After pulling his hand from Jacob's painful handshake, Adrian was given a card from Jacob with his signature and information on it.
"With this, you can call the association no matter where you are. That is all. Now, feel free to look around."
Adrian turned back and looked at Eric, who was sitting on the bench with his arms crossed, and then at Max, who was busy buying and eating sweets.
Adrian started walking around and looked at the leaderboard. It was a big tablet made of white light and suspended in mid-air, where the names of people with the highest contribution points were written on the right. The people at the top were written in golden light.
On the walls were mission boards made of white light, with words written on them in yellow light. All the details regarding the missions and rewards were written on the boards. If there was too much information, one could even swipe to the second page to see the rest.
On the left and right sides of the registration table were two hallways that led to different places: a bar where Aura users wearing bodysuits of all colors were drinking beer or mourning the loss of one of their team members; a cafeteria where people were drinking and eating normally; shops where books, charms, and Mystical relics were being sold; and a library with tall bookshelves filled with thousands of books that left Adrian in awe.
The main hall was filled with people of all types of backgrounds, looks, Auras, and appearances. Mostly humans wearing different colors of bodysuits were looking at the missions and talking to each other. He felt weird not having a bodysuit—he was still in his school uniform—but no one seemed to mind his clothing. There were many who were not wearing bodysuits, so him not wearing one wasn't anything unusual.
"Hey, let's form a team of five, including you and me, and go hunt the six-horned rainbow rhino," two people in red and black bodysuits were saying to each other.
"What!? A shiny eight-armed crocodile has appeared! I need to get its brain to advance!" A tanned middle-aged man screamed after seeing that the last ingredient he needed to advance to Auri Nova had finally appeared. He was happy at first but soon fell into panic, as he didn't have many connections to form a party and wasn't wealthy either. He fell into deep contemplation.
"Haha! Finally, I took over that bastard Klein! Risking my life to hunt those serene sirens was worth it!" A haughty young man was laughing proudly.
"What is this golden-haired baboon?" a young boy asked his father, who was wearing a red bodysuit and had his small son beside him.
Adrian had been given the freedom to look around the place and was having fun, but to be honest, he wasn't interested in exploring big, crowded places at all. The reason he was even looking around was due to formality. He was more interested in getting back home and reading the books he had been given by Visie.
Strangely, he had never shown this much interest in his studies at school, but when he thought about reading history and finding out more about the Aura Region, he couldn't help but feel pumped with adrenaline and hear his heart beat faster.
He would be more confident coming back here after learning all he could. Just as he was about to go to Eric and request that they leave, Jacob shouted to Eric, "Hey, Eric, come here! I have got news to tell you!"
His scream got the attention of every Aura user in the hall as everybody's head turned to look at Jacob. Eric got out of his thoughts and turned his head to look at Jacob. He slowly stood up, walked toward Jacob, and leaned in to hear what he had to say. Eric always preferred to be aware of every piece of news in the present as much as he could—even if it wasn't detailed, at least to be aware of it on the surface level.
"What is it?" Eric asked. Even Max, who was happily chewing his sweets, got closer to listen in. Adrian didn't back down either. No one else dared to get close to the group.
"It has been quite a while since you have come here, but I believe you haven't been checking the news lately, right?"
Eric tilted his chin and replied, "Yes. There have been many things going on in my life. I am even married now and have many things to do. I can't just hang around asking others for news. If I were to move to Lumenia or any other planet in the Auralis Solar System, I could get major news with no problem, but right now I do not have the time."
Adrian mustered up the courage and asked Jacob sheepishly, "Uh—Mr. Jacob, can you tell me about your Aura?"
Jacob slightly turned his head to look at Adrian. He stared at his face for a few seconds, making Adrian anxious and thinking that he shouldn't have asked. Jacob chuckled and replied with a warm smile, "Sure, no problem. But first, remember to just call me Jacob. I am an Auri Nova-rank Aura user of the Instinct Pathway. I have the Intuition Aura. It allows me to feel intuition through different reactions of my body, like gut feelings or hunches. Through them, I can tell things accurately—like I just did with Eric, sensing how he has not been paying attention to the major headlines of the Aura Region. It is not suitable for fighting at all, as you can see. I was a supporter of a team that got wiped out not many years ago, and I became a receptionist."
Adrian's expression contorted as he felt bad for asking. Jacob was telling his sad story with a happy smile. Suddenly, his warm smile felt sad and depressing. It seemed the saying "The brightest smiles hide the deepest pains" was true after all.
Adrian bent into a slight bow and apologized to Jacob. Jacob waved his hands and said, "H-hey, don't bow, kid. It's okay. I was the one who brought it up in the first place. There are thousands to whom way worse has happened, and they still live happy lives and are satisfied. In comparison to them, my suffering is nothing. Straighten your back and ask anything else you want."
Adrian was still feeling very bad even after Jacob told him not to worry, so he shook his head in refusal. He didn't have anything else to ask. He had already decided that staying quiet was the best option right now. Despite becoming an Aura user, he still had a soft heart that felt intense empathy for others' pain.
After this entire exchange, Eric turned his attention back to Jacob. He was getting a little restless about what the news was. Jacob finally opened his mouth and told them, "Sasaki Alberich is getting married."
Eric's expression didn't change upon hearing this. This was quite useless news. However, the voice in his head didn't think the same. An old man's groan resounded in his ear—the sound that had been in his head for years now. "The fourth one is getting married now? Good, good."
