Dustless / A Chance Encounter ...

In discussions between Gwen and Netizen in his previous life, the so-called "Earth Marrow" was very likely a wisp of power descended by Amber King, the strongest earth and wood master in the entire universe.

Given that this might be a product of Divine Miracle bestowed by the Amber King, Gwen naturally had his own thoughts.

However, since he had always been at the Destiny Headquarters or within Schicksal's surveillance range, Gwen had never put it into practice out of caution.

Now that he has finally left Schicksal alone, Gwen naturally wants to study the Earth Marrow properly... and see if he can use it for his own purposes.

Chapter 122 Dustless

Hard but not cold, it unexpectedly gives people a warm feeling, and even emits a faint light in the dark Xiao Kong under the quilt, like a campfire in the snow.

Because he needed to keep it a secret from Otto, Gwen couldn't use Schicksal's many high-tech devices to scientifically examine the Earth Marrow. He could only try to explore the power within the Earth Marrow through his own senses and the limited knowledge he had learned while working for Changguang.

For example, can the energy in the ore that provides the necessary heat to the isolated city of Belobog, just like coal in the ordinary world, be directly absorbed?

Or perhaps, we can learn something from the energy composition of the Earth Marrow...

The experiment began quickly. Thanks to Gwen's recent research on the Demon Spirit Stone and his own powerful mental strength, Gwen's research proceeded smoothly, and he soon felt the warm power contained in the Earth Marrow Ore that he had just obtained from Cocolia that evening.

Unfortunately, although the research progressed smoothly, Gwen's desired goal was not achieved as smoothly as it had been.

"Although the energy within the Earth Marrow releases its energy outward in the form of heat and light, much like flames, its inherent properties are exceptionally stable. Unlike the Honkai Energy within the Demon Spirit Stone, which can be absorbed at will, it is like a thick, unshakeable wall, only able to function in its own way..."

Summarizing the conclusions drawn from several hours of research, Gwen was not disappointed. Instead, he calmly put away the Earth Marrow Ore, took out two Light Shadow Stones, held them in his hands, silently recited Divine Melody, and began his daily cultivation.

Finding a shortcut would be ideal, but Gwen already had a path to follow, wouldn't stop there...

The next morning, in the somewhat glaring sunlight, Gwen slowly opened his eyes, welcoming his first morning alone since leaving the Destiny Headquarters.

Although he was so excited yesterday, Gwen woke up today feeling calm and not much different from usual.

"Am I... now free of dust?"

After opening his eyes, he didn't rush to get up. Instead, he lay quietly in bed for a while, carefully sensing the changes that seemed to have occurred in his body. Gwen couldn't help but mutter to himself.

After carefully sensing the changes in his body and comparing them with Fu Hua's teachings, Gwen discovered that he seemed to have reached the second stage of the Heart Resonance, the Dustless Realm.

"Comprehension is truly a mysterious thing..."

Gwen muttered to himself, feeling delighted but his spirits remained unmoved.

As the saying goes, when the lake of the heart is frozen, it is free of dust.

Of course, the freezing here should not be simply interpreted literally as freezing the lake of the heart and severing all feelings and love. Rather, it is a description of a state of mind, as if there is a thin layer of ice on the lake of the heart, so that even if a hurricane comes, it will hardly cause a ripple...

After carefully examining his own body, Gwen discovered that some subtle changes seemed to have occurred within him.

The most obvious improvement is that Honkai Energy resistance and adaptability seem to have both increased.

In addition, there seemed to be some subtle changes in his body that Gwen could not clearly detect through a simple self-examination.

Besides the most basic physical changes, the ever-flowing cycle of the five elements within Gwen's body seemed to have become more fluid, which Gwen directly perceived as a slight increase in its operating speed.

Moreover, seemingly due to the research on the suspected Amber King's power within the Earth Marrow last night, the Earth element in Gwen's Five Elements Cycle has become even stronger.

Fortunately, the five elements cycle within Gwen's body had already stabilized. The limited enhancement of the earth element would not destroy the current balance, but would only lead to an overall strengthening of this cycle after a certain period of time.

Besides this, Gwen also had a feeling that his training in "Spirit Awakening Scripture" had undergone some kind of imperceptible change, one that could only be sensed intuitively...

After examining the benefits of his changed mindset after leaving Destiny Headquarters alone, Gwen didn't actually relax enough to stay in bed for half a day. Instead, he quickly got up, washed up, and went out to do the first thing he had done since arriving in the city—

Buy a house!

