Suddenly, the village chief clapped his hands twice, and I watched as two guards stepped forward to flank us. "You may follow them back to the evaluation and finish whatever tasks your teacher has left for you. Today is the final day, and we have more warriors than expected, so I must make arrangements with Thak."
"Alright, I understand," I responded, rising to my feet and turning to Thak. I nodded to him, and he returned the gesture before I headed for the door, with one guard walking ahead of me and the other bringing up the rear.
As we walked out of the narrow corridor and away from the village chief's hut, I couldn't resist turning my head backwards to steal one last glance at the structure. While its size, to me, was not particularly impressive, I couldn't help but wonder what secrets lay hidden within its walls. After all, as the village chief, he undoubtedly had important and private matters to attend to.
However, I quickly dismissed the thought from my mind as I approached the crowd. They appeared to have finished the evaluation and were now idly chit-chatting, indicating that the point assignment was also done. As I drew closer, I couldn't help but wonder about the teacher's plans for us since today was the last day of the awakening ceremony.
As we approached the crowd, some of them felt our movements and turned their heads around, freezing in surprise at our presence. The participants of this year's awakening ceremony and the grown men and women in their midst also paused what they were doing and gazed at us as we strolled towards them. The once-bustling crowd fell silent as the guards nodded their heads at me and walked away, leaving me standing awkwardly amidst the intense gaze of everyone around me.
Moments later, a sharp clearing cough echoed through the crowd, drawing everyone's attention to it. "Now that we're all here, let's finish your awakening ceremony with something special," Fiona said with a nod and a smile in my direction before withdrawing her gaze. "Mr Tog, you can take it from here." She nodded at one of the male teachers -the man who had done the evaluation with the black crystal. He stepped forward to address the crowd as Fiona retreated from the centre of attention.
As Fiona strode away, she flashed me a subtle gesture, beckoning me to advance towards her. She was heading towards the women who were tasked with documenting our details and scores. Without a moment's hesitation, I trailed behind her and halted in front of them. Fiona cast me a radiant smile and inquired, "Are you done talking with the village chief?".
I nodded emphatically, replying, "Yes."
With a nod of her head, she met my gaze and spoke, "Since you arrived after we had already finished assigning points, it's only fair that I inform you of your score right away." She paused for a moment, drawing out the suspense before she revealed the news. "According to the results, everyone has a total of 12 points, with some scoring nine or ten. However, you, have managed to accumulate a whopping 14 points. Three of those points were added from your participation in the farm yesterday, bringing your former score of 11 points to a grand total of 14. That means you are the only one who will be eligible to receive a gift from the village chief."
I nodded my head in understanding, fully aware that I had met the necessary requirements for a gift from the village chief during my hard work at the farm yesterday. Therefore, I wasn't all that surprised or taken aback by the revelation.
Fiona suddenly chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes, as she added, "Although, the rest of your mates were grumbling about it being unfair. They said you already awakened a six-star potential, implying that you'd be getting special treatment from the village chief and suggesting they would love to earn more points by going to the farm." She paused, turning to glance at the now attentive crowd as Mr Tog addressed them. "However, even if they go to the farm today, it won't be for gaining points, as that assignment is already over. It will be something else." Her voice carried a sense of mystery, and I couldn't resist the urge to inquire further. "What will we be doing?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
Suddenly, her fingers reached out and gripped my cheeks tightly, eliciting a gasp of surprise from me. "That will be a surprise for you guys to find out when you arrive," she teased, her voice laced with amusement. Before I could respond, she released my cheeks from her grip and continued, "For now, I need to give the village chief the full reports of this year's awakening ceremony. I will catch up with you guys on the farm when I'm done." With a nod towards the three women beside her, she strode purposefully away, leading them towards the hut I had just exited. As she walked, my gaze was inevitably drawn to her protruding scantily clad buttocks, providing yet another alluring view.
While I stood there, I didn't even have to look for long before I heard two familiar voices behind me. I turned my head to see Ursa and Sura rushing towards me, each grabbing one of my arms with urgency. "Come on, we have to go," Sura said, her tone urgent as she pulled me forward. Ursa chimed in, "Yeah, and you have to tell us what you talked about with the village chief." They both dragged me along towards the rest of the group and the teachers.
As we caught up with the others, I couldn't help but notice the occasional glances directed my way, but some simply nodded before turning their attention back to the road. I knew they were probably trying to establish a friendly connection with me, to which I nodded back in agreement. After all, having more connections with people that I could potentially barter with in the future was always better than none.
