Will celebrated his 14th birthday on road. Birthdays in Fermion we celebrated at certain ages, of course, 13 was the most celebrated of birthdays. Five, thirteen, and thirty, fifty, and a hundred were birthdays that held significance. Will spent most of his birthday checking and rechecking the inventory list, comparing his list with Grace's and Sarah's.

For Will, the day travel was most enjoyable as he sat and spoke to the peddler on the trip to Death Valley. The commoner knights marched in from the caravan, with the noble knights riding parallel to the caravan. Mark led the caravan on foot, with Evan yelling the marching songs. This was Will's voyage south, he enjoyed looking at the sights, the vast farmland, and rolling hills, large lakes, and gigantic forest. As the caravan traveled, there were no bandit sights or animals for hunting. The caravan resembled a loud train, both bandits and animals gave clearance.

However, the nights were the hardest on Will, Grace, Sarah. After each 30-kilometer march, the caravan came to a stop and would form a 35-wagon circle. Each guild was required to send two representatives from three lines in front of Grace, Sarah, or Will. One guild person would grab tents and the other would grab rations, this was the most efficient method. Will, Grace, and Sarah only had to check off, the guild representatives grabbed the correct number of tents and rations. More than once, guild representatives would try to sneak out more rations. However, Will planned for an acceptable amount of loss prevention. On Earth retail stores, would account for lost, stolen, items within the profit margins. Will knew people were likely to steal rations, and preventing lost rations was impossible, people always found creative ways to steal. All Will, Grace, and Sarah had to do, was police theft the bed they could, and if the lost rations were in Will's margin of expectations, there would be enough rations for the return trip.

For over a week, the Knight Academy's first, second-, and third-year students traveled. The Mage Academy first- and second-year students kept to themselves unless speaking with Will. The first and second mages spoke to Will because they dueled against him and knew he lived on their campus and would see him leaving and returning to Mage Academy. Off all the mages, Elizabeth spoke to Will the most, which put Anne on guard. However, Anne was a commoner and Elizabeth was the youngest daughter of Fermion's only duke. Anne realized the gap in status, was one she could not offend.

"Sir, vont Ballard, I have heard the great news about your café, and your game has swept the Guidon and the capital," Elizabeth said probing Will.

"Please Lady Whitby, please call me Will. I was glad to hear your father enjoyed my gift," Will replied with a courteous bow.

"If I am to call you Will, you may call me Elizabeth. I also heard you purchased the adjacent burned building, what do you plan to build?" she continued probing.

"Thank you, Lady Elizabeth, what do you suggest I build," he said not giving anything away.

"Elizabeth, call me Elizabeth," she said harrumph. "I will not presume say, but my father wants to know what you're planning to build?" Elizabeth was much blunter than her sisters, refusing to speak like most nobles with double entendre, innuendos, and ambiguous insinuations.

"That is none of your business! Leave Will to his machinations," said Anne, storming into the conversation, status be damned. Anne's incursion into the conversation caught both Elizabeth and Will unaware.

"Hello? Who are you," said Elizabeth staring daggers at Anne for interrupting her investigations.

Anne returned the daggers, with short swords staring at Elizabeth like she stole her favorite pet. "I am Anne, your grace," she said bowing. "My family owns the bakery you visited after the light duels," Anne said proudly. She was very proud of her family's business.

"Oh you're the servant girl, Will spoke to," Elizabeth said examining Anne closely with her eyes.

"Yes, and I think you should leave Will alone. You're always speaking with him each night and he has a lot of work he needs to do without you are questioning him every few minutes," Anne stuttered out the truth that had to burn in her heart the last three nights.

Raising an eyebrow, Elizabeth looked at Anne as if she were searching for something. "Why don't we talk, I think we could be good friends," said Elizabeth locking elbows with Anne and taking him away for a private conversation.

Will was thankful for the modicum of peace over the next couple of days, as Elizabeth, Anne, Sarah, and Grace spoke with each other. Elizabeth changed wagons and set by Sarah and Grace as the caravan traveled south to Death Valley.

On the last day of the week, they entered Death Valley. Contrary to its name, the Valley was beautiful, the east and west sides of the valley were mountainous, and with the north and east sides mainly flat. Upon entering the valley, the wagons dipped down the north valley hill to travel onto the flat valley floor. After traveling 10 kilometers, the Death Valley Fort traveled into view. The wooden fort was made from tall wide dried logs and was 50 meters long and 25 feet wide, the same size as an Olympic swimming pool. The fort was primarily designed to relay messages of Albania border troop movements. A much fort stood just outside Death Valley, which housed Fermion's border army. The Death Valley fort resembled an enclosed inn surrounded by four watchtowers.

