Death… And Me

Chapter 3920: The Chaos

*Tlucktuntuntuntun...*

As soon as Gakrid and Rovitel made it to the island, the gate in the distance began to open. From behind, several cultivators, seemingly part of the top brass of the academy, began to make their way to the new students.

Once again, they could have just gone around the gate, but this was the rule agreed long ago between the countries sustaining the academy.

Looking at them, Roan noticed there weren’t many, just around twenty or so. Compared to the enormous crowd behind, it was weird that so few of them would come to talk to the new students. It was especially so since there were so many Golden Radiance participants this time.

A moment later, those few cultivators arrived, and they separated, each going for a specific group. One of them, a middle-aged woman, was the one to come see the twins.

”Quick, come close,” she warned, pulling them all together.

Following that, she took out an item from her Pocket Dimensional Realm, which created a barrier around the twins’ group and herself. It separated them from the outside world.

Only then did she start talking. ”We only have five minutes, and Divine Sense messages are not allowed during this time. I’m Donafela, one of the teachers in the academy. I’m also a cultivator from Galantes, and above all, the one with the highest authority between those who came from the same country as me.”

She continued. ”Every time a pickup happens, the teachers or other cultivators who work in the academy are given five minutes to go talk to their own countrymen. Before those five minutes are over, no one is allowed to talk to them. This system was created so the countries themselves wouldn’t risk having their own youngsters being robbed under their noses before they could say anything.”

”I will explain more about why Divine Sense messages are not allowed during these five minutes later. For now, let’s focus on what matters. I received the message from Hlock, who told me that all eight of you activated the Golden Radiance. Not only that, four of you got the highest possible measurement result, the Celestial Ascendance. Tell me, did you do anything to the Judgemental Eye to get this result? This is important, and might even cost your lives, so be sincere with me.”

Rean, as always, was the one to speak. ”We did not. The eye suddenly cracked when it focused on the four of us. I heard someone saying that it was possibly because that thing couldn’t deal with four Celestial Ascendances at once. As to whether it is true or not, that we don’t know.”

”Good. Don’t worry about that. It can be fixed with enough resources.” Donafela got the answer she wanted. ”You must understand that the entire Divine Military Academy is in chaos at the moment. A single Celestial Ascendance would be fought over like meat in the middle of a pack of starving dragons. Yet, there are four of you at once, not to mention the rest, who also acquired incredible results. Hlock said you all came from that Green Cluster Region.”

”This piece of information will sooner or later be found out, but it doesn’t matter. Since you were registered as part of our Galantes Country, your origins will not be questioned. Plenty of countries in our Runia Continent accept new cultivators from outside, and this is basically the same thing.”

”The problem is what happens after. Rather than having the old geezers fighting to recruit you away from our Galantes Country, they most likely will try to find out how you became like this. I’m not kidding when I say that your own lives will be on the line.”

Roan expected as much. ”We don’t have an answer for that. But we were all born in the same country, if that helps. We are all from Verjansy. However, it will be very hard to investigate us with the war that is happening there right now.”

”We know that much already,” Donafela agreed with Roan. ”So, let me ask one thing. Are you sure this is not something you did on purpose, but the result of the Judgemental Eye alone?”

Everyone nodded. ”We truly did nothing to the eye. In fact, until the Judgemental Eye appeared, we didn’t even know it existed. Hlock kept quiet about it until the last moment.”

”Hlock, that idiot!” Donafela cursed. ”If he had told you ahead of time, we might have thought of something. Whatever. What is done is done. Listen, when the five minutes are over, I want you all to pledge your loyalty to the Galantes Country for everyone to see. As long as you are inside the academy, you won’t be targeted in the open. The Divinity Realm Experts who look over the academy aren’t here just to protect it, but also to keep an eye on one another.”

Kentucky had a question. ”Even if we do that, won’t the other countries try to recruit us?”

”Hlock truly told you absolutely nothing, didn’t he? I’m going to cut his head later!” Donafela was furious at the moment. ”Answering your question, no. These five minutes given to the representatives of the new students’ countries exist so they can convince their youngsters to stay on their own country’s side.”

”Otherwise, everything would turn into chaos every time a Golden Radiance Student appears. That is also to stop internal struggle, even if just for the moment. The pledge you do will be added to your information on your Exchange Program ID in the academy’s system. For one year, you will not be able to switch sides, and that will put a break on any attempts to recruit you for the moment.”

”Of course,” Donafela didn’t stop. ”There will still be a lot of countries that will try to woo you in during this year. When the one-year mark is over, you can switch to their side, after all. Believe me, you will receive so many offers that you won’t even know where to look anymore.”

”We won’t switch sides,” Rean assured the woman. ”Galantes Country helped us plenty in a moment where the future of our Verjansy Country is yet to be decided. How could we betray them like this?”

Yet, to Rean’s surprise, Donafela refused. ”The contrary. I want at least seven of you to join someone else.”

”Eh?” Rean was taken aback. ”Do you want us to be spies or something like that?”

”That would be very good indeed,” Donafela entertained the idea. ”But, above all, it is so that the other countries don’t suddenly gang up on our Galantes.”

Finally, they understood. If Galantes held all these future powerhouses, wouldn’t Galantes eventually become the dominating power of the Runia Continent? The only reason the Divine Military Exchange Program exists is that one country can keep an eye on the other while they work together to prevent outsiders from taking over. It’s kind of a shit peace treaty.

Let’s not forget that before the Continental Accord Alliance was established here, this continent had been engaged in an internal struggle for power among its countries. It was only after they had almost exhausted their resources and the threat from outsiders intensified that the various countries finally decided to form an alliance.

This alliance was always operating on a fine balance, a balance that would most likely be broken if the twins’ group stayed with Galantes. The other countries would definitely not wait to see that happening, and Galantes might pay the ultimate price if they insisted on keeping everyone in the twins’ group for themselves.

”So, remember,” Donafela repeated, ”when the five minutes are over, pledge your loyalty to our Galantes country. Then, we can take this year to measure the possibilities so you can join someone else. After th-”

*Crack, crack, crack...*

*Plang!*

Donafela’s expression turned dark as her barrier was suddenly broken apart. She looked behind, seeing the culprits. ”What are you doing?! It hasn’t been five minutes yet!”

A man snorted in response, and he wasn’t alone. There were quite a lot of experts from different countries behind him. ”Normally, you would be given that. However, the Judgemental Eye was damaged, so we need to investigate. Isn’t that right, everyone?”

”Yes!” Everyone agreed, with mocking expressions on their faces.

How could Donafela not know what was happening? The Judgemental Eye issue was just an excuse. This group was trying to intervene to see if they could grab someone from the twins’ group straight away. This group had no intention of waiting an entire year.

”Stand down!”

Yet, at that moment, another expert appeared, making everyone who came to bother Donafela’s group shut their mouths. They looked behind, seeing an old man walking in their direction.

The twins’ group did the same, and they immediately noticed. ’One of the Divinity Realm experts of the academy...’

Donafela calmed down, bowing to the man. ”Principal...”