Host, Please Be Honest! What Exactly Are You?

Everyone peered forward, staring at the giant circular vortex that appeared out of thin air.

It swirled as though about to suck everyone in, but nothing they expected happened.

And as it began taking form, it quickly changed its circular shape to a massive rectangular size fit for giants.

"So big!" Many murmured underneath their breaths.

How to describe what they were feeling? It was something completely out of this world!

Boom!

The portal took the shape of a giant golden door similar in size to a gateway.

And those overseeing the alleyways, be it Butler Sheng, Raulin, or Zhulyn, all prepared to guide the rest in.

There were 2 of them in each alleyway. One would lead the students in, while another would stay here in the alleyway.

Butler Sheng briefly stared at the pack in alleyway #2 before vanishing through the portal as though he was walking through the wall.

Yup!

Though the portal had appeared, it only looked like one had placed a door/gate-frame against the alley walls.

So one could still see the original wall through the portal.

But seeing as Butler Sheng didn't smack his face into the wall but passed through it, everyone's heart hammered in their chest.

They were still in a daze when they heard Bewoh's words echo out. "Keep up... And remember, brace yourself."

"Ah!-.."

Many woke from their stupor, grabbing their backpacks firmly and setting off into the magical world beyond.

In this particular Alleyway, Old Hou, Old Gia, Old Ghu, and many of the direct descendants and others gathered here at the very front of the line.

What to expect?

Gulp.

They swallowed hard, inching closer to the portal.

And as earlier instructed, they held their Acceptance letters in their hands while crossing through.

They had a hunch that any deceit and the portal might kick one off to the moon.

What was strange was that the second they passed through, their acceptance letters turned into strange rings with strange symbols on them.

<To those who wear, only a spell can rid.>

A riddle of instructions?

... So mysterious!

(*0*)

.

Many realized the matter of the being only after they got over the chaotic minds.

Why?

Because the moment they passed through the portal, they seemed to be falling too quickly down to an unknown sea with several boats floating about.

What???!

Everyone's heart jerked back and forth in dismay, realizing what elder Bewoh meant when he said they should brace themselves?

"Ahhhhhhhhh~!!!"

Ghu Sota screamed, watching the decks of the boats get closer and closer to his face.

But just when he thought he would fall to smithereens, a strange force surrounded his body, not only slowing down his speed but making him float gracefully instead.

Many stretched their hands like birds and kept one foot arched while touching the boat's deck with the tip of their other foot.

This...

"Grandma, did you see that? So cool!!!"

Once again, Old Mrs. Ghu was thinking of returning her grandson from where she purchased him.

How can anyone be this silly?

Sigh... Too bad she already loved him.

Everyone was still immersed in the shock of their descent and the matter of the strange rings in their hands when they suddenly heard someone's abrupt exclamations.

"Everyone, Look! Look over there!"

Whoosh!

A strange, magnificent bird flew through the sky, passing them by proudly.

The feathery creature was gigantic.

Its beak was silver, and its features were a mix of fiery gold, blue, and silver.

It was like nothing they had ever seen before.

What sort of bird had 4 legs and 2 wings?

A Glindorine!

.

Ah yes... The night Glindorine

Thanks to Dorian's instructions, it also took care of the Island.

Butler Sheng knew of its existence, but everyone could only marvel at the magical creature before them.

Even Wei Gia who always had an expressionless face had to admit that the creature's entire being was mighty and deserved recognition.

"What a magical sight." He whispered while clenching his fists to hold back his shook.

Not many things in this world could make him break character.

But it wasn't just the bird that caused him to shake.

Dropping from the sky, he briefly saw how big the island was.

But why did it differ from the purchased island landmass Dorian bought off?

The land... The land looked endless, as though there was no end to It. And this was also because of its sky-high mountains and even overly deep canals.

Floating rocks in some places, spatial forest comes held up by strange purple roots submerged in magical waters, stairways shrouded by clouds leading up to who knows where... No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see the end or even the most profound depth of the 'island.'

And then a strange thought came to him... Did the land expand?

.

In Alleyway 1, those who went through with Raulin reached a small but separate island from the main Island.

In their case, they didn't fall from above but directly stepped into a small separate island on the west end.

As to how they would cross to the main island without boats, only the one leading them forward would have the solution.

And for their in Alleyway 3 led in by Haru, they found themselves already in similar boats to those in Alleyway 2.

But what surprised everyone was that whether it was Butler Sheng, Haru, or Raulin, this was where they would stop.

From here on out, everyone was on their own.

Butler Sheng looked at the many people on the many boats.

"The boats will take you halfway through your journey. Hop on the floating stones, follow the whistling bird through the shrouded clouds, and you will reach the academy's grounds."

His duty was to repeat these exact instructions and send off everyone who was led in through Alleyway 2.

"And remember... You must reach the Academy's main site before 7 P.M."

By then, the enchantments guiding them forward would vanish.

It was already past 10 A.M, and if they followed his instructions, the many enchanted objects should let them arrive before 5 P.M.

Any delays and that would be their fault and no one else's.

Butler Sheng waved his hands, and the boats suddenly rose from the waters, startling everyone.

What?... What was going on?