Hearing Lothur's question, Elke put her embarrassment for the lousy position she was in aside and answered him. "Yes."
"Between rank 501 and 1,000, students can apply for common positions within our academy."
"For example, Miss Koch, our teacher, is actually a student in Sector-4. But since she is between those positions, she has the right to apply for ordinary teaching positions."
"And she has won a competition for that position, so she is our geopolitics teacher."
"With that, she earns a professor's salary while getting access to better sectors, even though she's still in Sector-4."
"Between positions 201 and 500, students get personal counseling with the academy's cultivation teachers once a week."
That was a great advantage because not all the students at this institution were from large noble houses. On the contrary, several of them were from emerging institutions that had not yet achieved an excellent background for their cultivators to have an understanding good enough to help the new generations.
And since this academy's students were only entitled to generic classes focused on the basics of each part of cultivation, that opportunity could be significantly crucial for the 'humble' nobles of this place.
At the very least, they could save many crystals, the currency used in this kind of business, and still avoid learning from their own mistakes.
"Between positions 101 and 200, students can earn an allowance of 7,000 bronze coins, one Marrow-Cleansing Pill per month, and the chance to compete for certain opportunities."
'7,000?' Lothur's eyes widened in surprise.
As far as he knew, an ordinary person like him could survive with less than 400 bronze coins a month.
With that, such a payment was relatively high for him!
"Those in the top 100 earn from 7,000 to 20,000 bronze coins, depending on their position. They also get entry to the academy's special cultivation rooms and a guaranteed spot on any expedition or opportunity that arises." Elke finished explaining to him.
"Oh?" Lothur looked at the top of the rankings and saw Viktoria's name in the top 10. 'It looks like my wife is truly heavily favored here.'
"Elke, what do I need to move up in this ranking?"
"There is only one way. By completing missions and earning merit through that."
"I see..." He smiled at her, liking how things worked in this place.
Lothur then moved closer to her, using one of his hands to grasp the middle of Elke's back and say in her ear. "At some point in the future, you will see my name in the first position of that ranking."
Her face turned slightly toward his, her eyes focused on his. "Is that so? Don't you think that's too high? If your expectations are too high, any trouble will affect you that much more."
"Facing problems is not bad. It means I'll have more ways to transform myself into my best version. What would scare me is getting a good position easily."
"Sometimes hearing a yes, getting what you want easily can be much worse than point-blank defeat."
"So, there's no sense in not chasing the number one position. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Elke!" He smiled confidently, making that woman shiver at his words.
Elke then bit her lips as she noticed the confident expression on Lothur's face, feeling that although those words were absurd, this young man did not seem to be saying them out of his mouth.
Elke knew that cultivation depended greatly on the age at which one began his journey. And since Lothur seemed older than her and did not emit spiritual fluctuations, she did not think he was in a position to say those words.
However, his words seemed to have a different value when dictated by that unhesitating tone. At the same time, his eyes passed unprecedented confidence to her.
"I don't know why, but I believe you." She gracefully laughed just before waving one of her hands, calling him to continue the tour.
...
After a while, when Elke had finally finished showing Lothur almost the entire built-up area of Sector-1, they walked through one of the gardens.
There, students were meditating in silence or eating while having fun sitting on the grass and talking in groups.
On the other hand, the natural greenery and the beautiful buildings that harmonized this environment made the people in the surrounding area feel a specific relief from the pressure of competing in this large organization.
And seeing this, Lothur was reminded a little of Earth, realizing that there were similarities between this place and his homeland, although their vast differences.
"Elke, thank you for your help. I feel that from now on, I can find myself in this place even without help." He said as he turned to her, standing in one of the corners of that area.
She then smiled at him. "You're welcome."
He realized that there was no one else in his vicinity and moved a little closer to her, standing only thirty centimeters away from this woman who had a live fence behind her, preventing her from moving away from him.
Lothur then took one of her hands and looked deeply into Elke's beautiful brown eyes. "Let me thank you properly..."
After that, he moved forward until his lips were only an inch away from Elke's. "Don't you want to?"
Gulp!
"Lothur, don't you think this is going too fast? You've just met me..."
He kept looking into her eyes, pursuing them without bothering if anyone would see the two. "What's wrong with that?"
"We're two adults here. We're two independent individuals who naturally are not doing anything they should not be doing."
"The question is, is it worth it not to do what you want just because you just met me?" One of his hands squeezed the left side of Elke's waist, making her body shiver.
"Elke, I won't take the final step. That's up to you."
Her brown eyes fluttered in uncertainty as her heart leaped in her chest, making her medium-sized breasts rise and fall faster and faster.
And as much as she thought this should not happen, every fiber of her body kept her from leaving that place.
Lothur was pressing her against the green fence in that place, but he was not using any force, or rather, she was stronger than him and could easily pull away from him. But still, her body did not seem interested in this possibility.
Instead, her pupils were dilated, and her feminine senses were heightened at this moment, almost screaming at her to do what he wanted.
And how could she not be like this? Lothur was simply the most handsome man she had ever seen. Moreover, he was the only person who had ever had such confidence in court her and demonstrated his unwavering determination to her.
He had not bowed to her and lost his individuality in any instant as many of her observers did while trying to please her. Besides, his sometimes unexpected behavior made her feel uncomfortable, wanting to change him.
So, she could not help but feel compelled to step forward to try to tame this hard-to-read being.
"Can you keep this a secret? I don't want to tarnish my reputation." She said in a low voice, thinking about her past.
Lothur just smiled at her, saying nothing, watching the nervousness on that beautiful face.
"Elke, decide what you want to do."
Gulp!
'Why doesn't he answer my questions? He always does something different than I'm expecting...'
'Ahh!'
'How annoying!' She felt nervous as her body got closer and closer to Lothur's.
But as she thought about those things, her hands passed behind Lothur's neck, and she finally made the final move.
"Mmmmmm~"
...