Chapter 281: SS Grade
Maya didn’t know how to handle Auric’s kindness. Still, there was definitely one thing she needed to say.
"Thank you."
Auric had given her a chance to go home. With all her records erased, she could start fresh.
There was no need for a lot of words, as she preferred to show it with her actions, not just words.
At the very least, she could think of three possible ways of repaying him even a little. The first would be traveling more. There were a lot of things they could do together since she didn’t have to worry about the travel ban anymore. In addition, she could be there for extra protection so that Auric could do whatever he wanted. At least, she believed Auric wasn’t the type of person who would actually do something bad unless he was forced to.
The second would be following his requests. Auric definitely had a lot of requests. He just never asked for them directly.
The last one would be related to his profession as a unique-element evolution master.
’I should first focus on searching for unique-element users so that he can gather them. It’s already quite hard to search for unique-element users, and it will be even harder to find people with juvenile-form avatars. So, I should start as soon as possible.’
Auric smiled. "Why don’t you take some time off and visit your family? I am not planning to go anywhere. Besides, Katarina, the vice president of the student council at Kallarnos University, will be visiting and staying for a few days. She evolved her avatar to the mature form during the hunting event. So, I’m quite safe for the time being."
"Are you sure?" Maya asked.
"Yes. Besides, haven’t you been pushing away the people who are coming to invite me?"
Auric worded it safely, but ’pushing away’ in his mouth was actually killing them. She had eliminated those who entered illegally.
"Unfortunately, those who entered legally have the protection of the law." Maya sighed. "You might still have to meet them."
"Don’t worry, I have a new secretary." Auric waved his hand with a cheeky smile. He could just push everything to Katarina.
Even though she was going to practice the Artificial Heart Method, she wouldn’t exactly use all her time to mastering it.
He thought Katarina would need some time to investigate his father, so he planned to hide in either the academy or his home to avoid those people for a while.
Katarina’s competence definitely benefited him greatly. She was more adept at handling this type of problem than him.
"Vice president with a mature-form avatar..." Maya still remembered her time at the university. It was clear that a vice president was usually a third-year student. This way, they could prepare for the next generation of the student council.
The fact that Katarina managed to reach this level during her third year showed her potential. In fact, Katarina’s potential seemed to be similar to hers.
Maya never thought that Auric managed to recruit her. "It looks like your trip this time is much more bountiful than I imagined."
"Certainly." Auric chuckled.
"I understand." Maya smiled, having no other reason to reject his kindness. "I’ll take a short trip back home. I will be back in a few days."
"Take your time." Auric waved his hand.
’I might as well seek some benefits from him. Maybe something I can do with the family resources without giving them his information,’ thought Maya.
"In any case, do you need something from me?" Maya asked. "Now that you have finished the hunting event, you must be able to see your path forward."
"I plan to raise my strength as soon as possible. So, most of the time, I will be increasing my elements." Auric raised his finger. Now that he knew that Lindwurm would tell him something, he was going to accomplish it as quickly as possible.
"Very well." Maya nodded in understanding. "If you need anything from me, do let me know."
"Yes." Auric wanted to bring up the matter about unique elements, but he would wait until she was done spending her time with her family.
Now that he had finished his matter with Maya, he immediately headed to the airport to meet Katarina. Fortunately, he managed to arrive just a few minutes before her plane landed.
"Welcome." Auric smiled.
"I’ve come." Katarina nodded.
"I’ve booked a room for you at Ellia’s hotel." Auric extended his hand, gesturing for her to follow him.
"Yes. Let’s talk after we are in the hotel."
"You’re not going to get some rest first?"
"I’ve had plenty of rest on the way here." Katarina waved her hand. "Besides, I’m quite curious what kind of secret you’re planning to show me."
"You won’t be disappointed."
"By the way, I’ve investigated this city. It looks like there are a lot of people coming for you."
Auric sighed. "It’s a hassle."
"Do you intend to accept any of them?"
"I intend to be free. Besides, you don’t exactly want me to accept any of them, don’t you?"
