Chapter 237: Lying Low?
"Well, I’m aware of that." Auric nodded. "It’s one of the few things I expected to come after revealing my talent."
Maya raised three fingers. "There are three things happening right now. The first one is that the academy has received an influx of applications for student transfer. Some of those students are genuinely trying to ride your fame."
"Ride my fame? How?"
"Well, you know? Just think about it. If you become famous, they can claim that you are their senior or something."
"That’s..." Auric looked down, contemplating. In a way, it could also be used as a weapon, and he wouldn’t know about it. "...understandable, not that I like it, though."
"But you can’t stop it either. However, some of those applicants are actually spies who are trying to approach you."
"Well, I don’t have any intention of leaving the country for the time being. At least this country hasn’t given me a reason to leave."
"Certainly. But if you don’t intend to leave, they might choose to take extreme measures."
"They will kill me..." Auric sighed.
"Exactly."
"I have been meaning to ask this since that incident with Simon. Why would humans kill each other when we have a common enemy? It’s already at the scale of nations. If we just get along, won’t we be able to reclaim the Earth faster?" Auric asked.
"The answer will remain the same. There is a reason why we know the seven deadly sins. As long as those seven deadly sins still exist, it’s impossible to stop a conflict between humans."
Auric let out a long sigh. "People are angry because other people do things they don’t like. Lusting after someone can also cause a conflict. Pride, Greed, Envy, Gluttony, and Sloth..."
"That’s why it’s impossible to stop humans. After all, humans are creatures full of sin. I hate most humans." Maya scoffed.
"You hate humans?"
"Most! Most people will do things according to their wants. To survive, they can abandon their own friends. If they want to climb in the ranks, they can betray their closest friends. Most humans, even those who claim they won’t do such a thing, will eventually do it. They only say that because they haven’t reached that point, or they might have done such a thing, but on such a small scale that they don’t even remember it."
Auric chuckled. "Sounds like a hassle."
"Indeed. At least I can promise you this. If someone has to die first, it will be me, not you." Maya harrumphed.
"Well, dying is just a sign of incompetence. I don’t intend to die." Auric smiled. "If my strength is not enough, I will do my best with the wisdom I have and struggle with all my might until the very end."
Maya nodded.
"So, what about the other two things happening in this academy?"
"The second thing is competence. Right now, the dean of the Evolution Department is being questioned. He withdrew your support in the past, so now people are asking whether he has a reason to hate."
"Well..." Auric almost forgot about this. He didn’t particularly have any interest in the support, so it just slipped his mind. "Does it really matter?"
"Apparently yes. It looks like someone incited him to remove you. Most likely, it was that guy, Abel."
"Ohh?" Auric looked amused. It was a name he hadn’t heard for a long time. Abel had indeed tried to hit him hard, especially his reputation. By using the dean to remove him from the support list, Abel could use it by showing that he was incompetent.
Auric didn’t think much about it, but he was a bit surprised that the dean would actually be pressured to do that.
"Isn’t that the same as you, Teacher?" Auric asked. "I mean, you’re my teacher, so..."
"No, it’s different. While it’s true that I help you, I don’t use my influence to apply pressure on others, especially to cut someone’s path. I only help you for your own benefit, if possible in a way that doesn’t harm others. Of course, we’re talking about the students here, not the students in other places. You could just smack them down."
Auric chuckled. "So, what will happen to the Evolution Department now?"
"Nothing is confirmed yet."
"I see." Auric nodded. "What about the last one?"
"The last one is regarding your studies. To be honest, it will be quite hard to teach you. Putting your combat prowess aside, your achievements as an evolution master are more than enough to graduate.
"No one knows about this, but I know you’re handling the Sun Store and the Moon Store. Your achievement as an evolution master surpasses even the teachers here. After all, only four of our teachers are gold-grade evolution masters, excluding the dean who is about to get cut."
Auric nodded in understanding. "So, you want me to graduate or something? Or leave the Evolution Department?"
"Well, the Evolution Department wants to keep you, but they can’t teach you. If we include the problem with the dean, the Evolution Department might offer a solution to this problem. For example, they will exempt you from any classes, but you’ll be allowed to take any class that you want."
"Including those in higher years?"
"Yep. They definitely won’t let you take basic classes, but it’s fine if you want to pick those classes. In other words, it’s not mandatory, but they want you to stay to show that the Evolution Department is trying to fix things."
