A week later, in one of the cities of the Moonlight Empire,
"Hey Timothy, your clothes are crooked," his mother remarked.
"Mom, don't be too bothersome. I'm already an adult," Timothy said as he quickly straightened his clothes.
"No, this is your first day at the Moonlight Academy."
"I heard His Majesty is going to attend the opening ceremony, so you need to be presentable," his mother nagged endlessly.
"Don't worry, I have the strongest talent this time. I would shine no matter how I look," Timothy confidently said.
He was the only one with tier 5 mythic talent among all the people in the empire, so how could he not be proud?
"What an ignorant kid. So what if you're talented? You can't reach the finger of His Majesty."
"I will be there sooner or later."
"Once I become a little bit stronger, I will come to the Arcane Continent to continue my studies."
"Moonlight Academy is merely my stepping stone," Timothy said with a serious tone.
"Alright, go on. Maybe you'll be late," his mother pampered.
"Hmm, goodbye Mom," Timothy said.
According to the memo, Moonlight Academy is a boarding school from which students can only leave during vacations once a year.
Soon, he arrived at the city where a huge flying boat was parked.
This boat was also the one that transported them from their previous kingdom.
"Show me your token."
"Here."
"Timothy Winderchaser..."
The guard said as he examined Timothy's token to determine if he is a student of Moonlight Academy.
"Pass,"
Boarding the boat, he was greeted by other nervous-looking students.
However, there was one exception – a man sleeping soundly on a couch as if he owned the place.
"Hey..."
"Hmm," the man didn't budge and turned to the side.
"Hey..."
-_-
"Hey..."
"What?"
"I just like disturbing you, hahaha," Timothy laughed.
This was his friend Xavier, a unique kind of man.
Despite being lazy, he was a god of wealth.
He was the richest businessman in their city, owning several chain stores and even planning to expand to other cities.
"Tsk, let me sleep."
"Don't worry, with me here, nothing will disturb you."
-_-
"You're the one disturbing me..."
"Then I'll wake you up when we get there."
"Hmmm..."
Soon, the flying boat started its journey toward Moonlight Academy.
...
A few hours later, at Moonlight Academy:
"Wow! Look Xavier, we're here!" Timothy couldn't help but be excited.
Although he claimed it was just a stepping stone, in reality, he was a poor man and is very thankful for his majesty for his life.
As for his surname, which only nobles used to have?
Now people of the Moonlight Empire could choose surnames to commemorate the empire's stature.
"So soon..." Xavier murmured as he stretched his arms.
"Come, look while we're still in the air. This is a rare experience."
"Hmm."
Moonlight Academy had been constructed by tens of millions of people in just a few months.
Its scale was even larger than that of the imperial city, Moonshadow City.
Of course, Moonshadow City was still in a rebuilding state, so there was no need for comparison.
"A good place to earn money," Xavier thought aloud.
This place was grander than any city he had seen so far.
Soon, the flying boat landed.
"Let's go!" Timothy urged, dragging Xavier along.
As they walked, they admired various buildings and areas around Moonlight Academy.
"Look, this should be the Moonlight Library."
"According to the memo, studying there is twice the reward with half the effort."
"Oh."
"And that's the Battle Coliseum. It's more realistic than the one in the token."
"It's said that there is an automatic array set up, so you get kicked out when you're about to die."
Xavier was getting tired of Timothy's nagging.
They explored all over the academy until his feet hurt.
"Hey, His Majesty is about to arrive. We need to hurry," Timothy said as he noticed the announcement on the token.
"Sigh, let's go," Xavier agreed, thankful that there would be no more walking.
...
In the City of Arcane, at Maximus' Manor:
"Are you going to the empire again?" Erica asked.
They had come to know that the Moonlight Kingdom had recently become an empire.
They were also aware that Maximus had ushered in the era of imperial domination.
Fortunately, they were here in the Arcane Continent, so they were safe.
"Yes, today marks the establishment of the Moonlight Academy," Maximus replied.
"It's finally opening..." Hazel murmured.
She kind of missed their home, her parents, and her siblings.
She didn't know how they were doing.
