The crowd shifted, craning their necks and rising onto the balls of their feet to get a better look at the newcomer.
The air buzzed with curiosity, skepticism, and something else—something unspoken, like a tremor in the ground before a quake.
The seller leaned forward with a gleam in his eye, voice honeyed with performance, "Ah, and who might you be, young man?"
Nolan raised a hand casually, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes, and gave a mild nod. "Just Professor Nolan, I'm just new," he said plainly.
At first, silence.
Then, confusion.
Murmurs began in the second row, like the flick of a match, and spread into full whispers and gasps that spiraled through the crowd like wildfire.
"Professor... Nolan?"
"Never heard of him."
"Is he from a different academy?"
"Silver Blade City has only so many Professors... Why don't I know this one?"
"Could he be newly appointed?"
"No, even then, news spreads fast here!"
