Standing on the shore were dozens of Asher’s vessels.

None of them spoke.

They simply stared at the vast sea before them.

After a few moments, one of the vessels stepped forward.

He raised his hand.

A spatial ripple spread through the air.

The next moment, a massive wooden ship emerged from his subspace.

With a loud splash, it descended into the sea, creating towering waves that spread in every direction.

The ship was several dozen meters long, with three towering masts and black sails folded against them.

Its sturdy hull was reinforced with metal, clearly built to endure long voyages across the endless ocean.

The vessel then stepped onto the ship.

One after another, the remaining vessels silently followed him aboard.

Soon, the large ship slowly departed from the shore, heading toward the endless sea and the Grimwood continent that lay beyond the horizon.

After only three hours...

The large ship had been completely destroyed.

Its thick wooden hull had been torn apart, and countless broken planks floated across the endless sea.

Asher’s vessels stood calmly on the larger pieces of the wreckage.

The seawater around them had turned crimson.

Dozens of corpses floated on the surface, while many more slowly sank into the depths below.

Some of the aquatic beasts were several meters long, covered in thick scales, while others had long serpent-like bodies or countless tentacles.

Every corpse was covered in deep sword wounds.

Some had been split cleanly in half, while others had their heads severed from their bodies.

Every one of them was Master rank or below.

After looking at the destroyed ship, one of the vessels let out a quiet laugh.

"Traveling by ship is too dangerous."

He looked at the sea beneath him before continuing,"We’ve only been sailing for three hours, and we’ve already lost the ship.We should probably travel through the air instead."

The other vessels silently nodded.

After saying that, one of the vessels opened his mini spatial domain.

A spatial crack appeared in front of him.

The other vessels stepped inside one after another until only a single vessel remained.

The remaining vessel then gathered a large amount of mana around his body.

The mana completely covered him.

A few moments later, it began changing shape.

His entire figure transformed into that of a giant bird made entirely of condensed mana.

Its wings stretched several meters wide, and streams of mana flowed across its body.

The mana bird then spread its wings.

With a single flap, it soared into the sky, leaving the destroyed ship and the blood-covered sea behind as it flew toward the distant Grimwood Continent.

At the speed Asher was traveling, it would still take him several days to reach the Grimwood Continent, assuming he didn’t run into any trouble along the way.

However, he wasn’t in any hurry.

He had plenty of time.

Whenever he came across a small island on the way, he could simply stop there for a while to change the vessel before continuing his journey.

After all, the sea was vast, and rushing through it served no purpose.

8:00 PM.

Inside the Church Facility.

Lucifer, Asher’s vessel, was sitting in the facility’s cafeteria, eating alongside the other healers.

The food was average at best, and the entire place felt more like a prison than a workplace.

Asher looked at the bland food on his plate before glancing around the cafeteria.

Then he thought,’So I’ve become a prisoner now... wow.’

Meanwhile, at Aetherium Academy.

Inside the Cafeteria.

Asher, Adam, and Aria were already sitting at their usual table, eating dinner.

The cafeteria was as lively as ever, filled with students chatting after finishing their exams.

Only Noah was absent from the table.

Everything remained quiet for a while before Adam finally broke the silence.

He looked at Noah’s empty seat and asked, "What do you think happened? He still hasn’t shown up."

Asher didn’t even lift his head from his plate.

He calmly replied, "I don’t know. I don’t care."

A faint amused smile appeared on Adam’s face.

He then said, "I think that bastard got rejected and is probably crying in some corner of his room."

Just then, Noah walked into the cafeteria.

His expression was a little conflicted, making it difficult to tell whether he was happy or disappointed.

He silently walked over to the table and sat down.

The moment Adam saw him, a grin appeared on his face.

He looked at Noah and asked,

"So, how did your proposal go?"

He paused for a moment before adding with an amused smile,

"Did you get rejected?"

Noah shook his head.

"Nah, it went well."

A small smile appeared on his face before it gradually turned awkward.

He paused for a moment, then looked at Asher.

"It’s just... she has one condition."

He scratched the back of his head.

"She doesn’t want me hanging around with you anymore. She said she doesn’t like you."

He let out a helpless sigh before continuing,

"She wants me to have lunch with her and spend more time with her friends instead."

After a brief pause, he added,

"We’ll still be in the same team during practical classes, so that won’t change. But outside of that... she wants me to keep my distance from you."

Adam looked at Asher, wanting to see his reaction.

However, there was nothing to see.

Asher’s expression remained as calm as always, without the slightest change.

Adam then looked back at Noah and asked, "So... did you accept the condition?"

Noah hesitated for a brief moment before nodding."I did."

Before anyone could say anything else, Noah picked up his tray and left the table without another word.

He walked toward another table where the girl and her friends were already eating.

After reaching there, he joined them and quietly sat down.

Aria simply looked at Noah and then at Asher.

After that, she calmly returned her focus to her food and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

It seemed like she had already expected something like this to happen.

And she had.

She had noticed Noah’s emotions and understood that this situation was bound to happen sooner or later.

Adam looked at Asher, who was still calmly eating his food.

A confused expression appeared on his face as he asked,

"Why are you acting like nothing happened?"

He glanced toward Noah’s table before continuing,

"That bastard just betrayed you. He chose a girl over you."

Asher looked at Adam and then said,"Stop making it sound weird."