Zhua had already decided on his future destination and his goals.
But before anything else, he had to find a way to reach the Awakened Academy and pass its entrance examination.
In a way, he was lucky.
The new academic year had not yet begun, meaning he still had a chance to take the entrance test.
Aside from the difficulty of the examination itself, there should be no major obstacles.
He considered several possibilities before eventually returning to the camp where Han Luen was staying.
He found her inside the infirmary tent.
Han Luen looked up at him and said,
“My superiors have replied. They told me to bring you to the capital. By the way… how old are you?”
“Seventeen,” Zhua answered in a dark, emotionless tone.
Han Luen looked genuinely surprised.
“You’re young. What are you planning to do once you reach the capital?”
“I’ll enroll in the Awakened Academy,”
Zhua declared.
“That’s a good idea,” Han Luen replied with a gentle smile.
Zhua remained silent for a moment, thinking carefully before asking,
“Do you know where the bodies were buried?”
“To the west of the forest,” she answered in a light tone, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.
“Thank you,” Zhua replied quietly.
Without another word, he headed west.
Eventually, he arrived at the cemetery where all the victims had been laid to rest.
Walking silently among the rows of gravestones, he finally stopped in front of one in particular.
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He slowly knelt before the grave.
In a soft, sorrowful voice, he whispered,
“Goodbye, Mother. I have to leave you here… but I promise I’ll come back to visit you whenever I have the time. Don’t worry. I’ll keep myself alive… I promise.”
After a long silence, Zhua stood up and returned to Han Luen.
She had given him a new set of black silk clothes to wear, since his old ones had been ruined.
The elegant black garments contrasted sharply with his blond hair, fair skin, and striking golden eyes.
The journey itself would be relatively simple.
They would first travel through a teleportation gate and then continue to the capital by caravan.
Han Luen packed away her belongings using the command Insert, storing everything inside her inventory.
She’s an Awakened, Zhua thought immediately.
Maybe her power specializes in healing…
but what is the condition behind her awakening?
Those weren’t the kind of questions one could casually ask.
If he asked, she might think he intended to exploit the weakness or conditions of her ability against her in the future.
Which…
might actually be true if she ever becomes my enemy.
The two of them stepped through the teleportation gate.
On the other side, Han Luen contacted a nearby caravan, and they both climbed aboard.
The trip to the capital will take at least two weeks.
I should use this time to examine a few things.
First, he focused on his two newly acquired abilities.
He activated [Stellar Guidance], causing three tiny stars to materialize above his palm.
Their gentle radiance illuminated the interior of the caravan.
Fortunately, it was still daytime, and Han Luen was outside talking with the driver.
Zhua made the three miniature stars slowly orbit around his hand.
Controlling them came naturally, and he encountered no difficulty at all.
After a while, he dismissed them.
There was no point in testing their full capabilities here.
As for his ability, Greed, he had no intention of trying it.
There was no telling what those white flames might do, and he had no desire to take unnecessary risks.
Then he turned his attention inward and observed his Dao.
At first glance, nothing had changed.
However, the strange golden substance within it appeared calmer than before more stable, less chaotic.
Unfortunately, he still had not awakened any stars within his Dao, which was rather disappointing.
Zhua slowly opened his eyes again.
His thoughts drifted back to what he had seen beyond the secret door.
He couldn’t help but wonder what the blood of the dragons had truly given him.
Yet he had no clues, and he had never taken much interest in dragons in the first place.
…I’m exhausted.
He lay down against the wooden floor of the caravan, closed his eyes, and quietly drifted off to sleep.