Katarina shook her head. "You misunderstand me. I don’t actually mind. I know that you are more than capable of surpassing their expectations, and you will ultimately either free yourself from them or just take them over entirely."
Auric certainly didn’t expect this kind of reply. "You flatter me."
"That’s what good subordinates do." Katarina chuckled.
Katarina didn’t say much about her family or the work she had done, as she didn’t know who might be listening. At the very least, she knew Ellia’s integrity and her hotel’s reputation, so she thought she would be safe there.
But even after getting into her room, the first thing she did was sweep it clean.
Yes, Katarina actually searched the whole room, making sure it wasn’t bugged.
Auric didn’t say anything about her routine, especially considering the fact that the information he intended to share was highly sensitive. Unfortunately, the Moon Store had yet to make any sales.
Considering the prices and the ridiculous promises the technique offered, it was understandable.
Once she had checked the whole room, Katarina finally took out a document. "This is the report. You can burn it once you are done reading it."
Auric read the report carefully. "So, the Apocalypse was a terrifying organization."
"Indeed." Katarina nodded. "The Apocalypse is an organization with more than ten rank 6 humans. Right now, there are about a thousand rank 6 humans globally, but in the past, there were only about a hundred scattered across the three main safe havens."
With that number, having over ten percent of the world’s power was definitely unimaginable.
The new countries hadn’t been formed. The military wasn’t in order. There was no way anyone could mobilize many rank 6 humans to face them head-on. No one possessed that much power.
"In the past, there were three heroes who fought against the Apocalypse. The first General of the Army of Esfrata, Yohemia Simeon. He was like the saint of the military. He brought orders and even led the people to resist the Apocalypse.
"The second person was Joshua Auguste. The pillar that contained the Apocalypse by using his influence not just in this country but also across other countries. Without him, the Apocalypse would grow bigger.
"The last person was Mathias Relesha. He single-handedly assassinated seven of their rank 6 humans. Without him, the Apocalypse would still have enough strength to resist attacks from all sides."
Auric crossed his arms. "I know about the two of them, but Sir Mathias..."
"He assassinated them. The method wasn’t exactly justifiable. He was, after all, the creator of the adjudicator system." Katarina looked away.
"Fair enough." At the very least, he finally understood why the country was more lenient toward the Relesha family. Mathias had done unimaginable things without recognition.
"In the past, the Apocalypse didn’t just threaten this country, but also others. However, due to their location, the conflict with this country was more direct. Once they were weakened by Sir Mathias, General Yoh launched a direct attack on their headquarters and dismantled the organization."
"After that, the Apocalypse was gone." Auric narrowed his eyes. "Do you have any proof that the organization we’re currently facing is related to the original Apocalypse?"
"Right now, there are only suspicions." Katarina shook her head helplessly. "In the past, the Apocalypse was so strong that it didn’t need to infiltrate the government. There were some, but not many. But right now, we’ve been dealing with their insiders constantly..."
"I see. So, we need to know their direct links."
"Yes. Catching the Director should be the easiest method. If we can force him to confess to a few high-ranking people in that organization, we will be able to draw a conclusion."
"Which is why the adjudicators are focusing on the Director right now."
"Indeed." Katarina confirmed. "For now, there isn’t much to say unless the situation develops further."
"I understand." Auric got the gist of the situation. In the past, he could better understand Arnie’s actions. With Katarina’s help, he could understand Arnie.
"I can work with that." Auric smiled. "Well, it’s time for me to fulfill my part of the agreement. Your element is the adamantine element with a rating of 4.8, right?"
"Yes."
"Your affinity?"
"S grade. Thanks to my affinity, I can reach this far quickly. It’s quite hard to find materials with such a powerful element after all." She sighed. If she had to be honest, she would have a much harder time without her family’s resources.
That was why she might not exactly be the most cooperative person, but she definitely contributed to the family a lot.
Auric smiled. "What if I told you... I can make your affinity reach SS grade?"