Although staying in a hotel for a few months seems more cost-effective than buying a house for a mission that lasts at most a few months, Gwen doesn't have the urge to engage in revenge spending.

However, in order to fit his character, Gwen, the rich young master, still chose to spend lavishly.

With money paving the way, the house-buying process, which originally required careful research, planning, and location selection, was completed in just half a day by Gwen.

Although it cost significantly more than the former, it was much more hassle-free.

Having settled the accommodation issue in the morning, Gwen didn't rush to move in. Instead, he had the real estate agent prepare all the necessary furniture and appliances by the afternoon. After lunch, he went to the renowned Senba Academy in Changkong City.

Unlike the all-girls school in some versions of the story, Gwen's world's Senba Academy is a co-educational school with a long history and is known for its excellent college entrance rate, with many outstanding students being admitted to world-renowned universities such as the University of Tokyo and Waseda University every year.

Of course, this is just something written on the school's official website.

In fact, according to the information Gwen saw, Senba Academy was originally founded as an institution for educating noble and samurai families. Later, it was separated into a secondary school as the education system became tiered, similar to the neighboring Shuchiin Academy, only with a smaller scope of influence.

The biggest similarity is that even now, with the abolition of the aristocracy, there are still many talented people born into wealthy and prestigious families who will inevitably bear the fate of the nation studying here.

In short, it's a classic private aristocratic school, a social arena for the Celestial Dragons.

Although some students were admitted based on their grades or through connections and were forced into the program by their parents, their situation was predictably precarious.

Of course, given Gwen's current status, he has absolutely no need to worry about this; transferring to this academy would certainly make him a member of the Celestial Dragons.

Although he had to flee to the Far East because of the trouble he caused at the banquet, he was still on the same level as those "prodigies" in Japan.

Before leaving Europe for the Far East, Gwen's "family elders" had already made arrangements. Gwen didn't need to visit the Thousand Feather Academy, which had been tragically attacked in many fan works, when he came to the Senba Academy today. He just needed to complete the enrollment procedures, confirm his class transfer, and pick up his school uniform, textbooks, and other items.

And so, Gwen enrolled in the Senba Academy and joined Raiden Mei's class.

When Gwen left the office of the headmaster of the Senba Academy, it was already afternoon dismissal time.

Chapter 123 An Encounter

Unlike Gwen's boarding high school, where classes were packed every day, Japanese middle schools let students go home at 3:30 or 4:00 pm, leaving them free time to do as they please. Most students choose to spend their youth in clubs and social activities.

What happens to the grades if they are arranged this way?

The usual answer from schools is to send students to tutoring classes. Schools are only responsible for teaching basic knowledge. As for targeted practice to improve scores and deviation values so that you can get into university, that's the job of tutoring classes.

However, for the main students of the Senba Academy, grades are only a small part of their learning goals; their main task is to make friends in the same circle in the future.

As a result, the club activities at the Senba Academy are very successful, and they are not only famous throughout Japan, but also among the top high school clubs.

Gwen, leaving Senba Academy in his school uniform, brushed past these students who were excitedly preparing to participate in club activities after school.

Gwen, who wasn't wearing a school uniform, had outstanding looks, and possessed some European features that distinguished him from Asians, naturally became the focus of everyone's attention.

Although these students refrained from approaching Gwen without wanting to cause trouble for others, it was inevitable that they would whisper among themselves.

Gwen didn't seem to care at all, as he had encountered this situation many times at headquarters and was already used to it.

However, before Gwen could even leave the area in front of the teaching building, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't that the Third Honkai Eruption broke out before he even enrolled in the Senba Academy, but rather that the crowd in front of him completely blocked the road.

Thanks to the advantage of his rapidly increasing height over the past two years, Gwen was able to see the students in front of him spontaneously making way for him.

However, these students didn't make way for each other out of respect; their faces carried a hint of disgust and disdain.

Whether it's from their own heart or not, in the neon environment, in order not to be ostracized, they must conform and do things that "everyone can do".

At the Senba Academy, the fact that everyone hates Raiden Mei, who is already universally despised, is definitely one of those things—

In the "VIP passage" cleared by the crowd, Raiden Mei, dressed in a Senba Academy girls' uniform, with stockings on her legs and her long purple Raiden Mei tied with a purple-spotted butterfly, walked coldly toward the school gate.

