Maya quietly left the room, allowing Ben to sleep a little longer.
After some time, Ben finally woke up and stretched his arms.
"Damn, being Awakened is so cool," he muttered as he looked at himself.
His cultivation had greatly improved his physical condition, giving him far more stamina than an ordinary person. Even so, he was surprised by how energetic he felt after the previous night.
He got dressed and headed downstairs.
Maya was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
"You’re finally awake," she said.
"Yeah. I slept pretty well."
Ben sat down and ate breakfast with her. After they finished, they quickly gathered the remaining things they needed and left the house.
When they returned to the cafe, Amanda was already waiting for them.
She looked at Ben and nodded.
"Ready to leave?"
Ben nodded.
"Yes."
He looked around before asking, "How are we getting there? Do we have to use a spaceship or something?"
Ben couldn’t hide his excitement.
Amanda shook her head and smiled.
"Neither."
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
A bright portal immediately appeared in front of them.
"We’ll use a teleportation portal."
Ben looked at the portal with interest.
"That’s convenient."
"It is," Amanda replied. "Once you reach a high enough level, you’ll also be able to learn celestial spells that allow you to create and use teleportation portals yourself."
Ben nodded.
"I definitely want to learn that."
Maya stepped beside him.
"Come on. We’re going."
Ben nodded and walked through the portal with Maya.
The moment he stepped through, his surroundings completely changed.
Ben looked around in surprise.
Instead of the barren lunar surface he had expected, he found himself standing inside a massive futuristic city.
Tall buildings covered the area, and countless people moved through the streets.
Some buildings looked almost completely technological, while others had a mixture of advanced technology and magical architecture.
Ben slowly looked upward.
The sky above them looked strangely normal.
"I didn’t expect the Moon to look like this."
Maya smiled.
"Most people don’t."
She pointed toward the sky.
"Those are illusion barriers. They hide the true appearance of the Moon’s surface and make this entire area look like an ordinary world."
"They are also useful for protecting the city. If some powerful cultivator tries to observe the Moon from a distance, they won’t be able to see the real city or the facilities beneath it."
Ben nodded as he looked around.
"So this is basically a hidden city."
"Exactly."
Ben continued observing his surroundings.
The city looked like a mixture of science and magic.
Magical formations were built into the streets and buildings, while advanced machines moved through the air.
People from many different races also walked among the crowd.
Ben noticed several individuals who clearly weren’t human.
He pointed toward them.
"Who are they?"
Maya followed his gaze.
"Some are people who came here from other races to study, work, or trade."
She paused before adding, "Others are hybrids."
"Hybrids?"
"Yes. They are born from humans and members of other races."
Ben nodded as he looked around with growing curiosity.
"There really are a lot of different races here."
Maya smiled.
"You’ll see even more once you start studying at Jupiter Celestial Academy."
Maya continued explaining the Moon’s structure as they walked through the busy streets.
"The Moon is divided into four major cities," she said.
Ben looked at her with interest.
"Four cities?"
Maya nodded.
"Yes. The first one is called Stone Gem City."
"It is one of the largest cities on the Moon and is famous for its mineral resources. Many rare ores and gemstones can be found there, which makes it an important place for cultivators and artifact makers."
Ben nodded as he listened.
"And the second city?"
"The second is Frozen Lake City."
Maya pointed toward a distant area filled with tall buildings.
"It was named after the massive frozen lake located beneath the city. The lake isn’t ordinary water. It contains a large amount of Moon Essence."
"Moon Essence?"
"Yes. It’s a rare cultivation resource that can greatly benefit people who possess ice or light-related elemental abilities."
"Because of that, Frozen Lake City is one of the most popular places for cultivators with ice-type innate abilities."
Ben nodded.
"That sounds useful."
"It is. Moon Essence is extremely valuable, so many cultivators come here specifically to obtain it."
Ben looked around and noticed several people carrying containers filled with glowing blue liquid.
"Are those people carrying Moon Essence?"
Maya nodded.
"Some of them are. But the Moon has strict regulations regarding its collection and sale."
She continued walking.
"The other two cities are also important, but you’ll have plenty of time to visit them later."
Ben nodded.
"Alright."
After walking for several more minutes, they arrived in front of a massive building.
A large sign was displayed above the entrance.
SOLAR ASSOCIATION
Ben looked up at the building.
"I guess it’s named after our Solar System."
Maya nodded.
"Pretty much."
Amanda smiled.
"Come on. We need to get you registered."
Ben followed them inside.
Maya looked toward him.
"Once you’re registered, we’ll make sure your records only mention the abilities you are allowed to reveal."
She paused before adding, "For now, we’ll only register your Death Flames ability from the Cerberus race."
Ben nodded.
"That works."
Morbius was not walking beside them.
Instead, he had entered the storage ring Raymond had given Ben.
The ring was large enough to store living beings, so Morbius had decided to stay inside while they traveled through the city.
From inside the storage space, he could still sense what was happening outside through the connection with Ben.
If Ben encountered any serious danger, Morbius could immediately leave the storage ring and assist him.
Lumi was also inside the storage space, happily consuming the celestial energy stones Ben had given her.
Lumi was quite the glutton. The moment she finished one stone, she would immediately ask for another, and Ben was more than happy to spoil her.
He then looked toward the entrance of the Solar Association.
"Alright. Let’s get registered."
Maya nodded and led Ben inside.
The interior of the Solar Association was much larger than Ben had expected. Several people were moving through the spacious hall, while large screens displayed information about missions, cultivation resources, academy registrations, and other activities.
Ben looked around curiously.
"So this is the Solar Association’s headquarters on the Moon?"
"One of them," Maya replied. "The Solar Association has facilities in all four major cities."