Even though they could communicate through the token specially connected to their home, she still missed them.
"Don't worry, I heard that after the official student trial, there will be an auction," Maximus said, noticing that his wife was missing their home.
"An auction?"
"Yes, I saw the list of items and noticed that there is a quota for a teleportation array that can connect directly from the Arcane Continent to another place."
"Really? Is that possible?"
"Yes, apparently other families that haven't reached tier 9 don't have a territory, so they have to source it from outside the continent."
"In the Chaotic Sea, there are many islands of different sizes."
"Although it's smaller than the continent, it's more than enough."
"This teleportation quota is for them to fight over. After all, without a teleportation array, they can't develop their land," Maximus explained.
Lately, he had been inquiring about various things in the origin domain.
The teleportation array quota had caught his attention, leading him to learn about the auction that would follow the official student trial.
This teleportation array was linked to the continental array in the Arcane Continent, giving it the ability to navigate the Chaotic Sea.
"But how can we afford it? We don't have money," Isabella frowned.
Just hearing that it was meant for tier 8 families to compete, you could tell it wouldn't be cheap.
"Don't worry, I have some treasure I found in the Sunburnt Plateau," Maximus explained.
After learning about the teleportation quota, he also realized it wouldn't come cheap.
He had been wracking his brain for a solution.
He had contemplated upgrading his puppet, Edwards, to a Tier 6 Alchemist to sell Tier 6 potions.
However, there wasn't enough time to accumulate the necessary funds.
So, he had no choice but to rely on his system.
He delved into history, hoping to find a natural treasure from the Curse Continent.
Then, he planned to buy it from the Myriad World Mall and sell it at the auction to earn money.
Unfortunately, he hadn't had much luck until now and hadn't found anything valuable.
"Is that so?" Isabella looked at him with puzzled eyes.
"Can we see it?"
They were also curious about what kind of treasure could compare to a teleportation quota.
"You'll see it when the time comes." Maximus smiled.
"Then we'll wait."
"Hmm."
...
At the Moonlight Academy Podium:
Maximus walked slowly, greeting the two Etherium Embassy envoys.
"I didn't expect both of you to come."
"Of course, Your Majesty."
"This is a significant event, one that only occurs in a few empires on the Curse Continent."
"Thank you for your presence, then."
Indeed, only a handful of empires established academies, as it was a costly investment with uncertain outcomes.
Many would rather allocate funds to their armies than to education.
Moreover, if there were talented individuals within their territories, they could simply send them to the Arcane Continent.
"Hmm, let's begin."
Soon, he stood at the podium, observing the more than 3 million people below.
He couldn't help but sigh.
"I notice that some of you seem quite nervous," Maximus lightened the atmosphere.
"Don't be. You were selected from a pool of over 350 million people across the empire."
"You are the most talented individuals."
"The ones with the brightest futures."
"You are the pillars of the Moonlight Empire."
"If you're nervous in the face of these little scenes, how can you stand up for the Moonlight Empire?"
"We are not, Your Majesty!" They shouted, showing their unwavering determination.
"Good. Don't let my painstaking efforts go to waste."
"Moonlight Academy has over a thousand tier 4 teachers and more than ten thousand tier 3 teachers in total."
"The resources ranging from tier 0 to tier 3 are at your disposal."
"For knowledge and inheritance, the library is open to you."
"Now, all you need to do is give your best and never forget your initial intentions."
"Can you do it?" Maximus inquired.
Maintaining these conditions cost him hundreds of millions of magic crystals each year.
Just hiring a tier 4 teacher amounted to a hundred thousand magic crystals annually.
While a tier 3 teacher required ten thousand magic crystals per year.
Their recruitment had been facilitated with the assistance of the Etherium Embassy.
These teachers hailed from the Arcane Continent, and such huge salaries were necessary to entice them to the Curse Continent.
The Moonlight Empire was still relatively young, lacking even ten tier 4 individuals among its ranks.
Thus, Maximus resorted to leveraging funds to secure qualified teachers.
"Your Majesty!" The students below shouted, responding to Maximus.
"Hmm, good. Now, I will officially announce the establishment of the Moonlight Academy!"
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