On both sides of the "VIP passage," students also dressed in the uniforms of the Senba Academy were whispering among themselves, almost openly hurling insults at each other.

Gwen heard rumors such as "**", "keeping a mistress", and "daughter of a criminal", some with real evidence and others fabricated.

Raiden Mei was well aware of this.

Even though she is currently just a brave high school girl, Raiden Mei can hear the students on both sides whispering amongst themselves, just like normal conversation.

Raiden Mei seemed not to hear this, and with a cold face, she walked through the crowd and quickly left the campus.

Having experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships, Raiden Mei has gradually come to understand the meaning behind those difficult words her father occasionally uttered. The arrogance that was originally just a result of her background and the flattery of her classmates has turned into a coldness that protects her, as she deals with what seems to be targeting her everywhere.

As they watched Raiden Mei's aloof figure, befitting her former title of "Electro Queen," the discussions within the small groups became even more unrestrained.

Even the small group of people near Gwen who noticed him as an outsider didn't have much of a qualm.

Even in this world, which is very different from the OTL route, many things remain unchanged, such as the underworld overthrowing the superior.

When Raiden Mei was still the "Electro Queen," they were all very respectful, like orderly subjects.

And when Raiden Mei falls to the ground, everyone is eager to stomp on her, enjoying the thrill of the underdog triumphing over the superior.

Even though the vast majority of these students are the "upper" in the underdog story to most Japanese people, it doesn't stop them from enjoying the feeling.

Gwen simply watched coldly and made no move.

After all, he was just a transfer student who had just arrived and knew nothing about anything. If he rashly stepped forward to uphold justice, it would only arouse suspicion.

With Raiden Mei gone, the crowd quickly resumed its flow, and Gwen slowly walked out of the school gate.

However, after walking only two blocks from the school gate, Gwen spotted a swaying white braid in an alley and heard an impatient girl's voice:

"Speak, who sent you?"

Yumiko or Ryoko?

As the girl in the Senba Academy uniform spoke, she kicked the muscular man who was curled up on the ground like a shrimp with her black square-toed leather shoes.

Judging from her words, the white-haired girl seems to be the one being targeted.

However, judging from the men lying on the ground, the white-haired girl seemed to be the one causing trouble.

"Hmph... I misjudged him..."

Knowing full well that he would lose his job if he spoke out, the man stubbornly held on and mumbled something.

Although he was beaten so badly he was almost unconscious, the man, who had also learned to take a beating, realized that he probably didn't even have any broken bones, and that his opponent hadn't intended to kill him.

Since he's not some hothead who'd kill someone at the drop of a hat, he might as well hold on a little longer. If he doesn't expose the prostitute, he might still have a chance to keep his job.

The men, who were also lying on the ground convulsing, were surprised and even terrified by the girl's incredible strength in easily defeating them, but they all followed suit and responded in kind.

"Snort!"

Upon hearing this, the white-haired girl frowned, snorted, and stepped on the man's ankle.

"Do you really think I wouldn't dare to make a move?"

Believe it or not, I can give you hundreds more bones in your body.

"..."

Instantly, the man who had been so defiant just moments before fell silent, and the sound of him swallowing could even be clearly heard in the alley.

However, before the hesitant men could answer, a voice broke the silence from outside the alley—

"Normally, they probably wouldn't even have hundreds of extra bones in their bodies before they're completely dead..."

"Who!"

Kiana, who was trying to confirm the mastermind behind the scenes through threats, was startled. She took two steps away from the people on the ground, turned her head to look at the alley entrance, and saw a black-haired youth who looked somewhat familiar.

Kiana's still-active brain quickly reminded her of the origin of this familiar feeling, and she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

At the very least, it's unlikely that Gwen and these people are in cahoots; they're more likely just passing by.

However, Kiana remained vigilant and warned:

"These guys are no good. They might be being manipulated by someone. I suggest you don't get involved..."

Chapter 124 Kiana: This person is probably using a fake name.

Although years of wandering have made Kiana accustomed to using threats to solve problems, Siegfried's upbringing has instilled in her a traditional Caslana side, making Kiana unwilling to put others in danger, even though Gwen didn't make a good first impression on her.

Gwen, however, seemed unconcerned by Kiana's reminder, and smiled:

"Thank you for reminding me, student."

However, they are not qualified to cause me any trouble.

"Oh..."