Ye Qiugao remained silent, and Huang Jintian kept his mouth shut from beginning to end. Naturally, Kent could only keep quiet as well.
The announcement over the intercom rang out intermittently. Kent's turn was number thirty-four, and there were a few people ahead of him, so he quietly waited, trying to focus.
Before long, it was Ye Qiugao's turn to register.
"Kent, be careful of him," suddenly, a voice seemed to form a direct line into Kent's ear.
"Senior Huang, why do you say that?" Kent whispered back.
However, Huang Jintian didn't respond, even turning his head away, no longer looking at him.
Kent was perplexed and irritated. He thought, Just because I called you both 'senior,' doesn't mean you should treat me like this.
Ye Qiugao took only three minutes for his registration and came back with a small booklet—an exploration permit for a secret realm, officially recording his approval to explore a particular realm.
Ye Qiugao flashed the permit in front of Huang Jintian, who gave it a cursory glance. The permit bore a three-star mark, indicating that Ye Qiugao would explore a three-star secret realm.
Huang Jintian clicked his tongue in disinterest and didn't even bother to engage, confirming Kent's thought that Huang was the type to let actions speak louder than words.
Ye Qiugao, not getting the desired effect, furrowed his brow and shot a cold look at Kent before walking away.
About ten minutes later, Huang Jintian stood up to register. He, too, came back with a permit, barely sparing Kent a glance before heading out.
This only fueled Kent's annoyance, but with no outlet to vent, he had to hold it in.
Finally, it was Kent's turn.
He approached the counter and handed over the documents and materials he had prepared.
The staff member scanned them briefly, then asked, "Can you tell me why you, as a freshman, want to explore a secret realm? Do you know that exploring a secret realm is extremely dangerous, and many have lost their lives doing it? The most dangerous college at Earthstar University is the Patrol Academy."
Kent was taken aback by the average-looking female staff member's words. She clearly meant it as a kind warning. His mood lifted slightly, and he responded, "Hello, miss. I've made up my mind, and I believe in my own strength."
The staff member was caught off guard by Kent's use of "miss," and a faint blush spread across her cheeks. Her tone softened as she replied, "Alright. I just didn't want to see you... I hope you have both the strength and luck. Now, please tell me which secret realm you plan to explore."
Without hesitation, Kent said, "I'm going to the Moling Secret Realm."
"The Moling Secret Realm again? Why is everyone going there?" The staff member frowned. "Are you sure? Do you know that the Moling Secret Realm is a three-star realm? It's very dangerous for someone like you."
Kent waved his hand dismissively, "It's fine, I can handle it. By the way, did others register for the Moling Secret Realm? Who else is going? Could you tell me?"
The staff member wasn't too reluctant to share this information, "There's Ye Qiugao, Huang Jintian, and also someone named Long Buyu."
Kent was stunned. What a coincidence! Ye Qiugao and Huang Jintian were both heading to the Moling Secret Realm as well. What are the odds of that?
"But who is this Long Buyu?" Kent hadn't heard of him, but he didn't probe further, sensing that might be overstepping.
"Alright, everything checks out. Your registration is complete. You can go now." The staff member handed him the exploration permit.
Kent took it, thanked her, and walked out.
Still inside the city, Kent pulled out his phone and searched for Long Buyu. Immediately, numerous results popped up.
Kent clicked on one and was shocked to find out that Long Buyu was quite the figure.
Long Buyu had grown up in an orphanage, then joined a mercenary group. He was cautious, brave, and very loyal. His abilities earned him recognition from the group's leader, and by the age of fifteen, he began taming beasts. Over the past eight years, he had encountered several fortunate events and gradually honed his skills, eventually becoming a team leader. His mercenary group prospered under his leadership, bringing in tremendous profits.
Later, a powerful individual sought to recruit him, but Long Buyu turned down the offer. After five years of service, he decided to part ways with the mercenary group to venture solo.
In just three years of solo work, his income outstripped that of many three-star mercenary groups. Now, his net worth had reached nearly two billion dollars, earning him the title "One of the Top Ten Young Men in Earthstar City."
Despite his fame, Long Buyu didn't care much for the title, continuing to live his life as he pleased. During this period, he furthered his education through night classes at Earthstar University, enrolling in the same Patrol Academy. He was now eligible to become a Patrol Master.
"Long Buyu is quite the formidable person," Kent muttered to himself.
Of course, Kent wasn't overly concerned. No matter how powerful someone was, they didn't compare to him. With his golden finger, Kent's future potential was limitless.
After finishing his registration, Kent didn't rush to leave the city. Instead, he entered the Mission Hall and picked up a few easy tasks along the way. One was for experience, another to warm up, and a third to earn a little pocket money. After all, with the recent event involving Zhao Mengxi, it was always good to have more credit points. The more the better.
Around three in the afternoon, Kent finally left the city. He hopped on his motorcycle and sped off.
Since he had bought Zhao Mengxi an electric motorcycle, he could carry his own with him.
The motorcycle roared to life as it sped across the plains. The higher-level monsters had mostly been cleared out within a hundred miles of Earthstar City, so Kent was able to ride for fifty kilometers without worry.
Afterwards, he summoned Garfield to serve as his mount. With Garfield, Kent flew for over two hundred miles, stopping to rest for an hour. Refreshed, Kent then rode another two hundred miles before finally arriving at Moling just as the sun was setting.
Moling was a vast range of mountains. From the sky, it resembled a giant millstone.
"Garfield, up," Kent commanded. Now that Garfield could leap three hundred meters, Kent no longer had to dismount. He allowed Garfield to carry him, leaping from one small hilltop to another.
After three months of training, Garfield had grown stronger and reached level 50, officially becoming an imperial-level beast. Its various abilities had improved, and it had gained a new skill: Kent's Domain.