Finding a moment when to talk with George in private turned out to be quite hard. All the students had to join separate hunts or patrols every day, and the parties at night often involved partners. Khan was the only one who didn't have the chance to be with his girlfriend.
Khan could have some intimacy with Liiza when Doku and Azni decided to sacrifice their time alone or noticed a slightly messier party, but that happened rarely. Khan didn't even want to ask the couple favors after everything they were doing for him already, so his situation remained quite lonely as the day of the formal meeting approached.
The talk with George happened the night before the relocation. The boy was too conflicted about seeing Natalie after spending more than three months among Niqols. He had drunk on his own during most of the party, and Khan used the chance when he left the encampment to pee to question him about the average level of the recruits.
George had changed a lot, even if his character had remained the same. His growth had been more a matter of acceptance rather than general maturity. Living as a Niqols had helped him in ways that he didn't believe possible, and that gratitude had ended up condensing in the form of feelings for Havaa.
The boy was already drunk when Khan managed to have his conversation, but he described everything perfectly. Still, Khan had to spend most of what remained of the party listening to his rants about Natalie's coldness and Havaa's sweetness.
Khan didn't mind helping George in those moments. He would have preferred that conversation to happen in a better situation, but everyone seemed to lack time in that period, so he didn't complain.
George knew a bunch of data when it came to achievements among recruits. Apparently, it was challenging for someone to become a first-level warrior in the first year at the Global Army due to multiple factors that often didn't involve talent.
The recruits in the first year were always pretty young. They were still growing, which made raising their attunement with mana more challenging. Many of them had access to synthetic mana, but they couldn't abuse that resource since it could create impurities in their energy in the long run.
The second year usually was the time when the Global Army could identify the talented recruits. Becoming first-level warriors in the first six months of the year would show their talent and prove that they were worthy of special attention.
Khan didn't reveal his state to George. He trusted the boy, but he didn't want to take even more risks. Moreover, George's explanation confirmed Khan's fears. He had advanced too quickly, so he had to wait before telling everything to the Global Army.
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Truth be told, Khan didn't know if he could keep his level hidden from the stronger soldiers, but he had reasonable justifications if they discovered it before his notification. His ignorance was a shield that would serve him perfectly in that situation.
The talk about Natalie and Havaa didn't interest him too much, mainly because George couldn't make up his mind about women. Khan would have already chosen to remain with Havaa if he were in his situation. The decision felt even obvious since Natalie didn't have any interest in relationships.
Also, George had basically relied on Havaa's feelings in that period to improve his recovery, so it didn't sound right to abandon her. He even felt something for her.
The only hindrance in that relationship was the difference between their species since George's status was quite peculiar. He wasn't a noble, but his family was wealthy. Meanwhile, Havaa was an ordinary student, so their potential union couldn't have political interests.
Khan couldn't say much there. He gave his honest opinion, which George only half-listened since he was too drunk to remain serious for too long. Khan wanted him to follow his feelings and ignore the complicated issues connected to politics. Still, he wasn't sure whether the boy had truly understood his point even after they separated.
The conversation had ended up lasting so long that George left only one hour before the departure. The students didn't have anything truly important in the encampment, so they didn't need to prepare for the event. Yet, Khan laughed internally when he thought about how hungover the Niqols would be during the travel.
In the end, Khan decided to spend that remaining hour roaming among the tents while enjoying the remaining booze. His endurance had reached insane levels after becoming a first-level warrior, and the same applied to his alcohol resistance. Remaining awake wasn't an issue, especially since he had gotten many chances to sleep in those weeks.
It didn't take much before an alarm resounded from cubes placed at the corners of the encampment. That noise wasn't too loud, but it remained annoying enough to wake up even the Niqols who were still drunk. The aliens knew their kind so well that they had developed special countermeasures for those occasions.
Groans and curses resounded in the camp as all the students left their tents and gathered in empty spots to summon their Aduns. Most of them had already planned to deal with the rest of the hangover during the flight, even if they didn't know how long it would take them to reach the location of the meeting.
Chief Alu and Chief Nazyr were in an empty spot right outside the encampment, and they shook their heads when they saw the zombie-like walks of the students. Still, neither of them said anything about that issue. They wouldn't dare to scold younglings who had spent almost four weeks fighting on the frontlines.
Aduns filled the sky when everyone in the camp set off. The two Chiefs led the group across the sky in a straight line toward the location that would hold the meeting with the Global Army.
Khan didn't meditate nor sleep. He wanted to commit that path to memory. The Chiefs seemed to fly in the general direction of the human camp, and the familiar mountain chain that expanded behind the glowing city eventually appeared under the group.
The Chiefs didn't stop there. They flew deeper into the mountain chain until those tall structures opened to create a large valley that had a dark gorge in its middle.
