"Do you have a copy of a gravity element battle technique?"
This was a small request. It might even be worth more than money. Even if he had the money, he didn't have the connections to procure the battle technique after all.
After looking around the campus, he couldn't find any gravity element battle techniques in the library, so he had no choice but to look for outside sources.
Kevin was the perfect person for the job.
"Just a copy?"
"Well, I'm researching things, so having a gravity element battle technique will be good, possibly one that is suitable for an avatar in the baby state."
"That will be easy. Give me a few days. I will definitely bring you enough copies of these battle techniques!" Kevin accepted the request right away.
He had been shouting the whole time, after all. This was the least he could do to apologize.
"There is actually one question I have in mind. Why do you use another material during the process? If there's a sudden outburst, shouldn't you use your energy to contain it?"
"Oh, that?" Auric turned to Maya. "You haven't told him?"
Kevin tilted his head, confused.
Maya shook her head helplessly. "Well, don't you know that the master in front of you is only 17 years old?"
"What the—" Kevin's expression turned horrified almost immediately. He believed that being able to become an evolution master would take a long time. Typically, they were in their second year if they were talented enough, which meant at least 18 years old.
If Auric was only 17 years old, it meant he had just awakened a few weeks ago. In other words, the amount of energy he possessed would be limited.
"My wind element is only 18% and my plant element is 24%." Auric smiled wryly.
"Holy shit." Axel took a step back in shock. "You are actually one year younger than me?"
"He became an evolution master two days after his awakening. If I told you that, you wouldn't believe me enough to bring your grandson here. Anyway, he saved him. No need for more questions, yes?"
Kevin couldn't really retort to her either. Indeed, the only thing that mattered was the fact that Auric had saved his grandson.
"Yes." Kevin let out a long sigh. "Maybe I am too old to keep up with the change. Well, congratulations, Adjudicator Maya, for getting such a talented student."
"Adjudicator?" Auric tilted his head.
"I'm just a teacher now." Maya shrugged.
"Well, that's true. My apologies." Kevin then took out his business card. "This is my personal number. If you ever need my help, call this number."
"This is my number." Axel hurriedly grabbed Kevin's business card and snatched the pen from his grandfather's front pocket to write down his number. "If you ever visit Florestia City, call me. I will be more than happy to host you."
Kevin didn't say anything, satisfied with his grandson's judgment.
Auric received the business card. "Well, if you don't mind, you can go home now."
Kevin was a bit startled. This was probably the first time he had ever been asked to leave an establishment.
Mr. Popo coughed and clarified Auric's words. "What he meant to say is that the store was supposed to open five minutes ago. You need to leave so that he can open for business."
"That's right. I'm sorry I'm still not accustomed to all the courtesies in retail." Auric smiled apologetically.
"Ah." Kevin was completely speechless, but everything had indeed been done. "The payment."
"Done." Mr. Popo waved his hand. He had already grabbed the machine and showed the receipt to Dexter, who had been silent the whole time as if everyone had forgotten about him.
Nevertheless, he had settled the bill with Mr. Popo.
Kevin truly had no reason left to stay. "In that case, I should take my leave. Oh, wait. One more thing. Do you really want to stay at Grand Magica College? Why not go to a bigger university?"
"Excuse me?" Maya squinted her eyes. "Even though Grand Magica College is small, it is the biggest college in the country, and we have almost a complete monopoly on resources in this city. It's still much better than most universities. And I'm here."
"…" Kevin shook his head helplessly. "Adju—I mean, Teacher Maya, if you fix your attitude, you can probably return to your old post, you know?"
"And deal with people like you all the time? Sorry, not interested." Maya rolled her eyes. "So, when are you going to leave?"
"Right?" Kevin could only sigh in resignation and walk away under Maya's intense glare.
Only after Kevin left did Maya turn to Auric. "Well done. So, are you going to leave me?"
"You worry too much." Auric chuckled. "But I have some plans to leave the city."
"What do you mean? You're really going to leave?"
"No. I'm just thinking about visiting other cities, like looking for competitions in other cities."
Mr. Popo tilted his head in confusion. He misunderstood the meaning of the 'competition' in Auric's words. He thought Auric just wanted a challenge from his peers.
On the other hand, Maya understood perfectly that competitions meant actual competitions. A tournament. He wanted to find competitions where he could observe people's energy and replicate it.
"If that's the case, we can take a look around. There aren't many things to learn in college in the first month. It's just introduction after introduction. So, I guess it should be fine to bring you around. Definitely on weekdays, right?"
"You're not asking just because you want a reason to skip school, right?"
"So, I take it you want to go during the weekend?"
"No. I'm just saying my teacher is the best." Auric grinned.
Maya grinned back.
Mr. Popo was rather speechless about this pair of teacher and student.
"Anyway, since the matter is settled, I should go back as well." Maya waved her hand. "Any backdoors?"
"No. But you can exit through the rooftop."
"Got it." Maya casually opened the door leading to the rooftop and disappeared.
"Let's open the shop, shall we?" Auric smiled at Mr. Popo.
"Sure."
