Chapter 167: Alice’s Invitation

After greeting each other, they sat down by Rod’s bed. “How are you? It seems you’ve recovered pretty well. I really doubt you’re human!” Kiro said gloomily, looking at Rod.
He had known Knight Rod for some time and had seen him injured a few times, especially that time against the Earth Bear. But no matter how badly he was hurt, he always recovered in surprisingly short time. This recovery ability was evident once again, prompting Kiro to laugh and scold him.
“Brother has a strong body. It’s useless for you to be jealous. By the way, what brought you here?” Rod was naturally confident in his own recovery ability. However, seeing their expressions, it seemed there was something unsaid, especially Alice, who looked hesitant, which made him curious.
“Hehe, what could it be? We just came to check on you. Well, how’s it feeling to be the center of attention?” Kiro asked with a teasing smile.
Although he hadn’t gone outside, he had encountered several groups heading out when he entered, including some familiar faces. Some of them had even tried to recruit him before. He could guess what was going on just by seeing them. Even without seeing those people, he could imagine that Rod must be being praised endlessly these days.
His performance in the competition had stunned everyone, and surely no one wanted to miss such a talent.
“It would be great if you could come earlier!” Rod said helplessly with a wry smile. Rather than dealing with those annoying people, he would prefer to fight—a simpler solution.
“Well, are you satisfied? This is your chance!” Kiro asked teasingly, seeing Rod’s expression.
“Hmm, rascal. Quite a few people came to see you today. I heard Dolore from the Imperial Guard is here too. Have you already agreed?” Alice asked anxiously. Her gaze made Rod feel uneasy. He wondered why this girl was so concerned about his affairs today.
Watching the three of them staring at him, Rod was puzzled. Why were they so interested? After pondering for a moment, he smirked. “Hmm, they did come for me. Several groups, all pretty good. The offers they made are satisfactory. I’m considering which side to join. Hehe, Dolore offered very tempting conditions—noble status! Could Rod like me also get that someday?”

“Did you really agree?” As expected, as soon as these words were spoken, Alice reacted intensely. She stepped forward eagerly and asked Rod anxiously.
“What’s the matter? Do you have something on your mind?” Seeing Alice’s reaction, Rod asked in confusion.
“The conditions they offered, our Potter family can also meet. Grandpa said that as long as you’re willing to join our family, we can give you any conditions others might offer. Being a noble isn’t a problem at all. And if you join someone else or the empire, do you know what that means? You won’t be as free anymore—you’ll have to follow orders. Do you like that kind of life? If you join our Potter family, we won’t impose any restrictions on your freedom or actions, of course, as long as it doesn’t harm our family’s interests. Besides, we can offer you help in any way we can!
Well, I believe you understand the reasoning!”
Alice spoke at length about her intentions. Hearing this, Rod finally understood. Of course—other than this reason, there wouldn’t be such concern over his decision today.
Frowning slightly, he thought the conditions were indeed tempting. Freedom was what Rod valued most; everything else seemed trivial to him.
However, he had no good feelings toward the Potter family. All of this could be blamed on that bastard Roger from Blaze City. He had bullied others, and Rod had suffered a lot there. He even left his hometown because of him and still didn’t know the whereabouts of Kambi and the others. How could he easily let go of such resentment!?
“Heh, just kidding. I haven’t considered joining any organization or family yet, at least not for now. So, unfortunately, despite the tempting conditions, I can’t agree.”
After spending some time together, although Alice kept causing him trouble, Rod’s impression of her didn’t get any worse. With Kiro and the others here, even if he didn’t care about appearances, he still refused Alice’s invitation politely.
“But… Kiro has also joined our family. If you come with us, we can fight together in the future. Won’t you consider it again?” Alice became anxious. She even forgot the setting and stepped forward, gripping Rod’s arms tightly. This was the first time she had been given a task by her family, and she didn’t want it to end in failure.

The news revealed by Alice really surprised Rod. So that’s how it is. He glanced at Kiro, who had a pained expression on his face. He guessed that it must be Alice using emotional tactics and persistent persistence that forced Kiro to join reluctantly.
“Hehe, forget it. Let Rod think it over!” At that moment, Kiro stepped in to defuse the situation. Though unwilling, Alice eventually gave up her plan after some persuasion. Rod knew things wouldn’t end here. Life might become even more complicated in the future.
Fortunately, he would leave once his injuries healed, otherwise life would be truly difficult. With such a stubborn person around, his life could never be peaceful.
After this incident subsided, the atmosphere eased. Before long, night fell, and darkness covered the land. With Kiro and the others leaving, the room fell silent once again. Rod wondered where those guys from Viski had gone—why hadn’t they come to his side?
But the peace didn’t last long. The door was pushed open again. Frowning, he saw that it was Kiro who had returned to his room. He looked at Kiro in confusion. “Did you forget something?” That was the only explanation that came to mind. He checked around but found nothing left in the room. Looking at Kiro, Rod asked with a puzzled gaze.
“Hehe, no. Come sit for a while. By the way, is it still because of Roger that you don’t want to join the Porter family?” Kiro walked over to Rod’s bed and sat down, asking.
“What, here to persuade me?” With a sigh, Rod asked with a bitter smile.

“No, we’re friends, right? If you really consider me a friend, then listen to me—don’t join any organization. It won’t benefit you at all, not even the Porter family. Well, things are very tense outside right now, especially regarding you. You’ve been listed on the Mercenary Association’s blacklist under the upper A-class missions, with a significantly increased bounty and difficulty level. I heard that a powerful assassin organization has already taken on this mission; it’s not clear who yet. But I believe that as soon as you leave this academy, people will try to attack you. If you join any organization, things will get even worse—many might target you. Right now, you’re like an arrow nocked on a bow, ready to be shot. Be careful! I’ll let you know immediately if I hear anything. You should be leaving this academy soon, right? Do you have any plans?” Taking a deep breath, Kiro spoke solemnly to Rod.

After saying all this, Rod’s eyes were filled with confusion and shock. For a moment, Kiro seemed inscrutable, like someone hidden in darkness wearing a long robe, mysterious and unpredictable.

Rod didn’t understand his motives or why he knew so much. He felt like a lamb stripped bare in front of him—a very uncomfortable feeling.

“Don’t ask me how I know these things or why I’m telling you this. Just remember my words. Well, it’s getting late. Get some rest. I’m leaving now!” Before Rod could ask further questions, Kiro bid farewell and left the room without looking back.

Staring at where Kiro had gone, Rod fell into deep thought as he watched his retreating figure.

“Damn it!” He cursed loudly, lying on the bed and gazing at the ceiling, his thoughts wandering far away.

Today’s events made Rod realize that his top priority was to leave this academy as soon as possible, to get away from the center of this turmoil. The entire continent’s attention was focused on this vortex, and he had to get out quickly. Getting involved further would only bring harm.

Judging by his injuries and based on past recovery experiences, Rod knew that in three days, he should be fine enough to leave. He immediately began practicing, knowing that each session of training would greatly aid his recovery. Of course, he wasn’t willing to keep slacking off.

He focused his mental energy inward and quickly entered a state of cultivation. This seemed to be the first time he had cultivated since becoming a Golden Warrior. Perhaps because of the battle on the brink of life and death the previous day, he found that he had made some progress this time as well. He only stopped when he sensed that the fighting energy in his body had reached saturation. The sky was still dim, and this session of cultivation was quite short. Thinking of the new cultivation techniques and martial arts that had appeared in his mind, Rod hesitated not at all and began to explore them in detail once again. He had no resistance to these things and was filled with longing and anticipation.