Perhaps because Ryan was assigned to the area closest to the entrance, he was the first to arrive at the gathering point. Since the cenote wasn't very large, the others arrived within a few minutes as well.
After confirming the headcount, the group leader led everyone back to school. Once they were back and it was confirmed that the area was safe, everyone released their state of integration with their pets of nature. Ryan instantly felt fatigue sweep over him from head to toe the moment he ended his integration.
He wasn't alone—his classmates all looked equally drained. Some even seemed like they might collapse from exhaustion.
"Alright, that's all for today. Go back and rest," the team leader said, ending the day's activities.
With that, everyone turned into green light and exited the Emerald Dream.
Ryan opened his eyes in his dormitory bed and saw Blue Snake listlessly coiled around his arm. He felt a little embarrassed. After all, this kind of fatigue was shared between the summoner and their pet.
Honoring Blue Snake's request, Ryan sent it back to the Plants vs. Zombies world, where it could have a big meal in the warehouse stocked with sunlight crystals. Then, Ryan began meditating on his bed to recover his energy.
The next morning, Ryan woke up fully restored thanks to his meditation. After breakfast, he headed to a broom closet on the second floor of Castrobruso, located in the Keppolas' territory.
This being Keppola territory, it wasn't a place most people visited. Still, as Ryan walked through the corridor, he had the distinct feeling he was being watched. But when he looked around, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Standing in the hallway, Ryan was surprised to notice how clean the Keppola nests were. They were nothing like what he had imagined—far from dirty or chaotic, the corridor was spotless, even cleaner than the hallways more frequently traveled by students. It seemed the Keppolas had a mischievous reputation, but in reality, they were quite tidy.
At the end of the corridor, Ryan opened the door to the broom closet and followed his senior's instructions by placing the blood beads on a clean-looking cabinet inside. Then, he exited the room and closed the door behind him.
Almost immediately, rustling noises came from inside. Suppressing his curiosity as instructed, Ryan waited patiently outside the door.
After five or six minutes, the sounds quieted down. Ryan opened the door again and stepped inside.
The blood beads had vanished. In their place, the Capolas had left some items on the cabinet.
"Let's see... Two white mulberries, a piece of unidentified ore that gives off a magical aura, a dried snake gallbladder, and a palm-sized, high-transparency crystal," Ryan muttered to himself. "Not bad. Looks like I got a decent haul. Guess I wasn't too unlucky this time."
Apart from the Emerald Dream adventure, the days that followed became a bit mundane—just daily classes repeating over and over. Fortunately, after a period of adjustment, the exchange students from Hogwarts had grown accustomed to the teaching style at Castrobruso.
Everyone was an exceptional student, so not only could they keep pace with the local curriculum, but they also managed to continue their Hogwarts-grade studies independently.
It was another Friday, marking the second month of their exchange program. After more than a month of intense academic pressure, everyone was feeling worn out.
So, instead of doing homework as usual after class, Ryan reclined in his chair and idly toyed with a pistol—the Liberator given to him by Desdemona.
Compact, finely crafted, and powerful, the pistol was one of Ryan's prized possessions. He would often take it out for maintenance. However, Desdemona had cautioned him about something important the last time she gave it to him.
As the Federation gradually recovered, many synths—synthetic humans—began facing serious social ostracism, especially those who had previously lived hidden as regular adults. Once their true identities were revealed, they became the targets of fear and resentment in many human settlements.
Without many options, most synths were forced to settle near intelligent ghoul communities. But such cohabitation was always temporary. Two entirely different species could coexist for only so long before tensions surfaced.
Although Ryan had managed to prevent any official anti-synth policies from emerging, discrimination remained deeply rooted in private. Desdemona knew Ryan possessed abilities far beyond the ordinary, and she hoped he could someday find a solution to this issue.
So Ryan often found himself deep in thought during his gun maintenance sessions, pondering ways to resolve the synth dilemma.
He also discovered that cleaning spells came in quite handy—especially in avoiding the tedious process of wiping away old gun oil. Maybe it was time he learned more household magic; it could really help save time and energy in his daily life.
Just as he finished cleaning and made a playful shooting gesture with the pistol, someone knocked at the door. Ryan quickly returned the gun to the Myriad Realms Grocery Store and opened the door to find Hermione standing outside with her Hermes in hand.
"Professor Sprout asked everyone to gather in the common room," she announced.
It was already 8:30 p.m. What could be happening at this hour? Tomorrow was the weekend. Hopefully, it wasn't something serious—like getting assigned a load of homework.
Fortunately, it was good news.
Instead of a dreaded task, the professor was informing them that the students would be allowed to go shopping in a nearby town tomorrow—a group relaxation activity. The early announcement was to ensure that transportation could be arranged in advance, and that everyone knew what to expect.
As every wizard knows, magical schools tend to be surrounded by thriving wizarding communities. Just as Hogsmeade lies near Hogwarts, the town of Mahogany sat not far from Castrobruso.
Despite being deep in the Amazon rainforest, Mahogany was bustling. Though many areas in the region remained dangerous and inconvenient even for wizards, magical folk still preferred to live in groups. Plus, the Amazon's rich natural resources drew many wizards seeking fortune, so Mahogany had grown even more prosperous than Hogsmeade.
Professor Sprout's briefing mainly covered a headcount for tomorrow's trip and a list of precautions. Interestingly, unlike Hogwarts, there were no age restrictions on visiting Mahogany Town. So even second-year students could participate.
With everyone excited for the trip, Professor Sprout reminded them to get a good night's sleep.
Back in the carriage, Hermione pulled out a book about South American magical cultures and eagerly began planning the next day's itinerary.
Ryan just shrugged at her enthusiasm. "Nerd," he thought fondly, but didn't say it aloud. He headed back to his dormitory and quickly went to bed, wanting to be well-rested for the outing.
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