Half a month later, Nidhogg and his group finally reached the renowned Zeralto Harbor.

The group had gained another wizard apprentice named Binhansen, chosen by Wizard Arnovoz for his potential from thousands tested in the past two cities.

Unfortunately, Binhansen turned out to be a chatterbox, and Nidhogg found himself stuck listening to him.

The reason was simple.

During the apprentice aptitude test in Tambrossen City, Binhansen was declared by Wizard Arnovoz to have the potential to be a wizard apprentice in front of a packed audience. Overjoyed, he caused quite the uproar, shouting and disrupting the solemn atmosphere to the point that he didn't even hear the wizard's call for silence.

With no other choice, Nidhogg, who was closest to him, managed to calm him down and had him stand by his side.

That simple action had cost Nidhogg dearly over the past few days, as Binhansen incessantly talked to him, making Nidhogg wonder if he might end up with burst eardrums.

"Psst, let me tell you a secret, but don’t tell anyone else: Sherry has a birthmark the size of a bowl on her butt. I saw it when I was on her roof watching her bathe. Haha. I've only told John, Aaron... you're the twenty-seventh, so keep it to yourself."

Binhansen's voice tortured Nidhogg constantly.

Since Binhansen joined the group seven days ago, Nidhogg had heard hundreds of such "secrets," and Binhansen spoke loudly enough for the whole group to hear, leaving Nidhogg with no real secrets to keep.

Moreover, Nidhogg wasn't familiar with any of the people featured in Binhansen’s stories, and thus had no interest in them.

Nidhogg asked casually, "Who’s Sherry?"

Binhansen looked at him in shock. "You don't know who Sherry is? She's Badara's sweetheart I told you about the day before yesterday!"

Nidhogg was speechless, wanting to ask who Badara was but fearing it would only lead to more trouble. He pretended to understand and nodded knowingly.

Nidhogg figured another question might lead to his demise, given how his head already buzzed from all the chatter.

Zeralto Harbor was one of the four major ports on East Mountain Lake Island, bustling with activity. Hundreds of ships were docked, including some massive ocean-going vessels over a hundred meters long.

"Wow, so this is Zeralto Harbor? It’s my first time here," Nina exclaimed joyfully.

The half-month journey had taken Nina's mind off the unpleasant thoughts of heading to the wizarding continent, and the sight of the numerous ships on the sea brought her some delight.

Nina was tall and slender, standing about 1.75 meters, which was nearly the same height as Nidhogg.

At that moment, Nina spread her arms wide toward the sea with her eyes closed. A belt at her waist accentuated her graceful and alluring figure, leaving the boys momentarily mesmerized, and Nidhogg even heard Wade gulp.

Even Nidhogg felt his heart skip a beat.

Suddenly, a voice shattered the serene beauty of the moment, causing Nidhogg, Wade, and Giron to silently curse.

"Ah... Nina, I've finally realized you're the goddess of love I've been waiting for, the guiding light of my life, the ultimate destiny of my fate. Your beauty captivates me beyond words. I'm willing to protect you for a lifetime, to die for you. Ah... please save me from this sea of suffering."

Everyone turned to see Binhansen gazing at Nina with deep affection.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

His display was embarrassing, to say the least...

Nidhogg couldn't help but rub his forehead. Was this guy crazy?

Who did he think Nina was to dare provoke her!?

Even the others couldn't help but await the spectacle, while the shy Yorkliana covered her mouth in shock, seemingly bewildered by this legendary "public confession."

Sure enough, Nina turned around in surprise, only for her expression to darken as she stared daggers at Binhansen.

He had been sharing those secrets with Nidhogg for days...

"Hmph, hmph... to save you? Sure!"

Nina muttered something under her breath and pointed at the enamored Binhansen. A vine sprang from the ground at his feet, wrapping around him seven or eight times until he was trussed up like a big dumpling, completely immobilized.

"Magic!" the other apprentices exclaimed in surprise, unable to believe that Nina had already mastered a spell.

"Mmph, mmph..."

Bound by the vine and wanting to speak, Binhansen could only manage muffled sounds with his mouth covered.

