Chapter 509: The Age Of Gems
Northern was quite proud of himself. Not only had he been able to get a lead on the issue of his mother, he had landed himself a temporary job at one of the most prestigious citadels in the whole of the Central Plains.
'I'm sure father is going to be shocked...'
The headmaster, Thalen, had insisted that he should make himself comfortable in the citadel, while he sent escorts to bring his father and Ryan.
Northern liked the idea; he was tired from walking around to begin with, so he easily consented to it.
He retreated to dinner, after which he was shown to a luxurious bedroom.
The last time Northern could remember being anywhere this good or even close was in the kingdom of the red mine.
Although his memory from that time was vague, he still remembered living alone in a large, aged room of luxury.
'That can be considered as something too.'
He leaned on the bed, feeling his entire body relax soothingly on the bouncy foam of the mattress.
He spread his arms, staring into the intricately designed ceiling and the chained chandelier with a unique golden light cascading down the center of the room.
The entire space reeked of luxury; the table and chair sitting towards a corner made him suddenly want to write.
The gentle breeze that blew in from the window in collision with the king-sized bed begged him to sleep.
He managed to resist for a little while, thinking back on his conversation with Thalen.
So many things were unclear, but because Thalen was unwilling to divulge all the information for free, he had to be careful.
He didn't want to propose more slots and give Thalen the opportunity to start poking into him any more than necessary.
What bothered him immediately now, however-even as his eyes drooped-was the reason why Thalen needed masters.
Northern didn't think it was an incredible feat to be a Master at such a young age. In fact, with all the potential given to him, he thought he was pretty slow in soul progression.
He almost at a time felt pressured. Eventually, only managing to do what he could do at the time.
With so much to spend talent fragments on, there was a sorrowful limit to how fast his soul growth could be.
'But it has all worked out in the end, hasn't it?'
Those were the last words that lingered on his mind as his consciousness drifted into a peaceful slumber.
The morning came like a flash; at the same time, it felt so far, but the thing about this sleep that Northern did not think he was in a state of expectancy.
While he was deeply asleep, he felt sufficiently aware of his surroundings such that he knew when Shin came around later that night.
He was also aware of some immensely strong presence that entered and left the citadel that night.
However, he was so deep into the warmth of sleep that he felt almost numb to respond in any way, and severely lazy towards any condition that might have required his attention.
His mind was on a severe rest mode until even the late morning, where he slowly revealed the deep and dark yet astounding beauty of his azure eyes.
And slowly propped himself up, staying like that for a couple of seconds, almost as if he was booting his system.
Then he stood up, his feet gently placing in front of each other as he meandered towards the window.
Then dropped his hand on the frame of the window, leaning on it. He closed his eyes as the warmth of the daylight star slapped his pale face.
A smile curved on his face as the feeling warmed his skin and in a strange way refreshed his entire being.
He didn't think he had felt this good since coming to the Central Plains.
'Right, I still have to find my mother.' The light in his expression slowly faded, replaced by a flame of resolve burning in the depth of his already deep gaze.
Just then Northern turned, sat on the window, and counted, "Three, two, one... bam."
Knock knock.
Simultaneously, a knock gently beat the door, after which the knocker opened and allowed himself in.
It was Thalen, and he looked... very pale?
"Are you fine? You looked like you've been frozen in ice the entire night."
The headmaster tried his best to regulate his breathing, resting on the wall as he breathed in and out repetitively.
He was a young man with a stern and powerful gaze just yesterday. However, right now, he looked like all that vigor and air of authority had been overthrown by demonic stress and unbridled shock.
As if he had suddenly aged a thousand years in one night.
Northern patiently waited for Thalen to gain himself. The man straightened his back, adjusting his suit.
A semblance of his youthful vigor managed to return to his face.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Thalen demanded, glaring daggers into Northern's eyes.
"Tell you what?" Northern cocked his head, his eyes wide and unfocused.
"That you and your friend both have SSS class talents!!"
Northern raised a brow. "Me and my friend have SSS class talents?" He blinked severally.
"Yes! The Ghostwalkers saw you control Gravity! You are a gem! A real gem! And your friend has an insane control over ice! Both of you are gems. Citadels and Clans would war to have you
on their sides."
'Ah, I see...'
Northern stared at the man for a while, finally understanding, his eyes focused on the ceiling as he thought aloud.
"But if the two of us can cause war with citadels and clans, then I can only wonder how much the tide of the Central Plains is about to change."
Thalen, carefully paying attention, stared with squinted eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Northern brought his eyes to meet Thalen's and said in a boring tone.
"I am not the only one that made it back from the dark continent, and although both of us are kind of the peak of them all, there are several amazing guys... you should probably be trying to
recruit them."
Thalen's eyes widened greedily. "What? Please help me!"
A malicious grin spread itself on Northern's lips. "Oh yes, I will help you, for a great price you
see..."
His eyes glinted with a dangerous and crazy light accentuating his sinister grin.