n

n

n

nSoon, Ling Xin finished showering, and came downstairs. Qing Yue had already cooked up something for her since she knew she was going to be hungry, and boy was Ling Xin happy to see food sitting on the table in front of her as she sat down and dug in.

n

"So?

" I asked, sitting down across from her and folding my arms.

"What did you all talk about at the meeting last night? I'd imagine it was a lot, considering how long you spent.

"

n

"Yes, it sure was,

" Ling Xin said with a sigh, stretching her arms.

"But to be honest, it was mainly three major points, discussed back and forth to figure out the truly best course of action.

"

n

"Which three?

" Feng Mian inquired, and Ling Xin held up her fingers in a counting gesture.

n

"One, the rebuilding of Fragment. As the Magic Capital, it cannot go destroyed for long, and needs to be reconstructed as soon as possible. The Council has decided to change its location a bit, however. Rather than hovering above the air above The Fortress, the IMF have decided to work out a deal with the Council has decided to work out a deal with the Celestici race to have Fragment be stationed there, where their defenses were top-tier to say the least.

"

n

"The Celesticus Council member would be the ambassador for this negotiation, of course, and there is a high chance it will succeed,

" Ling Xin continued, closing her eyes.

"After all, having the Magic Capital in your race's territory is quite the moral boost.

"

nBut then, Lin Luo cut in.

n

"That's impossible. There is not enough space in Celestica to fit an area the size of Fragment.

"

n

"Of course there isn't,

" Ling Xin sighed.

"But there is for the IMF Headquarters tower.

"

n

"Wait, you mean…

" I began, and Ling Xin nodded.

n

"Fragment, on paper, is defined by the IMF Headquarters—you know, that massive tower. Everything around it—the Eight Great Families, the university—all that was part of what is known as the 'Commonwealth of Fragment'. In other words, Fragment will be moving to Celestica, yes, but the Commonwealth of Fragment will be staying right where it originally was—in that diamond-shaped device hovering above the Fortress.

"

n

"I see… and everything's going to be rebuilt just like how it was before?

" Yu An Yan asked, and Ling Xin gave a nod.

n

"Correct. Well, maybe not exactly the same, but all the major facilities will still be there. But there is one big difference to the new upcoming Fragment compared to the old one, that will be affecting all of us together.

"

nAt this, all of us were intrigued, and I lifted an eyebrow.

n

"Oh?

"

nLing Xin kicked back in her chair and folded her arms.

n

"The University of Fragment—I trust you all remember it, yes? You attended it for a short while before the Midnight Syndicate invaded.

"

nThe girls and I all nodded, and Ling Xin continued.

n

"Well, it's getting remade into something new. Still an educational facility… but not as simple as a university anymore.

"

n

"What do you mean?

" Feng Mian asked, curious.

n

"The name is still not set in stone just yet, but it will most likely be called the 'Counterhex Academy'. And just as the name suggests… it will be a facility where students are trained to combat the Hex.

" Turning to me, she continued.

"Looks like you were right. Senior Tian did propose this during the meet, and while it did take some convincing of the other council members, Senior, for the most part, has quite the trustworthy reputation, so they believed in his words.

"

n

"Wow… Counterhex Academy… are we going to join?

" Qing Yue asked, excited, and I nodded.

n

"Of course. I don't believe we have much of a choice, either way—am I right?

"

n

"Yes,

" Ling Xin replied, then looked away in dismay with a sigh.

"Aiya… I don't really like this way of doing things, to be honest, but… the Council has decided to force elite talents to join, even if they don't want to. Of course, there will be many, many benefits involved. I guarantee 99% of said elites would take this opportunity anyway, so…

"

n

"Ooh, benefits!

" Axilia leaped up.

"Can I kill people?

"

n

"No, that's not what I mean by benefits…

" Ling Xin rubbed between her eyebrows, exhausted.

"We discussed many things in the meeting, but some of the ones that stood out to me were access to top-tier knowledge and resources, food from the best chefs in the world, recreation centers with hot springs and everything… blah blah blah. And so on, and so on.

"

n

"Hm… I think I still prefer you guys' cooking, but sure,

" I said with a shrug.

"The resources are appealing for sure.

"

n

"You are on the list of 'elites' going to be invited,

" Ling Xin said, looking at me with a smirk on her face.

"Senior Tian and I both proposed you during the meeting, and while the other council members haven't even heard of you, the two of us's recommendation was enough to get you on the list. We're still working on getting a whole list of people to invite, but by the end of it, there should be roughly 1,000 students or so.

"

n

"Wow… 1,000? That's quite a bit, for an academy as prestigious as this,

" Amane noted, but Lan Xiao Su shook her head.

n

"That may be true, but considering the force we are up against, consisting of probably over billions of those mechs… it really isn't much at all.

"

n

"All of us will be able to go to the school though, right?

" Feng Mian raised the question, worry in her voice.

n

"That…

" Ling Xin gave a sigh, closed her eyes, then opened them again after a brief silence.

n

"… I will be wholly honest with you all. I am not certain that can happen. Only the best of the best can enter this school—and while all of you are strong in your own right…

"

nShe trailed off, and the rest of us all fell into silence.

n