As the old principal continued to smile at him.
Doubts began to form within Locke's heart.
He suspected that the old principal was plotting something.
"You don't have to be so wary of me, I'll inform you right here and now, there are strings attached with my offer!"
The old principal had seen through Locke's thoughts. In response, he stated, "It's nothing much, actually. If the day comes and you don't know which top academy to choose, please consider going to Saint Laurent Academy!"
'That's it?'
'That's way simple!'
The office suddenly quieted down.
Actually, it was easy to understand why the old principal had did all this. He wanted to use these rewards ask for a favor.
However, there was a problem with this.
'What does the old principal have to do with Saint Laurent Academy?'
'Why is he willing to pay such a huge price to rope me in?'
'But Saint Laurent is one of the top academies, and its reputation is also rock solid!'
After hearing what the old principal said, Locke was a little interested in learning more about his offer.
Moreover, the old principal had only told him to consider the academy, and it was not mandatory for him to join.
No matter how he sliced it, this was highly profitable for Locke!
"Okay, no problem!" Locke quickly agreed.
"Alright, it's a deal then!"
The principal clapped his hands and activated his secret technique to bring out Locke's rewards. Then, he handed the reward over to Locke.
Lastly, he instructed, "In the upcoming months, whether you choose to come to school or not, it won't affect your graduation at all."
"You can come to school to participate in the training we've organized; or you can spend time with your family at home."
Locke understood what the principal was implying.
"If there's nothing else to discuss, I'll head home right now!"
His parents were a bundle of nerves just the other night over the hatching ceremony. As such, it was better for him to hurry back and report the good news.
Moreover, as he had just hatched a divine rank Battle Beast, Locke could not wait to see what kind of battle power it could achieve!
Soon after...
Locke left the principal's office together with his homeroom teacher.
Locke wanted to return home as soon as possible, whereas his homeroom teacher wanted to return and oversee his class' hatching ceremony.
Before long, the two of them had made their way back to the classroom. As the homeroom teacher made his way in, Locke could not help but take a peek inside.
"It's over, it's all over. I thought that I would receive good luck by sitting next to Locke, but the Battle Beast that hatched is green, it's of the lowest quality!"
"F*ck! An Ordinary Hammer Equipment Battle Beast? What I want is a divine sword!"
"What's going on! Why doesn't our class have a single rare Battle Beast!?"
"4 million federal coins, gone, just like that!"
"We're toast. There's no hope for a first-rate university anymore!"
"I suspect that Locke has stolen all our luck!"
Back in the classroom...
The students who failed to hatch a good Battle Beast were all howling in grief.
As he watched the scene in the classroom unfold, Locke could not help but shake his head. Soon after, he turned around and left.
Locke had already accepted the fact that his classmates and him were now living in two different worlds, and it would be very difficult for them to meet again.
There was a huge gap between the strong and the weak.
The things that they would experience in the future would all be different!
Before long...
Locke had arrived at the edge of the city.
Atlanta was divided into two main areas, the inner city and the outer city!
Of course, to put it in more realistic terms, they were the rich and poor areas.
The inner city was very safe, and its economy was very prosperous. All the Beastmasters in the city lived in this area, and there was no need to fear an invasion of foreign beasts at all.
However...
The outer city was not so lucky.
The outer city was equivalent to the outskirts of the city. Apart from Beastmasters who had regular patrols every day, there were not many defensive measures taken.
Simply put...
The closer the citizens lived to the edge of the city, the more dangerous it was.
Compared to the inner city, not only was the outer city small, but its population density was also extremely high!
After all, powerful Beastmasters were only a minority, and it was also this small group of people that controlled the wealth of this world.
Naturally, an ordinary family like Locke's could only live in the outer city.
Nevertheless, Locke's school was in the inner city.
Education was important, and naturally, it must also be situated in a conducive environment.
Just like usual, Locke walked all the way from the inner city to the outer city.
Along the way, he could clearly feel the stark contrast between the areas.
Rich and poor!
The ones living in luxury and the ones living in poverty!
"Now that I've hatched a divine rank Battle Beast, if I nurture it properly, I'll also improve. Add the Mana Meditation Technique to the mix, and I should be able to advance quickly!"
"As long as I prove my strength, I'll be qualified to buy a house in the inner city!"
"The houses in the inner city require 3 million federal coins. Even with my reward, I'm still unable to afford it!"
"But Beastmasters are the most profitable occupation in this world. I believe that it won't be long before I can achieve this breakthrough!"
At this point...
A smile curled up on Locke's lips.
"System, pull up my stats!"
[ Name: Reiner Locke]
[ Current level: Bronze, 8-star ]
[
[ Skill-based Battle Beasts: Twin-headed White Jade Snake ]
[ Equipment Battle Beasts: None ]
[ Skills: None ]
[ Talent: Advanced ]
[ System bonus: All Beasts' Hidden Evolution Path! ]
Compared to his stats from a day ago, there were already quite a few changes.
Among them...
The biggest change was that his current level had been upgraded to 8-star bronze due to the contract with his Battle Beast.
With just two more minor levels, he would be able to become a silver-tier Beastmaster!
At the same time, there was also his talent stat, which had become advanced!
This was something that Locke had never dreamed of achieving.
Lastly, he had obtained a divine rank Battle Beast.
Right now, a plan had already formed in Locke's mind.
To nurture an absolutely powerful war beast!
To arm himself from top to bottom!
'As expected! I've become stronger, and this is only the improvement from a single Battle Beast. If I hatch a few more divine rank Battle Beasts, it's hard to imagine how much stronger I will become!'
While lost in thoughts...
Locke had unknowingly reached the main street of the outer city, and the passersby had pulled him back to reality.
"Hey you, come buy a lucky fruit!"
"All the lucky fruits I sell only costs 2 federal coins. If you're able to pick the ones that contain mana, you can take them away! Eating it will increase your mana!"
"Really? I don't think there are any fruits that contain mana in your box!"
"No way! These fruits are all picked by myself in the Otherworld. There are three of those fruits in here, and the probability of getting them is very high!"
"Plus, I bet that ordinary people like us haven't experienced the feeling of gambling for a long time! So why not try a box!"
"Okay, I'll give it a try.".
A bald man thought about it for a while.
He seemed to think that 2 federal coins for an ordinary fruit was a decent price, so he nodded and bought it.
"Ah shucks, it's just an ordinary fruit. What a pity. Mister, do you still want to continue?"
"Forget it, I'll just treat it as buying something to quench my thirst!"
"Haha, Your luck might be poor with me but who knows, you might get extremely lucky in other places today!"
"Kid, you sure know how to talk!"
Upon hearing this exchange...
Locke could not help but look over.
He saw a 12-13 year old girl talking to a bald man
Immediately after, Locke headed towards the girl.