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Don’t blame Aresia for being suspicious. Recently, there have been too many people with ulterior motives trying to strike up conversations. If it weren’t for Karina helping to fend them off, Aresia wouldn’t have this peace and quiet.
Speaking of which, Aresia specifically praised Karina’s ability. When others tried to approach Aresia, they quickly retreated after a few words. No one could replace Karina’s position.
Karina’s well-informed nature made Aresia suspect if she had a magic network account and spent 24 hours lurking and gathering information in the online world.
Just as Aresia was about to start reading a book, not even ten minutes had passed when Karina approached mysteriously and asked, “Do you remember sister Howard?”
Aresia nodded, “I remember. Howard’s from third-year general department, right?”
Thinking about Alice Howard’s recent troubles, Aresia couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“Weren’t she on leave? What happened?”
“She came back to school.”
Karina shared some information she had gathered with Aresia.
Aresia responded with indifference, showing no interest. “She has been on leave for a long time, so it’s only natural that she returned.”
The Chief Banquet had already passed in early May, which meant it had been about a month since then. If she didn’t return now, the school would probably not allow her to continue taking leave.
After all, anyone with eyes could see that Alice didn’t actually have any illness. It was just because of her embarrassing situation that she couldn’t show her face at school anymore.
“I heard that she returned to attend the end-of-month exams. She’s been very low-key. Once the exams are over, she’ll leave. It seems like sister Howard really has some background. This time, she is the chief of the General Department.”
Karina was not used to Alice Howard arrogance, but she couldn’t deny that she had real talent. In the General Department, she was considered a prestigious figure. The competition there was particularly fierce, and being on the level of a senior chief was a testament to her strength.
After a brief moment of sentiment, Aresia quickly redirected the conversation. “Ah, I’ve just heard romurs about Howard.”
“What is it?”
“Just now, I overheard a few people who seemed to be from the General Department talking about how Howard brought a beast egg to class!”
Karina raised an eyebrow and gave a teasing look, as if saying, “Finally catching up, huh?” She continued, “I heard from them that she bought a level six beast egg and carries it around to take care of it. She even submitted an application to the school to allow her to raise a beast egg on campus.”
This was indeed surprising news. Aresia, who was not very interested, found it strange. “A level six beast egg? I wonder what kind of creature it is.”
Karina shrugged. “I only overheard a few words, so I’m not sure. Shall I ask around?”
“Forget it, it’s not our concern. Besides, don’t you have to practice the beast companion contract incantation? We’ll find out when the beast hatches. There’s no need to pry.”
“But, you know, having a high-level beast egg like that must have cost a fortune. It’s not easy to get a level six beast egg. It’s probably worth several million gold coins.” Karina sighed. “She’s getting all the attention. Who wouldn’t envy her?”
Aresia agreed, “That’s true. It’s all thanks to her wealth.”
“Yeah, but aren’t you curious? Wouldn’t you be interested to know if she really has a contract?”
“I’m not sure. The school wouldn’t let her bring a beast egg to campus, right?”
It was a level six beast egg, and no matter what kind of beast it was, even if it was weak, just having a normal third-year student from the General Department carrying it around was not so simple.
True, Howard’s sister had brought a level six beast egg to class, and the news quickly spread. People were envious and jealous. It was not easy to obtain a high-level beast egg, and who wouldn’t be envious?
This news spread widely. There were quite a few people who believed that those who had a beast companion contract were rare. It had become a standard for measuring a family’s strength. As for Alice Howard, it was likely she had some knowledge of beast companion contracts.
It was a level six beast egg, regardless of what kind of beast it was. Even if the hatchling was weak, a level six beast egg was not something ordinary.
This is a new trend. With the presence of students carrying beast eggs on campus, the number of beast eggs is increasing.
Although they are not as precious as Alice Howard’s level six beast egg, some are at the fourth level, which is still considered rare.
As Aresia walked through the school, she encountered many students discussing topics related to beast eggs.
It seemed like bringing a beast egg to school had become a trend.
In the meantime, Karina was feeling conflicted. Her parents were very conservative, and while they prepared a beast egg for her, they didn’t want to make it too obvious. They had limited resources, and they couldn’t afford to buy several beast eggs for all their children. In the end, Karina ended up with an ordinary third-level beast egg.
Although Karina didn’t have high expectations, she didn’t really want to take care of the beast egg. What frustrated her even more was that the beast egg wasn’t even purchased by her parents.
“They chose a beast egg that doesn’t suit me at all!”
A third-level beast egg that cost a few hundred gold coins was an expensive item that ordinary citizens couldn’t afford. Even for nobles like Karina, it was a difficult expense. Her parents didn’t even allow her to choose the egg herself. They were choosing for her while also considering her siblings. It just so happened that she ended up with a third-level beast egg.
Feeling ignored like this was really, really uncomfortable!
Seeing Karina like this, Aresia couldn’t help but hug her tightly, letting her rest her head on her shoulder and stroking her hair to comfort her.
In fact, Karina’s feeling of being ignored was somewhat related to Aresia. After all, Karina’s original relationship with the previous Aresia was very ordinary. But with Aresia’s appearance, their relationship gradually changed. They were no longer just plastic friends. Instead, it became a real friendship. Karina didn’t want anything to ruin that friendship.
It was true that Karina’s mother had asked about her relationship with Aresia. Their relationship seemed ordinary, like a servant accompanying a noble. Plus, Karina didn’t tell anything to her mother the things she heard anymore. Karina’s mother was quite concerned about maintaining the relationship with Aresia. Karina’s mother thought they didn’t have a close friendship. Slowly, her parents returned to treating her like before, without showing too much interest.
Unless she told her parents about her real relationship with Aresia, they wouldn’t continue to push her while neglecting their own daughter. It was through this relationship that Karina had gained quite a lot from her parents. Now, it seemed that she had returned to being their ordinary child.
Apart from Aresia, Karina didn’t know anyone else she could trust. She stubbornly said, “I don’t want this beast egg. When I become stronger, I’ll catch a beast myself!”
Aresia nodded, “Mm, when that time comes, I’ll accompany you.”
Hearing this, Karina’s tearful face turned into a smile. “You just made a promise!”
…
As the news of the beast eggs spread, the atmosphere on campus became more intense. Compared to other departments, the Magic Department and the Warrior Department were even more lively. They were busy choosing their teammates for the upcoming trial.
Since the school required dual-department students to team up, the Magic Department, with fewer students, felt a bit nervous. If they couldn’t invite students from the Warrior Department, it wouldn’t affect their performance in the trial. However, it did give people the impression that they were “not capable” if they didn’t team up.
It had been a while since the trial began, and Wendy unexpectedly decided on the team members, which was a bit surprising.