The next morning, both Lance and Samantha arrived to see the mystic along with two Sacred Ember clan guards. These guards were told to make sure that they would both be safely escorted to the Griffin Academy by the Patriarch. So whether they wanted to or not, these two guards made sure to wear their best armor and to bring along their strongest and most high quality weapons.

They were both only 2nd rank warriors, but coupled with the 3rd rank mystic that would be leading the group, there was a very small margin of anyone giving them much trouble, especially in these particular parts of the Sun Dynasty.

Although for the most part, cities across every empire including the Sun Dynasty were rather equal in strength and wealth, it could be said that Granite Town was in a region of the empire that was considered to be the weakest. Therefore, even the bandits and other types of group who had enough experts in them, chose to leave this area alone.

The reason for this, was because the weaker the area was, the harder it was to make any kind of living raiding unexpecting individuals. There were still groups that were too weak to move to a better region, however these groups posed no threat to a 3rd rank mystic, let alone additional support.

On the way towards Bitter Falls, the group stopped for a quick breakfast since they had left the village very early in the morning. Thomas decided on this so that they could arrive in the city before the afternoon hit. If they were even a little late, it was possible for the group to get separated among all of the crowds.

As they were traveling, Lance and Samantha were talking to one another about themselves and what they've heard about Griffin Academy as well as the future of Granite Town. Samantha's mother was in the dark about mostly everything, so Lance spent some time going over things with Samantha.

"Alright everyone, up ahead is the entrance to the city. Just stay close to me and we will be able to go in fairly quickly. Since I am not just a resident of Bitter Falls, but a recruiter for a mystic school, the guards should allow us entry without any problems." Thomas explained to the group as they slightly changed their formation and remained focused.

"Ah, Griffin Academy's tokens? Very well, you may all come inside without paying any tolls." one of the gatekeepers told the group as a path opened up for them to walk through. Seeing this scene, Lance realized that if he wasn't accepted into an organization which was located in Bitter Falls, he would need to pay enough gold just to enter.

"You two will not have to worry in the future about coming and going into the city once we reach the academy and you are both bestowed tokens of identification. The ones you currently are holding are good enough to enter one time for free, but until you both are officially accepted, those will be of no use."

"Also in the future, as just normal students, you could only bring in one additional person at a time. As you earn higher ranks in the Griffin Academy, Bitter Falls will also reward you with additional perks. Every organization operates this way and the requirements and promotions are all the exact same so that there are no favorites." Thomas explained to the two children as they made their way towards a restaurant to eat lunch.

The quality of food that were brought to the group, were top of the line dishes compared to even the feast that they had during the celebration the night before. To Thomas, such a meal was affordable by the average student given their monthly allowances, but it could be said that the Sacred Ember clan didn't have the additional wealth to eat so well.

This completely stunned Lance and Samantha, to the point where they understood by Thomas's demeanor that this meal was rather low quality when compared to the highest rated places around the city. A burning desire to work even harder towards their goals filled their heads as the group finally finished eating and began to make their way towards the academy.

"Hello Professor Thomas!" some students who were sitting by the Griffin Academy gates called out as they saw the group approaching. Instead of stopping to chat with them, Thomas just politely waved as he continued leading the group towards the dean's small building.