The Bullies Are in Septimont

"What's your name?"

Rover asked, his voice quiet but carrying a reassuring power.

"Liu Lan... My name is Liu Lan. I'm a senior at Ashihara Azure Academy..."

The girl spoke through sobs. She looked terrified, but for some reason, the golden-eyed man before her gave her a sense of safety she hadn't felt in a long time.

It was a strange feeling. They were complete strangers, yet standing before him, she felt the tension she had carried for two months suddenly ease a little.

"Tell me what happened."

Rover waved his hand, and all the clamor around them died down. The arena champion's reputation spoke for itself.

Liu Lan took a deep breath, wringing her hands as she spoke haltingly. "Two months ago, I awakened my Resonance Force. In Ashihara, Resonators are registered and placed under centralized management. I was afraid I'd be sent to an isolation zone, so I never dared let anyone know..."

"Later, I heard that Starcluster Academy was a paradise for Resonators, so I planned to apply there. But just then, our entire school was swept into a strange space, and then drifted here.

"When I woke up again, I was already at the Neon Tavern. The owner took me in, gave me food and a place to stay, and let me help out at the tavern. I thought I'd met a good person..."

Liu Lan's voice caught in her throat. "But a few days later, I accidentally exposed my Resonance Force. The owner waited until I wasn't paying attention and locked this collar around my neck."

"He said it was a 'Resonance Suppressor' and that wearing it would suppress my Resonance Force. But later I found out the collar didn't just suppress it—it could also drain my Resonance Force. It kept draining it, and I felt tired every day, more and more tired, with less and less strength..."

At that, she clenched her fists, trembling uncontrollably. She looked terrified.

"The other people in the tavern were very unfriendly to me. Every day, they made me do the heavy, dirty work and wouldn't let me eat my fill. They often beat and cursed me, poured cold water on my bed, and put bugs in my lunchbox..."

At that point, Liu Lan couldn't hold back her sobs again!

"Why would they do that?"

Some people could no longer hold themselves back, their eyes glistening with tears. The poor girl had suffered so much.

"Because... because that's how people from Ashihara are. They always like to exclude others and bully the weak. But when faced with Resonators who possess great power, their fear is mixed with hatred. They seize every opportunity to suppress them, wishing they could grind Resonators into the dirt and keep them down forever!"

"Those damned beasts!!!"

In an instant, all the people of Septimont in the tavern erupted, their faces flushed and their hair standing on end like furious lions.

"I thought they were good people, but I never expected them to do such filthy, disgusting things behind closed doors. They're dragging down humanity's moral standards!"

"That's right! Septimont is a sunny, uplifting place full of positive, cheerful, highly civilized people. We absolutely won't allow such a den of filth to exist here!"

"Come on, let's go raze that damned tavern and slaughter those sons of bitches!"

"Easy. Don't act rashly yet."

Rover pressed his hands downward, forcing the crowd to calm down.

"Liu Lan, the people at the tavern bullied you so badly. Why didn't you run away?" Cartethyia asked with a frown, most of her drunkenness gone.

"Because I can't..."

Liu Lan shook her head, a little more resolve in her eyes. "There are lots of other poor children at the tavern, all local orphans from Septimont. They're bullied too, and they get beaten whenever they cry. If even I left, who would protect them?"

"Just because of that?"

Rover's gaze softened considerably as he looked at Liu Lan.

"You can't even protect yourself, yet you still want to protect others. Aren't you afraid?"

"I am, but a senior once told me that seniors should protect their juniors!"

At the mention of that "senior," Liu Lan's eyes dimmed involuntarily for a moment.

"Back when I was bullied at school, she was the one who stood up and protected me. But unfortunately, she awakened her Resonance Force and became a target of bullying too.

"But she never regretted it. When she got into Star Torch Academy, I was happy for her from the bottom of my heart. That's why I wanted to follow in her footsteps and go to Star Torch Academy with her. I just didn't expect something like this to happen along the way."

"Don't be sad!"

Cartethyia patted her shoulder. "Your wish will come true, and your senior will be proud of you too!"

Then she turned to the people in the tavern. "Tell me, what do you want to do most right now?"

"Raze the Neon Tavern and cut those beasts to pieces!"

The eyes of the people of Septimont were practically shooting fire. Those bullying dogs from Ashihara had reached a new low beyond anything they had imagined. They had never seen anyone so evil!

"Let's go! Don't let a single one of them off!"

In an instant, the Blazing Sun Tavern emptied as everyone followed Cartethyia in a great host to attack.

Only Rover remained where he was.

"Shorekeeper, are you there?"

he asked softly. Suddenly, a blue butterfly flew over from the distance and settled in his palm.

"I'm here..."

A gentle, delicate voice sounded beside his ear.

"Help me check. Did a spatial rift appear in Ashihara two months ago?"

"I already checked. There have been no abnormal reactions in Ashihara in recent years."

Hearing that, Rover frowned. Could Liu Lan be lying?

"What about Azure Academy? Is it still there?"

At that question, Shorekeeper's voice paused for a moment.

"The Tethys System's records show that Azure Academy was swept into a spatial rift twenty years ago!"