There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 207 - 201. The Path of Guide

Chapter 207: Chapter 201. The Path of Guide

Yellow-zone cities were usually the satellite of their green-zone city counterpart. Neyta, as a yellow city for a green-zone that became the center of commerce in the Eastern Federation, was filled with companies and factories. It was boisterous and full of energy, a never-ending work to make sure logistical distribution was done right.

Projo, as the satellite of the capital city Rexon, was calmer in comparison. It was the biggest yellow-zone city, but not the most populated. The infrastructure was great because it was directly managed by Rexon, and the cityscape was made to be as neat as possible that it almost bore no difference from a green-zone city--except for the absence of the high wall.

Many top-tier guilds decided to build their building in Projo that the Sentinel Association decided to put their headquarters there. Because of this, academies and institutes for espers and guides sprung out in the city, and Projo became the academic hub for Eastern Federation. Of course, these educational institutes couldn’t match the quality of the academies in green-zone, but they were more accessible to anyone who wasn’t a green-zone dweller.

That erudition image of the city was probably why Projo seemed to be calmer and more disciplined, but also youthful. If Neyta was filled with workers, Projo was full of aspiring students, balancing studious activity with institutes, libraries, and laboratories, as well as providing many entertainment sites catered to youngsters.

At least, that was what Zein thought as he stared at the city through the window in the hotel lobby.

"This is the first time I’m here!" Dheera pressed her face and exclaimed energetically. "What about you, Vice?"

She looked at Nadine, who--as a veteran celebrity--sat elegantly on one of the tables inside the lounge. In the end, Zein decided to bring those two. He was already determined to bring Nadine--as his ’successor’--even though she wouldn’t come to the Deathzone, whereas Dheera was the ’winner’ of his end-of-the-year examination.

"I’ve been here once when I applied for a practical internship during a Temple course," Nadine answered, telling the girl with her eyes to stop clouding the window and sat quietly with her.

"Oh, how nice. I only went to a local institute so my internship was in the guide center," Dheera, thankfully not a half-wit, immediately joined the older guide in the table.

Zein raised his brow as he watched the two guides across from him, tilting his head in confusion. "Hmm? I thought you all went to the Temple--that wasn’t the case?"

"Oh, right--Captain didn’t go there, right? So..."

Zein, the boss, then started to listen to his subordinates educating him in the way how guide’s early life was supposed to be.

Just like Esper, guides could awaken anytime between their birth until their early twenties. It was extremely rare, however, to find anyone awakened when they were a baby. Most would awaken during their puberty, and Zein’s case was one of the rare ones. Once awakened, they were supposed to go to the Temple to ascertain their awakening and had their initial measurement. After this, however, their path differs.

In the past, all guides had to receive their education in the Temple. But with the increasing numbers of the population--thus the number of guides--the Temple couldn’t keep all of them anymore. Institutes for guides were established, just like academies for espers. However--the trainer, the curriculum, and everything else related to the guide’s education were decided by the Temple.

This was the time when the Temples became a place for the ’elite’. Only those of B-class and above could become the disciple of the Temple, while the others would have to enter the guide’s institute, whether the one established by the government or a private party.

"You awakened when you’re ten, right, Captain?" Dheera stared keenly at Zein, propping her face on the table. "And an A-class to boot. If you were sent to the Temple, you would be the elite of the elite--I mean, you’ll have at least a decade of training before working officially, so you might even be appointed as the Saint’s disciple."

The Saint and the Saintess--there was usually only one of each in every Temple; someone who directly received the blessing from the Goddess patron of said Temple. Zein never met one to this day, and he honestly didn’t have much good impression of those people, based on what he read about them.

They stayed in their Temple, reigning as the ’favored’ one, receiving so much money for a single guiding--he knew, because his rate was half to what they received. But if they were the ’chosen’ one, shouldn’t they be in the frontline? Shouldn’t they help those in need, not just those in riches?

What exactly were they being ’chosen’ for?

"In that case, isn’t that mean our Captain is even better? He reaches this proficiency without relying on those teaching," Nadine chuckled, her eyes curled and softening her sharp features. "I wonder what kind of prowess you’ll have if you were being thought officially from the start, Captain."

"Probably not much different," Zein replied with a scoff. He could never compare himself with other guides, and vice versa. He was different from the start, and Zein knew well about the advantage his body had over the other guides; the ’double’ vessel that not only allowed him to guide twice his normal capacity, but also gave him power equivalent to the energy he converted from the miasma. As for his skill...

"Anyone could be like me after gaining enough experience,"

Zein also fumbled at the start, scared, and throwing up a lot. Even with a big vessel, he couldn’t take much of the miasma because it gave him nightmares. What set him apart from the others would be his tenacity, which he was forced to have for survival. If he lived his life peacefully, Zein didn’t think he would grow as fast as he did. Just like normal guides.