As the Knight Academy students walked by the larger fort, headed to the smaller fort located in Death Valley, the cadets heard the army infantry jeer, and laughed, "Look fellas, it's our new commanders, let's find out if they wet themselves," said a scared man, and them more people started laughing.

When the caravan arrived at the Death Valley fort Will asked the cadets to unload the fodder, weapons, armor, rations, etc., and place them in the storage cellar. The storage cellar was the safest place, it was a two-meter-deep vault, that had iron-barred wooden doors. The lieutenant who was the officer overseeing the fort was instructed by Fermion's Army General to hand the cellar key to the Quartermaster. For training and the exam purpose, the five commanders were given orders to assume command of the fort. For the next two weeks, the five commanders would meet in the lieutenant's conference at the 8th bell to update each other.

After the wagons were uploaded and peddlers escorted to their barracks rooms, Will's job was essentially done. The fort had a Quartermaster Office, which Will used as his command post. The office was a two-room suite, two desks were brought in for Grace and Sarah and Will's office set behind another door. Will handed the cellar key to Sarah, who once again would retrieve items updated the item inventory list; and Grace who would receive requests from cadets or commanders. Thankfully, people were used to this system, and from the first day, the Quartermaster's Command Post hummed with activity. Even the fort's cook, stable boy, arms master trainer, and instructors would see Grace to request items from the cellar. By now everyone was used to the efficiency of the office, even the army soldiers were impressed, and secretly wished this process were more widespread in the army.

At the break of dawn Will walked along the top of the fort walls, the fort's walls were six meters high and were wide enough for four men to pass. Behind the fort was a fresh-water river. Behind the river was a flat grassland, which Will learned the crown wanted to build a village, but Albania invaded any time the Fermion tried to build a settlement. This only intensified the royal family's ancestry to invade Albania further. After speaking with the soldiers, Will learned a majestic waterfall and pond sat beyond the lush prairie.

In front of the fort sat a giant salt-water lake, about the size of the Dead Sea back on Earth. In front of the lake stood an endless forest, it was endless because no adventure had ever come out the other side. From the fort's tall walls, the forest looked like a vast green ocean, with a towering mountain in the distance that touched the heavens. Some people thought the primordial gods' realm was on top of that mountain because the mountain peak was hidden by clouds. The mountain was often referred to as the sacred mountain, and the peaked was named Mytikas.

Death Valley was a gorgeous valley, with a great climate. North Albania was an arid climate, and this valley bordered North Albania. The valley had a dry warm climate, and dessert winds whipped through the valley bring in a warm dry heat. Will agreed with the royal family, this valley would make a great settlement. Will imagined what he could do, with valley if he had the opportunity.

At the 8th bell, the first, second-, and third-year instructors gathered the students, 600 students circled the six instructors and twelve soldiers.

"Listen you twats," said the third-year Marshall. If Marshall Rolf was an impressive dangerous man, he looked like a dwarf next to the third-year Marshall.

"The third-year cadets will march into the south forest, the second years will march into the northern forest, and the first years will march into the prairie. Your instructors, soldiers, and adventures currently in the field will monitor your kills. If at any point you need assistance, yell out for help someone will save you. But once saved, your exam ends, and your score will be calculated. Everyone, but the Quartermaster and Engineer Command Post will need to be ready to march out after breakfast at the 10th bell. Infantry Commanders, you'll issue your commanders after you leave the fort. Are there any questions?" He paused, seeing no one raise their hands, he finished by saying "be safe."

Breakfast was simple water and bread with spread. As the first-year students ate, the third-year students laughed at their worried faces, telling them not to eat too much in case they shit themselves on their march. Laughter roared through the great hall.

At the 10th bell, Will saw several students who ran to the chamber pots. Some people vomited, unable to make it to the toilets in time. Will looked up from the first-year table to see first, second-and third-year students ruining at top speed to the bathrooms.

When the classes did march out it was an impressive sight. Mark shouted at the first years to fall in line. Mark appointed deputy commanders from the Guardians and the Valkyrie. As Mark called out commands, Evan whipped the first years into a battle march as the marched-out fort.

Will stood on top of the wall watching his friends and classmates walk on the wooden bridge (the engineers made last night) and then fall into battle formation. Mantis, her deputy Samuel, and the rest of the Intelligence Command ran ahead to gather intelligence. Chloe and the Signal Command began scheduling communication nodes to relay information to and from the fort. The light mages marched out with separate classes. All the class commanders were fulfilling their task to form. Will, Grace, and Sarah were the only cadets left at the fort. Everyone else, except for a handful of Signal soldiers and the fort commander, left the fort for the final examination.

Will excused himself from Sarah and Grace to practice magic. In the courtyard, Will cast the spell [golem], one of the three spells Elder Thaddeus and Will tirelessly worked on for the past four months.