When he woke up in the morning, the kitten was nowhere to be found, leaving only a few tufts of cat hair. Reiner yawned, got up, cleared the table, and checked the contents of the paper again.
He first sent his revision by owl, and then put Fina's father's paper into the portfolio.
Reiner didn't know whether the thesis review committee would accept a paper written by a deceased person, so he decided to send the paper in person and wrote a letter to Mercury Balance explaining why.
After packing his bags, Reiner met Fina when he was going downstairs.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
Reiner rubbed Fina's short hair that had not been carefully taken care of and asked with a smile.
"Um."
Fina nodded, as if she was still a little uncomfortable with Reiner's behavior, but she did not express any objection. She hesitated to speak, and after a moment of silence, she finally spoke.
"Can I really stay here?"
She was referring to Reiner hiring her. Although at that time, this move should be regarded as an emergency plan, but Reiner didn't say anything after leaving Sur Town, which made Fina a little panicked.
"You mean the position of assistant teacher? You can certainly stay here if you want."
Reiner said simply.
"If you get excellent results after the magic test and want to find a better place to study, I will also write you a letter of recommendation. Although the reputation of Crescent College is not great, the recommendation of the Hohenheim Gold Cup winner is probably It’s quite substantial.”
Whether to go or stay, Reiner left it to Fina to decide.
"But, how should I put it, if you are frustrated outside, can't find the way forward, and want a place to rest, then you are welcome to return to Crescent College at any time. This is your new home."
Hearing Reiner's words, Fina opened her eyes slightly.
She originally thought that she had no place to call "home", but Reiner told her that Crescent College was her new home.
Her nose was a little sore, so Fina turned away, not wanting Reiner to notice her gaffe.
"Claire probably hasn't woken up yet. You can tell her later that I have to go away for a few days."
"Going out?"
Fina's eyes were still a little red, and she looked at Reiner in confusion. They had just returned from Sur Town a few days ago, and Reiner was going out again
"Yes, I completed the thesis for your father and am going to help him get the honor that belongs to him."
Reiner patted the portfolio in his hand.
"... ... Thanks."
Fina seemed to have a lot to say, but in the end it was all condensed into one sentence. She watched Reiner leave, and then took another step after a long time.
... ...
Reiner's destination is Ernest in the Midland Federation, which is thousands of miles away from Prest, where Crescent College is located, and requires sailing by airship.
The reason why he chose this place was because there was going to be an academic conference in Ernest. Unlike the annual conferences held by organizations such as the Mercury Balance, the organizer of Ernest's academic conference was the Midland Federation. They invited people including Many academic experts, including legendary mages, regardless of faction or nationality, launched a week-long academic exchange event in Ernest.
Reiner was preparing to go to this meeting.
He had learned about this grand meeting through letters with Lord Dmitri before, but he was hesitant to attend because of the long distance. Now that he has his own mission, of course Reiner will go to the meeting.
The airship slowly rose, and the densely packed city buildings gradually became smaller. The pedestrians on the street soon became like ants. Going higher, the clouds obscured the view, leaving only a pure white and the distant blue.
This aerospace boat headed directly for Ernest, so there were many mages among the passengers.
Similar to the time of Mercury Scale, many mages hope to make friends with some famous mages through this event to obtain better resources, but this time it is not just alchemy mages.
Reiner bought a second-class ticket, which was economical and affordable. Although it was not as spacious as a guest room like the first-class cabin, with only one seat, it was still soft and comfortable, and the waiter would also provide drinks and attentive service. .
The journey will last about five hours. Reiner originally planned to take a nap to relieve the fatigue caused by continuous experiments and writing papers in the past few days, but the person sitting next to him seemed to be very energetic.
"Let me tell you, do you know why the Ernest Conference was chosen to be held in Ernest?"
Several young first-circle mages were talking enthusiastically, without paying any attention to the expressions of the people around them.
"Why, I've never heard of this." "Isn't it because this conference is sponsored by the Midland Federation?"
"That's because Ernest of the Midland Federation is the place where the first star gate on the main plane was discovered, which has important commemorative significance for the magic world!"
The man's voice suddenly became louder, causing several people around him to let out small exclamations.
This is almost like a spring outing for primary school students, Reiner thought. He wanted to remind these people out loud, but another stern voice had already echoed in the cabin.
"You guys have affected other people, please pay attention to your words and deeds."
It was a female voice, somewhat awe-inspiring. Reiner turned his head and looked. It was a woman sitting on the other side of the aisle across from him. She had long light red hair and amber eyes. Wearing a designed skirt mage robe with four golden edges flashing on the cuffs, this is a four-ring mid-level mage.
Hearing the woman's scolding, those people originally wanted to retort, but they immediately shut up after seeing the woman's four gold edges.
There are not many fourth-ring mages near Priest, and any one of them is a prominent figure. Although Reiner does not know this woman and does not know why she appears in this second-class cabin, but think about it. It's not like these rookies who have just been promoted for less than half a year can offend them at will.
Seeing those people stop, the woman nodded with satisfaction. She glanced around and caught a glimpse of Reiner, who was looking at her.
"Thanks."
After noticing the other person's gaze, Reiner smiled slightly and said this.
"It's just a matter of duty."
The woman didn't say much, she just leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest.
Reiner was also ready to rest for a while, but when he was still half asleep, an alarm woke him up.
"What's wrong?"
Was he really so unlucky that he encountered an aerostat accident
Reiner thought to himself. He saw the waiters looking in a hurry and kept coming and going in the aisle. Reiner looked out the window and found that the airship had arrived above a city.
Bang—
A turbulence hit, causing people in the cabin to scream in surprise. Those first-level mages who were out on a spring outing had long since made no sound, and other passengers also looked panicked.
"Dear passengers, we encountered turbulence on the way down and are currently stabilizing the aerostat. I hope you don't panic."
The waiter finally brought accurate news, he said, trying to calm the mood, but it only added to the panic.
Mages below the intermediate level cannot fly by their own power at all. If the airship loses control and crashes, almost no one will be able to escape.
Under such circumstances, Reiner saw the female mage next to him stand up with a calm expression.
"Waiter, take me to see the situation."