Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 739: Thalvorn Empire

The Sky Jet landed with a soft touch against what seemed to be a massive landing pad. The very moment the aircraft touched the ground, students immediately shot to their feet as they attempted to make their way toward the doorway they had originally entered the Sky Jet from, but in the next moment, the same female Instructor from earlier appeared within the lowest floor of the aircraft.

Every student paused at her presence as she stared at them before speaking in a calm tone. "While I understand your excitement and enthusiasm, remember that you are within a foreign Empire, and remember that you are representing both the Zarethorne Empire and the Star Academy. Within this land, you are not nobles, your families hold no authority here. Act accordingly, or I shall make you act accordingly." Her words were flat, almost threatening, but such warnings were necessary.

After all, simply because many of them were children of nobles within the Zarethorne Empire did not mean their pride and arrogance would function here.

The students simply nodded their heads, not daring to disobey. They could not help but wonder exactly what the Instructor meant by that final statement, but despite their curiosity, they were fully determined not to find out.

"We shall leave the Sky Jet in the same order we boarded," the Female Instructor stated calmly, and at her words, the doorway hissed open.

Asher, Teo Swig, and Thalric walked forward before jumping down from the high elevation, their feet meeting the earth with gentle ease.

It was afternoon, and the sun still hung high within the sky, blazing across the world with its overwhelming worldly presence.

At the ground level, FatelessPen was already standing there waiting. As he had stated earlier, he was in charge of the students throughout their stay within the Thalvorn Empire.

Asher’s purple eyes landed upon the scene around him, his body freezing in utter speechlessness as his eyes met the impossible. All around him were natives of the Thalvorn Empire, all riding various forms of vehicles ranging from cars of all kinds to bicycles and even power bikes throughout the Thalvorn Empire.

Asher stood rooted to the spot, his head slowly turned to the side, and there he saw the traffic-light system flickering between red, yellow, and green.

The other students gazed at the surroundings with expressions of awe and worship as they stared at every single thing passing by them, completely unfamiliar with all of it.

But Asher was familiar with everything, at this moment, he felt as though he had somehow transmigrated from ancient times back to Earth once again. And it did not stop there, people walking across the streets held phones within their hands while moving around casually. Some were making calls, some were texting, while others laughed at whatever videos they were watching.

’They have the... internet?’ Asher thought inwardly in complete disbelief.

But just as Asher and the rest of his schoolmates stared at everything around them, the people of the Thalvorn Empire were also staring back at them as they noticed their completely different styles of clothing and appearance. After all, foreigners were not exactly difficult to identify.

’It seems we did not land in some kind of airport,’ Asher thought inwardly as he slowly shook his head.

But the shock did not end there, even their architectural structures matched the twenty-first-century style back on Earth. Various buildings constructed from glass towered into the air, while others possessed short metallic fences and sleek designs that spoke modernity.

Although Asher did not say it aloud, he had already guessed that they had landed within some sort of weaker district. After all, every individual he had observed on the roads until now was either someone who failed their awakening or someone who had barely stepped past the Kindlestar Life Rank.

"Magnificent, isn’t it?" FatelessPen’s voice came from the side as he stood silently behind Asher and the others.

Asher genuinely did not know what to say, this was far beyond magnificent. Simply from standing here, he already understood that the Thalvorn Empire was technologically advanced to a nearly terrifying degree, making Asher wonder whether this was truly an Empire or an entirely different planet altogether.

"It truly is," Finch spoke as his eyes sparkled brightly. He, William, Ryaen, and Vaelric had already walked toward Asher the very moment they descended from the Sky Jet.

Even the Imperial Prince, who had already known about the Thalvorn Empire beforehand, was still left dazed by what he was witnessing with his own eyes.

"I’ve read about the Thalvorn Empire within the Imperial Library, but truly, as I said earlier, reading and hearing about something could never compare to seeing it with one’s own eyes," Vaelric spoke as his eyes followed a sports car that zipped past him and the others with astonishing speed.

Yes, he had read about their technology, but could a Prince who knew absolutely nothing about technology truly comprehend what technology genuinely represented?

Horse? Carriages?

None of those existed here within the Thalvorn Empire as they did within the Zarethorne Empire, making the Zarethorne Empire appear utterly backward in almost every aspect imaginable.

Soon, various cars rolled forward before coming to a stop before the students. The moment the vehicles stopped, several official military personnel immediately stepped out, each of them wearing military gear and uniforms with weapons fastened securely to their waists.

The instant they appeared, the citizens of the Thalvorn Empire, who had been staring, pointing, and observing the Star Academy students from earlier, immediately moved backward, not daring to remain close.

Asher’s eyes landed upon the military personnel, he could feel the immense strength and pressure they were suppressing beneath their calm exteriors. Every single one of them was powerful in their own right, entirely different from the weaker presences he had sensed from the ordinary citizens earlier.

One of the Thalvorn Empire military personnel, who appeared to hold the rank of Commander for this operation, stepped forward. Although she did not release her presence, her mere existence alone made it clear that she stood at the Crownstar Life Rank.

"Welcome to the Thalvorn Empire, the Land of Technology." She spoke with calm ease, her tone flat yet slightly respectful as she welcomed the foreign guests.

Just like within the Zarethorne Empire, there existed no segregation between men and women here. Anyone could rise to any position of authority regardless of gender. After all, power, strength, wealth, and influence were never biased toward one gender.

Before anyone else could respond, FatelessPen stepped forward and spoke, "are you the ones assigned to lead us toward our residence?"

"Yes," the female Commander replied immediately before gesturing toward the fleet of cars before her.

FatelessPen turned toward the students as he spoke in a commanding tone, "five students per vehicle."

The students immediately walked forward, each choosing different vehicles alongside their friends. Since many of them were unfamiliar with what cars even were, they could not even open the doors themselves, forcing the military soldiers to personally open the doors for them to enter, Asher, William, Finch, Ryaen, and Vaelric all sat within one of the available sports cars.

FatelessPen immediately flicked his soul-bound pen, and in the very next moment, nearly one hundred clones of himself appeared instantly, each standing at the Crownstar Life Rank. Every clone joined a separate group of students within the cars they selected.

He had to monitor everyone carefully, after all, who knew what foolish thing one of the students might attempt, or what trick one of the Thalvorn soldiers might try to pull?

Yes, things were generally peaceful during the Inter-Empire Competition, but that did not mean they would lower their guards like complete idiots.

FatelessPen’s true body entered Asher’s car, and with that, the entire fleet immediately zoomed off.

As for the remaining Crownstar Life Rankers from the Zarethorne Empire, they possessed their own separate vehicles, each sitting alone within their cars unlike the students, who had to share.