The students of the Violet Class could not help but frown after seeing the first village they landed on. It was gloomy and poor with people loitering around the street begging for food to eat. They lamented over their fates as they knew exactly why the situation here is like this.
"To be at the forefront of the fight against Abyssals is never a comforting feeling," Lea sighed.
"Indeed. It is saddening to see people living like this," Henry added.
They were all people who live at the upper end of the world. Even when compared to other Celestial Wielders, they are the creme de la creme, the peak talents from their respective regions, so they were never exposed to this kind of life, except for Gale.
Noel was just calmly listening to their banters, but his attention was caught by what Z said. "It is not the Abyssal's fault."
"What?" Henry and Lea curiously asked.
"I heard a story about a place in the West called the Golden Frontier. Like this place, they also defend against Abyssals, but to call them a thousand times richer than this place is a grand underestimation."
"The continents in the West are rich in general, maybe they just funded it more," Lea hypothesized.
"That alone can be another reason why, but the main reason is the corruption of the government or the lack thereof. Killing Abyssals grant the killer power. It is literally the world giving individuals rewards for purging those that dared contest it. This means that there should be a surplus of powerful individuals here, ergo a powerful government. Seeing the state of this place, though, political turmoil is surely in place," Z remarked, causing Noel to nod his head.
"That is a remarkable observation. There is no government here, indeed. That is why this archipelago is also known as the Forsaken Archipelago. This was one of the most contested places way back in the Warring Era, causing it to dry out of its natural resources. This deters any force from occupying this land as it would give more liabilities than benefits. That also means that it is a perfect place for individuals like you to train," Noel added.
"Hang on, how do you know about Abyssals so much? I thought you came from some cave or something?" Lea asked Z.
"The stars say a lot more than you realize," Z cryptically said which earned a sneer from Lea.
"We are going deeper into the archipelago," Noel said before leaving once again. 'I hope they learned how lucky they are from seeing this,' he thought.
Finally, they arrived at a fortress that looked significantly better than the town they were previously at. It was nothing like their houses, but it was still a sight to see. They were welcomed there with great respect and admiration. The children were looking at them as if they were emperors walking the street in broad daylight. It was safe to say that their status as students of The Celestial Academy was well received by the community.
"Familiarize yourself with the city first, I will see you here at 6 am tomorrow. Do not cause any trouble," Noel said after they arrived at a decent inn.
Lea proposed that they all go together, but Yndrei was not really vibing with them, so he opted to just rest. Meanwhile, Z separated from them as well, claiming that he had something to do. Gale wished to go with him, but Z insisted on being alone.
"Why did Z separate from us?" Lea asked the group after Z left. However, all that was replied to her were the similarly clueless faces of everyone.
"Say, Lady Lea, how is the Dives King doing?" Henry asked.
"My father is doing well. I assume the Knight General is as well?"
"Of course. As a matter of fact, I was tasked to join the Violet Class to meet you."
"Oh? Why is that?" Lea curiously asked.
"Well, my father wishes for us to have a closer relationship. After all, we are both magnates of our continent."
Meanwhile, Z was walking around the fortress while looking around. He did not talk to anyone, but he was curiously observing everyone. 'This place is a hole,' he thought. 'I do not have the energy to fix this, but maybe if I get a disciple here, he can strengthen himself and change this himself,' he contemplated. 'Maybe I can give someone the opportunity my masters gave me.'
As he continued walking by, he saw a teenage boy, about 16 years old, lying on the floor as the guards of the city laughed at him while holding a piece of bread. Z's eyes focused on them, analyzing the situation.
(What do you think?)
Umbra cast an illusion on Z for him to see her as a human figure. (That kid is special. He has a similar constitution as Chief Bahk.)
(Is it worth it to take him in as a disciple?)
(You cannot even handle your affairs. Now, you are thinking of getting a disciple?)
(Of course, I will leave him to you. Go somewhere, train.)
(I am going to kill you.)
Z ignored Umbra's threat as he walked toward the boy. The guards were quite sharp, immediately noticing that Z was not someone to mess with despite his youthful appearance. After all, to see a well-dressed person in such a barren land can only mean a few things. They quickly bowed toward him and ran for their lives.
"Are you okay? What is your name?" Z asked the boy.
"Y-Y-Yes, sir. , Aston sir," the boy replied in great nervousness. 'Is he going to kill me?' he thought. The boy was not familiar with kindness and only saw that Z was strong enough to repel the guards, hence him thinking the worst.
"Do not be nervous. I was looking around the city and saw that you had great potential within you. Perhaps, would you like to be my disciple?"