The scenery appeared marvelous, and the sunlight revealed all its details. The valley had a vaguely rectangular shape, and the gorge connected its short sides. Flat areas filled with dark-grey grass and sparse spots with multicolored flowers expanded from the long sides of the crack. At the same time, the short edges connected the mountain chain to a marvelous palace far different from the structure where the recruits had met Ambassador Yeza.
The palace had three main buildings connected by shorter structures that featured bridge-like passages at their top. The buildings at the sides had square shapes that ended up in flat roofs encircled in short black fences. Instead, the central construction was rectangular and featured two long balconies at its sides, with one opening on the valley and the other toward the mountain chain.
The entire palace was dark-grey, but its surfaces were darker when it came to the structures that connected the three buildings. Multiple black spots also filled each side of the structure and marked the presence of windows.
It was clear that the palace didn't have battle purposes. It felt like an expression of the Niqols' artistic sense rather than a structure with deeper meanings. Khan could quickly guess that the aliens mainly used it for political reasons, which suited the event perfectly.
The Chiefs made the group circle the area a few times before leading everyone on one of the mountains nearby. The students left their rides there before reaching the valley on foot, and a surprisingly calm aura enveloped them as soon as they stepped on the dark-grey grass.
That atmosphere resembled the calm aura of [The Pure Trees], but it felt more intense. A faint smile appeared on Khan's face when he sensed the vague tiredness of the travel disappearing in a few seconds under the positive properties of that influence.
Similar smiles appeared on the students. Some still had headaches even if the flight had lasted for almost half a day. The aura washed over their hangover and allowed them to appear as lively as possible.
"[Clean yourselves up and wear decent clothes]," Chief Alu ordered while wearing his usual gentle smile. "[The humans will arrive at night, so hurry up]."
"[Go in the habitations behind the palace and don't waste time]," Chief Nazyr added. "[You had enough fun already. You can be serious for one night]."
A few laughs resounded among the group of students while the Chiefs led everyone across the long valley. The palace appeared immense when they had the chance to inspect it from its base, but no doors appeared in their view. It seemed that the structure featured hidden entrances.
"[I bet you can't wait to see your superiors]," Doku mocked when he approached Khan from the side.
"[Shouldn't you bow to some higher-up inside the palace or something]?" Khan laughed.
"[I believe this is outside of my reach]," Doku explained while pointing at one of the small structures that appeared once they crossed the palace. "[Only Liiza and some members of important tribes can go there]."
"[Maybe it's better like this]," Khan exclaimed before sensing a familiar presence and turning his head toward his source.
"[My friend]!" Ilman shouted when he saw Khan's eyes falling on him. "[You are sharp as always]."
Ilman had just come out of one of the structures behind the palace. His hair was still wet, and he had yet to close his robe. His slender figure and underwear were in the open, and some girls couldn't help but gasp at that sight.
Ilman ignored those attentions while waving his hand toward Khan, but his face turned serious when he noticed that Liiza was looking at him. He immediately closed his robe and performed a deep bow toward her, but a sigh escaped his mouth after he raised his head and found her walking toward the palace.
Everyone could see that scene. Khan could follow Liiza's departing figure with his eyes without worrying that his gesture could arise suspicion. The girl approached the smooth dark-grey surface of the palace, and a few metal layers slid open to reveal an entrance after she placed her hand on it.
'She must be so pissed today,' Khan thought as a sweet smile appeared on his face when the layers of the palace closed behind her figure.
"[Maybe that's for the best]," Doku whispered. "[I've seen how poorly you hold back]."
"[You didn't see anything]," Khan sneered. "[You and Azni were both dead drunk. It's not my fault if your nose could smell the aftermath]."
"[These human friends won't hesitate to exploit your kindness]," Doku joked.
"[You were literally sleeping on my bed that night]," Khan complained.
"[Who was sleeping where]?" Ilman asked after he arrived next to the duo and heard the end of that conversation.
"[Life in the encampment]," Khan lied shortly. "[Doku here likes to enjoy it to the fullest]."
"[Because he is a true Niqols]," Ilman laughed while patting Doku's shoulder.
"[Why aren't you inside the palace]?" Doku asked.
"[I asked to be among the students]," Ilman explained as he escorted the duo toward one of the structures. "[I don't have the best character when it comes to political matters]."
Both Doku and Khan nodded to agree with those words, and Ilman laughed again. The three exchanged a few more jokes during the walk as the students flowed into the different structures to clean themselves up and wear new robes.
Khan and Doku cleaned themselves quickly, and Ilman led them back into the valley once they came out. Azni and other Niqols joined them as they took their place among the dark-grey grass, and the same went for the recruits.
Servants eventually came out of the palace to place multiple cauldrons among the valley. Khan and the others could watch them concocting the special booze meant for that event while they waited for the meeting to start.
Then, the familiar noise of the Aduns' wings spread through the area, and the group could witness the arrival of the human troops in the valley when they raised their eyes toward the bright sky.
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Author's notes: I will move to Demonic Sword now since it's super late already. I will write the fourth chapter for chaos after taking care of my first book.
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