For the rest of their day, they spent it watching Oliver and Reinhold fighting. Emma was amused at their antics, so all was well for Arthur and Nera. After that, they parted ways, and Arthur returned to the hotel.
"Maybe I should buy a place in the capital," Arthur muttered as he undressed. The clothing part was always a nuisance. "I'd be able to get more comfortable there."
As this topic crossed his mind, Arthur remembered to give Idris a call regarding the artifacts he gave him. As the line connected, the foreigner's accents greeted him tiredly.
"Well, you sound tired," Arthur exclaimed. "I feel bad for calling you about the artifacts."
"Oh, is this you, Arthur?" Idris asked, confused. Arthur's voice has changed under the effect of the disguise artifact. This way, he wasn't recognized by the people who knew him. "The artifacts are being sold at the moment in a partner auction house we have. I'll transfer the money after the procedures are over."
"Alright, and how much do you estimate they would be sold for?"
"Well," Arthur heard the sound of tapping. "Around 35 Million YDs."
"That's more than we expected." Arthur was amazed.
"Yes, the prices have gone up because of the National Exam."
"Oh, that makes sense." Arthur nodded. "I guess people are preparing for the exam."
"And you should too, as I heard. Good luck with it."
Arthur thanked him before he disconnected the call. Idris has reminded him that he also needed to study for a bit in case he needed the extra scores.
He fumbled through his subspace before finding his textbooks. Thick and ancient, they appeared in his hand as Arthur opened it before he started to skim through it.
He needed to memorize many equations, like how much mana he needs to convert materials of different physical states. There were also some calculations in the Dungeon Analytics topics he needed to cover.
Math, Physics, Biology, and Yalveran Language were mandatory, but only their basics for awakeners. An awakener didn't need to know geometry, but they did need to know how much mana was required to reach a certain temperature.
He also can take the exam for other subjects, like Runes, Circuits, Potions, Monster Theory, and many others, but he would be studying them anyway in Jerano. The only extra subject he's taking an exam for was Runes.
As Oliver told him, most nobles would be taking Global Politics and Strategy. These would be useful if they hold governmental positions later on.
Arthur began studying until late at night before he felt like he had read enough. His high stamina allowed him to keep a focused state of mind for a prolonged time.
By the time he decided he should sleep, it was already past midnight. He would need to take an airplane toward Jerano tomorrow, and that was five hours ride by itself.
Jerano was located in a neutral position between the two continents. It was called the Twilight Strait, one of the two Straits that linked the two continents. One of them was the port of Anerk, while the other one was the location for Jerano.
As he fell asleep, Arthur's mind turned hazy as he prepared himself for the big day tomorrow.
***
This time, Arthur would have to take the flight alone. That's what he initially thought before he spotted a fat nobleman at his hotel's foyer. In the end, Oliver accompanied him there.
"We should get you a refund for your ticket," Oliver stated suddenly, and Arthur couldn't understand. "After all, we'll be taking my family's jet."
"Your what?" Arthur thought he heard wrong.
"Hehe." With a smug expression, Oliver led him to a different gateway of the airport. They passed the passengers of different nationalities, those who wore formal and those who wore sandals until the airport's staff took them to the private jet of the Belford Family.
Arthur tried to hide his amazement since he was currently a nobility, but he couldn't help but pause when he saw the interior.
'This is plain robbery. Are the nobles that wealthy? I bet there's a ton of corruption for them to attain this type of wealth.'
"I got the smallest jet, but its coziness is enough to get me around," Oliver said as he wiped his face after that set of stairs. Arthur almost slapped the living daylight of this fatty for saying such a thing casually.
"I've seen my father's jet too; it was bigger than this one," Arthur said nonchalantly, and Oliver sighed in resignation. Arthur has never met Count Linan before, but he had to act the part.
The takeoff was smooth, but Arthur couldn't say the same for the trip. The service was good, but there was extra. Oliver had somehow assumed that Arthur was a beast and prepared a few hostesses to accompany them.
Arthur had to shoot down that assumption, and in the end, they played cards. After a few rounds, Arthur excused himself from playing and took out a textbook to do some quick revision.
"We're here, bookworm." Oliver nudged him and pointed with his chin at the window. Arthur turned his head, and his eyes widened. With the morning sun sitting behind it, the flying city of Jerano stood there majestically.
With a castle that tore through the skies, towers on each corner with one in the middle, Jerano stood majestically in contrast to the blue sky. Around what seemed to be the futuristic college were the rooftops of a thousand buildings that made sure to leave enough room for the trees to find a foothold between them.
Giant chains held the flying mass of soil on both sides of the strait. These chains were so massive and ancient as if humans didn't create them, but the gods.
"That's one of the tests," Oliver said beside him, in equally rapid breathing. "The chains of fortune."
Arthur has heard about them too. A race to their dreams. From the fifty thousand, only five thousand people can pass. Arthur had always thought chains couldn't host five thousand people, but as he looked at these infinite chains that connected to the flying city, he realized it was possible.
The jet began to descend, far away from the chains, and into the airport that Jerano college also owned. As they left the airport, Arthur saw that not many people came by airplanes.
"What about the other nobles?" Arthur asked with confusion. Most of the people he saw in the airport were of simple attire, commoners like him.
"Ah," Oliver's face twitched. "Never mind them! Let's hurry along!" He started pulling on Arthur to move. Arthur stood there and looked at him suspiciously.
"They," Oliver sighed. "They use teleportation circles. However, those are too expensive and I spent all of my monthly allowances already."
At his explanation, Arthur nodded. Jerano couldn't be such a grand college if it didn't have teleportation circles connecting it to the rest of the world. However, even if he knew that already, he wouldn't spend his money on such a luxury.
He still had the mindset of a poor person, after all.
When they left the airport, Oliver and Arthur saw many banners to guide students applying to Jerano. They left Oliver's manservant behind and joined one of the groups.
A cute petite woman stood in the middle as she tapped with her foot on the ground. Oliver went to another student and asked what they were waiting for.
"When we have enough people, the teacher would use a runic card to teleport us to the exam stations." The student answered politely after seeing Oliver's giant build.
The woman, who stood beside a circle outlined on the ground, called out for students to give her their IDs. As the students produced the documents, she scanned them with her bracelet before allowing them to enter the circle.
Arthur gave his fake ID, and the woman didn't suspect anything. He stood in the circle with Oliver, and when fifty people passed, the woman flicked her hand as a runic card flew in the air.
Arthur thought it was a teleportation rune, but it was entirely different. The card rose before it turned into a dome that surrounded the students.
The pink dome stretched until it was underneath Arthur's feet before it began to rise. After it reached a certain height and the screams of a few students, the dome started to travel through the sky as it headed toward the buildings beside the chains.
After a few minutes of cutting across the sky, the dome began descending as it slowed down. It arrived in a wide yard and landed the students safely before disappearing.
The yard was beside giant buildings that had whitewashed walls. Beyond the buildings were the massive chains that filled the skies.
"Welcome to Jerano College," A voice filled the surroundings as the students looked toward the source. Wearing a simple attire, the man known to all stood there with his arms open.
The students were shocked as they looked at the man standing at the top of their generation, the Divine Swordsman.