One day passed quietly, and without being aware of what had happened, Daniel finally returned to the Central Plains. Without wasting any time, he went straight to the area under his guild’s control.
Fortunately, the distance wasn’t far, and he reached his destination in just two hours. Before entering the Zone, he got off the ship, shrank it back down, and stored it in his inventory.
He glanced at the place from afar. He never thought he would even miss this place. With a sigh, he stepped inside.
Before entering, a few guards stopped him, but once they saw he was a member of the guild, they apologized and let him through.
Daniel didn’t really care and just went in. He honestly had no business here; he had only come to the Central Plains because it was a safe location.
He headed to an inn and rented a room for one month. Then he left Fino there. Naturally, he had been looking for a safe place because of this baby dragon.
After telling him that he wouldn’t be here for a while and not to do anything stupid, Daniel opened the Mother System.
[ Are you sure you want to exit the Celestial Domain? ]
Daniel clicked yes, and the next moment, he suddenly disappeared from where he was. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in one of those safety chambers made for guild members entering the Celestial Domains.
He looked around. The feeling of returning to his own world was a bit strange but warm. Slowly, he stood up and glanced at his clothes.
When he boarded the ship, he had changed into a black hoodie and black pants. As for his armor... it had been completely destroyed, and he was forced to store it in his inventory.
Even though it was ruined, it was still a valuable treasure. Maybe he could sell the remnants for a good price.
He quietly left the place, and after registering his return like before, he took the elevator and headed straight to Lana’s office. He hadn’t given her any notice and wanted to surprise her.
Of course, on his way, he asked two people if Lana was here today or not. Only after confirming that she was indeed here did he head to the director’s office.
Knock knock!
He gently knocked and waited with a smile for an answer.
"Come in." Lana’s serious yet beautiful voice echoed from the other side. Daniel carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
"I don’t recall having any guests today... huh? Daniel?" Lana lifted her head and muttered to herself.
But once she realized who it was, she was suddenly shocked, and the next moment, a big smile appeared on her face. She stood up and walked toward him.
"When did you arrive? Why didn’t you tell me?" They greeted each other, and then Lana gestured for him to sit while she sat on the chair across from him.
"Just now. I wanted to see if I could surprise you." Daniel smiled lazily.
"Well, you did surprise me." She laughed. She felt like all her fatigue had suddenly disappeared, and she finally felt at ease.
"So, what’s new? What have you been doing all this time? Do you even realize how long you’ve been gone?"
"I was so busy I completely lost track of the days. I’ve been tied up with a bunch of things... sorry." He sighed. He had been so busy that he himself hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed.
Then Lana asked him a bunch of questions, especially about what happened during the auction at the House of Ten Thousand Treasures. A summary of those events had already spread across the continent and had shocked everyone.
At the time, she had really been worried about him, but when she contacted him, he just said he was fine and would explain later.
Daniel sighed and gave her a rough explanation of what happened at the auction—except for the part about Fino. He twisted the truth a bit and said that the dragon had taken the egg with him.
Even though Lana was a good and trustworthy girl, Daniel didn’t want to put her in danger. The baby dragon was something he couldn’t even tell his own parents about, let alone anyone else.
"So, what else did you do? And what exactly happened that made you get so much stronger?" Lana asked, sensing his aura.
Back when Daniel left, he had only been at Rank B. But now? He had reached the peak of Rank B! And more importantly, the aura radiating from his body alone was enough to make every bone in her body tremble.
She felt that Daniel had reached a point where he could crush her with just his physical strength. She wouldn’t even have a chance to resist anymore.
At this point, she even doubted whether that girl could still compete with this boy. Now, Daniel could truly be called the number one of the new generation.
Just what had happened to make this boy so powerful?
"It’s a long story, and I’m a bit tired. Maybe I’ll tell you in the future."
"Well, I won’t press you." Lana nodded.
"Anyway, how’s the guild? How’s your sister? Your father and grandfather? Nothing bad happened, right?" Daniel asked with some seriousness.
"They’re all fine. The problem with my father has been resolved, and they’re on their way back. Actually, they should arrive tomorrow.
"My sister went to the tower and challenged the third floor, and grandfather is still in seclusion to heal his injuries. He sends a message from time to time, and the last time he said he was feeling better and should be able to come out soon." Lana paused a bit, then explained.
"I see. That’s good. So your sister also challenged the third floor, huh?" Daniel smiled. That meant she had surpassed him now too.
"Well, my little sister’s strength has gone through a lot of changes. She wanted to reach Rank A as soon as possible to catch up to me and you."
"And how’s the guild? The Goblin Guild hasn’t caused any trouble again, right?"
"No, thankfully. They’re busy with that Purple-ranked Dungeon and NLA, plus the Phoenix and Dragon gathering. Luckily, because of all that, they’ve left us alone." Lana sighed in relief.
"That’s good. This time I won’t be going to the Celestial Domain for a while. I can help you out more."
"Perfect! Anyway, what about the film? Did you record it?"
"What do you think?" Daniel smirked and then pulled out the video camera from his inventory, tossing it to Lana.
She caught it and skimmed through the footage. But the next moment, her eyes widened in shock and disbelief.