Five days passed by in the blink of an eye.
Every morning, Theo vanished for two minutes before returning soaking wet and cursing the system under his breath.
Fortunately, he hadn’t encountered a creature like the gigantic shark again.
It really seemed like the system just threw him into completely random locations throughout the ocean.
Sometimes he’d find himself above colorful reefs. Other times, he’d be so far removed from both the surface and the bottom of the ocean that he couldn’t see either.
Outside of the Daily Dives, Theo barely left his room.
From sunrise until late into the night, he devoted nearly every waking hour to cultivating, only stopping for meals and a few short conversations downstairs.
The same went for the others, though they walked through the city occasionally.
As the afternoon fell, Theo slowly opened his eyes.
’Ugh,’ he thought, stretching out. ’I’m really getting close now.’
Falling silent for a moment, Theo couldn’t help but glance through the window.
He’d hoped for a small cultivation boost from the Would You Rather he’d received yesterday.
But it’d been a dud for the first time in a while.
’Well... I can’t exactly call it that,’ he thought, shaking his head.
He was now able to summon an unlimited amount of military flashbangs.
Just then, several loud knocks echoed through the room.
’’Get up!’’ Nadia’s loud voice rang out from the hallway.
Theo glanced at the door, while Owen and Jim slowly opened their eyes.
BANG!
Before any of them could reply, the bedroom door swung open.
Nadia stepped inside without the slightest hint of hesitation.
"If you still plan on following me into Petra, get ready."
Theo raised an eyebrow.
’’What’s going on?’’ he asked, confused.
Crossing her arms, Nadia glanced at them disgruntledly.
’’The other two groups are gathering in an hour,’’ she replied. ’’You’ll be introducing yourselves, and I’ll explain a few important details.’’
She paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly.
’’Also, don’t act as stupidly as you did here. These are some very elite organizations, and I don’t want to deal with the nonsense.’’
Theo nodded slowly.
Despite Nadia’s angry tone, everything she said made perfect sense.
’’Understood,’’ he said calmly.
Nadia scoffed quietly before turning around.
’’Be downstairs in thirty minutes,’’ she said before slamming the door shut behind her.
For a moment, the room remained silent.
Then Owen slowly turned toward Theo.
’’I thought she was going to ’warm up’ to us,’’ he said sarcastically. ’’Doesn’t seem to be happening though.’’
Jim followed up right away.
’’It hasn’t been two weeks yet, remember,’’ he said, chuckling.
Owen rolled his eyes before continuing.
’’Still, is it really smart to go with that tomboy?’’ he asked. ’’What if she leaves us for dead somewhere?’’
This time, Jim didn’t say anything.
Instead, he too slowly turned toward Theo, sharing the same thought.
’’It’ll be fine,’’ Theo said as he stood up. ’’You both know we’re stronger than that.’’
They’d run from a crazy B-rank Deathworm with dragon blood running inside it.
And if anything, they’d only grown stronger since then.
’’Fair enough,’’ Owen said, pushing himself up with a sigh.
Jim nodded in agreement before grabbing his backpack from beside the wall.
’’I don’t know why she keeps calling us weak Silver Cores though,’’ he said, slinging it over one shoulder. ’’She’s only a Silver Core herself too...’’
Theo shrugged lightly.
The same thought had gone through his mind several times too. But he didn’t let the insults bother him.
’’Let’s get ready,’’ he said. ’’I’d rather finish this up fast so we can get back to cultivating.’’
Jim and Owen nodded once.
They quickly freshened up before leaving the room together.
By the time they reached the ground floor, Iris and Lyra were already waiting near the front door.
Yusuf sat quietly at the dining table with a steaming cup of tea in his hands.
As the three boys came downstairs, he smiled warmly.
"Looks like everyone’s ready,’’ he said.
Theo nodded politely.
"We are,’’ he replied simply.
Yusuf smiled faintly before raising his teacup.
"Then I wish all of you the best."
Just then, Nadia appeared from behind him.
She too had changed out of her tight combat clothes into something more casual.
Without even looking at the group, she walked straight up to the door.
’’We’re leaving,’’ she said coldly. ’’Follow closely, or I’ll leave you behind.’’
Nadia pushed the front door open without waiting for a reply and stepped outside.
Theo and the others exchanged glances before quickly following after her.
Warm sunlight greeted them as they stepped outside.
And compared to Cairo’s barrier, there was nothing to stop the heat here!
Nadia took the lead without saying another word, weaving through the crowd at a surprisingly quick pace.
Compared to a few days ago, the city felt even livelier.
But a strange tension had also started to set in now that only just over a week remained.
After nearly fifteen minutes of walking, they arrived at a large restaurant in the center of the city.
The entrance was guarded by two men wearing familiar white robes embroidered with seven golden rings across the chest.
’Eh?’ he thought, raising an eyebrow. ’The Imperial Church is one of the groups she’s guiding?’
That hadn’t been within his expectations at all!
The moment the guards spotted Nadia, they stepped aside and lowered their heads slightly.
’’Miss Nadia,’’ both greeted respectfully.
Nadia gave a brief nod.
"They’re with me," she said calmly, gesturing toward Theo and the others. "The third group."
The two men glanced at them for a moment before stepping aside.
’’Please, go right in,’’ one said politely.
Nadia stepped in without another word.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Theo followed after her alongside his group.
The moment he entered, his gaze swept through the luxurious restaurant.
Nearly thirty people occupied two large tables toward the back of the room.
Twenty of them wore the very same robes as those standing outside, while the other group of ten wore rather casual clothes.
That’s when Theo’s eyes landed on a figure in the center of the church group.
He gradually slowed to a halt in surprise.
’’Lucienne?’’
The woman’s gold-platinum eyes locked onto him at the same time.