…
Kevin and Axel were still waiting in the car.
"I'm glad that your mind is still as sharp as ever, Axel," said Kevin with a serious expression.
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"Giving your number on the back of my business card might look rude, but it's also a clever trick. This way, he won't be able to simply throw away the business card. You can establish a connection with him this way."
"I believe that's the best course of action. His skill has surpassed that of anyone I know as an evolution master, and he is only 17. Just imagine what his level will be after a few years."
"Indeed." Axel nodded. "This is a good opportunity for you. If he ever calls you, don't forget that thought."
"Of course. I also have to repay him for saving my life. I thought I wouldn't be able to advance for the rest of my life."
"That's why, once we are back, you are going to look around to find the gravity element battle techniques. Buy every book you can find. Money is not a problem for our family anyway."
"Yes, Grandfather!"
"And you…" Kevin turned to Dexter. "You've been quiet the whole time to the point that I almost forgot about you."
"I am observing as I should." Dexter shook his head calmly.
"Observing is one thing. Sometimes, I think you are mute." Kevin sighed before turning to the evolution master. "As for you…"
"I'm sorry." The evolution master panicked.
"An apology indeed. However, since you found the mushroom, I plan to forget everything. However, I must say that I'm disappointed about one thing. Do you know what you've done?"
"Yes. I shouldn't run my mouth. I almost got myself killed and embarrassed you when you had clearly warned me, sir."
"No, not at all. I wasn't disappointed in your remark. Maya might look ruthless—no, she is known to be ruthless, but she never does anything merciless without a reason."
The evolution master was confused. He almost died earlier.
"You see. When she warned you earlier, there were only two possibilities for you. You could still speak without losing your life, but at the same time, you could also speak and lose it. The only difference would be the words coming out of your mouth."
Those words made Axel think.
Kevin continued, "If you had chosen to disregard your safety and warn about the insane process used by her student, especially if it sounded impossible to you, you should be able to keep your life intact after voicing your concern.
"On the other hand, if you ran your mouth, doubting everything unnecessarily, she wouldn't hesitate to kill you.
"In that case, I should ask you… the reason you were silent the whole time. Was it because you were so afraid for your life, or was it because the treatment was reasonable? I hope it was the latter."
The evolution master's face turned pale. He hurriedly answered, "It was definitely the latter. Please trust me. His treatment was reasonable. The theory was solid. However, he shouldn't have been able to use Extreme Bridge Management.
"This technique is usually used by gold-grade evolution masters because of the required sensitivity."
"So, you're saying his sensitivity and his skill are above his grade?" Kevin raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, sir. So much so that I believe the only thing stopping him from becoming a silver-grade evolution master is just the fact that he lacks energy. Once he evolves his avatar to the juvenile form, he can probably become a silver-grade evolution master."
"Interesting." Kevin crossed his arms. He might have underestimated Auric's talent. "I'm sure you know what this means, right?"
Axel nodded with a serious expression. "Yes, Grandfather. Unfortunately, our paths won't cross for a while. It's a shame that he is not going to a bigger university. With that talent, I'm pretty sure he's going to be the top student there too."
"Well, I don't know what is going on either, but if I'm not mistaken, Ellia Stroph Astler is also attending this college?"
"Ellia Stroph… You mean that woman?"
"Yeah. The devil child of the Astler family. I don't know if they have crossed paths or not, but you can't say this place is insignificant either. Or else, that old devil won't even give permission to his granddaughter to attend this college."
Axel looked down, contemplating. "Grandfather. Should I transfer to this college as well?"
"!!!" Kevin was startled, but he actually considered the suggestion carefully. "As much as I want to give you permission, I can't let you study here, not because you are not suited here, but because you might get assassinated again. Besides, unlike you, Ellia Stroph should have established a branch here."
"That's a shame, but it's true that my connections are all in Florestia City."
"Yeah. So, just continue on your path. Eventually, our paths will cross again. I doubt a small city like Thunderer City can hold him for long." Kevin shrugged.
"There is one thing I want to ask. Should I investigate his background? Although you've told me not to check the background of someone I plan to consider as an ally or a friend, this case is just too unusual."
"Don't you ever dare!" Kevin glared at him and raised his voice.
Axel's heart skipped a beat. "Grandfather?"
"If Maya Relesha ever finds out, she won't even consider you my grandson and she'll kill you. Adjudicator Maya is a demon in human clothing. There was one incident where a child from an influential family like ours slapped her butt. It was supposed to be minor harassment, but do you know what happened next?"
Axel gulped, his body tensing up.
"The next day, the family received a package containing that guy's hand. There were a lot of similar cases. So, mess around with her, you fucked up. Even I can't help you."
"But she is not an adjudicator anymore…"
"Yeah, but… the reason she lost that title was because one of those people dared to take revenge against her, so she massacred the entire family. And what? The only thing she received was a demotion.
"Even though people called her 'Adjudicator,' she was more known as the Black Witch. People said her heart was darker than the abyss itself."
Axel felt a chill down his spine. He finally understood why his grandfather was so scared of Maya. "U-Understood. I won't do anything."