CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45: THE FANCY GENIUS TRAINING CAMP!

Sawako didn’t speak loudly, but everyone there was one of the best familiar tamers of their age. Their bodies had long been enhanced in all kinds of ways, so of course they could hear her.

Victor heard every word, loud and clear.

Evelynna watched Victor’s face go from red to pale, then to green. A smug glint flashed in her eyes.

Still holding Logan’s arm, she almost pressed the pair of "coconuts" on her chest against him, and said, "You’re misunderstanding. Logan and I have always been just friends."

Seeing Evelynna’s "coconuts" almost squashed, Victor finally lost it. He gritted his teeth and said, "Evelynna, let me remind you—don’t forget your promise to the Tattalia family!"

As he spoke, dozens of bodyguards stepped out of the cars behind the Tattalias. Each one felt very strong, even the weakest was elite-level, five-star.

Watching them summon their familiars and move in to surround him, Logan’s face turned cold. "You want to start a fight here?"

Victor saw that Logan wasn’t scared at all, and suddenly looked eager. "Logan, I’ve heard your story. Since we’re both in the Genius Training Camp, I don’t want to make this ugly. Kneel and apologize, promise you’ll stay away from Evelynna, and I’ll let you go."

Victor’s words made Yelena and Sawako furious.

Before Logan could answer, the two girls summoned their familiars first.

The moment Yelena’s Icebound Phoenix appeared, the temperature within hundreds of meters dropped by ten degrees.

Sawako also called out her Centaur, now bigger than when she and Logan explored the Blood Cultivation Realm.

"Victor, Logan is our friend from Storm Wind City. You’d better think carefully about the consequences of touching him." Yelena said, firm and sharp, cutting off Victor just as he was about to act.

"That’s right. My grandpa doesn’t care how powerful your Tattalia family is. If the assassins of our Edo Castle mark you, even a Legend-level expert will die!" Sawako stood with her hands on her hips, eyes full of fighting spirit.

The way the two girls stood up for Logan only made Victor angrier.

And when he saw Evelynna still standing by Logan’s side, with no intention of leaving, he struck.

A purple familiar gate opened, and three huge dragon heads burst out, rushing at Logan, Sawako, and Yelena.

Just as the fight was about to start, a long roar echoed across the sky.

A crushing aura slammed down and stopped everyone’s familiars in their tracks.

Victor spun around, narrowed his eyes, and glared into the air.

Colonel Owen was flying over with a squad of Saint Heart City guards.

"Tattalia family’s young master, this is Saint Heart City. You shouldn’t bring trouble to your family," Owen said as he slowly landed between Logan and Victor, separating their familiars.

"You’re just a colonel. You don’t have the right to lecture me!" The three dragon heads behind Victor reared up again.

He showed Owen no respect. "Take your men and back off. I can let this slide."

He was about to order the three dragon heads to attack Logan and the others when a powerful shout rang out again: "Victor! Attacking a classmate breaks the rules. Do you not want your Genius Training Camp spot anymore?"

That shout gave Victor no face at all, leaving him a bit embarrassed.

He didn’t know who the voice belonged to, but anyone who could threaten his Genius Training Camp quota was not someone he could afford to offend.

Victor, who had been ready to fight, hesitated.

Just then, the crisp click of high heels came from a distance.

Julia stepped out of the crowd, hips swaying, and stood by Logan’s side. She smiled politely at Victor. "Young master of the Tattalia family, you’ve blocked traffic. Our Federation Bookmakers Company’s ribbon-cutting ceremony has been delayed. Do you plan to keep making a scene?"

Behind Julia, a group of reporters in vests raised cameras and microphones at Victor, almost shoving the mics into his face.

Seeing so many people getting in his way, Victor’s chest heaved with anger. He gripped the railing with both hands and snapped the iron bars in two.

"We’ll see about that!" He shoved the reporters aside and left the street with his bodyguards and convoy.

Watching the cars drive off, Colonel Owen walked straight up to Logan and the others. "Surprised? Didn’t see that coming?"

After the Blood Cultivation Realm incident in Twilight City, Yelena and Sawako already knew Colonel Owen, so they went up to greet him.

With the Genius Training Camp about to start, Saint Heart City pulled in core members from the City Guards of the major main cities to help keep the area safe.

