Michael skimmed through the lists for a while, eyes narrowing as he began to notice a pattern.
There were far more academies than he had expected—thirty in total—and they weren't simply scattered or equal. They were ranked into three stage.
First Rank Academies.
Second Rank Academies.
Third Rank Academies.
Michael didn't know the exact criteria that went into these rankings, but his instincts told him it wasn't arbitrary. Power. Resources. Techniques. Connections. Possibly all of those things.
Michael leaned closer to his screen as he read through the little blurbs of history and description provided for each.
Still, Michael wasn't here to drown in details.
He focused on what mattered.
The offers.
Of the eight Awakener Academies that had extended invitations to him, only one bore the crest of a First Rank Academy. The rest were split—three Second Rank and four Third Rank.
Michael's lips pressed into a line. He wasn't stupid.
