It turned out that Lu was the first person to appear amongst his unit party, and then they had to spend a few moments in silence before the next set of people arrived.
"Stella. Nice to meet you. It's been a long time." Lu said, shaking the hands of a young-looking lady.
"It's only been twenty years, Lu. It really isn't that long." Stella replied with a smile.
Lu wanted to say something further, but he chose to withhold his tongue. However, his heart trembled. Of course, twenty years wouldn't be long to you, Stella. You spent it traveling from Region to Region, while I waited here tending to spoilt children.
Meanwhile, Reith watched the exchange, and he was quick to notice how good-looking everyone who had arrived was.
It seemed like Lu was the odd thumb sticking out.
"They'd probably need him." Reith mused. That was the only reason why people tended to keep the odd ones around, for their own use, and it was a constant in this world.
The room was stretched wide, and at the center of the room sat a long oval-shaped table made with black stone. Its surface was so smooth that it reflected the lighting in the room.
The chairs around the table were positioned in such a way that whoever sat at the table owned the room.
When the greeting was over, every one of them took their various seats, and right in front of Reith, Mr. Lu went to the head of the table and sat down.
"..." Reith was speechless. He couldn't believe his eyes.
With that display, it would simply mean that Mr. Lu was the leader of this group.
As soon as Lu sat down, the rest of the others stood up.
"Thank you for leading us." They said in unison, and Reith swallowed his disbelief. Maybe this teacher of his was secretly a big shot.
Reith thought of the novels he had seen in Reisa's room. Although she had told him not to touch any of them, he couldn't stop himself from reading through.
When she had gone, a part of his time was invested into finishing those books.
Although he hated some of the main characters, he couldn't help but think that Master Lu looked like and was currently acting like a main character.
"Let's go straight to the point. What's going on? Why did you have to call me in for this meeting?" Lu asked, staring intensely at them.
Reith suddenly felt the brunt of everyone's gaze. Stella was the first person to speak up.
"Should he be here?" She asked, pointing at Reith. "The report is very confidential." She emphasized, and Lu sighed.
"Please take a walk around, Boy." He said.
"Can I head to the lobby?" Reith dusted his legs as he stood up. It wasn't like he was that interested in their conversation.
Staying for the meeting was also very uncomfortable for him, especially when Stella had chosen to wear those over-revealing clothes, hugging her at the curves.
Reisa had always told him to be cautious of ladies like that, so when a greater percentage of the ladies were dressed like that, he was not happy staying here.
With a wave of his hand, Lu dismissed him. "I'd come get you to see the beast collection."
Taking the elevator, Reith thought about how Lu had done it. There was no single respect for him in the school by the students, but here he was a big shot in the Alliance.
Was that humility? It felt wrong.
When he arrived at the lobby, Reith went straight to the receptionist's desk.
"Good day, Ma'am. Please, how do I work as an adventurer? Is there a time to take the exams?" He asked. If he worked as an adventurer, he would be able to make some extra money.
Then he could get a technique or maybe even two.
The receptionist looked up at him. "I'm sorry, but how old are you, please?"
"I'm seventeen. Is there a problem?" Reith arched a brow, then took a small look around. There were other people who looked like teenagers around.
"No, no. Not at all." The lady waved her hands frantically. "It's just that people without cores don't meet the requirements for taking the exams." She explained.
"Oh." Reith tapped the desk lightly. "What about those teenagers standing around? Aren't they adventurers?"
The lady smiled a little. "Not at all. Those are Cadets. They only assist the adventurers and follow them for guidance. If you want, I can hitch you up with an adventurer to help your learning." She said, clicking speedily on her tabtop. "It would boost your chances of passing the exam also."
Seeing what she was doing, Reith quickly stopped her. "No, don't worry. I came in with someone, and I think he'd help me out." Without waiting for her response, Reith turned around, leaving the place.
He would go back to the higher floor and check if Master Lu was done with his meeting.
Now he simply had to remember the right room.
Meanwhile, in the massive room, Lu hung his head, his fingers drumming against the black stone table.
"What you are saying is... It can't be possible." His voice was low, almost a growl, but the members of his team would not relent.
"We know what we saw, Lu." A man finally spoke, his tone firm. His name was Felix. "There was a rift. Larger than the last one."
Lu slammed his hand on the table. "The last one four decades ago! So what are you saying now? The incident that drove our region almost to extinction is here again?"
No one dared to talk, they all felt the same way when they had first heard about it.
Seeing Lu's emotional side, Felix calmed down. "I'm sorry, but we can't afford to sit still. If our readings are correct, that rift has the potential to grow into an S-tier." He explained.
Lu sighed, "Is it the same as last time?" It was a question but it brought trembling to their hearts as their minds were filled with those brutal images.
Felix shook his head, "Last time was the beast tide. This time, we sensed corrupted energy. It's closer to our region than any other. So we are left on our own right now. According to our latest gathering, everything within a twenty-mile radius has been wiped clean because of that energy."
Stella nodded her head.
She could vividly remember what she had seen, and it was terrible. "The whole land is bare, and the beasts are becoming more aggressive. This is why we called this meeting, Lu." Her expression hardened and she looked at him right in the eyes.
"That rift needs to be closed, and in the space of our region, while Leon is the strongest, only your path has the ability to close a rift."