“Black Desert Trials…” Karl mumbled, with his face distorting visibly, as if he was recalling some painful memories. “Is this what you meant when you said that it was time for us to begin acting as a team, and chase after our stars?”
“What else could I have meant?” Alnea said, tilting his head in confusion.
“…So soon?”
“Soon?” Cecilia said, staring at Karl with wide eyes. “It has already been more than a month since we came to the city. More than a month!”
“Exactly,” Karl said, a little more animated than his usual self. “It has just been a little over a month.”
“…He is not wrong, you know?” Ralph said. “There is still nearly a year left for you to complete your Quota.”
“Poros’ fangs! You two want us to stay cooped up in the city for a whole year?”
“…Not a whole year,” Karl said. “A few months should be enough. Say about three months…”
“…That is until you reach near your one year period?” Alnea said, motioning for Cecilia to leave the matter to him, leaving her with no place to vent her dissatisfaction. In the end, she could only pout at him with her puffed up cheeks.
“Huh? Now that I calculate the time, it would indeed be one year since I came to the city in four months… What a coincidence.”
“…A coincidence indeed,” Alnea said, before turning to Ralph. “How many times has he been to the Desert with you?”
“…He always vanishes when we leave the city.”
“…Did you not try searching for him?”
“…I think the name you came up for him should answer your question.”
“…Karl, why did you join the team?” Alnea said to Karl with a sigh.
“…To survive.”
“If you want to just survive, then a Forbidden Area is the last place you should be. Why did you come to the Lost City?”
“…Some things are just not under our control.”
“…Forget all those things. Just tell me, do you want to enter the inner city or not?”
“…That is my only chance of survival.”
“Then why are you so averse to the idea of exploring the Black Desert?”
“…I…”
“It is true that the city will not ask us to complete our quotas for the Black Desert Trials, but only those who dare to go above their quotas have any chances of making it to the inner city. If you do not even dare to walk into the Desert, how are you going to collect the Trial Points? How are you going to qualify to enter the inner city?”
“…I do not know…”
“…Do you even want to enter the inner city?”
“…I just told you, that is my only chance of survival.”
“And yet you are still so hesitant about completing the most basic requirement of entering the inner city…”
“…That is because… I… The Black Desert… You do not understand…”
“What is there to understand? You either come to the Black Desert with us, and fight for a chance of survival, or stay here in the city, and get kicked out after a few months. The choice is yours.”
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“…I… I have to enter the inner city…”
“…What if I give you a way to survive outside of the inner city? Will you still want to go to the inner city?”
“…That is not possible.”
“Just answer my questions.”
“…I… I am not sure…”
“Then make up your mind. If you do not even know the Star that you are chasing after, how can you be a Star Seeker?”
“…The Star that I am Seeking…” Karl mumbled, biting his lips, and closing his eyes to calm himself. It was not until his face, distorted in anxiety and confusion, returned to its normal self, that he let go of his lips, and opened his eyes.
“…I want to enter the inner city.”
“Then are you willing to come to the Black Desert with us?”
“…I do not know…”
“…Oh, come on,” Cecilia said, finally unable to hold herself back after seeing Karl’s timid appearance, and slapped his back. “What are you afraid of? Are there people after you? Tell me their names, and their origins. I will deal with them for you.”
“…There is no one after me.”
“Then why are you making such a fuss?”
“…I just think that we should prepare a little more before going into the desert as a team, or we might end up suffering.”
“…Although I cannot understand your fear, I can assure you that there is nothing for you to worry about,” Alnea said in a much softer tone. “There are ten of us… And all ten of us can deal with Peak Stage Wanderers on our own. There is nothing that we cannot handle anymore. Even if we incur Ilea’s wrath, and face something that we cannot handle, as a Scholar, it will not be your turn to face those dangers head on. We will be there with you. I will be there with you, charging ahead before anyone else. That is my promise to you as your Captain.”
“…I still think that we should prepare a little more. At least, you and Cecilia should break through to the Advanced Stage before venturing into the Black Desert… After all that you have said though, I do not have any other choice, do I?”
“…Everyone has a choice, Karl,” Alnea said, looking solemnly at the slightly round face of the grey robed man, smiling in helplessness. “We will never force you.”
“But you will stop trusting me… And I still want to be a Star Seeker… I still have to chase my Star…” Karl said, and paused for a few moments, before continuing. “I have no problems with venturing into the Black Desert. I just hope that everyone will be careful, and do their jobs properly.”
“Do not worry,” Zain said, patting Karl on his back. “As the White Arcanist of the Lost City, I will make sure to keep you safe.”
“…We will decide our arrangements later,” Alnea said. “Before we talk about anything else, let me clarify a few things first. Is there anyone else who does not want to venture into the Black Desert?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Good. Then the second thing. Although what Karl said earlier might sound a bit alarmist, but we can never to be too cautious. Especially since we now know at least two groups of people who do not wish to see us entering the inner city. As for the enemies that are hidden in the dark… When we venture into the Black Desert, everyone needs to be on their guard. Make sure to cover up your tracks, and do not leave behind any clues for our enemies to find us.”
“…Those are the most basic rules of surviving in the desert,” Zain said. “Everyone knows—
“I am not doubting you, Zain. I am just reminding you. Do not let your guard down, no matter what. Understood?”
“…Fine,” Zain said, clicking his tongue in an external show of annoyance. Alnea knew his true Heart though, so he did not pursue the matter, and continued with where he had left off.
“…The same is true for the rest of you,” Alnea said to the Star Seekers as a whole. “Although I would like to believe in our strength, we never know what kind of danger we may encounter. Always be careful, no matter what. At the same time, I also hope that you will see your fellow teammates as not just your teammates, but your companions, your friends, whom you are willing to share your life and death with.
“Of course, I do not mean that literally. Trust like that cannot be built in just a month or two. Still, if we end up encountering something beyond our capabilities, I hope that you will give up your prejudices, and help each other out, even at the cost of revealing some of your hidden strength. Do not deny it. I know that all of you have hidden a part of your strength, some more cleverly than others.
“I am not asking you to share the details of your hidden strength. I just want us to help each other out, without worrying about revealing our strength to each other. Of course, as promised, I will always be there in front of you, but I do not wish to see our companions getting injured, or even dying, just because one or a few of us were too selfish. That is all I am asking. Can everyone do that?”
Everyone looked at each other solemnly, and nodded at each other, before turning back towards Alnea, and saying in unison, “We can.”
“We are Star Seekers…” Alnea said, trailing off, allowing others to complete his words.
“We chase after the Stars…”
“Seeking the ones belonging to us…”
“And we do it together…”
“As a team…”
“As Star Seekers…”
“…Now, we can talk about the Black Desert Trials,” Alnea said, nodding in satisfaction.