Ceres

39

Ceres, Gil, Old Na, and Old Pang were discussing some matters again near the ever-blooming plum tree.

"We will leave tonight. Did you pack your things already?"

Ceres nodded. Gil didn't have to answer. Old Pang was silently sipping his tea.

"Before anything else, we will go to Soaring Dragon first. But, Gil must not come with us. He can stay at a city near Soaring Dragon and we will find him after we meet your brother. Is that clear, Ceres?"

Of course Old Na can't stop Gil and everyone knew that Gil will only listen to Ceres. Although Gil wanted to protest, Old Na continued his explanation.

"The old man who will help us is not as simple as you think he is. He doesn't want anyone to randomly come and go to his place."

Ceres understood and she instructed Gil that she will not be harmed and they will not be there for long. She will also immediately send a sound transmission once they're done.

"Do you have any more questions?"

Ceres opened her mouth.

"Where will we go after Soaring Dragon?"

"We will go to my place. I need to get a few things first before we proceed with your training."

Ceres' eyes became big. She didn't expect for Old Na to let them inside his place. She knew that there will be lots of precious things in it. If Old Pang's place is already beyond their imagination, what more is Old Na's?

She was obviously excited. Too bad, it doesn't show on her face.

After their discussion, Old Na told them that they could have their free time and they will meet after the sun goes down in Old Pang's garden.

Ceres walked around the city and Gil followed her.

"Princess, I still think that I should go with you to Soaring Dragon. My master wi---"

"No need, Gil. I will not be alone anyway and we will only see my big brother."

Gil wanted to rebut but Ceres held her hand high, signaling for Gil to stop.

"You should also know that I already have means to protect myself."

They continued to walk around the city and only headed back when the time was nearing for them to leave.

"...Old Pang, make sure to get more exercise. You must still be here when I visit Roguen City next time."

"Hah! Talk about yourself first. Don't strain yourself when teaching Ceres or else, you'd leave her alone without learning anything at all."

Old Na was saying his goodbye but certainly it doesn't seem like a goodbye. More like the two of them were teasing each other once again.

Ceres can't help but be amazed at the friendship of these old men. She's pretty sure that their friendship is something that was shaped by time.

Just when they were about to leave Old Pang's house, Ceres turned around and kowtowed in front of Old Pang.

"I have learnt a lot from the time I came here. Even though I returned your disciple crest and you'd only call me a pseudo-disciple, I still consider you as my teacher. Thank you for everything... Master Pangeon."

Right after that, Ceres stood up and faced Old Pang. She gave a respectful bow and was about to turn around when Old Pang said,

"Take this."

Old Pang gave Ceres his disciple crest that she returned to him when they came back from Moss Valley.

"It has already your drop of blood so it's useless to me."

Ceres didn't immediately take the disciple crest which made Old Pang place it in her hands, forcefully giving it to her. Seeing this, Old Na can't help but shake his head while smiling.

Obviously, Old Pang considers Ceres as his disciple and probably, his sole disciple. Regarding Old Pang's temper and way of life, he wouldn't be able to find another disciple anymore.

Ceres, upon forcefully receiving the crest, held it in her hands and once again respectfully bowed to Old Pang. She is a woman of few words and expressions. Still, everyone understood what happened.

When they left, Old Pang returned to his usual spot and drank his tea. He kept on looking at the plum tree.

"...This place will become lonely once again."

---

"Holly will accompany us to Soaring Dragon. However, we will stop by Kanster city to drop off Gil. Soaring Dragon is just a one-day trip from that city. You can even easily send a sound transmission to each other if you want to. That's if Ceres goes out of the school."

Ceres agreed to Old Na and even though Gil is against it, he cannot do anything because Ceres forbids him. He also knew that if he persists on going with them and Old Na's friend doesn't like it, it may only bring trouble to Ceres.

Soaring Dragon is different from other schools in that they only accept students through recommendation. That is why there are a few people who knew the exact location of this school. Even people from Kanster city does not necessarily knew that Soaring Dragon is near their city.

The school occupies four mountains with perfect cone shapes enclosing a serene lake and also has beautiful light colored clouds engulfing its peaks every now and then. It is also surrounded with magical arrays preventing people from sneaking, trespassing, and even flying over it. This is the main reason why the school can be hidden from most of the people.

It is the oldest school in Winsterein kingdom. as well as the most powerful one. In fact, Soaring Dragon is the only school in Winsterein that can directly participate in the Great Magi Conference. However, this school only teaches students whom are fit to be magic warriors: those proficient in both magic and fighting. Even though they have a limited number of students because of the strict and specific requirements, it is still a powerhouse and ranked high among all the schools in the world. This is why even though the school is not connected with Winsterein kingdom, the kingdom still needs to maintain a good relationship with the school.

Old Na and Ceres left Gil in Kanster city and continued riding Holly to Soaring Dragon. Old Na briefly summarized everything about the school to Ceres. She also knew that they are first going to meet Black Dragon and only from there can they only know if Ceres will be able to meet her brother.

Black Dragon is an acquaintance of Old Na and is a living ancestor of Soaring Dragon. An ancestor is one connected to the school and has lived far too long which is why he doesn't meddle with the affairs of the school unless necessary. Other than that, Old Na didn't tell other things to Ceres. She can only guess that Old Na and Black Dragon goes way, way, way back in time considering that ancestors are like living fossils and of course, Old Na is a living fossil himself.

Though Soaring Dragon has a magic array for protection and concealment, Old Na can easily pass through it and walk around their school any time he wants to. However, he did not do that and instead, he made Holly land not too far from the school's entrance. He then sent a sound transmission to Black Dragon saying that he'll be arriving at one of the school's entrances with someone. He and Ceres walk for some minutes and saw two people standing beside an ordinary looking tree. They are wearing heavy metal armor and on its right chest area, a small profile of a dragon's head facing northwest with a fierce eye and opened mouth was engraved on it. It is the insignia of the Soaring Dragon. Looking at the two armor-wearing people and the tree, this is definitely one of the entrances for the school grounds.

As soon as the two people saw Old Na and Ceres, they respectfully bowed before saluting.

"We were notified by the headmaster of your arrival. Please continue forward."

Old Naonly nodded and continued on. He passed through the tree located between thetwo people and Ceres followed him. The tree was part of the magic arrayprotecting the school. -tbc