A hint of disappointment flickered in Li Tianluo’s eyes, but he understood. He also felt a new sense of admiration for Ling Xiao, who had grasped the essence of the situation in an instant. As an Imperial general who commanded troops, Ling Tianxiao couldn’t possibly side with any faction at this time. If he were to publicly declare his support, it would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar.

From the look of things, the Crown Prince’s power base was already well-established, and his succession was all but a foregone conclusion. While His Majesty the King had held tightly to the reins of power over the years, the majority of influential ministers had long since sided with the Crown Prince. After all, he was the future King of the Empire. Failing to secure a position with him now would be a catastrophic loss later on.

Though Ling Xiao cared little for the Empire’s political affairs, that didn’t mean he was ignorant of them. The moment he learned that Luo Tian was, in fact, Li Tianluo, his first reaction was that the man had approached him with ulterior motives. A deep sense of revulsion welled up inside him. No one liked to be used, and he despised it more than anything.

Fortunately, Luo Tian’s sincere attitude convinced Ling Xiao that he had his own unavoidable difficulties. But understanding was one thing; for Ling Xiao to become his close confidant right now was impossible. Regardless of Luo Tian’s true motives for approaching him—even if he simply wanted to be friends—other people would never see it that way.

Maintaining a suitable distance was better for both of them. Luo Tian, of course, understood this as well. He had been on edge after revealing his identity to Ling Xiao, so seeing this reaction actually put him at ease. At the very least, Ling Xiao’s response offered a glimpse into General Ling Tianxiao’s attitude: complete neutrality.

Just then, a knock suddenly came from the door. The two exchanged a glance, and Ling Xiao said calmly, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man in an Imperial military uniform. His eyes instinctively narrowed upon seeing Luo Tian, but he quickly composed himself. Addressing them both in a gentle tone, he said, "Forgive my presumptuous intrusion. I am Gu Tong, Deputy Commander of the Cameron Town Defense Army. My brother-in-law offended you both earlier today. I have already disciplined him, and I’ve come now to apologize to you on behalf of that worthless disgrace!"

Neither Ling Xiao nor Luo Tian was surprised that Gu Tong had found their room. As the real top dog in Cameron Town, it would have been a joke if he *hadn’t* been able to find them.

Knowing Ling Xiao didn’t wish to speak, Luo Tian gave a nonchalant nod and said with a hint of arrogance, "Since Commander Gu came personally, we’ll let the matter drop. As you know, we nobles don’t typically lower ourselves to the level of commoners."

Gu Tong smiled, bowing and scraping, but inwardly he was breaking out in a cold sweat, his entire back soaked through. In a town like Cameron Town, which was tropical year-round, it had been a long time since Gu Tong had experienced such a bone-deep chill.

He had once had the good fortune to see the Southern King, and the Prince had been standing right before him. Back then, the Prince was still just a teenager. Years had passed, and though the Prince now looked more mature and composed, his features hadn’t changed much. That was why Gu Tong was so stunned. ’I hate that worthless, trouble-making brother-in-law of mine so much,’ he thought. ’If that idiot ruins my plans, just killing him won’t be enough to quell my rage! Thankfully, it looks like the Prince has long forgotten a nobody like me.’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Gu Tong maintained his deferential smile and offered a few more pleasantries, rambling on about how he had always admired the Imperial Academy. After Gu Tong finally departed, the smile on Luo Tian’s face slowly vanished. He stood, gave Ling Xiao a slight bow, and said, "Brother Ling Xiao, I have some things to take care of. I must be going for now!"

Ling Xiao nodded. "I won’t see you out."

Luo Tian turned and hurried out the door. A moment later, Yisha came in and asked Ling Xiao with a curious look, "Brother Ling Xiao, Luo Tian seemed so preoccupied. He even called Kaelin away with him. And... Brother Ling Xiao, is it just me, or is there something... strange about Kaelin and Luo Tian?"

"Why?" Ling Xiao gestured for Yisha to sit and poured her a glass of water. Yisha’s pretty face flushed as she thanked him.

She continued, "I just get the feeling... they don’t really seem like a couple." Lowering her head slightly, she added, "But maybe I’m just imagining things."

Ling Xiao smiled faintly. "That has nothing to do with us. Go get some rest. We’re entering the Mesopotamia Grassland tomorrow, so you’ll need your energy."

"Ah... o-okay!" At the mention of rest, Yisha seemed to recall something, and she fled from Ling Xiao’s room with a crimson face.

Ling Xiao turned off the light in his room and stood at the window, gazing into the distance. Cameron Town was a blaze of brilliant lights at night, so bright that they obscured the stars. The lights stretched on and on into the darkness.

Ling Xiao sighed softly to himself. He pushed aside the clutter of recent events, calmed his mind, and mentally practiced several Swordsmanship forms before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Night Owl still hadn’t appeared, but Ling Xiao paid it no mind. Early the next morning, once everyone was packed, the party of more than a thousand people departed from Cameron Town and set out toward the Mesopotamia Grassland.

The grand procession left many Adventurers who encountered it dumbfounded. Watching the long line of young men and women dressed in fine adventurer gear march past them struck them as utterly comical.

The gear they wore couldn’t be bought for less than dozens, or even hundreds, of Gold Coins. Fully kitted out, every one of them looked like a rich spendthrift. The veteran Adventurers, clad in rags with dirt-caked faces, couldn’t help but drool with envy as they watched, all the while thinking, ’Are these kids actually here for an adventure?’

Many of the noble students, meanwhile, were strutting about with their noses in the air, afraid people might not realize how powerful they were. Like a flock of triumphant young roosters, the only thing they were missing was the word "pride" tattooed on their foreheads.

Many of the powerful Adventurers who saw them sneered inwardly. ’Only a fool treats an adventure like a vacation! It’ll be a miracle if they don’t get knocked down a peg or two. Do they really think the Mesopotamia Grassland doesn’t have powerful Magical Beasts?’ Of course, these Adventurers would never be kind enough to warn them. Not kicking them while they were down was, by Adventurer standards, an act of profound mercy.

A party of over a thousand people might seem enormous, but to the vast expanse of the Mesopotamia Grassland, they were no different from a colony of ants.

Before setting out, the rules for the expedition were announced. Students were free to form their own teams but were advised not to stray too far from the main party, as countless dangers lurked within the grasslands. The official policy was also repeated one last time: if any student willfully wandered away from the group and ran into danger, the Academy would bear no responsibility!

That’s right—everyone had to take responsibility for their own actions, even the nobles.

As the main leaders of the expedition, Shangguan Yutong and Xiao Lin distributed mission briefs to everyone. The most difficult targets listed were only Tier Two Magical Beasts. Each team’s brief also included illustrations of several unremarkable-looking herbs. Finding these herbs, it was announced, would also earn them extra points.

In truth, aside from Shangguan Yutong and Ling Xiao, no one knew that those herbs were the real objective of the entire expedition. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Since team formation was open, Ling Xiao and Yisha, Luo Tian and Kaelin, along with Shangguan Yutong and Long Xiang, formed a six-person team. No one had intended to group up with Long Xiang, but he seemed determined to relentlessly pester Teacher Shangguan. As his colleague, Shangguan Yutong couldn’t exactly tell him off, so she had no choice but to tacitly allow it.

The thousand-plus students fanned out in an incredibly wide line across the terrain. Each team was spaced far apart, though they could still contact one another by shouting. In the vast, overgrown grassland, however, it was possible to lose sight of someone even if they were just a few meters away.

It was a small miracle that these noble students, all rookie Adventurers, were still able to maintain such a high level of excitement.