Chapter 183: Moonveil and Others

Moon suddenly felt embarrassed.

"When did I crane my neck?" he mumbled, still marveling at how much influence the group of young men seemed to have over the people in the procession.

As if reading his mind, Ugo leaned closer and whispered in his ear,

"They’re the new lieutenants selected last year. They returned from the frontier not long ago. Those girls are probably from their packs."

"Hmm, they’re very popular among the mercenaries," Moon observed.

"Well, we had to hire many elites from Eclipse to lead the guards here. They’re closer to the people than most alphas and gammas in leadership positions, which makes them more approachable. Zenith’s training leaders and Eclipse’s generals are also popular choices for training warriors," Levi replied.

Moon understood.

It was like how warrior mages were more popular than sect masters.

Still, he couldn’t help glancing toward the window again.

The young warrior had already disappeared into the front.

Moon shook his head and put the matter aside.

Soon, another commotion broke out ahead.

Without even craning his neck to look outside again, Moon knew those two major academies were crossing paths.

Not that they would actually fight, but Eclipse Fang clearly didn’t give a damn about Zenith.

As the two processions crossed paths, Eclipse Fang continued forward without giving Zenith any respect.

Zenith’s guards had to move their carriages aside to make room, disrupting the previously neat formation.

"Watch where you’re going!"

"Did Zenith buy the road?"

"Don’t just stride between the carriages...!"

"Then tell your people to stop blocking the road!"

Moon could hear their back-and-forth arguing even from here.

"General Fangli, watch your pups!"

"Are you blind, Lord Suli? What’s with all these servants? Did you come to recruit talent or get married?"

They started to bicker as they passed.

Eclipse’s horses and carts simply passed through, leaving Zenith’s attendants to deal with the mess they had made on the road.

Moon couldn’t help laughing out loud. But he quickly pressed his mouth shut.

Who knew what trouble might fall on him if anyone heard?

’They really don’t get along.’

He had thought the great academies would be more concerned about their reputations.

Yet, even in front of so many people, neither side seemed willing to give the other an inch.

The commotion gradually faded as Eclipse Fang moved ahead.

After them came another group.

They weren’t as loud, and rather than passing their caravan, they chose to stay behind and travel along the road at the same pace.

Moon looked out of the window again.

The members wore soft grey-blue tunics over white inner garments, with light grey mantles resting neatly across their shoulders. Their pale crystal tokens caught the moonlight as they moved.

Their attire was simple compared with Zenith’s formal uniforms and Eclipse Fang’s battle-ready clothing.

But...

Their carriage and cart were really something that made Moon widen his eyes in shock.

"The Moonveil’s famous Bloodmoon Landship," a guard prompted Moon.

He had noticed that the young man was craning his neck to see the people coming and going, and felt obliged to share some information.

Moon nodded.

"Such a big ship!" he exclaimed admiringly.

"Yes, they are. They can move on land. Surprising, huh? That’s why, even though Moonveil doesn’t have many warriors, they still have a large territory. I heard you can’t even break into their fort after ten days of trying." The guard was full of praise.

He took a nice weapon from his girdle. "See? I had the chance to buy a weapon from them. Really amazing!"

Moon looked at the multi-use weapon, which looked like a knife but also had a hammer and a spike, and nodded again.

"Hmm, it looks very good."

"I can make even better ones," Axe chimed in from behind.

Moon raised his brows. "What have you made these days?"

"A machete. A very nice one," he said eagerly.

"Hmm, can we sell it?" Nox asked. He seemed to forget he was in a cold war for a moment.

"I’m not selling it. Let’s see what the ship looks like." He said this and jumped out of the carriage.

He went to the last row to see the ship clearly.

Moon recalled the information Margarita had sent him.

Moonveil specialized in artifacts, arrays, and wolf spirit resonance. They focused on awakening and controlling wolf spirits, so they were more inclined toward weapon crafting than joining battles.

Moon watched them for a little longer.

He hadn’t seen any Moondestiny Academy members.

When he checked the information he had received, he found that Moondestiny was located in the northwest.

They were coming from the opposite direction, so their paths wouldn’t cross.

The only academy left was the Lunar Healer Academy.

He turned to Levi and asked, "Won’t the Healer Academy come?"

"They hold a different trial later, on their own territory. Not many people want to become healers, and warriors seldom want to go there. After the selection, those who fail to get into the three academies eventually find their way to the Healer Academy or Moondestiny Academy," Levi replied.

"But they’ll still come. Maybe tomorrow or on the day of the trials," Nox added.

Moon nodded.

He had read about the academies in the information Margarita had sent him, but seeing them in person was different.

Their behavior on the road had already given him a better understanding of their personalities and rivalries.

He wondered what the trials themselves would be like.

After all, he wasn’t here simply to watch the academies show off.

Moon’s expression grew thoughtful as he considered which academy would be good to enter. His primary target was to enter one of the less popular academies.

That way, they could avoid attracting attention.

But judging by the appearances he had just seen, he knew his plan was full of holes. And entering an academy would not be that easy either.

He no longer looked outside.

They were now very close to the city boundary, and after watching so much, he had lost interest.

He closed his eyes and decided to go through the information Margarita had sent him, particularly the details about the Lycan Empire, the council, and the other major powerhouses.

It was time to learn enough about them to avoid unknowingly offending someone important.

.

.

Amidst the crowd, cheering, and bickering, their caravan finally reached the western boundary wall of the West Grand Plaza, where the checkpoint was buzzing like a beehive.

The guards and sentinels were moving around, checking things as if they had grown ten hands and twenty feet, trying to clear the road.

Levi’s caravan joined the queue just behind Zenith’s.

The Zenith convoy passed through the checkpoint very quickly.

Their guards just took a superficial look at the pack permits, and the sentinels immediately cleared the way for their carriages.

Within minutes, the entire procession had entered the West Grand Plaza.

Moon watched from the window as the next caravan moved forward.

"Your turn, sir!" one of the sentinels called.

The mercenary captain climbed down from the carriage and approached the checkpoint with their documents.

Their caravan remained in line while the guards began checking their insignias, pack marks, and travel permits.

Though Elysian was one of the three top packs, the merchant caravan was a mixed bag of people. So neither the checkpoint guards nor the caravan’s members used Elysian’s influence to bypass the inspection.

Moon was about to look away when a commotion broke out beside the entrance.

"Move aside! Do you know whose people you’re holding up?"