Ning gave the boy a book to read but was surprised as equally he was frustrated to learn that the boy could not read at all. He thought of making a simple artifact to teach him every and all language he ever came across. But it would be better if the boy learned to read the natural way. It wasn’t like he would have much to do for a while. So, while he taught the young boy how to split one’s core into two, he also taught him how to read.

They were in a tavern on the outer ring of the Ulharis city, staying there for a while before finding some permanent residence. Ning wanted to buy a house or a store and see what he could do.

Since Converting cost nothing to make for him, he wanted to do that. Open a weapons and armor store, items of which would all be made by him.

He sat on the plastered floor of the tavern, showing the young Hadden how to read a certain letter. “That’s an E,” he told him. “No, not I, that’s this one. E ends up being pronounced A, and I E. Yeah I know, it’s confusing.”

As he taught, the door opened up and Emma walked in with the two Shadow Puma cubs in two beside her feet. Lyra walked next to Emma to the bed. while Lori jumped onto Ning’s gut, crouching in his embrace, looking at what Hadden was doing.”

“What do?” he asked.

“He’s studying to read,” Ning said. “Don’t disturb him.”

Hadden looked at his teacher with a confused look, wondering why he was responding to a beast’s purrs. He couldn’t understand the beast himself.

“What is he learning? To split his core?” Emma asked, looking over.

“No, he’s learning to read,” Ning said. “He can’t read.”

“Oh,” Emma said and then remembered where the boy came from. “I guess that makes sense.”

“So, how did it go?” Ning asked Emma. Hadden stopped to look back, no longer focused on his studies.

“The entrance exam is in 6 days,” she said. “I registered myself. In the next 6 days, I will need to find a beast to take the test with. They mistook me for a 15-year-old so easily. That was something.”

“So everything is set?” Ning asked.

“Not really,” Emma said. “I’m still concerned about the beast thing.”

“Why?” Ning asked. “You already have Umbra and Lori and Lyra.”

“Yeah, but I can only choose one,” she said. “And there are rules and regulations. I can’t take with me anything with more than the Essence Sense realm at the best. That cuts out Umbra from entering.”

“So I only have Lori and Lyra, and I cannot decide which one to take with me. Whichever one I take will be away from their mother for most of their time there,” she explained.

Ning thought for a moment. “That’s certainly troublesome,” he said. “I would say take Lyra with you since she’s so close, but Lori is the more… active one, so he would be a better fit.” “That’s the conundrum,” she said. “I thought of asking Umbra too, but it doesn’t feel right to ask a mother which child she wants to part with. It just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Choosing without taking in her input will sit worse with you. Talk to her, tell her everything,” Ning said. “Then take the ones that are more excited. They should have a say in this too.”

Ning caressed the cub that was in his lap. Emma slumped back on the bed. “Well, I have a few days to choose. I’ll do it by then.”

Night fell soon enough. It had been late when they had arrived, and with Hadden so tired from the journey, as soon as he was done with his dinner, he went to sleep.

Emma slept too, although she wasn’t fatigued. Ning on the other hand didn’t sleep. Instead, he planned what he was going to do for the time he was in this city.

He found it better to plan after he knew the city well enough. So, late at night, he left the tavern room to go check the city.

Although it was night, the city was bustling with night merchants shouting all around the streets. There were more and more shops as he entered the inner city. The night city was bright with Essence lights that hung outside every building. action

This reminded him of that night when he had gone to Whiteowl City with Kaleb and Tenn. He laughed a little when he remembered being taken to the pleasure district. The memory was endearing now.

He wondered what the two of them were doing at this time. It had been over a decade since he last saw them, so he grew curious. He could of course find it immediately if he wanted to, but he had found throughout the ages that not knowing, the mystery of it all added a flavor that knowing just couldn’t produce.

He let go of the thought after a while and made his way to the shop he noticed. King’s Gems, the shop was called. It was a shop that sold Essence weapons, armor, and shields. Exactly the sort of things Ning was looking forward to.

He needed to understand the market if he wanted to sell things. He entered the bright white hall with a chandelier in the ceiling glowing with white orbs of light. The shop was mostly white and gold, even the staff working in it dressed the same.

And they were dressed splendidly. This was a fancy shop, and he had come here dressed as he was. Dirty and poor were the only two things one could think of when someone saw them.

‘I should’ve changed,’ he thought. He hoped this didn’t go where he thought it would go. He sighed for a moment and went on to watch everything that was shown in the shop.

Everything the shop had to sell was hung on the walls around him. Ning just had to observe and learn.