Auric didn't even say his address, but Arina was already driving them to his house without asking for directions. As he expected, both of them had already done at least a background check on him.
On the other side, Ellia seemed to be focused on reading something on her tablet.
Auric checked his phone as well, curious whether someone had found his book or not. They would probably think it was a scam at first, but if anyone got past that stage, they would hit the jackpot.
Unfortunately, the buyer count was still 0.
'Well, I don't think anyone will be desperate enough to buy one.' Auric just chuckled inwardly. Eventually, someone would buy it. If they didn't, he would just push it in one way or another until it became popular without linking it directly to him.
"We've arrived," informed Arina.
"All right. Thank you very much." Auric nodded and opened the door.
Arina waved her hand as the window lowered. "You did great earlier. If you improve your control further, I believe you will become much stronger than your peers. At that time, you will be competing with us instead."
"I will look forward to that time." Auric smiled.
Surprisingly, Ellia also lowered her window and added, "Your reaction speed has to be increased further. You may be able to keep your eyes open in the fight, but you also need to react to your opponent's attacks.
"Since you are planning to enter the Evolution Department next week, you should also check the training hall. There are two rooms that will be beneficial for your growth. The gravity room and the speed room.
"While you're at it, aim to acquire at least three to four battle techniques for each element. This will keep your fighting pattern flexible and leave enough trump cards."
It was definitely a piece of advice he couldn't ignore. Ellia must have paid close attention to notice every detail.
"Thank you for the suggestions." Auric couldn't ask his teacher to evaluate him since she wasn't there. So, Ellia's advice was the best he could get.
Before he could bid his farewell, a female voice suddenly echoed from the side.
"Oh my. You're back already?"
Auric turned his head, finding his mother with shopping bags.
"Your friends?" Natalia was quite surprised to see Auric with someone else. All this time, he was alone. So she thought he had no friends.
"Ah!" Arina hurriedly exited the car and politely bowed to Natalia. "Hello, Auntie. I am Arina. Auric took care of me in the past."
Even Ellia did the same. "Hello, Auntie. I am Ellia."
When the two raised their heads to see Natalia, they had the same thought. 'He must have got his genes from her.'
"Auric is a blessed child to have you as his mother. He looks a lot like you. If I didn't know better, I might have mistaken you for his sister."
"Is that so? You flatter me." Natalia covered her mouth while giggling. "Have both of you had dinner yet? If not, how about coming in for dinner?"
"Ah. That's…" Arina thought about rejecting it, but Ellia tugged at her waist as if asking her to stop.
Then Ellia replied, "In that case, I will take you up on your offer."
Auric widened his eyes in surprise. He thought Arina would be the one accepting it and Ellia would be the one politely declining the invitation, but it turned out to be the other way around.
"That's good. Please come in." Natalia was smiling nonstop. She opened the door wide for them, while Auric rushed to help her with the groceries.
"How about waiting in your room first?" Natalia asked, as she was fired up to cook something nice.
"Let me help you, Auntie." Ellia smiled politely.
Even Arina was startled by Ellia's behavior.
Auric couldn't help but ask Arina, "What's going on with your childhood friend?"
"I'm not sure either. Maybe she is repaying the favor for earlier?"
Auric squinted his eyes. He couldn't think of any other reasons, so he had to agree with this possibility.
Considering Ellia was helping his mother, they ended up waiting in the dining room as Auric instinctively prepared the table.
The food was coming quickly. For some reason, it looked even more delicious than usual.
"You are very good at cooking." Natalia's smile hadn't faded away. It looked like she had been missing his father, and because Auric had been away for some time, having other people in the house put a smile on her face.
Though, Auric could also think of another reason why she was so happy.
"I do like cooking. I just hope the taste is to your liking," Ellia replied politely. "Please enjoy."
Auric was a bit curious. He had eaten his mother's food for a long time, so he knew how much Ellia helped this time.
When he took a bite, he finally understood why his mother said so. His mother was good at cooking as well, but this one simply surpassed her food.
This was the first time Auric had tasted something this good. The quality was probably equal to that of a high-end restaurant, but more importantly, the food was down-to-earth, making him feel at home rather than in fine dining.
"Mhmm?" Auric widened his eyes as if he couldn't believe the taste.
Ellia gracefully nodded.
"I have always thought there was something wrong with you, but I guess I can put my worries to rest." Natalia chuckled.
Auric was speechless. He didn't think it was the appropriate time to mention such a thing.
"What is going on? Is Auric a troublemaker, Auntie?" Arina asked.
"No, he has never created a problem. That's why I'm worried. He follows the rules to an annoying degree." Natalia shook her head helplessly. "Both in middle school and high school, he has never brought a girl home, you know?"
"Do you have to mention it?" Auric smiled wryly.
"What? Really?" Ellia and Arina were surprised. For someone like Auric, getting a girlfriend was just a matter of asking.
Besides, judging from Natalia's reaction, she was fine with Auric experiencing love, even if it wouldn't last long.
