The Star Seekers did not keep their new teammates waiting for long. Because there were no new teammates waiting for them. The place where they usually sat at was just as empty as ever. In defence of his new would-be teammates, they had just not arrived yet. After all, the time that they had set for receiving Wanderers willing to join Star Seekers was from one hour before dawn to one hour after dawn. Even with the little delay back at their mansion, they had made it to the Blood Hall about a quarter of an hour before their scheduled time.

“…Why do we have to come so early every day?” Alnea mumbled, glancing at the city glowing in red.

“Because of etiquette,” Yuri said, with Vestia following right behind her.

“Time is a very precious resource, Alnea. A fact you must have felt already, especially since you have begun training the Blood Crystal Martial Styles. Sometimes, time can be even more precious than the most precious resources in the world. Losing time… It is considered to be the most wasteful behaviour amongst Wanderers.”

“Then, what we are doing right now, is it not a waste of time?”

“Of course not,” Zain said, smirking at Alnea. “By coming here before the appointed time, even after seeing no Wanderer coming forward to join our team, we are sending a signal to other Wanderers that we value them even more than the most precious resources in the world.”

“…Then why did you join us on the first day?”

“…Because only the weak need to follow these meaningless rituals and etiquettes. The strong make their own etiquette, while the rest follow behind them.”

“…Am I still dreaming?” Cecilia whispered to Alnea. “Or did he just say something meaningful?”

“…I am just as surprised as you are,” Alnea whispered back, looking at Zain’s proud face in confusion. “Maybe he hit his head while practising his Martial Styles… Speaking of Martial Styles, how many Blood Crystals have you condensed?”

“…Three.”

“Just three?”

“What, do you think that everyone is a monster like you? Condensing three Blood Crystals in five days is already a good start, alright? Why don’t you ask Yuri how many Blood Crystals she has condensed?”

“…Why do you two have to drag me in between your arguments?” Yuri grumbled but replied to Cecilia’s question anyway. “Seven Blood Crystals… But they are all of the Distorted Grade.”

“…Mine too.”

“…Is condensing Blood Crystals really so hard?”

“…Are you trying to show off again? Hey, what are you laughing at vixen? What about you? How many Blood Crystals have you condensed? And how many days did you take to condense them?”

“…I have condensed nearly two hundred Blood Crystals, of which, a hundred are of Initial Stage, and over seventy of the Intermediate Stage, with the rest being of the Advanced Stage. As for their Grade… most of them are of the Complete Grade.”

“…Do not be smug. It is only because you have been in the Lost City for a longer time that you have greater amount of Blood Crystals. Give us some time, and all three of us will soon surpass you.”

“Oh, that I have no doubt about.”

“…Are you not denying it?”

“Why should I deny it?” Vestia said, shaking her head. “You three are indeed more talented than me. It is only natural for you to surpass me.”

“…Does that not make you angry?”

“Why would that make me angry?”

“Because we will surpass you.”

“So what if you surpass me?” Vestia said, with the end of her lips curving up in a smirk. “You must understand that the path of Wanderers has never been a race. It is just a path that Wanderers walk on at their own pace. Some walk at a slower pace, while others walk at a faster pace. But none of those things matter. On the path of Wanderers, the only thing that matters is how far can you walk?

“After all, there is a limit to the path of Wanderers. Even if you are always ahead of me, one day, you will reach the end. And so will I. At best, you will reach the end a bit earlier than me, but that will not make much of a difference. Our end will still be the same. So, does it truly matter if you surpass me now? If I stick to my path, and keep walking forward at my own pace, I am sure to catch up to you one day.”

…An end to the path of Wanderers? Was she talking about the Origin Rank, or the Supreme Rank? Probably the latter. After all, no Origin Wanderers had been born yet. For the world, the Supreme Rank was indeed the end of the path of Wanderers. But for Alnea, it was just a beginning. He did not know if he could—

No, he was sure that he could open the path to the Origin Rank. He had already taken his Oath after all. But what about after that? Would the Origin Rank become the new end, the new limit of the path of Wanderers? Or would there be a realm even above the Origin Rank? The realm of Gods, maybe? Or perhaps…

“Star Seekers,” a yellow robed man said, as he walked over towards them. From the first look, the man looked to be a little over twenty years old, but that just meant that the man had reached the end of his maturity. His true age could be anything between twenty to thirty. And the most direct—although sometimes inaccurate— way of measuring a Wanderer’s potential was comparing their age with their progress on the path of Wanderers.

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“Are you here to join Star Seekers?”

“…That’s right,” the man said, in a voice just as stocky as his body.

“What is your name? Which clan are you from? How high is your Spirit Power? Can you show us your Blood Card? Wha about—

“Zain.”

“…Let us start one by one. First, can you introduce yourself to us?”

“I am George Endenhill, son of Clark Endenhill, from the Endenhill clan of the Enden Mountains.”

“…The Endenhill clan famous for their Earth element Arcanas?”

“…That’s the one.”

“But the Endenhill clan already has a great team of its own. Why do you want to join us instead of the team of your clan?”

