"I understand what you're trying to say, but…why did you never apply to a university, or a military academy then?" Michael asked before he proposed,
"Do you want us to apply together? With your 5-Star Soultrait and Tier, you would be accepted with open arms. I can even ask someone to send an application form to the Saphirelake Military Academy on your behalf. I think she would do that!"
Michael couldn't hide that he was a little excited at the thought of studying at the Saphirelake Military Academy alongwith his brother.
Even if Danny was never able to spend much time with him, Michael always thought of him as a great and loving brother. He could tell that Danny always gave his best to support him and spare some time to train together.
Danny was his best friend, and he would sacrifice his life for him, if necessary. That was not even debatable.
However, Michael quickly noticed that Danny didn't seem as excited as he was. Danny went silent and he had stopped eating as well.
"..."
'Seems like I shouldn't have asked,' Michael thought, giving it a shrug.
He couldn't hide that he was a little disappointed, but it didn't matter.
"I won't force you. It's just a thought that occurred to me. I felt that it would be easier for us if we go together," He said, forcing himself to smile.
Michael knew that if he was accepted into the Saphirelake Military Academy he would have to leave the planet. They would be light years apart because the Saphirelake Military Academy was on Kelta, which was the first planet in the new stellar system they'd begun to colonize a few decades ago.
With lightyears separating the brothers, it would be extremely difficult for them to meet up.
Michael suppressed a deep sigh, and he began to eat again. The information Danny had shared weighed heavy on his mind, but he was hungry, nonetheless. There was almost nothing that could cause him to lose his appetite.
Meanwhile, Danny was still deep in thought but Michael didn't bother him any further. Michael had learned a lot today, whether it was about the Origin Expanse and the Zentika Empire, or the outside world, mankind's current state of events, and the future that awaited him.
He had a lot to digest but he felt better knowing what was going on than being left in the dark. Being ignorant would come back to bite him when he least expected it. Thus, Michael was quite satisfied.
As for his thoughts about the Saphirelake Military Academy, Michael was still not certain if he should apply to it. Alice Zenovia might have told him to attend it, but there were countless military academies in the solar system. Some of them ought to be ranked higher than the Saphirelake Military Academy. Couldn't he apply to them instead of having to leave the solar system to get admitted to a military academy that was constructed only recently?
Michael opened his chat with Alice Zenovia with those thoughts flashing through his mind.
He wrote a message on impulse and hit the send button before he could rethink his decision.
[Michael: Sorry for replying so late, I've been busy with my territory. I didn't have the time to research the Saphirelake Military Academy and compare them to other Military Academies near Elyra, so I cannot give you a certain answer yet. Even if I sit for the aptitude examination on the 20th and pass, I am not sure if I will join. I know nothing about the benefits the Saphirelake Military Academy has over other academies and universities. If you could give me some information about the benefits, I might be able to give you a clear answer soon.]
After he sent the message, Michael focused his full attention on Danny and the delicious food of the Pleonexia Buffet. The food was even better than Michael expected, and he savored each bite. Simultaneously, he began to answer some of Danny's earlier questions once he refilled his now-empty plates.
Danny had yet to finish his bowl and three plates of food when he returned to the table, but he was less uncomfortable than he had been when Michael asked him to join a university, or academy together.
Michael made use of that to talk to Danny. He wanted to know more about the Tritan Alliance, and the treaties mankind made with other races. Michae was also curious about Danny's territory, how far the development had progressed, and how many powerful subjects he had nurtured since he became a Lord in the Origin Expanse.
They talked a lot, and it looked like they would never stop until a staff member came over to politely ask them to hurry up since their allocated time had been used up. The staff member asked them if they wanted to extend their time, but the brothers declined. They had gobbled up close to 30 plates of food that had been filled to the brim. The amount of food and nutrition were enough to feed a family of ten for two days, maybe even more.
The brothers didn't see a problem, but they noticed that some of the staff members looked at them in disbelief. Michael even heard someone asking their friend if they had starved themselves for several days to prepare for the Pleonexia Buffet in an attempt to taunt the brothers. Little did they know that this kind of meal was something Michael could eat every other day. His stomach would digest everything rapidly and turn it into a massive amount of energy.
That was exactly what he required. After all, the Origin Expanse was bound to cause countless sleepless nights in the future. But that was only obvious. Being a Lord was time-consuming, especially if one wanted to be a good Lord.
The two brothers got up from their table and left the Pleonexia Buffet. They finished their meal, and it was now time to do two things.
First, Danny asked Michael to register himself as a Lord and get his Lord ID information. The reason for that was apparent to Michael, whose brother had done the same thing four years ago.
To create a Lord ID a trace of the War Rune's data would be extracted and stored inside the Lord ID. This made it near-impossible to copy the Lord ID, which turned it into the most authentic identification device. However, that was not everything.
With the War Rune's data in the Lord ID, the access permission to the Lord network would be upgraded automatically whenever the War Rune's Tier increased. It would be updated in real-time in the Lord ID if a Lord loses his territory or dies as well.
The Lord ID's card would naturally lose its luster and become blank when the Lord's territory was lost, and it would burn if the Lord died. This information would be sent to the AI governing all Lord IDs, which made it much easier to be updated on a Lord's death in the Origin Expanse, and to forward the information to the deceased's family.
Danny wanted his information and to be immediately informed if something happened to Michael. Michael was against that because he didn't want to make his brother worry needlessly, however, the brothers clearly recalled the dispute they had four years ago.
At that time, Danny didn't want to share his Lord ID with Michael because of the same reason. It was just the other way around this time.
Michael realized that he was wrong and that he had to comply to his brother's demand. That was fine until something bad happened, which Michael wouldn't let happen.
Thus, they went over to the branch of the awakened department that was located inside the Central Trading Hall. It took only a few minutes to reach the awakened department and the Lord ID was created and all set to be used in half an hour.
When the Lord ID was done, Michael forwarded the ID's information to Danny. However, his brother was fully focused on Michael's War Rune.
Danny could tell from Michael's presence that he was already a decently powerful Lord with quite a few loyal subjects. While that was great, the fact that Michael's War Rune was almost refined to the Late stage was a little worrisome.
"Are you sure that you don't need any help? I began to save up a little after entering the Origin Expanse. I always put some of my savings aside to make up for the little time I could spend with you…" Danny said in a sad voice as they left the awakened department.
He looked a little embarrassed, but Michael just smiled.
"Gifting me Tigerfang is already more than I ever expected to receive from you. I don't think I should ask how much your bank account had to bleed to buy me an Epic Artifact…Furthermore, Tigerfang is powerful enough to cut through Tier-1 Monsters, so you don't have to worry about my safety!" Michael reassured his brother with confidence spreading across his face.
However, Danny's face turned dark upon hearing his brother's words.
"Cut easily through Tier-1 Monsters…is that so? How do you know that?!?"
'Fuck…'
At that moment, Michael realized that he had fucked up.
