She had started sulking at the start, by the time she finished, her words had almost turned into a mumble.
Ragnar's expression did not change as he still looked calm.
"Why were you only considering to hire Arcanes? Why not Spectrals?"
She sighed again before speaking.
"That was one of the terms of this 'Contest'. I can only have members who are of the same Rank as me, or below me."
Ragnar stared deeply at her. It didn't seem to him like her Faction wanted her to become their next head. Or they just had too high hopes for her. Which might be the case since she was already a strong Arcane Rank herself when it hasn't even been a month since they became mutants. But he didn't bother to question it as he asked what really concerned him.
"How many creatures would you say we need to kill, in order to catch up to them?"
Aura started thinking with a lost look. She was really down after she laid out how low the odds of her achieving her goal were.
She spoke in her sulking voice as she laid her head on the table, her eyes facing the Rankings.
"Around 15000 Arcane Menace."
She did not want to match Ragnar's gaze when she said that since she might receive another death stare from him. She was expecting a prickling sensation on her neck from his stare but it never came. Instead, she heard him still speaking in a calm tone. As if none of this concerned him. This was honestly worse than getting a death stare.
But when she registered his words, she sat back up with a lapse in her elegance.
"Can you lead us to that many creatures in a Month?"
Aura was looking at him with a hopeful gaze. That was enough sulking for the day. She had definitely not given up. All these details go through her head every night she goes to sleep. Yet, at morning, she wakes up with the same determination to achieve this almost impossible goal.
"I have!"
Ragnar nodded and changed the topic. That much was enough.
"Is everyone in the Rankings a Spectral then? Or did any Arcane manage to get a spot?"
Aura turned to also stare at the Rankings. She spoke with an unusual tone that actually sounded a bit resentful.
"No. No Arcane has ever managed to make it to the Rankings. Well, there is no limit to the amount of people we can have in a crew. So, there might technically be people who would have joined the crews that have been in the Rankings. But they don't really count. So, everyone who makes it there is always a Spectral. But there is one exception in this generation of Mutants. The number 1 spot in the Individual Rankings… The Princess of the Avarix Faction… is a Mystic"
Ragnar might be imagining it, but by the end of her sentence, she almost sounded… hateful.
After she said it, he realised that he had heard of it before. That was also supposed to be one of seven Ruling factions.
But her Mystic Rank… that even widened his eyes in surprise. But it also confused him
"But didn't you say that only those that are below the age of 22 can enter the Rankings?"
Aura smiled wryly at his question as a hint of hate still lingered deep in her emerald eyes.
"Yes, that is the case."
Ragnar was even more surprised after realising what her words entailed, she was a Mystic who is 21 or maybe even younger.
This was really eye opening for him. Since, as far as he knew, Mystic was the second highest rank. That bastard Vorlock was also a Mystic. But he had never really used his true powers in front of them. But when Ragnar used to look at him, he looked Invincible. He still remembered that very clearly.
He was staring at the name embedded in the gold plate for quite some time when he suddenly heard Aura's voice.
"The second ranked person is actually the Successor of the Eclipsians."
Ragnar moved his gaze to stare at the silver plate below and didn't linger on it for long. That was not his enemy, at least not yet. He asked Aura In a casual tone.
"Are the successors from every faction in this list?"
Aura didn't take long to answer as she spoke with her usual nonchalant tone.
"Yes, they are all here, including my cousin. He is on the 8th spot though."
Ragnar asked in puzzlement.
"So low?"
Aura looked at him with a hint of annoyance.
"We Sylvancrests specialize in abilities that are associated with Nature. So, we are more focused on healing and defence, instead of offence. And these Rankings are not like the Crew Rankings where they follow a point system. These are more straightforward. The stronger person is ranked higher."
Ragnar's eyes lit up when he heard that these were based on strength. He asked as he sat up with his hands pressed on the table.
"Really? Then how can I enter the Ranking?"
Aura was a bit surprised with his enthusiasm to join it, but if she really thought about it, then he might actually have a chance to enter top 100 once he learned to use his Essence more effectively.
"You will have to apply in the Mystic Arena, which is in the RiftDale city."
Ragnar almost opened his mouth to blurt out that they should head there before he paused himself. He remembered how they were already short on time.
But in his mind, he had already given his word that he will be helping her with this thing. So, his expression turned really troubled as he thought about what to do.
Aura was very surprised by this turn of events. His thoughts right now were clear as day for her. She didn't think that he would actually consider things from her perspective. Little did she know.
She decided to help him out with this dilemma as she spoke with a sweet smile.
"We will be passing through the RiftDale city anyways since we need to head North, towards the Nexarion Territory. So, you can apply when we get there."
Although Aura could not tell why he would want to apply so soon, she didn't mind it.
Ragnar's excitement returned to his eyes as he spoke.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Aura's gaze that had been looking at him moved to look behind him.
At this moment, Ragnar noticed a person walking towards them from his echolocation. He had been using it regularly even after entering the HCR. He thought that it was a good habit so he didn't stop doing it.
The person was actually Paul. Adrian's Butler. He knew that Paul's profession was probably called something else, but in his books, he was a butler.
After reaching them he spoke to Aura with a bow.
"Miss, your rides are ready."
Aura nodded towards him and looked back at Ragnar.
"Let's go."
Ragnar nodded as he stood up. He took the lead as he walked with his hands inside the pockets of his jacket. He had really chosen the perfect clothes. He felt right in his element as he walked with his hands in the pocket.
These clothes actually also had the features of Self-Cleaning and Self- Healing. That was why, he guessed that they should be priced quite high. Since they could be considered Artifacts in themselves.
As he walked outside the gates of the Union, Aura followed behind him with her hands in front. She carried a light smile that didn't betray any emotions.
When he reached out, he saw the butler that had taken away Aura's mount. He stood at the entrance, with the mounts. Yes, there were two dinosaurs this time. Both looked quite similar but one of them had slightly darker red skin than the other one.
He heard Aura speak from behind him.
"It would have been inconvenient for you to travel in the Earth this whole time since we will be gone for quite long. So, I got one for you."
Ragnar nodded and took a seat on the darker one. So, this was what they were waiting for this whole time. He could guess that Aura must have spent quite a lot on this.
He remembered her saying that the stag mount with glowing horns costed 400000 Enders. And the Stags were actually mutant ranked creatures, while this was an Arcane. He could already imagine the huge debt he might go in. So, he decided to just return it after using it.
He still asked out of curiosity.
"How much did this mount cost?"
Aura looked at him with puzzlement as she said casually.
"Oh, it was free. Uncle prepared it for you."
Ragnar looked at her with a weird look. Before he sighed… Did he really need to repay all favours? Like really? He will think about it later since it seemed like quite a philosophical subject. He will have to broach it later with patience.
As they started moving. He asked her.
"Why can I only apply in the Rift Dale city? Why isn't there an Arena in each Territory?"
Aura seemed to think about his question for a moment before she spoke.
"It is made that way on purpose. They wanted the young generation of every Faction, in fact, of the human population to gather in one place so they could hone themselves against each other. The RiftDale city creates an atmosphere that motivates the young to work their hardest. It is also called the Capital of Prosperity for that reason."