I woke up with a throbbing forehead. My conscious was in a mess also. I quickly circulated my raw magic to the worse parts. Feeling better, I opened my eyes.
Zin was leaning over me, her nose almost touching mine. My heart ached for her, remembering everything at once; fighting the Djarnn, condensing my raw magic into a sword, fainting. Zin must have struggled, unable to communicate with the others.
"Zin, I'm so sorry!"
/Brother Cao, it's alright. We're fine,/
Hearing her thoughts in my head felt so good. I touched her cheek lightly.
"Where are we?"
/Axihome,/
My heart skipped a beat. Axihome! My sister and the others had done it! Even with me useless, they still managed to get us here!
"Zin, I'm so proud of you,"
Her eyes shone. She pushed something into my hands.
/Look,/
A monster core!
"Where did you get this?!" I was shocked.
/I took it from the Djarnn,/
I gaped, not quite believing her.
"The others helped you, right?"
The little thing shook her head.
"Ahh!"
She looked disturbed.
/What's the matter?/
"Zin, I beg you, don't do something reckless like that again, ever!"
/Wuwuwu, brother, I thought you'd be happy with me, but you're scolding me,/
She started to cry.
I reached out to hold her.
"How can I be happy with you?! Extracting a monster core all by yourself! Who knew what--"
/Brother, don't shout,/ she covered my mouth. I looked at her, then remembered.
"I haven't asked, Zin, where are we??"
She pouted.
/Sister Ruha found some of her tribes people. They lodged us here. You and Brother Oki share this room. Me and Sister Ruha and Iris in the next,/
"When did you all start calling yourselves brothers and sisters?" I was dumbstruck.
Zin looked at me cutely.
/Isn't it nice? We're like a big family, watching out for one another,/
I rolled my eyes.
/Brother Cao, are your injuries healed?/ She asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. How long was I out for?"
/Three days. The registration for new students at Furhad begins tomorrow. Sister Ruha said, if you didn't wake up, she'd pour a bucket of water on you,/
I laughed. It was weird to imagine the taciturn Ruha saying this.
"So where's everyone?" I got up, changing into old but clean clothes that had been laid out for me, after washing my face, "and who is our kind benefactor?"
/Everyone has gone to the town office to register us. I stayed because I didn't want to leave you. And our benefactress is one tribes person of Ruha's,/
"Wow," I said, going over to peck Zin's upturned face, "thanks for staying with me, Zin-er,"
She shrugged to show it was nothing.
"Let's go and join the others, then? Where's this town office?"
/Not far,/ she replied. Taking my hand, she walked me downstairs.
The inn was very large! Having lived in a small village all my life, I was stunned.
"And you said our benefactress lodged us here?" I asked again to confirm. Zin nodded.
"Is she rich?"
/I don't know,/ she replied.
A steward came over to us and bowed respectfully.
"Is it Miss Zin?"
Zin nodded.
"Ahh-- this must be the young master who was unconscious!" the steward looked me up and down.
I rubbed my nose in embarrassment. Was it my fault! Looked like I had to quickly gain back my image!
"Yes, yes, the other miss has said to escort you whenever you were ready to go to the town office,"
"We're going there now," I relayed Zin's reply.
"Ahh--you two are mind connected? Tsk, tsk, what talent!"
"Mind your own business," I relayed Zin's reply again. The steward immediately blushed and led us outside.
It was Axihome as I imagined it, and more! Waiting in front of the inn was a carriage. The steward led us to it with many bows, and I helped Zin onto it. The steward then got beside the driver.
I looked left and right, and left and right, soaking in the gayness of the citizens. Everywhere was lively, bustling, shops hung with colorful signs and people going here and there. The steward called out landmarks for our benefit;
"There's the city lord's manor! That brick building over there is a bakery! Oh, were coming to Kanfu Inn! Tsk, tsk, one of our Hendai Inn's greatest competitor!"
The carriage bumped along, having to stop from time to time as people crossed the streets. Once or twice we nearly ran an animal over.
"Sir, how far more until we reach the town office?" I relayed Zin's question.
"Not far, not far! Here's the town hall! The town office is just a little way,"
Our carriage came to a standstill. The road was packed with people, mostly parents who brought their children along to register for Furhad.
"Come with me," the steward said. I helped Zin down and we followed him confidently. People shot us ugly looks but didn't say anything when they noticed the steward wore Hendai Inn's uniform.
"Tsk, all these rich people cutting line," one man complained, "and those people at the town office won't do anything about it! If it was one of us now--"
I didn't hear the rest of what he said. We'd come to the front, where we saw Oki and Iris hanging around. Iris ran up to us.
"Brother Cao! You're awake!"
I nodded. Zin suddenly came to stand in front of me, making Iris bump into her.
"What are you doing?" Iris asked Zin.
"Heh heh," I laughed awkwardly, not wanting to translate what Zin had told me. She had blocked Iris from hugging me. Weird, girls.
Oki came up, looking somber.
"Brother Cao, turns out that Ruha is an Elamoor. She met her tribes people on the way and we're with them,"
I told him Zin had told me.
"What's the matter?" I added.
"They were speaking their language the whole time, but then they suddenly started listening to Ruha's orders. Dunno, but I think she's someone important,"
I shrugged. Who cared?
"Number 89, 90, 91, 92!" An official came to the door of the town office and called.
"That's us," Oki said excitedly, and we quickly followed the official in, just as a couple of parents and their children came out.
They glanced over at us and then stuck their noses in the air!
Us:....
"What's up with them?" I relayed Zin's question to the others.
"Dunno," Oki laughed, "probably some stuck up people. Let's go and register quickly,"
A bespectacled old man sat at a table behind a sheaf of papers. He squinted up at us and asked questions, a quill dancing across a parchment, writing of its own accord.
"The registration ends at the end of this month," he croaked, saying to us what I was sure he'd said to tens of people that morning, "there will be an assessment by elders from Furhad on that day at the plaza. Come early. The procedure changes each three years that they come. The last was about breaking out of the influence of an illusion casted by the elders. Nobody knows what this time assessment will be. Goodbye,"
We left. Boarding the carriage, we were all thinking of what the official had said.
"What do you reckon, Brother Cao?" Oki spoke first.
"What's all this 'brother' stuff?" I queried.
Zin tapped me.
/Go along with it. It's my idea,/
"I'm not calling any of you brother-something or sister-- something,"
"All right," Oki laughed, "we'll exempt Brother Cao from the rule. After all, he's the eldest."
I agreed after that. Iris didn't take her eyes off me as I replied Oki's question.
"The man said it's changed everytime. There's no way I would know what they're going to do,"
"Could you break out of an illusion?" Iris asked me.
"I'm of the fire affinity. The illusion would melt. Absolutely pointless to try and lock a fire affinity mage in an illusion, don't you think?"
"Ahh," the steward outside called, "here's Miss Ruha!"
"I wondered where she went," I let out.
Ruha came into the carriage, squashing the rest of us.
"Hey," she laughed, "I went with Aunt Suful to ask how much a monster core of a Djarnn could be sold for. You can't believe it!"
"How much??" We all asked excitedly.
"Twenty thousand coins!"
We all gasped. None of us had ever had a tenth of that.
"You're joking!" Oki grunted.
"I'm not!" Ruha had starry eyes, "we'll be able to buy everything we need for Furhad!"
"If we make it," Oki said. We all looked at him.
"What do you mean, 'if'?? We'll make it!" I relayed Zin's reply.
Oki raised both hands.
"All right! Alright!"