“…Because they are all from the same clan.”

“…So?”

“…Distributing points between ourselves become hard. And complicated.”

“…What about your Spirit Power?”

“…Seventh Level of the Advanced Stage.”

“…Alright. We understand your situation. Can you leave us with a way to contact you? We will inform you of our decision by tomorrow evening at the latest.”

“…Fourth Blood Hall. Seven building to the right. I will be there…”

“…Thank you for giving us your time, Wanderer George.”

Alnea let out a sigh, as he watched the back of the man disappearing into the dim red light of the city. It looked a bit more hunched than what it had looked like when the man was coming towards them. Probably from the weight of disappointment.

“He looked like a simple man…”

“…The men of Endenhill clan are all simple… an oddity amongst Wanderers. But that is also why they are loyal teammates. Unfortunately, they are not very good fighters. And George himself did not seem to have too much potential…”

“I could see that… Still, rejecting a simple man like that makes me feel a little awkward.”

“If you do not learn how to say no, then you will have to face a lot of inconveniences in your life.”

“I know. But…”

“…Then how about you ask the questions next time?” Vestia said, with one end of lips curved up in a crooked smile.

“Me? Why?”

“To learn how to deal with other Wanderers, of course. Is that not why you came to the Lost City in the first place?”

“You came to the Lost City for such a simple thing?”

“…But I did not come alone,” Alnea said, ignoring Zain as usual. “According to your logic, Cecilia and Yuri should also join me in questioning our would-be new teammates.”

“No, they do not need to join in on the fun this time.”

“Why?”

“Because they do not take a step back when facing other Wanderers, especially those who do not show any hostility towards them,” Vestia said solemnly. “I have been observing you for a while… All three of you. From what I have seen, Cecilia and Yuri are coping well with the city, never showing any weaknesses. When need be, they can even form a united front to confront other Wanderers. But you…

“Whenever someone confronts you, or shows hostility towards you or the girls, you are quick to respond. In fact, I can even say that you respond to confrontations in an even better way than the girls. Yet, when it comes to dealing with Wanderers who show no hostility towards you or the girls, you suddenly lose all your ingenuity and fierceness. At times, you even show compassion and sympathy for other Wanderers. It is as if you do not know how to react at all.”

“…Am I that bad?” Alnea said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Honestly, I glossed over a few of your mistakes. In reality, you are worse than what you are imagining right now.”

“…Well, you do tend to show sympathy to others.”

“Sometimes, even to your enemies.”

“I never show sympathy to my enemies.”

“…Do you remember Roon?”

“…That was because he was implicated because of me.”

“The reasons do not matter. Once he chose to stand against us, he was bound to be our enemy. Yet you still tried to save him.”

“…I was just trying not to get master involved.”

“Then what about the man you killed last week? The Whitebud heir. He was our enemy and would not have hesitated to kill you if he had gotten the chance. Why did you feel so down about killing him?”

“That’s because… I…”

“And to girls. You are especially kind to girls. The two vixens from the Yellowbud family were the same. And the vixen in front of us is the same. Even on the Arena, you tend to hit women lighter than men. That’s why I call you a pervert.”

…Was he really a pervert?

“…Although I want to hear about the story of the two Yellowbud girls, let us talk about more important matters now,” Vestia said, saving Alnea from his predicament. “Now that Cecilia and Yuri have also confirmed what I was saying, do you recognise your shortcomings?”

“…I guess.”

“No guesses, Alnea. Do not try to run away from your fears.”

…The first step of overcoming any weakness was recognising the weakness… That was the first lesson his master had taught him.

“…I am not running. I never run. It was just that I… In any case, you are right. I am not good at dealing with people who are not hostile to me, or the people I wish to protect.”

“…I do not know why or how you became like this, but since you already know your shortcomings, are you willing to address them?”

“…I am.”

“Good. Then next, you will be the one questioning all the Wanderers who wish to join us. Not only that, but you will also be the one to decide whether they join our team or not.”

“…But this is a team. We should make all our decisions together.”

“I have no problems with you making the final decisions. Do you have any problems, Yuri?”

“No,” Yuri said, shaking her head, ruthlessly ignoring all his pleas, silent or otherwise.

“And neither do I,” Cecilia said with a grin.

“See, no one has any problems—

“You did not ask me.”

“…It is three to one. Even if you are against this arrangement, we still win three to two.”

“But—

“It is decided then. You are going decide whether the Wanderers coming to us next will join our team or not. And you will announce your decision right in front of those Wanderers.”

“…I remember that I won the bet—

“Do you want to do right here? In front of everyone?” Vestia said, with both her cheeks and ears turning beet red. “But I am not ready yet…”

“No, what are you talking about?”

“Did you not ask me to kiss you after won the bet?”

“What? When did I—

“You pervert!” Cecilia said, punching Alnea in the back of his head, before pinching his waist. “I knew that something was wrong…”

“No, listen to me—

“You clearly said it last night… You even held my hand, and… and…”

“She is slandering me!”

“…Alnea Oathkeeper,” Yuri said, finally willing to use their rings. “You are dead.”