Sterben worked harder than any other Vampire Knights out there that Lisa had sent out...

After explaining to the boy's parents how the Marshall Academy accepts students or practitioners of Summoning Arts, he made sure that they were aware that there were Immortals who could guide and protect them there as well.

Soon, he shifted his focus to another candidate.

It was a girl with a weak water-bound Grimoire. Her ritual had been clean, but her family was poor. Since the Grimoire looked so thin, it means that she couldn't bind many summons.

It would be amazing if she got to have 10 or so summons. After all, the thickness of the Grimoire also shows how powerful it was and how it could bind strong summons.

Because of this idea, no faction wanted to sponsor her.

Sterben approached her and started talking about the Marshall Academy once again. He looked like a truly diligent recruiter.

"You'll have a dorm. You'll have food. You'll have an allowance as well. You just need to find a perfect task you can complete, like working in the library or the Academy Mission Hall. There's a lot you can do, especially if you're able to get your first summon… The academy itself will help you find a way to use it…"

Sterben looked desperate, but he was definitely sincere… and they also felt it.

The young girl then looked at her parents… Seeing that their child seemed to like the idea. They nodded. After all, they were also aware that in this place, the faction would only spend their resources on those with good talent.

They couldn't be wasteful with their resources after all.

Just like that, the Vampire Knight continued working…

By the end of the day, he had spoken to twenty-five children… and twelve agreed to enroll… Still, another five asked for more time.

He didn't push it as well since he basically got the quota already. He was just told to recruit at least eight people…

Of course, all these children received a token from him with the crest of the Shadow Domain…

"I will stay here for three more days… "You can do all the preparations you need. After that, an airship will arrive to take us to the Shadow Domain."

As he said this, Sterben finally left, satisfied with his work…

***

In the meantime, within the Shadow Domain, three airships descended from the northern sky of the Clovis City…

These airships weren't simple passenger ships, as they were marked with the emblem of the Elemental Arts Faction.

Furthermore, instead of the common flight engine that the others were using, these vessels had a faint aura of Fire and Wind Divinity…

Without a doubt, they were using Divine Crystals in order to control and protect the airship...

Soon, Magnus recognized the symbols etched into the side panels. It wasn't just the Elemental Arts Faction… It was also the Order of the Lore Hunters.

It was a group within the Elemental Arts Faction. Aside from being the Faction's private army, they were also known for preserving ancient Spell Models, forgotten rituals, and elemental research that had long been buried by the mainstream faction.

They seemed to have arrived unannounced, but Magnus had already been informed.

Constance, the Spirit Immortal, had sent him a message two hours earlier. She had already talked with the leader of the Order and granted them entry. Of course, the entry was not to the central region of the Shadow Domain, but to Clovis City, a fortified city in the south near the central region.

Magnus stood at the docking platform with three assistants behind him.

All wore the black robes of the Shadow Domain's diplomatic corps. They all look like scholars instead of Arcanists, but it didn't matter.

Soon, the airships docked without issue.

From the first ship, an old man stepped forward.

His robes were designed with five-element emblems, and his staff seemed to be made of glass. It was a very unusual staff since most of them were made of wood or light steel.

Nonetheless, Magnus recognized this person after being connected to the Arcane Bureau for so long…

This was the person who had messed with the Transportation Circle that Lisa and Chad used. He was basically the reason why Vale had turned his attention to his castle.

It was Grand Arcanist Forbes.

"Welcome to Clovis City," Magnus said.

Forbes nodded. "We appreciate the shelter."

Magnus didn't respond right away. He studied the group behind Forbes… Just from the first airship, he already sensed a total of fifty-seven practitioners, most of them Elementalists. Of course, there were also ordinary people, and most of them were children and probably crews operating the airship..

Magnus then learned more about Forbes' talk with Constance and learned about her plan to accept their group while they were still hiding from the Chaos Immortals…

Magnus nodded and gestured toward the city. "Follow me. Your group will be assisted by disciples here."

Soon, they walked toward one of his residences within the city.

Inside the house, Magnus took his seat while Forbes remained standing.

"You know we can't allow entry without terms… Although Miss Constance allowed it. It was still something that couldn't be done for free. I'm sure you're aware of it." Magnus said.

"I understand," Forbes replied. "We're willing to offer our archives. Spell Models. Elemental research. We'll share what we've preserved."

Magnus leaned forward. "And your allegiance? You'll be seeing a lot of Dark Arts Practitioners in this domain. I was told that you hated them."

Forbes paused.

"We're not cooperating with the Holy Arts Faction anymore… If you have people here who hated us due to the war when we started against the Dark Arts Faction, we're willing to compensate them…"

Magnus smiled after hearing this and nodded. "That's good to hear…"

"In any case, Constance has already approved your entry… But you'll remain in Clovis City for now. No access to the central region or other cities for some time until we get clearance from Vale. I'm sure that once Vale saw your value, he would even integrate your group into the Marshall Academy."

"That's acceptable," Forbes said.

"You'll be monitored…" Magnus added.

Forbes nodded. "We expected that."

Magnus stood.

"Then welcome to the Shadow Domain…" he said.

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