Eric's expression didn't change, but inside he was in disbelief. The voice in his head had spoken quite a few times in his life, but this was the first time it had ever said something to itself and not to him. What it said was not some random clue he had no idea about, but very valuable information!
"So Sasaki is the fourth one? If Adrian is the first one, Max is the second one, and I am the third one as confirmed by Voyage, then what connection do we all have, and how many 'ones' are even out there? What makes someone a 'one'? Eric thought to himself. However, just like many things in his life, he had no knowledge regarding this matter either. He also didn't want to think about something too deeply in case he couldn't comprehend it. It would be too disastrous for him.
His mind suddenly jolted as he realized the sense of familiarity he had felt earlier when he was coming here. "Could it be that Sasaki Alberich was there, watching me? No, what would he be doing here? Maybe it was someone else I don't know about. Wait—Edward knows that we are the first, second, and third ones. Sasaki must also know it. That's why he might have come, but why right now? He didn't even approach us. Sigh. He must know many things, but if he doesn't approach me, then I can't do anything about it. Haha. It is still quite weird that I am connected to the most powerful Aura user in some mysterious way." Eric thought, forming some guesses that could most probably be true, but there were even more questions now.
Max didn't care about who was getting married or who was dying. He simply didn't let himself be affected by things happening in other people's lives. Adrian was in the same boat. He didn't know much about Sasaki. The news might have been exciting for others, but not for him—at least not until he knew more about Sasaki.
From others' reactions, Adrian knew he and Max were the odd ones out. Everyone else who had heard the news was mind-boggled and excited. This was going to be a huge and grand event for sure that would affect many things.
Max looked at Adrian while eating his honey-layered sticks. He realized that Adrian didn't know how news was spread across the Aura Region and that Adrian was unwilling to speak right now. So he decided to ask the question in his place. "Hey Jacob, can you remind me again how news is circulated across the Aura Region?"
Jacob looked up at Max and knew who he was asking the question for. He didn't expose him and just played along. He blinked with his right eye at Max and answered, "News in the Aura Region is primarily circulated through newspapers. We're not like the Utopian Region, where the natural Utopian Energy allows the creation of advanced technologies and interactive communication channels accessible to everyone. It's much easier for them to share information. Aura does exist in this world, of course—but the natural Aura that flows through it cannot be used or interacted with by ordinary people.
What about telepathic communication? In theory, you could spread news instantly if one person with strong telepathic ability reached many others at once. But in reality, that would require countless individuals with exceptional mental capacity and Aura control to cover the entire region—something far beyond possible limits. Even if it were done, it might disturb many people and could lead to casualties among those who are trying to make relics and charms or are advancing. And even then, remember: Meditation Aura only allows telepathic communication between Meditation Aura users.
Most Knowledge Pathway Aura users with abilities related to knowledge have already been recruited by the four great bodies of the Aura Region and work exclusively for them. So, what's the solution? There's only one answer—newspapers. Not everyone needs to know what's happening across the entire region, after all. So local news is spread through printed papers or, on smaller planets, through limited TV broadcasts that report events relevant to that planet or its surrounding area. Once every month, a special edition is released—the 'Universal Paper.' This issue is primarily read by Aura users and contains the most significant developments from across the entire region. Before publication, every piece of information is cross-checked and verified with the records from Lumenia, ensuring accuracy and credibility. After validation, the paper is distributed across all planets in the Aura Region, with allied planets receiving priority delivery. Non-allied planets must purchase their copies each month if they wish to stay informed."
Adrian easily understood who Jacob was really answering. He simply nodded to Jacob and asked, "Can we go home now? I feel a lot of time has passed. My sister will be worried. She is alone at home too. I need to leave now."
Eric looked at the clock on the wall. It had been six hours since they had been here. It must be evening on Earth by now. The weather didn't change here, and no one could tell if it was day or night, but the rate of time passing here and on Earth was the same.
Eric nodded and bid farewell to Jacob. The trio then walked out of the hall and were now on the streets. Before leaving, Max had bought some more sweets again. After all, he couldn't find the same sweets on Earth.
After reaching the streets again, Eric grabbed the shoulders of Max and Adrian and walked ahead. Adrian's vision wobbled again before he found himself standing under the red sun. He was in an empty, dark alley. He looked behind him, and Eric was still in the same appearance.
Eric removed his hands from their shoulders and turned to his right, ready to leave. He looked at Max. Both of them nodded to each other, and Max took out his Meditation Aura and teleported away to a place only he and Eric knew. Before leaving, he reminded Adrian, "Adrian, after you get home, you will be meeting your bodyguard. Be kind to him."
"Wait, bodyguard? What?" Adrian was confused, but Eric didn't answer his question and started to walk away.
"Hey, wait, Eric! I forgot to ask: what is the first step of the method of control for my rank so I can increase my rate of control over my Aura?"
Eric, who was back in his Mike Jackson look and had worn the Imperator's Cross back on his left earlobe, turned his head to look at Adrian and said coldly, "You have been doing it for hours now. Guess."
Adrian was silent for a few seconds as his eyes hovered around. He couldn't find the answer. Eric sighed and answered, "Curiosity. Just go home, meet your bodyguard, read, and ask as many questions as possible. The more you ask, learn, and clarify everything, the more your rate of control will increase. For today, goodbye."
Eric waved goodbye to Adrian and disappeared into the darkness of the alley, leaving Adrian alone.