Removing the impurities of the Summoning Cores had a great effect. It was even possible to summon 2-Star Summons now though the probability was extremely low.
This was good to know for the future. And the benefits made Michael's desire to procure more Summoning Cores increase drastically. Unfortunately, it was not that easy to get more Summoning Cores. Nobody would sell their Summoning Cores, at least not if they had even a shred of sanity left in their mind.
Michael could only wait and stay up to date with the Starnet market, hoping to be lucky enough to find a Summoning Core being auctioned.
To stay up-to-date, Michael had to leave the Origin Expanse every day. However, that was something he would have done regardless.
Michael wanted to spend some more time with his brother before it was too late, and he had to leave for the academy. He had been notified that he got accepted into the Saphirelake Military Academy and that the accepted students would depart at the end of the month. That meant they had only a week left and Michael wanted to make good use of it!
Thus, Michael sent his brother a message whenever he returned home. He used his time efficiently and made a few trips to the Central Trading Hall to sell goods and purchase more ingredients for the Master Alchemist, ores for the Weaponsmith, and enough seeds, herbs, and other plants he wanted to grow in his territory.
However, his shopping trips were merely an excuse to spend more time outside the Origin Expanse. Michael hoped that his brother would return and respond to his messages while he was also outside the Origin Expanse and in the Central Trading Hall.
Unfortunately, stalling time didn't provide any fruitful results. Danny seemed truly busy and didn't return home, so Michael went back to the Origin Expanse gloomily.
It was only three days later when Michael finally received the message he had been looking forward to.
[Danny: Little fool, aren't you a bit too anxious? And here I thought you'd gotten calmer. Looks like I need to test my eyes again!]
Danny was clearly joking with Michael, but Michael felt like throwing fists. Yet, instead of throwing insults at his brother, he snickered and typed a short message.
[Michael Fang: Where are you? Let's meet up!!]
After a little back and forth, the brothers found a nice place to dine. The gluttonous brothers knew that they would talk for a while, which is why they chose a big restaurant chain with savory meals and a private dining room to chat without anyone bothering them.
They met up after half an hour and took their seats at the dining table, and Danny started with a big order of more than a dozen dishes.
Meanwhile, Michael observed his brother from head to toe. Danny had gotten much taller than before, and his hair had grown a lot. However, he looked sleep-deprived and exhausted.
"Did you not sleep since our last meeting?" Michael asked worriedly. He couldn't believe that his brother looked so exhausted and pale and felt concerned about his health. This appearance of Danny was far from the usual.
"At least, I don't look like a baby. Just look at you. Did someone throw you into a furnace, or what?" Danny retorted, ignoring his younger brother's question.
Danny may be tired, but he was not blind. He also knew that Michael would never shave his head, forget about his eyebrows.
Either Michael had been bullied during the aptitude assessment, or something happened to his territory. But Danny did not have to wait long for the answer.
"A group of Lionhearts Adventurers invaded my territory before the aptitude assessment. I was almost too late with my breakthrough," Michael answered in all honesty. His expression turned sour and he sighed deeply, "Too many brave subjects died to stall time and make sure that I can complete my first natural cleansing without any worries."
Danny turned serious when he heard what his brother said. He had hoped that Michael wouldn't have to face the invasion of other Adventurers that soon. Unfortunately, it was not an uncommon occurrence.
Michael was lucky to be in the territory and that he broke through to Tier-1 just in time, otherwise, things could have gotten worse.
"Did you already install a large-scale Orb of Hostility? If you don't have one, make sure to buy one. I can give you a few modification codes. That way, you'll be informed when many hostile lifeforms invade your territory. This works outside the Origin Expanse as well," Danny advised Michael before he carefully added,
"The energy consumption of the Orb of Hostility will increase drastically, but you will be glad to be informed if your territory is under attack even when you're outside the Origin Expanse."
Michael's ears perked up.
"I'll take the modification codes. Thanks!" He agreed immediately.
Danny smiled, opened the holographic screen of his crystal watch, and sent Michael a few documents.
"If you need anything else, just tell me. I gained a lot from the expedition. It was a great success," Danny revealed nonchalantly.
However, Michael could only shake his head.
'You look like you're on the verge of collapsing. Take care of yourself first!' Michael shouted in his mind, but he said something else out loud.
"I can take care of my expenses now. You don't have to worry about me!"
After that was said, the two brothers talked about all kinds of things. Their topics were mostly related to the Origin Expanse, their experiences, and their future plans.
Danny revealed less about his future plans and mostly listened to his brother.
"By the way, I think it was a good choice for you to join the Saphirelake Military Academy," Danny said suddenly, "I researched the Saphirelake Military Academy a little bit and found out that most instructors and professors are high-ranked Lords and renowned Adventurers.
The Academy didn't shy away from spending a fortune to ensure that the youngest generation will be taught with the best resources and aided by the cream of the crop. As long as you can ensure that someone takes note of your hard work and progress, you'll have it much easier. If you can become a Battle Representative and defeat some Berserker or Warlock Centaurs, the teachers and instructors will give you special treatment.
You won't have to worry about resources, forget about your military rank by then!"
Danny was excited right now as he spoke about his younger brother's future. This was a rare sign, and it was confusing.
'If you're so excited for me, why didn't you apply as well?' Michael wanted to ask, but he didn't dare to.
He knew that Danny was not the same as him.
Danny was cold and distant from anyone other than him. Michael was the only person Danny was close to.
He wouldn't allow others to order him around, no matter how much authority the other party had, or how strong they were. Furthermore, Daniel Fang hated the corruption rampant in the Big Five Universities and the Great Three Academies. He had heard enough stories about the attitude of the Great Clans, Supreme Families, and the High Nobles, and how they could do as they pleased as long as they used their power and influence.
It was disgusting.
Yet, at the same time, Daniel Fang loved the extraterrestrials. He was very intrigued by the Tritan Alliance, the Berserker race, and the Warlock Centaurs. In fact, he was already acquainted with some of them, and he loved their culture and behavior.
In the future, Danny planned to travel to Kelta and make his way to the Berserker and Warlock Centaurs. That was one of his big goals!
Michael was also very interested in extraterrestrial races. However, his curiosity was different from Danny's.
He knew about corruption and favoritism from an early age along with being aware of how powerful big families could be. Their influence was enough to suppress weaker families and force others to obey their commands. Despite that, Michael would rather face his opponents head-on than avoid them.
He had been bullied in the past but had overcome this ordeal through his hard work and tenacity.
Furthermore, not all big families were bad. Alice Zenovia was kind and straightforward. She may look cold and fierce on the outside, but she was a good person.
Michael didn't want to give up on humanity and travel to other races with the thought of migrating just because some people treated him badly at his home planet.
That didn't sit right with him.
Danny noticed that Michael was deep in thought.
He smiled mischievously and flicked his younger brother's forehead with great force.
"Little Fool, are you down for a spar?"
**
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