So, it was unexpected that someone like Auric had never had a girlfriend before.
"Are you…" Arina forcefully shut her mouth, but it was obvious what she wanted to ask.
Natalia chuckled. "Who would have thought that after getting into college, he would end up bringing home two beautiful girls? As a parent, I don't have anything else to say. So, I'm curious. Which one of you is his girlfriend?"
"Please don't ask such a thing, Mom." Auric smiled wryly. "You're going to make them uncomfortable. They're just business partners."
"So, you mean both of them are your girlfriends? This is bad. I guess we need to relocate to United Asia. That's the only place that accepts polygamy."
"That's your first consideration?" Auric was truly defeated by his mother. Rather than the fact that they should think about finding the correct one, she would actually consider immigration.
Arina couldn't help but chuckle, finally seeing Auric so helpless.
"But is that true, Auntie? Auric is pretty popular among his peers." Arina's eyes were filled with curiosity.
"It's true. He never introduced a classmate to me, boy or girl. So, I was quite worried. I couldn't tell whether he was bullied or not."
"Sad but true. Sometimes, jealousy is much more annoying." Ellia had experienced it herself, so she understood the problem.
"But it looks like I don't have to worry about him anymore." Natalia smiled at Ellia and Arina.
"Don't worry, Auntie." Ellia assured her subtly.
Auric had been observing them the whole time. Arina didn't seem to understand what was going on, so the question in his mind was why Ellia wanted to come inside and even do all this.
"Is that so? I'm relieved then. Auric might be quite a handful, but please take care of him." Natalia politely lowered her head.
"Not at all. He is the one taking care of us instead." Ellia bowed back.
Natalia paused for a moment before saying, "I have been meaning to ask this, but I feel like I have seen you somewhere. Are you a celebrity?"
"She is not a celebrity, but I believe Auntie has seen her on television or something. She is…"
"Well, I am running a family business. I am fortunate enough to be able to inherit something big." Ellia placed her hand on her chest. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Ellia Stroph Astler."
"I see. I have never thought that my Auric would end up having a big shot as his friend." Natalia subtly changed the way she spoke. Before, she was asking about which one was his girlfriend, but this time she specifically mentioned 'friend.'
"Ah, you must have misunderstood me. Your son is a very talented man. He accidentally solved one of the biggest problems I had, so I'm really grateful for him."
"Is that so?" Natalia nodded in understanding.
"You are making them uncomfortable, Mom." Auric sighed. Even he noticed the subtle shift.
"Ahaha. I apologize. It's just a habit from my experience." Natalia waved her hand embarrassedly.
"Not at all. I understand Auntie's worries. Normally, when people of high status are approaching you or your son, you have to be suspicious of them. With your beauty, Auntie, I can understand." Ellia waved her hand.
"Thank you. You are so mature, girl."
"I'm flattered."
"Since we're done eating, I should wash the dishes." Natalia stood up, starting to clean up the plates.
"Let me help." Ellia stood up, but Arina was faster this time. "Let me help, Auntie. It's my turn this time."
Natalia smiled, not rejecting Arina's offer. They left Auric alone with Ellia.
"So, what are you up to this time?" Auric's expression turned solemn right away. He couldn't comprehend Ellia's behavior, so he thought she had an ulterior motive.
Ellia looked at the ceiling for a moment before asking, "Was your mother very popular in the past?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I just felt like I had seen her somewhere. I'm not entirely sure as well. Besides, she is your mother, so I think I have an obligation to meet her, especially once we discuss things about the ruins."
Auric couldn't refute that. Outside the city was a dangerous land. So, if he planned to go, he also needed to get permission from his mother.
So, if Ellia had already made contact, it might make it easier for him to get permission.
There was indeed a hidden motive, but not to the point where he should be wary of her.
But he wondered what she meant by the first sentence. There was no way someone like Ellia could have seen his mother.
His family was a fairly simple family, so there should be no contact with a wealthy family like hers.
Auric had been curious about something, so this made him a bit more suspicious about it.
Was she truly unaware of his father's avatar? Separating Lindwurm from himself would require unimaginable power. After all, he had never seen someone who could achieve such a feat before.
Unfortunately, he couldn't extract any other information from Ellia. In the end, Ellia and Arina excused themselves right after.
After they were gone, Natalia lightly slapped his arm. "Good boy. You have finally brought some girls home now."
"What are you talking about? Both of them are seniors in college. You should know that I've been working as an evolution master at Dad's store, so they just happen to be one of my customers."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Natalia rolled her eyes as if she didn't believe him at all. "I'm not really going to say much about your relationship. Just don't do something illegal, okay?"
"Do you think I would do something like that?" Auric pointed at himself, looking down as if he had been wronged.
"Right? You're not the type of person who does such a thing."
"By the way, Mom. I have a question."
"What's wrong? If you want love advice, I can give you some."
Auric shook his head as his expression turned serious. "Do you know Dad's avatar and element?"