"Colonel Owen, are you here to sweep the Blood Cultivation Realms?" Logan asked, a bit surprised to hear about his new assignment.

"Strictly speaking, we’re here to remove hidden risks," Colonel Owen explained.

It turns out the area within 500 kilometers of Saint Heart City is the military’s Blood Cultivation Realm monitoring zone.

In this zone, if an otherworld-plane Blood Cultivation Realm shows up, the military has to move in at once to contain it.

If a Blood Cultivation Realm gets out of control, not only do monsters spill out—land and sea from the otherworld can also push through the rift, tearing it wider and wrecking our natural environment.

But even with tight defenses and round-the-clock patrols, some hidden Blood Cultivation Realms still get missed.

For example, last month, a forest that was only a few square kilometers suddenly changed.

Because a Master-level Blood Cultivation Realm wasn’t dealt with in time, the forest split open and turned into a huge lake, hundreds of square kilometers across, filled with man-eating monsters.

"Since students of the Genius Training Camp will be camping outside the city for half a year, we need to check the area in advance and clear threats you can’t handle," Colonel Owen explained, then handed Logan a business card.

"Take it. For the next six months, I’ll be leading patrols outside the city. If you run into real danger out there, I’ll back you up right away." He thumped Logan lightly on the chest and encouraged him. "I’m also a student who came from Twilight City. Sadly, I wasn’t picked for the Genius Training Camp back then. Don’t you embarrass Twilight City."

Watching Colonel Owen leave, Logan, Sawako, and Yelena felt a warm touch in their hearts.

Then Sawako suddenly remembered how close Evelynna and Logan were just now. A hint of jealousy showed on her face. "Logan, what’s your relationship with that woman from the Temple?"

She raised her hand to point at Evelynna, but after pointing for a while, she realized Evelynna was already gone.

Julia gently pressed down Sawako’s hand with a smile. "Don’t point. As soon as Victor left, that girl left too."

Then Julia tugged on Logan’s collar and warned him, "Young man, that woman doesn’t mean well for you. Be careful."

"Julia, why are you here too?" Logan ignored Julia’s comment about Evelynna and changed the subject.

"Of course it’s because of a job change—did you think I came for you?" Julia curled her lip, then added, "The Tattalia family is very powerful in the Federation. Even the City Lord of the main city can only barely keep his dignity in front of them. Got it?"

She leaned close to Logan’s ear, her voice full of warning. "The City Lord does not want you making trouble right now or provoking someone you can’t afford to offend. Until the Genius Training Camp ends, don’t tear things completely with Victor Tattalia."

With that, Julia left with the reporters.

Victor had killed their mood, so Logan and the others lost interest in a big meal.

To avoid trouble, they all agreed to go straight to the Genius Training Camp to check in.

Not long after they left, Evelynna stepped out of a side alley. Staring in the direction where Logan disappeared, her eyes turned cold. "Logan, I’ll make you pay for my miserable fate. You’ll go down with me."

...

Outside Saint Heart City, Logan, Sawako, and the others drove to the Genius Training Camp, set in a quiet valley.

It wasn’t like the classrooms and dorms Logan had imagined. The admin offices were inside caves around the valley, and the center was for training and classes.

Students’ living areas were strictly placed in forest camps five kilometers outside the valley.

Each camp had six tents and a fence, and camps were at least one kilometer apart.

Seeing this, Jessica hefted her luggage and complained, "Are they treating us like security guards? We can’t stay in the safest valley, but we have to live in the outer woods like lookouts?"

Sawako and Yelena both frowned.

Logan, however, didn’t think the setup was rough at all. He urged the girls to hurry and check in.

Along the way, he had been deliberately picking bits of bark, roots, and stones for Kerparos to identify.

That almost made Kerparos lose it.

Through the barrier of the familiar space, Logan could hear him roaring.

"These are spiritual herbs over a hundred years old! Turn them into potions and they speed up training—where did you even find them?"

"And this stone—this is a secret forging stone for high-grade gear. The soft armor your principal gave you was made with this stuff!"

"Wait! Oh my—this is phoenix wood. Are you telling me the staff at the Genius Training Camp used this wood to build the camp fences?"

"This world is insane! So wasteful!"