Ning checked the place that was available in the woman’s house for him to stay. It wasn’t a very large place, only as wide as the tavern they were staying at. But that was good enough for him. It wasn’t like he needed a place. It was just Hadden who needed a place to stay in.

He agreed to pay the woman 50 Fire coins to allow them to stay here, and they would have to buy the ingredients for a meal each night, which the woman would make for them and herself. Ning found that a fine deal.

Since he found a place to stay, he had nothing to worry about at all. So, he started working on the renovations. He could do it instantly with his system, saving himself time, but he had nothing if not time, so he bought the materials himself and started working on it.

All he did for today was make some cement and plaster the places on and around the shop that had holes in them. That was the first step. Once he was done, he placed some warning signs around the shop and left to go heal Hadden.

Hadden was fast asleep when he arrived in the tavern. Emma was next to him, reading the book that Ning had created for her.

“What are you doing?” Ning asked.

She showed her empty finger. “Reading,” she said. “Trying to understand the language of this world.”

Ning nodded. “Is it easy?” he asked.

“Pretty easy,” she said. “I would’ve probably taken a month or two to understand it and speak it even if I started from nothing.”

Ning didn’t doubt it. As a Will, who was one of the strongest cultivators and Mage in the universe, she was talented at a level that shouldn’t exist in the normal world. Not to mention, she had been born of a Ning that held bloodlines that would be the strongest as well.

In essence, Emma was someone who could only have been born out of a host of the Energy system.

“Did he eat?” Ning asked, moving close to Hadden and healing him with a simple touch. The wounds around his body disappeared and his breathing turned less haggard too.

“Yes, and I ate as well. Where were you?” she asked.

“Did I not tell you?” he asked. “I got a new shop.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed. “When did you get a shop?” she asked.

“Yesterday, after you two went to sleep,” Ning said. “Not that you would know about that.”

“Yeah, you never told me. I have no idea where you disappeared to,” Emma said.

“Hehe, I signed the contract today and I found ourselves a place to stay,” Ning said. “We move out tomorrow morning.”

“Is it a good place?” Emma asked. action

“It won’t matter to you since you’ll be staying in the institute anyway,” Ning said.

Emma thought for a bit and shrugged. “Have you eaten anything?” she asked.

“No,” Ning said. “I don’t really need to.”

“Good,” Emma said, standing up, and dropping the book to the ground. “Let’s go eat.”

Ning had no say in her decision. He shrugged and walked out with her daughter to go eat. Emma brought Lory and Lyra from the repository but not Umbra. “Why did you leave their mother behind?” he asked.

“Because I’m afraid they won’t let her into the arena,” Emma said. “We would have to leave her outside.”

“Hmm,” Ning thought. “Arena? What’s that?”

Emma turned to look at him. “You don’t know about the arena? Didn’t you say you went out last night?”

“I did,” Ning said. “I didn’t tour a whole lot. I was looking mostly for the weapons shop.”

“Well, there is an arena on the other side of the Inner City, and there are duels there that happen every day,” she said.

Ning looked at her with a suspicious look on his face. “And you want to enter this duel? You’re too strong for this, you know?” he asked.

“Did you never enter a duel when you were strong?” Emma asked him.

Ning couldn’t answer. He scratched his head, remembering the time back in Nulwurn when he fought in Duels despite his strength. He would be a hypocrite to stop her from entering.

“I’m not dueling,” Emma answered. “I’m letting Lory fight.”

“Why Lory?” Ning asked.

“Because he’ll need to have something to do to pass his time while he’s here with you. Take him to duels when you can, let him have some fun,” Emma said. Ning looked at her with narrowed eyes. “You decided to take Lyra to the Institute?” he asked.

Emma nodded. “I discussed it with Umbra and she said it’s better if I take Lyra with me. She’s too shy on her own and needs to learn to deal with the environment on her own. Tough love I suppose.”

Ning didn’t argue. This was probably for the best. “I’m sad the twins will be separated for a while,” Ning said.

“Just for a decade, I believe,” Emma said. “I can’t believe you have to go to a school for 10 years. What sort of school do you have to go to for 10 years?”

“We had 12 years of school back on Earth when I hadn’t died,” Ning said. “No wait, I stopped after 12 years. There was actually more after that. Like many more years more.”

“Wow, you must have been glad to not have to go through it all,” Emma said.

Ning grimaced a little. “I had to stop school to work and feed myself,” he said. “I was 18 and couldn’t stay in the orphanage anymore. If I had some sort of scholarship, I would’ve probably taken it.”

“But then your future wouldn’t have been so bad,” Emma said. “And you wouldn’t have received the Energy System.”

“Uhh… yeah, pretty much,” Ning said. “I was lucky to have been unlucky then.”

They went to a restaurant close by and ate themselves full before making their way to the arena that was on the other side of the city.