Chapter 322: Royal Family

It didn’t take him long to find the room numbered forty-two. Unlocking the door, he turned the handle and stepped inside.

He closed the door behind him and glanced around. The room was simple and modest—a small bed, a mirror, and a bathroom.

Taking off his cloak, he examined himself in the mirror, attempting to form a smile.

It was stiff. After all, he still felt a little guilty about drugging Selene. He hadn’t initially planned to use it on her, but after realizing how dangerous this planet was, he changed his mind.

Knowing her, he didn’t think she’d simply back down because he told her to. They might have been at odds at the beginning of the apocalypse, but they were now close friends.

Just like he wouldn’t just stand by and watch her go into obvious danger, she wouldn’t stand by too.

This was why he had made the choice to put her to sleep. This was his requirement, and he should be completing it alone.

She had helped him enough, so there was no need to put her into unnecessary danger. The memory of her almost being possessed by a parasite still haunted him.

At least, she would be safe now. No one knew about that bunker except him, as he had discovered its existence after they accidentally found the first bunker. There, the person who owned the bunkers had written a note detailing the locations of the other bunkers he had made all over the Central Continent.

Shaking his head, he cleared those thoughts away and got into the bed. He wasn’t sure if there was any recording device in the room, so he didn’t take his clothes off. Instead, he slept like that.

The next morning, he got up and entered the bathroom to take a bath. After washing off the blue paint from yesterday, he allowed himself a few minutes without the disguise before painting himself blue again.

There wasn’t much to do, and he had to spend his money wisely so he stuck with eating his mutated chicken that now felt tasteless.

’Hmm...’

Leaving the inn, he headed to the library first. It was a public library so he didn’t need any special pass to get inside and read books.

With nothing else to do for the day, he quickly took a seat and began reading book after book.

His primary target was to find information about the heart of the world, but he also learned several things about the Vaelari. They initially had a Patron God who cared for their needs through the Royal family, but after losing more than ninety percent of their population to the parasites, the being stopped associating with them.

The story made Leon chuckle. To these people, that Higher Entity must have been like a real god, worshipped and treated with respect.

They didn’t know that he or she was just stronger than them. If they survived and continued evolving, they could eventually reach that level too.

’Ignorance isn’t bliss, I tell you.’

Closing the book, he stood up and returned it to the shelf before picking up another one. He quickly sat down again and began reading.

Although he still didn’t find information about the heart, he learned more about the Vaelari. They had been no different from humans before being recognized by the Star Stream.

They lived mundane lives and died normally. There were wars, sports, entertainment, and even tournaments.

Now, there was barely any of that left. Sports had vanished, and even entertainment had reduced greatly. No one wanted to give up the opportunity to grow stronger and protect their family just to become an actor or singer.

’Smart...’

He closed the book and went to pick another one. He repeated this until evening, having spent his entire day in the library.

He left the place mildly disappointed. He hadn’t found information about the heart—probably because he hadn’t read all the books in the library.

However, he did learn a lot of things that broadened his mind and scope of thinking. In fact, he learned a few things that could be beneficial for Eternal Night City back on Earth.

Returning to the inn, he immediately went to his room and collapsed on the bed. He had considered visiting the restaurant again, but decided against that.

He wanted to save his money for as long as he could.

Pulling off his cloak, he allowed himself to relax and receive fresh air. After all, he couldn’t remove the cloak where others could see him. He might be able to pass off his nose as weird, but his ears were obvious pointers. If anyone realized his ears weren’t long, they wouldn’t hesitate to attack him.

"What a twisted world," He muttered, covering his eyes with his hands.

The next day, he went to the library and stayed there until noon. Still, he got no relevant information about the Heart. Realizing he’d only be wasting his time by checking the library, he decided to visit the schools in the area.

Of course he didn’t barge into the school to start questioning the kids. Instead, he made himself unnoticeable and sneaked around the classes, paying attention to their lessons.

’Cassie would have been the best person to do what I’m doing.’

Still, staying hidden wasn’t difficult. He simply hid from plain sight and listened.

Luckily, the lesson he was eavesdropping on was about the Dome and the Heart.

A female teacher was teaching the class.

"The Dome was created many years ago, and it has been protecting our last bastion since then till now, and hopefully, forever."

One student gasped, awed. "Teacher, what is powering the Dome? Is it the Royal Family or an energy source?"

"This..." The teacher hesitated. "I can’t say for sure. Some people say it’s an energy source that the Royal Family built and secured it by themselves. However, there is no concrete source of information to confirm that."

Another student asked, "Could it be that lucky stone that made the Royal Family able to control the forces of the world? I read about the battles they fought with it and I’m amazed."

The teacher shook her head. "As I said earlier, I cannot confirm your suspicion. However, it’s true that the Heart—not a lucky stone, is a powerful item of the Royal family. However, I don’t know if it’s the one powering the Dome."

Hearing that, Leon narrowed his eyes.

’So the Royal Family, huh...?’