Many at the port watched in astonishment as the vine appeared and ensnared a person, pointing and whispering.

Nina felt secretly proud.

She owned two magical artifacts, both procured at great cost by her father. The spell she just cast was activated by channeling her magic through her enchanted earring.

Nidhogg and the others had never encountered magical artifacts or had any real knowledge of wizardry, so Nina's use of a spell had truly startled them.

Through reading the "Guide to Meditation," Nidhogg learned that to cast any spell, the basic requirement was magic power, determined by one's mental strength.

Though Nidhogg had been trying to meditate and condense magic power, he had yet to succeed, making Nina's ability to cast spells quite impressive.

But it was understandable; Nina wasn’t a commoner. With her family’s guidance, she had likely been exposed to some wizard knowledge long before, evidenced by her possession of the "Guide to Nasal Adaptation and Scent Atlas."

After a moment, Nina withdrew the spell, and the vine vanished.

The group continued to travel with Arnovoz. Just then, a team of thirteen knights approached swiftly to greet the wizard.

"Welcome back to Zeralto Port, Master Wizard. The Duke has already prepared a banquet," the lead knight said respectfully to Arnovoz, sitting astride his warhorse.

"Mm," Arnovoz replied indifferently, leading the seven apprentices along with the knights, unconcerned with the murmuring from the port’s civilians and merchants.

The banquet was grand, but after traveling through several cities, such lavish dinners had become routine, allowing everyone to grow accustomed. Even Nidhogg had picked up some noble manners, mingling with the local young nobles attending the banquet.

This Duke was evidently more distinguished than the marquises of previous cities and seemed familiar with Arnovoz.

The Duke casually ate thin slices of rare beef with blood droplets, dipped in caviar and mustard, savoring each bite.

Arnovoz, on the other hand, appeared to lack appetite, stirring a broth with an ornate metal spoon, causing colorful mushrooms to float to the surface.

"What's troubling you?" the Duke jokingly asked, noticing Arnovoz’s distraction.

Arnovoz shook his head, sighing. "Things are getting more chaotic over there, with rumors of wizards disappearing. Perhaps you were right back then; no matter how chaotic it gets there, it won’t reach here."

The Duke scoffed, "How can you compare me with you? I have no hope of advancement, so I’m here to enjoy leisure. You, on the other hand, still have hope of reaching higher levels."

With that, the Duke popped another slice of beef into his mouth.

"Seeing these young ones so excited reminds me of myself. I wonder how many decades from now will still follow the path of wizardry. If by chance one advances to a wizard a century later, I wonder if they'll return to visit."

Arnovoz glanced at the seven apprentices, eating and socializing with local young nobles, and shook his head.

"What's there to see on East Coral Island? Right, which wizard will escort these kids?"

"Dylla," the Duke answered indifferently.

"That guy, huh? Well, these kids might have it easier for the next two months. After all, at Lilith Cottage, our benefits for wizard apprentices are decent compared to other academies; the competition isn’t as fierce."

Arnovoz continued, "I plan to visit the Underworld. Word is, a new world fissure has been found there..."

After the banquet, Nidhogg was led by the Duke’s servants to a quiet manor.

All seven apprentices received the same treatment, as they would need to wait for a full seven days at the port.

After seven days, a special ocean liner from Lilith Cottage Wizard Academy would arrive to take everyone to the academy.

Opening the window, Nidhogg let in the slightly fishy sea breeze. Just 300 meters from the manor was the ocean, with a steep cliff dropping seventy or eighty meters below.

"Sigh, the wizard continent..." Nidhogg sighed. The more he learned from Nina about the wizard continent, the more anxious he felt. Nina had made it sound like a terrifying slaughterhouse overrun by wizards, explaining her reluctance to go.

Shaking his head, he closed the window against the humid night air.

He then turned to the table in the room and lit all the candles before taking out the "Guide to Meditation," diving once more into its study.

In recent days, Nidhogg had begun to grasp the technique for converting mental strength into magic power. Perhaps he should take advantage of these quiet seven days to study further.