had told Paul and Eric about the Sunder Family's businesses—which generated an enormous amount of wealth—had reassured his two friends that choosing his family over joining one of Izmorta's magical organizations was the right decision.
Whether that choice would truly prove to be correct or whether they would someday regret it was impossible to know.
At the very least, Anton could console himself—and Paul and Eric as well—with the fact that there was a very high chance they would have failed the admission process anyway. After all, more than ninety percent of applicants were rejected.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Anton frowned.
He immediately realized how unfair it was.
He shouldn't belittle Paul and Eric's dream of joining one of Izmorta's magical organizations. That dream hadn't even originated from them—it was their fathers' lifelong ambition.
Fortunately, both families had already prepared themselves for the possibility of failure.
Neither Paul's father nor Eric's father had managed to gain admission to a magical organization.
The same had been true for both of their grandfathers.
Paul explained that if they failed, their families intended to settle in Remuth and continue their trades.
Paul's father was a tailor.
Eric's father was a blacksmith.
Coincidentally, those had also been their grandfathers' professions back in Ormunda.
Remuth was the port kingdom where the Melinda would dock.
It was also home to two renowned magical organizations.
The next kingdom that hosted magical organizations was Beronir, located several weeks away by carriage.
According to Paul, most kingdoms in Izmorta possessed only a single magical organization.
Only exceptionally large cities, such as the Port Kingdom of Remuth, had more than one.
Based on the books Anton had read, Remuth was almost twice the size of Ormunda.
Anton already considered Ormunda an enormous city, even by the standards of someone who had grown up on Earth, where large metropolitan areas were common.
Another interesting fact he had learned was that kingdoms in Izmorta differed greatly from those on the other continents.
Instead of consisting of multiple cities, each kingdom contained only one city, and both shared the same name.
The explanation given in the geography book was simple.
Every city in Izmorta was so vast that there had never been any practical need to unite several cities into a single kingdom.
Anton still didn't know what criteria the magical organizations used when selecting new members.
Did they value magical aptitude?
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Talent?
Potential?
Or something else entirely?
Initially, he had been confident that he would have no trouble being accepted.
Thanks to his Diablo System, he had already achieved a level of magical power that most people would consider extraordinary for someone his age.
Since Paul and Eric had already made their decision, they calmly returned to help their families prepare for disembarkation once the ship reached Remuth.
Anton, meanwhile, headed to one of the ship's observation decks where he hoped to catch the first glimpse of land.
Excitement filled the air.
After more than a year at sea, nearly everyone aboard longed to stand on solid ground once again.
One of the crew members informed him that the ship was expected to arrive around noon the following day.
Realistically, there was little point in remaining on deck for nearly twenty-four hours.
Even so, Anton was so excited that he briefly considered flying to Izmorta ahead of the ship.
He even asked Supreme Wizard Baturin whether he would be allowed to enter Remuth by air.
Unlike Meronoma, it seemed that Remuth had no restrictions against such arrival.
"The problem," Baturin explained, "is that you still need to complete the official immigration and identity registration process."
"If Remuth is already expecting us," Anton replied, "couldn't I simply explain who I am and why I arrived ahead of the ship? I'm sure they'd understand that someone might grow tired of waiting."
Baturin shook his head.
"It would still be better to arrive with the ship. Otherwise, you'll only create unnecessary confusion."
Anton sighed.
He promised that he would wait.
Deep down, he knew that if he insisted on flying ahead anyway, word would eventually reach one of the ship's Invincible Rank Wizards, and he would almost certainly receive a stern lecture.
After spending another few hours staring at the endless ocean, Anton finally grew bored and returned to his cabin.
Most of the passengers were busy packing.
Anton, however, had nothing to prepare.
Everything he owned was already safely stored in his inventory.
His cabin served little purpose beyond giving him a place to sleep.
Instead, he began organizing his plans for once he arrived in Remuth.
His first priority would be learning the local cost of living to determine how much spending money he would need.
In truth, he wasn't particularly concerned.
He already possessed considerable wealth in his inventory, along with numerous magical items he had crafted that could easily be sold if necessary.
At worst, he could simply return to Rose Manor through one of his portals and retrieve additional funds.
After that, he intended to rent a room at a tavern or an inn while investigating the two magical organizations in Remuth.
There was always the possibility that neither organization would suit him.
If that happened, he would have no choice but to travel to another kingdom.
The problem was time.
According to Paul, the enrollment period would close in only ten months.
Realistically, Anton suspected he would end up applying to one of the two organizations in Remuth simply because he lacked enough information to judge which institution would suit him best.
Paul had even advised him not to be overly selective.
"If one of them accepts you, be grateful," Paul had said. "Getting accepted is like winning one of those rare grand prizes merchants occasionally give away."
Once he had chosen an organization, Anton planned to either purchase a house or rent a long-term residence nearby.
There, he intended to establish a hidden portal connecting the property to Rose Manor.
Secrecy was essential.
According to Baturin, portals were still prohibited within Remuth.
Negotiations between the Gale Continent and the Izmortan Continent regarding the establishment of a formal Portal Network were still ongoing.
Even if those negotiations ended favorably for Ormunda, Anton doubted that privately owned portals would ever be permitted.
Fortunately, he possessed one advantage that no one else had.
Unlike everyone else, who relied on Portal Scrolls to their fullest extent, Anton could afford to be wasteful.
He could cast a Town Portal, use it once, and dismiss it immediately.
Since his supply was effectively unlimited, there was no need to conserve them.
He hoped that because his portals remained open for only brief moments, they would be much harder for other wizards to detect.
Whether that assumption was correct remained to be seen.
After finishing his plans, Anton realized there was little else to do.
He spent the rest of the day watching movies and television series until he finally became hungry, then later tired enough to sleep.
The following morning, Anton woke early.
The ship still had several hours before reaching Remuth.
The anticipation made him too restless to enjoy watching anything.
Instead, he devoted his time to crafting magical items.
By the time the announcement came that the Melinda would arrive in Remuth within the hour, Anton had successfully crafted dozens of magical items.