Chapter 186 Volume IV - Chapter 31: Toward Neutral
As I walked out of the east gate of the academy, my backpack full of spare clothes on my back, I took a deep breath and looked behind me.
I looked at the majestic walls and buildings of the academy, remembering that... marvelous feeling I had when I first came here.
The academy was definitely one of the most magnificent things I had ever seen in my life, even spectacular. So much so that I wanted to look at them to my heart's content.
'The longer you wait to leave, the harder it is to leave, Adrian.'
I sighed deeply, and with difficulty, I turned my back to the magnificent academy. What I experienced here... It's really precious, I have a connection with this place. That's why it hurts even more to leave.
Still, I turned my back once, so I have to move on.
Lithoa was right, the more I look into the academy, the more I am haunted by it.
I shove my hands in my coat pockets despite the cold weather and slowly make my way toward the magnetic train station, all the while thinking about what happened just a few minutes ago.
A while ago, when I asked for a few months' leave of absence from the academy, I was almost given a penalty... Lucia's mother, Melany Quie, the rector of the academy, almost had a heart attack when she heard I wanted to leave the school... But somehow, in my own way, I managed to convince her, albeit with difficulty.
She actually wanted to have a special car prepared for me, but I refused. Not out of courtesy, of course. I can't do that with Lithoa by my side.
He specifically stressed that no one should accompany me on my journey, so I didn't ask for or accept anything extra, except permission from the academy.
And now... I have no idea where to go.
'Lithoa... Um, where do I go?'
Lithoa appeared next to me, as usual, a marble of light.
Now that I think about it... he never shows his real body, I have no idea what he looks like.
He doesn't or he can't? I'm not sure about that either, I never asked...
'We will first go to the place where I used to live.'
The unnecessary questions in my mind disappeared as quickly as they came. My eyes widened, and then I quickly turned them to the marble of light.
'Really? I didn't expect this... Where did you live before?'
'In a cave in the Neutral.'
That made me both even more curious and frown at the same time.
First of all... considering Lithoa died about thirty years ago, Neutral was a very scary, deadly place back then. At least that's what the historical records say.
With this information... How powerful was Lithoa in his time? How powerful does it have to be to have lived in the Neutral... especially in the past?
Could Lithoa be... a much more frightening being than I thought?
With these thoughts, suddenly different things started to sprout in my mind.
Lithoa is not mentioned even once in historical records. Is this because a frightening figure like him is hidden by the people who control these records?
'Lithoa... I'm just wondering, how strong were you before you died?'
Lithoa's figure suddenly paused very slightly, and then... I could have sworn he was grinning.
'I was stronger than you can imagine, brat, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. So don't question it too much, just know that in my time I had countless very important people after me and that I was capable of surpassing the limits of humanity.'
I let out a deep sigh, as usual, he doesn't explain anything properly...
My eyes twitched a bit, but I didn't say anything, there was nothing I could do.
'I see, are we going to Neutral then?'
'That's right, we're going to stop by my old house first. There are a few things I want you to pick up there. Of course, the journey can be a bit dangerous. In fact, the journey to my house alone will be quite a challenge for you. And after we're done there... I don't know how much the Neutral has changed, but there are a few things that I'm pretty sure remain unchanged. Accordingly, I will give you some tasks and you will complete them. When you've completed them...'
Lithoa was silent for a moment, then continued with a palpable excitement in his voice.
'You will be much stronger, you will have much more potential for your future. Just trust me and focus on surviving the journey.'
When I saw that even the white-colored marble of life was flickering, I kept walking without taking my eyes off him.
'Okay...'
In this way, with a thought that occurred to me, I suddenly paused.
I can go to the Neutral, yes, but... I don't have a special license to go there, so I will have to pay a large sum of money for that.
The four-month stipend I get from the Academy should cover that, right?
It should cover it, in fact, I should have a lot of money left over... right?
*******
A circular area with a diameter of about two kilometers, completely surrounded by the buildings of modern life, with maximum security measures...
The area was green, the plants looked much more alive here. And even the air itself was much cleaner, purer, and more energized than usual.
In the middle of this area, surrounded by a very thick metal alloy, and within it, a blue glow, the length of a skyscraper, a gateway could be seen.
It was a beautiful sight, but I was annoyed by the price I was paying to see it.
