Chương 8: Meeting Emily

Outside the auditorium, Ryan looked at the building behind him in fascination. The building looked like a regular brick house on the outside, but just through those doors, the space was many times larger than it would appear outside.

Seeing Ryan's look, the guard escorting Ryan chuckled, "Guess it's your first time seeing spatial compression."

"Spatial Compression? Is it the same thing they used with the unranked recruits?" Ryan asked.

"It's all spatial related but not compression. What they used was an item called 'connected spatial doors'." The guard looked happy that she knew something Ryan wasn't aware of and didn't mind showing off her knowledge.

"Some of the doors are connected on campus, and the owner of the door can select where anyone who enters that door will go as long as it's through another connecting door."

"Some students even have rooms that are connected to the network."

"But don't get your hopes up," the guard interacted as she saw the hopeful look on Ryan's face, "Only the top 100 ranked cultivators and top 10 enhancers get special privileges like that."

However, the hopeful look on Ryan's face didn't fade as he asked, "How do rankings work?"

The guard thought for a second, then realized that she was still standing outside the auditorium talking to a recruit, "I've already spent enough time away from my post. Go to the slave house on 5th street to pick out your two slaves, they will tell you all about the academy."

Ryan wanted to ask where 5th street was, but before he could say anything, the guard was already back inside the auditorium.

"Guess I'll find my own way around," Ryan muttered as he headed off to find some slaves.

===

Today was Emily's first day at the Military academy. Unlike enhancers, which would have soldiers show up on their doorstep to drag them to the academy if they were commoners, female nobles, were given a letter in the mail and told to appear.

Cultivators were given a lot better treatment. They didn't have to go through testing and would only get evaluated after their first few months in the academy.

Although every cultivator/enchancer was technically required to serve for five years at the age of 18, nobles could get out of it. But Emily's family believed in service.

They were told when and where to meet for orientation on the campus years in advance and were provided transportation free of charge to the academy if they desired.

Emily's day had started off splendidly. She had lived in the capital all her life and was spoiled rotten by her parents and older sisters but was never allowed outside to play.

Emily had three older sisters who were alumni of the academy, so in her younger years, she had been to various events at the academy.

They had told her about their academy adventures and how much freedom they enjoyed.

Emily had craved that freedom for so long that when she finally got the chance to leave her family's estate, she insisted she be allowed to fly to the academy.

She had made a big show in front of her parents, claiming that she had memorized the roadmap to the academy and that it would only take her 15 minutes to fly on her sword to the academy, but who would have thought that she had gotten lost?

Her parents had sent bodyguards with her, of course, but she didn't want to ask them for directions out of spite after making such a big scene.

After flying around for two hours, she finally managed to stumble onto the academy gates. The only problem was that she was over an hour late.

Orientation for first years started off in the auditorium, students called it the "cherry picker event".

They could arrive anytime, from dusk to the start time, and sit down and mingle with their classmates while the enhancers sat waiting backstage.

While Emily had wanted to go early to mingle with people, her family insisted she observes noble protocol and only arrive when the main event started.

As nobles always put protocols about their own feelings, Emily had to obey.

But now she was even late for the main event! She felt so disgruntled that when she got through the gates and left her bodyguards, she sat on a bench and started crying.

===

As Ryan wandered around the campus, he suddenly noticed a girl softly crying on a bench.

She had light green neon hair and a green sundress that matched perfectly with her hair.

He had seen others meandering around the campus, but every time he looked at one of them and started to approach, he felt a hostile aura surround the person.

As he approached, this girl gave off no such aura, so it seemed she was allowing him to approach or didn't notice him.

He didn't know etiquette at the academy, but since he wasn't a trained warrior, the hostility he felt should be a deterrent mechanism.

'Besides, what could I have already done to warrant such hostility from everyone?'

Now that he was close enough, Ryan could tell she looked much younger than the other people he had seen.

Although she had a rather flat chest, he didn't discriminate. His oath to free every breast wouldn't be neglected on account of such a minute detail.

Sitting beside her, he said, "What causes a girl as beautiful as you to cry on a day as gorgeous as this?"

It was a cheesy line, Ryan admitted, but the girl looked young and naïve, so he hoped she would see it as his normal appraisal.

Seeing the girl look over at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, he knew it had worked.

'Man, Ryan, you're on a roll today,' mentally fist bumping himself, he continued his white knight act.

Reaching over and clearing a tear off her cheek, he said, "These don't belong on a princess like you."

Emily's face turned scarlet as she weakly squeaked, "I was late for orientation today… I was afraid of having no friends."

Emily didn't know why she told this stranger about her problems, but she felt as though she could trust him.

She looked into his emerald green eyes and was instantaneously mesmerized.

Oh, how she loved the color green. She had been overly infatuated with the color since birth, and seeing such beautiful green eyes made her almost fall in love.

The caring look in his eyes made her problems feel a thousand miles away.

After hearing Ryan's cough, she realized she had been staring at a man's eyes for over ten seconds, and her cheeks turned an even darker shade of crimson.

Adverting her eyes, she stammered, "B-But I'll be okay; you don't have to worry."

"Nonsense, I know where the auditorium is and the guard that works there. She'll be able to help you get in, even if you're late."

Emily raised her widened eyes and started at Ryan like he was her savior.

Grabbing Emily's hand, Ryan yanked her off the bench and headed to the auditorium.

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