"Eyy, don’t humble yourself too much, Captain," Dherra pursed his lips. "You’ll make me dare to hope of reaching your prowess one day..."

Zein chuckled at that. "Why not? You’re just starting, aren’t you? You have fifteen years to catch me."

"Ugh--when I hear it like that, you really have one hell of a career, Captain," Dheera shuddered imagining toiling in stamina training for fifteen years more.

"Technically, my career is only six-month-old," Zein shrugged--that was, if they went by the time he got his license. Four years if he used the time he spent in the borderland. But before that...

It wasn’t something that could be said in public.

Just then, they heard Alice and Lex come from the receptionist, as well as a woman who was Rina’s manager.

"Everything’s been taken care of, Sir."

"Thank you, Alice," Zein stood up, tilting his head because he couldn’t see the espers that were supposed to be with them. "Where’s--ah..."

As he craned his neck and looked toward the hotel lobby, he saw Bassena and Rina being surrounded by other people--espers and civilians both.

Lex leaned closer and whispered then. "Sir Vaski told me you should come up first before the others found out, Sir."

Instantly after arriving, the guides were waiting in a corner of the VIP lounge while the others were checking them in, hiding from the other eyes. While the hype about the Strike division had died down the last couple of months, it surfaced again the closer they were to the annual gathering.

Zein, as someone who disliked crowds and too much attention, nodded swiftly as some eyes had already looked in their direction. "That sounds like a good idea."

* * *

Since the hotel was owned by Mortix, it was normal for Trinity to occupy the top floor. Except for one of the villas in the opposite wing, the rest of the floor belonged to Trinity’s staff.

Just like the time in Rexon, Bassena and Zein were occupying a whole suite together. This time though, there was no need to be concerned about having separate rooms anymore. As Alice would be staying with the other girls, Zein’s wellbeing was in Lex’s had for the time being.

Zein had no idea if it was intentional or if all luxurious hotel rooms always had a wall made of clear glass, but there was one here too, and he could stare directly into the Sentinel Association building across.

There was already a bustle of activity there, people and vehicles came and go endlessly through the gate, including huge vans bringing in logistics.

Perhaps because it was the headquarters for the Eastern Federation, the building was huge and luxurious. It was certainly made with aesthetics in mind, not just functionality. No wonder even civilians considered it a tourist landmark and took a picture in front of it. He had heard that everything--from the gala, the auction, to the closing banquet--would be held there, which meant the place had a ballroom and an amphitheater at the very least.

"I’ll be going there in the afternoon to confirm our attendance," Lex told him.

"Should we go together?"

"There’s no need, Sir. One member is enough," the esper said, and then added with a playful smirk. "There’s no need for unnecessary tension before the main event."

"Heh," Zein snickered. Whether it was in a dungeon raid or a formal gathering--a place with more than one guild would always be chaotically filled with tension. They would try to gauge each other’s capability, relishing old grudges, and might just start fighting on the spot. "Are there a lot of guilds staying here?"

"Yes, mostly the ones with sponsors, since the hotel is quite expensive. But there wouldn’t be a member of the top five except for Glasswing."

"Why is that?"

"The competition," Bassena replied casually the moment he arrived, as if he was always there from the start. "Glasswing is the only top five guilds not interested in the Deathzone."

"Ah, I see..."

"And pride," the esper chuckled, approaching Zein in one breath.

"Like there can’t be two heads in one body?" the guide scoffed. "No wonder we have to go through this competition bullshit. Humans went through an apocalypse once and they learned nothing."

"Quite so," Bassena chuckled at the guide’s snarky tone that always came up when they talked about this kind of topic. "What do you expect when even the Temples and Towers have competition with one another?"

"That is why they have that Celestial War or whatever, huh?"

"Radia told me that in the old world, before the apocalypse, there was a concept of religions that saw God as something holy and untouchable," Bassena smiled as he put his hand around the guide’s shoulder. "You can’t hear their voice unless you’re a prophet or something. They didn’t give out power too,"

"Hmm..."

"But it’s not like they’re ’touchable’ now too, Sir..."

"Yeah, but they seemed less holy with how much they bickered among each other, aren’t they?" Bassena smirked. Receiving the patron deity’s blessing never stopped him from grumbling at the ’old snake’ as he called It.

And with Zein’s situation, he just didn’t care much about them anymore. After all, he already made a pledge to fight a God if it came to it.

"Enough with this talk," Zein looked at the Sentinel Association building one last time, before turning around and walking to the couch. "Just tell me again who I should be wary of."

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