Panda Novel

“Young man… Do you realize how huge of an opportunity you’re passing up on? Even nobles won’t come across this opportunity easily.” Peter commented after taking a sip of his wine.

Locke shrugged. “I guess I can see it. After all, His Majesty the Emperor is highly respected, it would definitely be a great honor to serve as his guard.”

“However, I like freedom and I hate being bogged down by responsibilities. Moreover, as I’m not really good at serving others, I’m worried that I would bring trouble to you once I take up the offer.”

Lawrence and Rossetti covered their faces. They could not believe what they were hearing.

“You two are really similar… Back when Hobrick was young, he also rejected the recruitment officer at that time…” There was not a hint of anger on Peter’s face from being rejected. On the contrary, he seemed to have admired Locke’s guts.

After that, he then brushed the matter aside and began to drink happily with Locke.

“So, how are you three feeling?! It’s the finals tomorrow. Are you confident that you’ll win?” Peter asked.

“Our academy rarely interacts with the Alpha Academy, so we don’t really have much information on them…” Rosetti answered truthfully.

However, the person that Locke encountered was a staff member from the Alpha Federation University.

His personality was highly unscrupulous.

Lawrence asked, “Secretary-general, can you divulge some of their details to us?”

Peter shook his head at the fatty. “Hahaha… Young man, I’ve already told you that I won’t take sides in this tournament. As such, I won’t divulge any information regarding your opponents. However, I can give you details regarding the university itself…”

Locke was not interested in the topic at all.

Instead, his attention was fully focused on the two lobsters before him.

“Something also feels off regarding the Alpha Academy. I was reading their lips while you guys were in your duels. Be it the students or instructors, all of them all refer to the person in the middle as young master!” Rosetti was very puzzled about the Alpha University’s situation.

‘What kind of instructor would refer to their students as young masters?’

Peter nodded slightly and explained, “It seems that all of you are truly in the dark. Here’s the situation… Alpha University was founded by the Alpha family.”

“And the student that you were mentioned earlier is the next heir of the Alpha family… Andre Alpha.”

‘So that’s why!’

“Moreover, even though they’re called a university, in truth, the institution is more akin to the Alpha family’s private force. It’s for this reason that they’re recruiting as many talents as they could find.”

“Moreover, there’s no such thing as graduating from their university. Once you join, you’ll become a subordinate of the Alpha family. And if you ever defect from them, , you’ll immediately be hunted down…”

Peter lit up a cigarette after completing his introduction to the Alpha Academy.

“Hmph, how can they still be regarded as an educational institution? They’re clearly a cult!” Rosetti was maddened by the Alpha family’s behavior.

Rosetti’s response had seemed rather out of place to Lawrence. After all, Rosetti had been laughing and joking around before this.

‘Why is she so concerned with this issue?’

“Hmm, aren’t their actions illegal though?” Lawrence was certain that the deprivation of human rights was a violation of the laws of the federation.

“Well, it’s because Andre’s father… Who’s also the current head of the Alpha family, was once a guard of His Majesty. He was one of His Majesty’s best guards, and he has a good personal relationship with His Majesty. In addition, since most of the outstanding talents that the Alpha family recruited are orphans, it’s only natural that they treated Alpha University as their home. Due to these reasons, His Majesty has decided to turn a blind eye to their actions.”

Upon hearing Mr. Peter’s words, Lawrence immediately fell into deep thought. He knew that something was amiss, but he could not place his finger on it.

Once they had finished their meal, the trio then returned to their room.

“Locke, don’t you want to reconsider…”

“Yeah, or do you wish to consult with the principal beforehand…”

Lawrence and Rosetti were still fussing over Locke’s recruitment offer, and they were trying to persuade him.

Fully aware that they had his best interests at heart, Locke smiled and said, “Alright, I know that this opportunity does not come by easily, but I believe that it’s better to hire someone who’s more fitting for the job…”

Locke was right.

After all, Locke was undisciplined by nature, and he was oblivious to the etiquette of nobles.

As for the cultivation tomes that Peter had mentioned, Locke was highly interested in them. However, since Locke still had a bunch of cultivation tomes on hand, it was enough to keep himself busy for quite some time. Moreover, with the assistance of his Heaven-defying System, Locke believed that he would still be able to achieve great results regardless.

In contrast, if Locke were to serve in the imperial palace, his daily duties would definitely affect his cultivation process. Worse still, he might even accidentally reveal his secrets while serving there.

He had no desire to draw the attention of every citizen of the Federation.

In the end, Locke felt that it was wisest to decline Peter’s offer.

After persuading the other two with great difficulty, Locke closed his door and began to cultivate.

The competition venue was just as lively as the previous day.

Moreover, since it was the finals, there seemed to be more attendees than before.

However, no matter where one looked, the emblem and flags of the Alpha Federation University’s emblem would appear before them.

“Andre… !”

“Go, Alpha!”

“I’m counting on you guys to buy me a new house…”

Lawrence had a dejected expression on his face. “We performed so well yesterday, so why don’t we have any supporters…”

“Sigh… forget it. Alpha Academy is the reigning champion, after all. It’s normal for people to doubt us…” Rossetti smiled and comforted him.

With a pat of his round belly, Lawrence stood up and declared, “Alright, I’ll take care of them!”

Locke had gone to the washroom.

As such, it was up to Lawrence to hold the fort.

He summoned the pink pig, Mike, who had recovered his gastrointestinal health, and headed up to the dueling platform.

“It’s the fatty again…”

“He’s the one with the weird Battle Beast, right…”

“Let’s see how Alpha University will deal with it…”

The people from the military academy who had already entered the audience seats frowned when they saw the pink pig.

The student representing Alpha University was a slender young man. It was Shaw.

With a raise of his right hand, a brown centipede that was several adults tall appeared before him.

Lawrence patted Mike’s stomach and responded, “Hmph, Mike can devour it without any issues…”

“Let the first round of the finals… Begin!” The referee gave the order, and the match had officially begun.

Shaw did not waste any time. He immediately ordered his centipede to strike its foe.

The centipede drilled into the ground, and just moments later, it had appeared behind Mike. It immediately brought down its razor-sharp feet at Mike!

“Hmph! It’s useless!” Lawrence was confident in Mike’s abilities.