He had forgotten to tell George that Van should not be sent to do the servants.h.i.+p exams! If the kid took them and failed, and was then sent away... f.u.c.k, how was this old man going to explain to that deity Silver Mark One???

Senior Ruskel felt nervous sweat drench his robes.

He smacked himself and scrambled to get back to the sect as fast as possible.

He screeched to a halt, retrieved his precious package, and flew back to the set's gate.

When he arrived, he was gasping for breath. His normally sallow complexion had worsened into a greenish hue. He lifted his head and spotted his grey robed friend in the distance.

"George!" He hoa.r.s.ely shouted, crooking his pinkie finger. It wriggled to and fro like a worm.

A moody George shut his eyes and ignored Ruskel's 'come hither' sign.

The old man huffed as he ran towards the head guard. With the last of his strength, he gave him a swift kick to the b.u.t.t.

It hit with all the force of a mosquito.

George opened his eyes and glared at him.

His expression screamed [If we didn't grow up in the same town, I would have punted you into the next realm by now, you annoying piece of c.r.a.p!]

Ruskel ignored his friend's annoyance.

"Oi, listen to me, Georgie-boy, where did you send that kid, Van?" Ruskel gasped out.

George was matter-of-fact.

"Where else? The examination hall."

Ruskel face-palmed. He felt his small life flash before his eyes. He saw the silver mask peering down at him just before...

"f.u.c.k!" He exclaimed again.

George showed him a confused face.

"We have to make sure he doesn't leave!" Senior Ruskel dragged George along with him.

"This is all your fault!"

"Why is everything always my fault? You are clearly the one who did something wrong. Why are you so desperate to find him anyway??"

Ruskel explained.

Then George became worried too.

They rushed to the examination hall and the immense queue in front of it.

The boy wasn't in it.

They went inside the hall and searched every nook and cranny.

The boy was not there.

They looked in the bushes and behind the trees. He wasn't there.

They went to the toilets. Aha! They found a suspicious looking character sneaking out. Excited, they apprehended the person. It turned out to be a perverted girl taking spiritual recordings of the men's toilets!

Black lines running down his face, George slapped a provisions penalty and detention onto her token and sent her to be disciplined.

Ruskel then got the bright idea to check the man-made waterway that ran past the hall for dead bodies. He made a "he-he" sound. If the boy suicided after his tragic failure, that was fine too – Silver Mark One could not blame this old man for that, right?

Much to his disappointment, no water-logged corpse of a teenage boy was found.

"The only place we haven't looked is the provisions hall. Maybe we should look there?" George suggested.

"What!? Why would he be there?"

Ruskel was genuinely confused. After all, the provisions hall was where new servants would go to retrieve their new uniform and other promised items. Since Van obviously failed the entrance exams, why would Van be there?

George held his ground.

Ruskel sighed. Well, since they had already run out of ideas…

Maybe the kid was wandering around and got lost there?

The duo closed in on the provisions hall and saw and usually large crowd.

It seemed to be a huge group of new servants. They were gathered around a few people in the centre.

Curious, Ruskel tried to see above the crowd. But even his long-neck was not enough for him to peer over their shoulders.

George, on the other hand, had a strange expression on his face.

"What?" Ruskel demanded.

The larger man silently picked his friend up.

Ruskel gaped soundlessly.

That dark-haired figure over there, wasn't that Van?

Why were the servants surrounding him?

Hm? What was he holding in his arms? A bag?

Wordlessly, Ruskel used his index finger and thumb to widen both his eyes.

He saw the jade slip in Van's palm.

Ah, heck!

He'd underestimated the stinkin' brat!

_______________

After signing the contract, Van and Ryan made their way towards the Provisions Hall, where they would receive their new servant's robes and their allocated resources.

A middle-aged female servant was handing out large cloth bundles and other items.

When their turn arrived, she handed them each a big parcel of clothing and then a small pouch to be hung around the waist.

Then she pulled out two milky crystals. With a curious tool, she tapped them. It caused the crystals to flare in brightly for a moment.

Van and Ryan stretched their necks out as far as possible to see better.

She saw their inquisitive expressions.

"This locks the spirit stone to your signatures. Only you can use it now, but we only do this for the first spirit stone you receive from us."

Van was impressed. He accepted his crystal with solemnity.

