By the end of June, the admission results from various elf universities had already been released.
Three days later.
A "Messenger Bird" elf delivered Su Hao's admission letter.
Liu Ren and the others were in a similar situation.
Chen Qi and his group didn't receive their admission letters as early, but the results were satisfying for all of them.
Rumor had it,
The final cutoff score for Tiannan University was a bit higher than expected, but Chen Qi still barely made it.
As for Zhou Yuze and Ma Ruomei, there were no surprises.
They gathered once more, then prepared to go their separate ways.
From Liu Ren, Su Hao also learned about this year's results at Ancheng No.1 High School.
A total of 21 students got into key elf universities!
Plus two from the previous year's class, making it 23 in all!
That far surpassed Ancheng's past records!
But it didn't have much to do with Su Hao.
He just left his name behind there.
In early July, he got ready to set off.
Liu Ren whined about being abandoned, so Su Hao skipped the "Four Little Heavenly Kings" gathering in Ancheng.
Might as well make a clean break.
The title "Four Little Heavenly Kings" was the brainchild of that goof Liu Ren.
But unexpectedly, it got high praise from Li Songting.
Gu Lingyao was a bit awkward at first but later thought it was fine—a dream to strive for, aiming for the Heavenly King level.
What if it actually came true?
So she joined the private group "Ancheng Four Little Heavenly Kings," fully assimilating into a chuunibyou girl.
Su Hao was utterly hopeless.
He could only be dragged in.
And was even elected group leader... He felt like things were getting more dangerous.
Su Hao scrolled through the "Four Little Heavenly Kings" private group.
Yep, there were five members.
Hardworking Little Su Hao.
Moderately Rich Fatty Liu Ren.
Hot-Blooded Youth Li Songting.
Not Lost Gu Lingyao.
And...
Cutest of All, Die Xiaodie.
"Guno~!"
The Dream Butterfly hugged its phone and sneaked a peek at him.
Who knew this spirit envoy was lurking in the group, so sneaky, guno~!
...
"Dad, Mom, don't see me off."
At the entrance to the high-speed rail station.
The Water Spirit Beast had bags and packs hanging from its back as Su Hao waved goodbye to his parents.
Both his dad and mom were reluctant.
Reluctant to part with the Dream Butterfly.
Even more reluctant to let Su Hao go.
Unlike before.
In the past, when he left, it was for a few days, half a month, at most a month.
But elf universities had strict management—once he went, the earliest he could return would be next year's winter break.
His son had matured.
Had made something of himself.
They were proud.
But also worried.
Now that their child had chosen the path of a spirit envoy, they didn't know if there were dangers.
All they could do was support him.
A thousand words boiled down to one sentence...
"Stay safe, call us when you arrive."
...
Taking the high-speed rail to the provincial capital, Tiannan.
Then from Tiannan Cloudtop Airport, boarding a special flight to Whale Island University.
Most elves could take the high-speed rail.
But not planes.
Only a very few special flights sold elf tickets.
Flights to Whale Island University were only available in the provincial capital.
"Hello, please show your spirit envoy ID."
Su Hao pulled out his spirit envoy certificate.
The staff swiped it.
"Beep, Advanced Spirit Envoy."
Below was the registered information of the elves Su Hao had contracted.
One, two, three... all matched.
The staff let him through.
"Please use the spirit envoy's dedicated passage here."
"Let's go."
Su Hao called to the dazed Fire Wool Crow.
And the Water Spirit Beast carrying the luggage.
With a Dream Butterfly perched on his head, he walked forward.
The boarding inspection was strict because there had been accidents in the past where elves caused plane crashes.
Nowadays, traveling with elves usually meant taking the high-speed rail.
Or going alone and summoning the elf at the destination.
Su Hao had considered summoning too.
It would save the cost of three expensive elf tickets.
But Whale Island University was too far from Tiannan Province.
Summoning one elf would almost drain him dry.
...
"Please fasten your seatbelts, stow your tray tables, open the window shades, and straighten your seat backs..."
"Spirit envoys, please help secure your elves in their safety cages and calm their emotions."
Su Hao sat in his seat.
On either side were safety cages for the elves, mainly to prevent accidents inside the plane.
The little ones weren't first-time flyers, so there was no nervousness or panic.
Neither was Su Hao.
All three elves could fly, and one was even a mount—even if the plane crashed, they wouldn't die... cough, he figured he shouldn't think negatively.
The Dream Butterfly and Fire Wool Crow fastened their own safety cage buckles.
Su Hao buckled the Water Spirit Beast's, since it had no hands.
A moment later,
His body involuntarily leaned back as a push from the seat back signaled the plane taking off.
Su Hao looked around.
The entire passenger plane was divided into the spirit cabin, business class, and economy class.
He was in the spirit cabin, which was much more spacious than a regular first-class cabin—it had to be, or the elves wouldn't stay put.
There weren't many passengers in the spirit cabin. Su Hao only saw a middle-aged man on his right with a Six-Winged Silk Moth.
It was somewhat related to his little one.
The two elves chirped "Gu-no, gu-no~" at each other.
The man smiled. "A new student at Whale Island University this year?"
Su Hao nodded.
But logically, with three elves, wouldn't it be more reasonable to be mistaken for a sophomore?
The man seemed to read his confusion.
He said, "Even if Whale Island students go home, they don't usually take all their elves—just one, leaving the rest at school to train... Besides, it's only been a little while since break started, right?
"Whale Island University doesn't start enrollment until the 15th. Without credits, there's a lot you can only watch from the sidelines... But the environment and facilities on Whale Island are great, so you won't be bored there."
"And you, sir...?" Su Hao asked.
"Me? I'm just a small-time businessman making a living on Whale Island."
He explained to Su Hao, "Whale Island University isn't open to the public—even parents can't enter—but outside the university, on Whale Island itself, there's a town called Whaleport. I run a few small supermarkets there, selling daily necessities to you college students."
As he spoke, the man pulled out a membership card.
Said it gave a 20% discount.
He was very enthusiastic.
Su Hao couldn't refuse and took it.
Combining the man's words with the bits of info he'd found online, Su Hao began to form a vague picture of Whale Island University in his mind.
...
"Whoosh~"
At Whaleport Town Airport, as Su Hao stepped off the plane's gangway, he immediately felt something different.
The air seemed fresher, the sky bluer.
It felt vaguely familiar.
"Guno~"
The Dream Butterfly chirped.
He understood. "It's spiritual energy—the island's spiritual energy rivals the New World?"
Whale Island was shaped like a giant whale, with Whaleport Town located at the whale's head.
The airport was small.
Only a few flights a day.
Many supplies relied on cargo ships.
Su Hao had initially thought Whaleport Town would live up to its name—a port-centric little town.
Home to people making a living off Whale Island University.
But when he walked out of the airport...
He was greeted by rows of towering buildings, neatly planted trees along the streets, and red and green flowers dotting the scenery.
A massive LED screen on a commercial building flashed, showing a battle between two elite-level elves.
At a battle hall in Whaleport Town.
The roads, laid out in orderly grids, occasionally saw cars passing by, spirit envoys riding mounts, and elves everywhere.
This wasn't so much a town as a modern city fully integrated with elves!
Su Hao walked on.
Suddenly spotted a supermarket.
Spanning three floors, it was huge, surrounded by various restaurants, forming a commercial district.
The supermarket was called "Yuan Gou."
Su Hao pulled the membership card from his pocket and glanced at the name on it.
He was silent for a long moment.
"You call this a small supermarket?"