"Luna, did you just call him Jason, instead of intruder? You don't think that he intentionally intruded your abode anymore?"
The moment the City lord heard this, she regretted her choice of words and bit her tongue.
Glaring at Pera, who smiled lightly, Luna only said.
"You shouldn't be concerned about this youth's punishment anymore. Rather, be prepared for yourself!! Who allowed you to leave a stranger alone…in the auxiliary tower at that?"
Luna was enraged, but that was only obvious because many things could have gone wrong due to Pera's carelessness of leaving Jason alone in the auxiliary tower.
As such, Pera's smile was washed away as she paled, however, knowing that she had done something wrong, she could only nod her head meekly, accepting her fate without complaining.
Meanwhile, the City lord turned to Jason, only to look into his golden-silverish eyes as she sighed.
"He is way too foolish to be an intruder, how can he easily expose his secrets to complete strangers?!?
These words caused a faint smile to emerge on the other women's faces, only for Jason to feel slightly offended.
Despite that, it was great that the City Lord didn't think of him as an intruder anymore.
Thus, he simply ignored Luna's comment and smiled at her.
"As for your punishment…there shouldn't be a need for that. You exposed your secrets, and you didn't really do anything bad, to begin with.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})However, if you want to leave my abode, you will have to make a soul pact that will prevent you from exposing the existence of Jen, whose identity you seem to have learned with your unique eyes, as well as the other things you have heard!"
What Luna said was reasonable and Jason nodded his head, happy about what he heard only for the City lord to continue speaking.
"If, and only if you want to stay a little bit longer in my abode, you will have to make a soul contract, which prevents you from lying to us. That shouldn't be much of a problem, and if you don't want to say something, you can simply state that instead of answering forcefully.
By staying here, you could become Pera's apprentice for the time being. Her appraisal of your talent should be correct, and it shouldn't be disadvantageous if we nurture you a bit!"
Jason's eyes grew wide to hear the City lord because he didn't expect to receive such a grand opportunity.
It was much better than he could have hoped for in the beginning, where he had to fear being executed on the spot.
From fearing for his life, he was now suddenly being welcomed under their wing where he could grow and learn.
The City lord's sudden change in behavior was weird, but at the same time, not that unordinary because Jason was sincere with everything he had been saying or doing for the entire time.
In the end, it would have been weirder, if Luna hadn't noticed his sincerity, because that would mean she truly hated men, without differentiating between them, at all!
Nevertheless, Jason couldn't help but ask.
"If I were to stay and become Pera's apprentice, am I allowed to leave the auxiliary tower, or do I need to avoid encountering you… It doesn't look like you adore the sight of men…that's why I'm asking…"
He hoped that his words didn't offend the City lord, but instead of the expected rage, she almost chuckled before she replied,
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"I think it's fine if you walk around my abode, there is no need to confine you to the auxiliary tower, you are just a brat and not a man, after all!"
Jason stiffened when he heard this, and he could only question himself why the City lord was suddenly trying to attack him with words instead of her strength.
Nevertheless, he decided to remain silent for a moment, overcoming the painful words of the City lord that hurt his pride a little, only to look her straight into the eyes.
"If that's the case, I would be honored to learn new things from Pera, and if possible, improve my knowledge in other fields too.
Maybe, I can even spar with the other cadets, I heard about too? I don't want to neglect my cultivation progress, and combat training either!"
He knew that he had yet to acquire a suitable martial art technique to improve his combat prowess once again, but that was not as important as constantly fighting against others, possibly stronger opponents, to prevent becoming outdated.
If possible, Jason would prefer improving his knowledge and proficiency with the three basic auxiliary occupations a few days in the week, while cultivating late at night, only to use the remaining days to rest and hone his combat skills.
This should be feasible, considering that he was allowed to walk around, and from the looks of it, the City Lord didn't seem to have something against it.
"As long as you sign the soul pact that prevents you from lying to me, Jen, Pera, and a few more I trust, you can do whatever you want!"
Luna's attitude towards Jason had completely changed, which was nice to see.
However, at the same time, it was a little bit weird, and he couldn't help but feel odd, only to see that the others' reactions were not any different either.
Jen looked at Luna as if she was doing something shocking, while the three guards couldn't help but furrow their eyebrows to hear the decision.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Meanwhile, Pera was rather happy about the outcome of the entire situation, except for the fact that she had made a big mistake.
'She won't reduce the funds for the auxiliary tower…right?' Pera suddenly questioned herself, with a shock, only for her to quickly put on a neutral expression, in an attempt to prevent Luna from noticing what she was thinking.
A few moments of silence passed because nobody was sure what to say as Luna chose to sort out the mess once and for all.
"Pera will explain everything necessary to you, and she can also set up the soul pact.
There is no need for me to do that as long as the content of the soul pact is correct. Jennifer is in control of the cadets you were talking about, so you will have to ask her for permission to spar with others there.
I also heard that Lanro is the first city you entered after leaving your origin planet. As such, you shouldn't have a messenger emblem yet, Pera will take care of that too!"
Taking a glance at Pera, Luna only saw Pera nodding her head before swiftly dragging Jason back into the auxiliary tower.
"Let's go into the tower, I can explain everything to you there. It's much quieter too!"
Using Jason as a means to avoid being punished, Pera quickly disappeared, leaving behind the City lord, who was smiling faintly, only to hear Jen ask.
"Master, are you sure that it's fine for Jason to be here? Don't you dislike all males, whether young or old?..Maybe I'm mistaken…"
However, seeing how Luna shook her head to come up with a proper answer, Jen was even more confused, only to hear the answer she hadn't expected.
"He is interesting, whether it's his capabilities, cultivation stage, the strength of his mana fluctuations that are several times stronger than his cultivation rank, or his proficiency in the auxiliary occupation.
In the end, his entire existence makes me feel as if we should try to either kill him right now, thereby preventing him from growing further, or be on friendly terms with him!"