As the crystal entered his grasp, Van's eyebrows lifted. He had felt something remarkably like this before…?

He racked his brain and finally recalled the crystal he had found in the Red Pinion Bird's skull. It had also emitted this kind of feeling, albeit with a more animalistic aura.

Could they be a similar item? Did this mean he could use the bird's stone to cultivate as well?

Van decided that he would inspect that crystal carefully that night.

"In your pouch is a jade tag - it is your new identification. There is also a bamboo scroll inside that will tell you all you need to know about your upcoming days at the sect. It also contains a map of the sect and the servant's quarters. Please inspect it carefully."

"Your cultivation manual is within the bundle with your new robes. Good luck." She gestured for the next in the line to move forward.

The two boys went to the side and had a look at their new items.

Van withdrew the small green jade tag from his waist pouch.

[ID:541769. Van. Servant of the Woodcutting Division]

Van looked at Ryan.

"Herb farming," the grey-eyed boy said simply.

Considering their performances in the exam, Van thought these a.s.signations were fair as they mostly involved hard labour.

Of course, Van did not really care he was placed.

This servant's role was but a fleeting stepping stone on his way to power!

His goal was to reach the status of inner disciple as soon as possible. He had no time to waste worrying about this kind of small thing.

Van then took out the bamboo scroll. The map was rough, but serviceable.

The Woodcutting and Herb Farming divisions were contained under the umbrella 'Resources' unit, which also included the Bestiary and Mining divisions. Due to their need to travel outside of Dragon City early in the morning, the servants' quarters were in the part of the sect that was closest to the outskirts of the city. At 5am each day, the servants travelled outside of the city begin their activities, returning to the sect at 6pm to rest.

Van memorised the map. Satisfied, he nodded to Ryan and they left the area to find their new sleeping quarters.

A group of people drew near. Van recognised that they were new servants just like them by the bundles they held. At their helm was a smirking young man of about fifteen years old wearing a deep turquoise robe. His compatriots whispered in his ears.

The young man's pale blue eyes landed on the pair and his thin lips curled at the edges. His look was cold, predatory.

"My my, isn't it the two villagers that surprised us with their un-believable performance today?" A low voice drawled out.

Imperiously, the pale young man raised a hand. With a flick of his fingers, Van and Ryan were surrounded.

Van's expression darkened. Ryan's jaw clenched. He made a motion to run forwards. Van restrained him with a hand. For some reason, the voice seemed a little familiar.

Looking at that figure, Van supposed the older boy must be one of those so-called 'n.o.ble young masters' who had grown up in the lap of luxury.

The older boy stepped forwards, steps as slow and steady as a leopard.

"Klaus," he introduced himself while smiling, "of the n.o.ble House of Bayer."

As he came closer, Van finally placed his voice. So Klaus was the little b.a.s.t.a.r.d who had scoffed loudly earlier! Van couldn't help the reflexive roll of his eyes.

Klaus caught Van's eye roll and became irritated. But instead of flying into a heated rage, he smiled a cold smile. His blue eyes seemed to contain an endless blizzard that could tear skin to shreds.

He drew closer with a smile sharp enough to cut gla.s.s.

"I imagine you feel quite proud of yourself, after your little...performance, today."

He said this with a raised eyebrow, tone mocking.

Van was not in the mood to exchange pointless barbs. He disregarded Klaus and tried to move around him, but it was impossible to leave the enclosed s.p.a.ce – wherever he moved, people would block his exit.

Van wasn't going to lie - he was beginning to feel annoyed, but he faked a calm and unaffected expression. He tapped a foot on the ground, as if impatient to leave.

Klaus was watching Van carefully. His smile became even colder.

[Let's see how much longer this sc.u.m continues to act so uppity in front of me!]

He spoke with voice full of ice.

"But I'm here to warn you, lowly villager... If you keep acting like you're some kind of hot s.h.i.+t in front of me and keep lording it about with only your pitiful, pitiful potential…" Klaus' pale eyes flashed meaningfully, "Then you don't have many happy days left in the sect. I'll make sure of it."

He flapped the sleeves of his robes, "We are leaving."

His posse followed after him, heads held high.

Others in the area watched them with trepidation.

After a brief silence, the sound of someone hacking up copious amounts of spit in their throat entered Van's ears.