The four months of scholarship and financial support that the Academy had paid me... It was the only way for me, who had no permission to go to the Neutral, to set foot here. If I hadn't received the fourth month's payment, the money wouldn't have been enough.
If I had a permit, I could go there for the cost of a plane ticket. Why does it have to be so expensive? Everyone knows it's a dangerous place, but...
I stayed where I was while the officials checked my permit, which consisted of several different documents and cost me a lot of money, while I continued to watch the huge gate from the window of the building.
Every minute, every second, someone was passing through. At the front of the gate, there were several lines for those who were moving forward, and on the other side, there was a similar system for those coming from the other side.
There wasn't much congestion because the crossing was really huge. The queues flowed quickly and were constantly renewed. In addition, there was a constant surge, and the passage was majestic, really spectacular.
"Your documents are ready."
My eyes quickly turned to the employee through the glass that showed me the spectacular view. In front of me were a few documents and something small, the size of a coin, handed to me.
The documents were the ones I would show to the guards as I stood in line for the gate, and the coin-sized thing was a small device with an encrypted rune that the gate would read so that it would know which gate in Neutral would take me to.
"Please follow the signs to the gate area."
I nodded and stepped out of the line, my eyes quickly scanning my surroundings. I looked for an indicator pointing to the gate area, and I found it.
After following the sign for a while, I found the huge hall leading to the gate area. My documents were checked a few more times before I stepped out of the hall. In this way, when everything was ready, I was ushered into the parade line.
As time passed and the line moved forward, I got closer and closer to the gate. However, I realized something else.
I thought of the little gate that we had entered during the preliminaries. The strange feeling I had as I approached it... Here the feeling was much more real, much more aggressive. The extremely intense mana concentrated in the passage was spreading into the atmosphere, creating serious pressure in the area. Even though we were already in winter, the temperature seemed to have dropped below normal. It was also difficult to breathe.
Still, it wasn't something I couldn't bear. On the contrary, I was quickly getting used to the sensation, which should have gotten heavier as I continued to move forward, but as I walked, it seemed to become less effective on me. In fact, after a short while, the feeling became relaxing, some of the mana that permeated the atmosphere was being drawn to me.
A smile formed on my face. The time until I reached the gate felt shorter than it should have been.
In the end, with only twenty meters between me and the huge gate, the only thing separating me and the gate was a barrier and a device I wasn't quite sure what it was for. The officials were also checking my documents for the last time, for real this time.
Frankly, I didn't care in the slightest. I couldn't focus on anything else but the gate, the different shades of blue constantly playing on the surface, the ripples, and the way reality felt like it was breaking around the gate.
It was amazing.
"Your documents have been checked, please proceed when your name is called and the barrier turns green. Then proceed to the gate with the guidance device in your hand."
After a while, the barrier turned green, and all the indicators on the device in front of me displayed a tick mark. My name appeared on the next indicator.
I took a deep breath, gripped the coin-sized device tightly in my hand, and walked toward the portal. I passed through the device first, but nothing happened. The only thing I noticed was the drop in temperature.
When I was directly in front of the gate, I swallowed. It looked majestic from a distance, but now... the glorious gate was now a bit scary.
But I didn't step back. First my hands, which I held out in front of me, slowly passed through the passage, then my right foot, and then my whole body.
The cold I had just felt vanished in an instant. Neither hot nor cold sensation enveloped my whole body. I walked through a blue-colored space, completely mesmerized by the sight.
It was indeed a blue space, very... strange, yet beautiful. It was so beautiful that I didn't even know what to think, so I just kept walking.
Unfortunately, it was only when I took my seventh step that this image began to change. The temperature cooled down again, and then I saw what looked like an open door in front of me. I hesitated a bit, but I went through it anyway, so the first thing that hit me in the face was a flash of light.
More precisely, moonlight.
Not the sun, but moonlight. It was now nighttime in Neutral, which is quite a distance away from Cevilian.
Still, the scene around me was not much different from the one on the side I had entered the gateway. The same style of buildings, guards, and barriers.
Yet this was not Cevilian, not even the continent where Cevilian was.
This was a completely different place. It was the most dangerous continent in all of Lunerra, the only land that no one claimed, the land that was Lunerra's greatest economic resource.
This was the Neutral. It was where I would face constant hardship for the next three months, perhaps even death, but where I would undoubtedly grow stronger.
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