Reith bid his family goodbye and it was a bit unfortunate that he couldn't see the other children before he left.
He left the church area, took a taxi and arrived at the academy.
"I hope I'm not too late," Reith muttered to himself. Kala had insisted on carrying a lot of food and ingredients, saying he might not be able to buy food if he arrived at the Region Central late.
Reith wanted to dodge her nagging, but even his grandfather had gotten involved.
They had even squeezed a bunch of money into his hands.
"I know you'd make us very proud."
His grandfather's parting words rang in his ear.
He was finally doing it, reaching high and then he could find Reisa.
Reisa had disappeared for three years now, and the only thing they got was a necklace and an invoice that stated she had gone on a mission and her body wasn't found.
Reith knew how powerful his sister was, so he couldn't believe she had died.
Something must have happened on that mission and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
"Master Jeran, I'm here!" Reith waved when he saw the gathering of students.
Jeran was tapping his foot on the ground, holding himself back from swearing at the kid that was keeping them waiting.
Reith came into his sight and bowed instantly.
"I'm sorry for being late, Sir. I was—"
"Get in the Land Blazer, everyone," Jeran said, sparing Reith no glance.
Reith chuckled awkwardly, but he moved forward in silence.
He then stopped in his tracks, realizing something.
"Master Jeran, Isho isn't here," Reith spoke up, noticing the problem.
"He would meet us in the city," Jeran said, barely audible.
Reith didn't understand what was going on with Master Jeran's mood, but he didn't care too much about it.
It was Isho he was more concerned about.
"Did his family give him trouble again?" Reith frowned, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Isho's Reinhardt family was among the top three family clans in Canridge City, and they were known for their absolute strictness.
Reith knew it was hard for Isho when his family realized he had an F-grade talent, as this meant their position as the top three family was shaken.
Even with a brilliant cultivation path, having an F-grade talent was rendering the path useless.
They had even stopped giving the boy his normal allowances.
"I hope he's okay," Reith sighed. He didn't have enough influence to wrestle with the Reinhardt Family.
If Jeran said Isho would meet up, then there was no more need to worry.
Even the Reinhardt family knew not to go against the Regional Insignia's order, so Reith was rest assured.
The journey to the Regional Apex Metropolis City took twenty hours, and the Land Blazer was among the fastest vehicles made by mankind.
Reith had never left his city before, so he didn't really worry about the time it took like the other students.
In fact, he cherished every second of it.
"I'd tell Kala that I spotted a SteamWyrm," Reith was filled with smiles.
He had only heard of the SteamWyrm in the textbooks, a vehicle that was very long and only moved on what looked like ladders on the floor. The textbooks called it tracks.
Soon enough, an announcement ran in the Land Blazer.
"Entering the Region Metropolis."
Every one of the students' faces lit up, and their mouths were wide open.
"So beautiful."
They had arrived late in the night, and the lights in the city shone beautifully bright and colorful.
Reith's eyes reflected the neon lights. There was so much activity that he felt his blood rush.
This was really the Region Metropolis, somewhere he would never have thought he would be.
"This is beautiful," Reith muttered as the vehicle stopped in front of a long, massive building, and Jeran had to get down.
The Land Blazer was in front of a massive gate, decorated by intertwined dragons, and the pillar that held the gate had statues of a blazing lion on each of its ends.
"Simply magnificent," someone said beside Reith as they took in the scene.
The large gates opened and the vehicle moved in.
Jeran was back in the Land Blazer and he stood in the middle of the students.
The vehicle was a bit long and there were seats on each side, creating a space in the middle, allowing around two people to stand.
"Welcome to the Dragon Apex Academy. The region's training ground for our students. I hope you all can grow and learn much together."
Jeran addressed them.
A smile appeared on Reith's face. It looked like this Jeran wasn't used to a job like this. Such a half-backed reply.
Jeran continued after seeing that the students didn't give any response.
"You'd be assigned to dormitories this night, and tomorrow morning the Regional Insignia would have a meeting with you. Some of you would be required to have a separate meeting with the Regional Insignia after the first meeting."
As soon as he said that, Jeran glanced at Reith, passing his meaning.
Understanding the action, Reith swallowed. Meeting with the Regional Insignia separately had a different kind of pressure.
The Dragon Apex Academy didn't have just a massive school building. There was also a large dormitory, followed by several other buildings.
The whole area was surrounded by a long wall that went as far as the eye could see, and from the countless roofs, Reith truly understood why it was called the Apex Academy.
Making a turn, the vehicle stopped outside the dormitory and the students walked out of the car, each of them carrying their luggage.
Reith's miniscule luggage was made up of a backpack and a small box.
The rest of the students looked at his luggage and whispered to themselves.
"Did this guy think he's staying here for a month?" a girl muttered to her boyfriend.
"A month? Would that even be enough for a week?" her boyfriend whispered back.
The two of them had met in the vehicle and they had already formed a relationship.
Reith was much too concerned about his living space to worry about a few ignorant words.
"Hey Master Jeran, would we have roommates?" he asked.
Jeran shook his head.
"Those recruited by the Regional Insignia would be provided their own private rooms, and I hope each of you would be satisfied with your given spaces."
The news caused a small uproar. Who wouldn't want to have their own privacy?
After the whole process was completed, every one of them was given a key and they were directed to their rooms.
Reith went back to take his luggage and Jeran stopped in his path.
"I don't know what you are thinking carrying such a little amount of things," he said with a frown.
Hearing his statement, Reith scratched his head. He didn't know how to tell the man.
"Even though, take this."
Jeran stretched out a card.
It was silver in color with golden stripes on it. It had a dragon head at its left corner.
"Master Jeran…" Reith was speechless.
"Hold it. I'm only repaying my debt and I wouldn't want the Regional Insignia's prized specimen to die of hunger or I wouldn't be able to keep my head."
Jeran scoffed, and without waiting for the boy to reply, he took his leave.
Reith was left dumbfounded and in shock. He merely picked his luggage and went to his room.
The room was magnificent and before he could take it all in, his body subconsciously moved to the bed and he collapsed.