?But Tina and Ary kept talking about weird stuff. For example, they kept talking for half an hour just about the path they were walking on and how it was built.


    William wasn''t that much interested in knowing the types of ores used, the length of this path, or the uses of it for trade, people travelling, and linking ns together with the academy.


    These were all eithermon knowledge or useless to him.


    Especially when Ary didn''t know everything about the ores used, but he kept making up stuff, enticing the excitement of Tina even more.


    "We are here," Ary said the moment the path ended in a grand open space, void of any tree or nt, surrounding arge gathering of houses in the distance.


    They took almost ten hours to arrive at the Long n home base. And William and Lina couldn''t help but inwardly heave a sigh of relief.


    The buildings there were surrounded by arge wall and many strong looking towers, giving a good example on how strong this n was.


    And an open ce was left between such walls and the forest they came out from.


    William was sure this empty space was left on purpose. Like that, anyone standing on the walls, or inside these scattered towers would see whoevering at them from the forest.


    It was a good and nice defensive tactic, one that told him a great effort was made by the Long nsmen to keep this zone empty all the time.


    "Wow! It''s a big vige…" Tina turned her eyes and blinked twice before jumping in such delight.


    Everything to her seemed like a nice trip or interesting topic to talk about.


    Yet unlike her, Ary suddenly turned serious as he said in warning:


    "You have to be extra careful here. The Long folks are nice to friends, even treating me nicely back at the academy. But they won''t tolerate anyoneing to their doorsteps and making ruckus."


    William got what he wanted to say as he nodded. "Like before, don''t speak until I permit it. If anyone asks you something, just point at me as an answer. Don''t respond to any provocation and let me handle everything. Got it?"


    "Yes, young master," the two girls said, Lina in a low yet decisive tone, and Tina in a cheerful loud childish tone of hers.


    "Stop right there, this is a private region of the Long n… No outsider is allowed" and just as they walked towards the nearest big gate, a sudden shout came surprisingly from behind.


    William was startled when he heard such words. It wasn''t because of its content, but because he missed the presence of the speaker.


    It meant whoever spoke was a strong spirit master, at least two grades higher than his strength.


    "An elder of the n? Damn! Our luck is just…" Ary seemed to recognise the status of the uing middle aged spirit master from the uniform he was wearing.


    In William''s eyes, he was wearing a silver set of clothes, covered with bright golden armour that covered only his chest.


    He held a big spear and moved in such confidence as if he was walking inside his home. There was nothing special about his face, but his hair was gathered up in a small and neat looking bun in the middle of his head.


    "It''s time," Ary turned to William as he whispered in such distress, "Long n never tolerate jokes! It''s not a big deal to lose face and expose this joke now. Or else…"


    ''Sigh!'' William inwardly sighed. It seemed up till this moment, Ary was still considering what he said as a joke.


    "Don''t worry senior brother," William patted Ary''s arm, as he couldn''t reach the level of his shoulder, "let me handle this."


    "We are… Done for!" and as William walked a few steps to meet the elder, he heard what Ary muttered to himself from behind.


    If not for the seriousness of the uing meeting, and William wasn''t feeling that welling here to meet the old patriarch of such a mighty n in the first ce, he would have smiled or evenughed at what Ary just said.


    "Sorry to interrupt, senior, but I was asked toe here to Long n," William said while respectfully cupping his hands and slightly bowing in a move that was copied by the two girls behind and also by Ary who did it out of his own will.


    "You were summoned here? By whom?!" The look of surprise appeared on the face of the elder, especially when he moved his eyes between William and Ary.


    He seemed confused that William, the porter, was speaking while Ary, the fifth year disciple, was standing behind in such silence and respect.


    In this elder''s eyes, if someone asked for anyone of the two toe to his n, then it was supposed to be the fifth year disciple, not the porter.


    "By the old patriarch."


    "You…" the next moment, the elder pointed his spear towards the neck of William. His move, his speed, all came in such a natural and smooth way that didn''t give William any chance to even feel it moving.


    ''Scary!'' William muttered. He came back to this life and was still immersed in his past life, the life where he was a formidable spirit master.


    But this time it was a nice waking up call for him. He felt the coldness of the sharp de, theyer of dark gold energy that started to conglomerate over the spear out from the elder''s body. It was a clear sign that this dude wasn''t taking anything lightly, even when he was faced with eight years, weak looking, porter.


    "Senior…" William raised his hand to stop the shouting girls from doing anything stupid, "I really came by the orders of the academy''s headmaster. He informed me that Long''s n patriarch invited me to the n, and so I dide."


    "You…" the elder pushed the tip of his spear ahead for an inch, making William stand on the tips of his toes.