NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Goodbye
The next day, early morning.
A family of three is having breakfast at the dining table.
"Luo Heng, have you decided which academy you want to attend?" Su Junran asked casually as he placed a bowl of porridge in front of Ye Lan, then turned to look at Su Luoheng.
Ye Lan didn't say anything but also turned her attention to her son.
"I want to go to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. After some thought, I believe the path of a Soul Engineer suits me better." As he spoke, Su Luoheng put down his chopsticks and looked up at his parents with a serious expression.
A flicker of emotion crossed Su Junran's face as he exchanged glances with Ye Lan.
Both of them looked slightly surprised.
It was just a casual mention last night; they didn't expect that young Luo Heng would actually choose the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
"What do you two think, Mom and Dad?"
"The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy does indeed suit you," Su Junran replied, coming back to his senses as he picked up a piece of green vegetable. "But I still stand by what I said before. Even if you become a Soul Engineer, don't neglect your martial soul. It's the foundation of a Soul Master's power."
"Mom supports you too, but don't forget your father's advice," Ye Lan responded gently.
"Yes, I understand." Su Luoheng was well aware of the weaknesses of Soul Engineers. While his abilities as a Soul Master might not be top-notch, they certainly couldn't be a weak point. This balance would allow him to go further on his chosen path.
"And also—"
Before Su Junran could finish, Ye Lan interjected.
"Alright, let's finish our meal first. We can discuss the rest later."
"Okay."
Father and son exchanged a look, then both lowered their heads and continued eating, their movements surprisingly in sync.
Ye Lan, satisfied, withdrew her gaze.
"..."
Halfway through the meal, Su Junran suddenly paused, as if thinking of something. "Dear, if I recall correctly, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy's enrollment has already started, right?"
"Yes, it started yesterday," Ye Lan nodded, sipping her porridge elegantly.
Su Junran furrowed his brow slightly, looking quite serious. "If the enrollment has already started, then our time is a bit tight. How about we leave this afternoon?"
"Do we have to go that soon?" Su Luoheng, biting into a chicken leg, looked a little taken aback.
"Although our Maple Leaf City borders the Sun Moon Empire, there's still some distance to Mingdu/Bright City, where the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy is located. And since their enrollment lasts only five days, if we delay, we'll have to wait until next year's admissions."
"Only five days for enrollment?"
"Yes, only five days."
Seeing Su Junran's serious demeanor, Ye Lan's eyes filled with doubt.
'Why didn't I know the Sun Moon Empire's enrollment period was only five days? Did they change it?'
"Junran..."
"Ahem!"
Before Ye Lan could finish, Su Junran cleared his throat and interrupted, "Son, after you finish eating, hurry up and start packing."
"I'll go pack right now!"
Hearing this, Su Luoheng immediately felt anxious. He hastily took a couple more bites of his food, then rushed out of the dining room in a hurry.
Soon, sounds of packing could be heard from the back room.
In the dining room.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Ye Lan turned her head and asked, "Junran, isn't the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy's enrollment period half a month? Did they change it this year?"
"No, it's still half a month," Su Junran nodded, continuing to sip his soy milk leisurely.
"Honey, today's soy milk is a bit sweet."
"Don't change the subject!" Ye Lan rolled her eyes at him. "Why did you lie to our son?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to tease him a bit," Su Junran replied with a chuckle.
"You... still the same as before," Ye Lan said, curling her lips in resignation and shaking her head.
"The same how?"
"Still love to mess with people!" Ye Lan glared at him.
"How can you call it messing? I'm training our son... Besides, it's not completely a lie. I do plan to leave this afternoon," Su Junran said with a faint smile.
"Why are we leaving so early?"
Seeing that her husband seemed serious, Ye Lan grew curious.
A glint of determination flashed in Su Junran's eyes as he whispered, "Sending our son off early gives me time to handle those matters."
"You better not leave me behind this time!" Ye Lan grabbed Su Junran's arm.
Seeing his wife's earnest look, Su Junran smiled bitterly and rubbed his nose, "Don't worry, I won't this time. Let's finish eating. You can help our son pack his luggage afterward."
"That's more like it~"
Satisfied, Ye Lan withdrew her gaze.
...
...
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy is located in the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, Sun Moon City, also known as Mingdu.
Although there are occasional minor conflicts between the various countries, the overall situation remains peaceful. As a result, the major empires have not imposed strict restrictions on the movement of their citizens and merchants.
This is especially true for the border cities of each empire.
Originally, the couple had planned to personally escort Su Luoheng to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. However, due to unforeseen circumstances along the way, they could only arrange for young Luoheng to travel to Mingdu with a merchant caravan.
Although Su Luoheng was still young, he was already a one-ring Soul Master. Additionally, the Soul Elder leading the caravan had a good relationship with Su Junran, so the couple felt relatively at ease.
Before his departure, his father informed him of the correct enrollment date. If it weren't for the two bottles of elixirs and the two gold soul coin vouchers prepared in the ring, Su Luoheng might have wanted to spar with his father.
After all, with his mother around, he was sure he wouldn't be the one getting hurt.
Even if he wasn't a match for his father, someone else could surely keep him in check.
...
...
Time flew by.
After a total of five days, Su Luoheng finally arrived in the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, Sun Moon City.
As the economic, political, and cultural center of the Sun Moon Empire, he knew that its prosperity and size would far exceed that of other cities. However, when he saw Mingdu with his own eyes, Su Luoheng realized that he had still underestimated it.
To set aside everything else for the moment—
Looking out at the city, just from its size alone, it was conservatively estimated to be at least five times larger than Maple Leaf City.
Moreover, its prosperity was incomparable to that of Maple Leaf City.
They were just at the outskirts of Mingdu, yet the crowd was already bustling and teeming with activity.
People were coming and going, creating a lively and bustling scene.
"So this is Mingdu..."
Su Luoheng couldn't help but mutter softly, his bright eyes filled with awe.
"How do you like it, Luoheng? Impressive, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Seeing Su Luoheng's expression, the middle-aged man beside him, with a firm face and upright features, smiled, "That's right. I felt the same way when I first came to Mingdu."
"Uncle Wang, you've traveled all over. Isn't there a city comparable to Mingdu?" Su Luoheng asked curiously.
"In terms of prosperity, Shrek City might be comparable. But in terms of city size, there's no other city that can match Mingdu because Mingdu has no city walls."