"Hmm..." Auric contemplated.
"Of course, they’re preparing for compensation. But they don’t know what you need. Do you still need battle techniques?"
"I probably still need one, especially since I’m intending to evolve all my elements to rank 2."
"Very well. How about I ask them to make a special pass for the library?"
"That’s fine as well."
"I’ll note that." Maya nodded before pausing for a few seconds. "Well, there is one more problem."
"A problem?"
"Yes. Now that you’re famous, it’s going to be hard for you to study in peace. More importantly, with dangers looming around you, there’s no telling what will happen to you. A lot of people will come to you, peacefully or forcefully."
Auric’s expression turned solemn. "That’s indeed the problem that I’m trying to solve. For now, I’m thinking about lying low, but doing my daily routine wouldn’t necessarily count as lying low, right?"
"Indeed." Maya agreed. "Your stores will also have more customers. And it’s not like you can stop them from coming."
Auric looked down, contemplating. He wondered if there was any solution.
"Well, you can actually do something about it. You are going to lie low, but in another place."
"I guess I have to make another trip." Auric scratched the back of his head.
"It can’t be helped. We may monopolize the resources here, but there’s nothing much going on right now."
Auric sighed. "What kind of trip do you want me to make this time?"
"I’m thinking about sending you to a youth camp."
"A training camp?" Auric frowned.
"Yes. This training camp is different from what you think. This training camp is managed directly by the military. In addition, its purpose is also to monitor the ruins."
"Monitor the ruins?" Auric certainly didn’t expect this part.
"Yes. There is a place where a lot of beasts gather. The ruins are extremely big, so it’s kind of special. Because of the strength of the beasts in this area, the government usually uses this chance to train the students every year."
"So, they’re making a training camp so that the students can hunt the beasts?" Auric crossed his arms.
"Indeed. This is actually perfect for you to raise your combat awareness. Besides, it also has rewards. If you find any artifacts, you will also be rewarded with points. If you kill beasts, you earn a certain amount of points."
Auric’s eyebrows twitched. Artifacts? He definitely had a talent for finding them. So, this might be an opportunity.
"Still, is this really the correct choice?" Auric contemplated. After all, he had just returned from a trip. It would look bad if he left again.
"I believe this is the correct choice. The camp will begin in two weeks. The people who want to recruit you will have a hard time entering the city, especially those from other countries. When they arrive here, they will realize that you’ve already left. That will surely take them aback." Maya raised one finger.
"But how long will this training camp last? In the end, I have to return. Besides, what about my stores?"
"Well, it can’t be helped. However, now that your talent has been revealed, I think the organization should have figured out that you’re the one who has been curing the students. So, there’s no point in hiding it anymore."
"That also means I have to reveal my dark element."
"It can’t be helped. However, think about this." Maya raised one finger. "This is an event filled with students, right?"
"Right?" Auric nodded before realizing what she meant. "Right?"
"It looks like you understand what I want here. It’s good to go there because the mysterious organization might attack this place. It’s the perfect opportunity to poison a lot of students. So, you can help those students. Make them owe you a favor. Besides, you can also make them pay you with their points and let you take the top spot." She smirked.
"In the end, you just want me to beat the students from other universities." Auric rolled his eyes.
"That’s definitely one of the reasons, but this is also good for your experience. Besides, with you out of the city, I can focus my attention on your mother."
Auric looked down, thinking carefully. That was indeed true. Maya would have a hard time if she had to protect him and his mother. She couldn’t be in two places at the same time after all.
Auric crossed his arms, thinking about the situation carefully. In a way, he could also set up a store there, not only to heal people but also to help them evolve.
"So I need to go, I guess?"
"Yes. Everyone is free to register. However, this time the military can’t guarantee your survival due to the number of students they need to look after."
"Now that I think about it, what is this place? How big is it?"
"The place is called Beast Mountain Range."
"A mountain range?!" Auric widened his eyes in shock.
"Indeed. It’s in the southern part of the Alps. The energy that creates the barrier is weak because it is so stretched. That’s why you can stay there for quite a long time. However, you can’t stay there for more than a month, or you will experience a symptom of magical poisoning."
"If this place is so great, does the military have a beast over there?"
"Yes, it has. Besides, won’t this be a good experience for you?"
Auric couldn’t help but agree. "I understand. I will go."
Auric couldn’t help but wonder, with such big ruins and weak energy, could he discover some secrets about the ruins?
Comments