Chapter 546 - I Decline.
The Royal Academy...
The most impressive structure on the Haron continent held the best of the young generation the Haron Continent had to offer.
The size of the academy was about half the size of the Imperial palace which considering how large the Imperial place was in size (even larger than the Doxon Duchy palace. The only Duchy palace Hal had been to thus far) was quite impressive.
The Royal Academy was completely away from the Imperial Palace. It was in a district of its own.
(Remember, the Imperial city is the size of a Duchy and since it is already tagged a city, areas that should be named cities within the Imperial city are instead called districts)
The Royal Academy was in the center of the Royal district and while quite a number of the newest members of the Royal Academy had already seen the Royal Academy, it was a new sight to others such as Hal, Melinda, and Valerie.
"Oh, isn't it just incredible?" Nicole asked as she walked with Hal and Melinda.
Both of whom admired the Academy's structure.
They were here along with all other passing participants of the Royal Academy Entrance exams for their Orientation.
All new members of the Royal Academy were required to participate.
It was the moment in which they would show their various tokens and be given robes as pertaining to those tokens.
Also, for those who did not already have Elders or other distinguished members of the Royal Academy interested in them, depending on how well they performed during the entrance exams which all Elders and all distinguished figures in the academy had watched, they could get a chance to become green-robed students.
The Orientation was quite a big deal and while none of those elders would show up personally to scout youngsters to bring under their tutelage, they would still be present via Runic slates.
The Orientation was taking place just two days after the entrance Exams.
Two days Hal had spent inside the Harem space with Rita, Marla, Karmen, Lillian, and Olivia as the center of an orgy with the five women for twenty-time-warped days.
While Hal's cultivation had not really had a noticeable increase in that time, the ladies had definitely reaped the fruits.
Even now, they were still digesting their gains.
Anyway,
When all eighty-four who had passed the entrance exams stood together in a large hall, Valerie quickly found Melinda and walked closer to her, glaring at Hal as she did.
An action Hal sighed and ultimately ignored.
He would let her be and do as she wished for now.
Maybe when he had said she was his woman back when they met, it had been laughably silly, but now he was more than qualified and had more than proven himself enough to be able to say it without being scoffed at.
She WAS his woman.
That had not changed.
Anyway, while he ignored the glare, he did greet her with a smile,
"Hello, Valerie. I trust you slept well"
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, what's it to you?" Valerie asked in a snide tone.
Hal shrugged,
"It was just a greeting. But if you didn't sleep well, I could offer my assistance."
Valerie groaned,
"I'll walk away now Melinda. We'll talk again once this cocky ass is no longer with you" she said.
Melinda sighed even though she was smiling,
"Okay then." She said.
Valerie had just turned away from them when barely a second later, Hal was already in front of her and pressing his face closer to hers.
The young lady was startled but she collected herself quickly and frowned at Hal who was smiling,
"For someone who seems to really want to beat me up, I'd expect you not to run away from me"
"I'm not running. I just don't want to see you right now. As for the beating, trust me, it's coming" Valerie said and as though to prove her point of not running from him, she stepped closer to him. Their faces now only inches apart.
Hal shook his head, still with a smile on his lips,
"That's a shame..." He began but Valerie quickly interrupted him as she leaned back with an incredulous expression,
"Why? Don't tell me you think just because you are at the Cosmic Aurora realm right now, I'd never catch up to you. If that's what you're thinking then you are sorely mistaken because I'm going to catch up and I'm going to Kick... Your... Ass" she said, punctuating each word with a poke on his chest.
Trying not to think of how good touching him felt to her as well as the memories of their forest romp that was brought to mind.
"I don't doubt that. But that is not what I meant" Hal said.
"Then what did you mean?" Valerie asked.
Hal sighed,
"I meant to say that it's a shame you see me so much as an enemy when I feel we could have really gotten along and when I say 'gotten along' I do not mean anything perverted" he said.
Melinda rolled her eyes with a smile that said she did not believe him while Valerie was much more vocal with a similar thought,
"*snort* I don't believe you" she said.
Hal shrugged,
"I'm being serious. It would have been nice to discuss your inheritance. After all, you did say you went through with getting it just because of me" he said.
Valerie sneered,
"Because of you? Ah, don't flatter yourself. I did it for myself. My life choices have nothing to do with you..."
Right at that time, the orientation officers arrived and they called the room to decorum.
Then the Orientation started in full swing.
The Orientation was to be watched by all interested Elders and distinguished figures in the Academy and by 'interested', it means all those who wish to pick a potential protegee.
Those in the hall could not see them as the connection was one way but in case of an unattached student who showed promise, those interested would make it known to the Orientation officers who would then tell the lucky student the name or names of those interested.
If there was more than one, the student had the right to choose.
They could even choose to decline even though that would be considered quite foolish.
There are two types of Tokens, the gold token, and the jade token.
When it was Nicole's turn, she stepped forward and produced a gold Token as was standard of being the best of her academy and by taking into consideration, her performance in the Entrance exams, she was given a blue robe instead of the lowest white robe.
When it was Hal's turn though, there was an obvious change in atmosphere that was warranted of one who was definitely and beyond doubt, the best of all Eighty-four who passed the Entrance exams.
While it was believed and known by many that his sponsor would claim him (the sponsor being Princess Tanya) a lot of those watching were still optimistic to see him given a Blue robe which would be the perfect time to swoop in and have the best be in their tutelage.
Alas, Hal was given a green robe as someone who had been claimed by Princess Tanya, who, while not being an Elder was still a distinguished figure in the academy.
So they turned their sights and hopes to the one second only to Hal Doxon, they turned their sights to Melinda Dane.
Melinda had a gold token and indeed was unclaimed.
Her sponsor, the one who had given her the token was her father Devon Dane and despite being a man of impressive status and a nickname that is known among the top echelons of the Haron continent, was not an Elder or a distinguished figure in the Academy.
However, Melinda was still given a green robe with Hal noticing the Orientation officers sharing a look as they presented her with the robe,
"Who claimed me?" Melinda asked.
"Someone whose wish to tutor you personally can not be ignored." Said an orientation officer.
"But I didn't get to choose. Or even get the chance to accept or decline" Melinda said, having guessed, like many watching, where this mysterious claim had come from.
"You have no choice in the matter" said another.
"Sure I do..." Melinda said as she dumped the green robe she had been given on the desk in front of the Orientation officers,
".... I decline"