As the floating train neared the Imperial Capital, it entered a lengthy tunnel.
After about ten minutes, the train began to decelerate.
With a mild jolt, the scene before John suddenly cleared.
He instinctively closed his eyes, waiting until they adjusted before reopening them.
His gaze shifted towards the window, discovering that they had erged into a vast and brightly lit underground parking lot.
This subterranean expanse, easily asuring tens of thousands of square ters, was neatly lined with rows of white floating trains.
Thousands of passengers disembarked, forming a dense crowd moving towards the exits marked clearly ahead.
Simultaneously, a familiar female voice echoed throughout their floating train: "Dear passengers, Floating Train A131 has now arrived at the Imperial Capital. Please ensure you have all your personal belongings and luggage with you as you disembark in an orderly fashion…"
As the announcent concluded, the doors of the floating train slowly opened.
John stepped out of his compartnt, just in ti to see Robert also erging from his room.
Robert, of course, noticed John.
His expression instantly darkened.
These past days aboard the floating train had been filled with unpleasant encounters with John.
Glancing over John's shoulder to the unforeseen presence of Vincent, Robert clenched his fists, barely restraining the urge to strike John down there and then.
He gave John a cold look, said nothing, and turned away with the House Carter guards in tow.
Vincent's eyes narrowed slightly as he warned, "Keep an eye on this Robert; he's not an easy opponent. His talent is rather poor; he doesn't even rank within the top ten in House Carter. However, after Lucas was removed as the heir, Robert managed to beco the new heir of House Carter through his own thods. This fact alone proves he's no simple foe. Don't underestimate him."
John remained silent, rely nodding with a calm expression.
He could clearly sense Robert's intent to kill and understood that his current safety was only temporary.
The mont a suitable opportunity presented itself, Robert would not hesitate to kill him.
But this was only a montary concern.
With the rate at which John's strength was improving, it wouldn't be long before he could surprise Robert.
A cold light flashed in John's eyes.
Robert had missed his chance to decisively kill him in the past few days; now, he would never get another opportunity in his lifeti.
The first-class carriage wasn't crowded, allowing John and Vincent to disembark without the need to jostle through a crowd.
Once they stepped off the floating train, they used an official exclusive passage to directly reach the outside of the train station.
The spacious station plaza was teeming with people, everywhere dense crowds could be seen.
At the entrance, many drivers waited for passengers, alongside nurous individuals holding banners.
These were likely people here to pick up friends and relatives.
Given Vincent's status, a private car was naturally arranged for him.
After making a call and confirming the location, he led John towards it.
The two made their way across the plaza to a black hovercar.
Vincent exchanged greetings with the driver, then turned to John and asked, "Where are you headed? I can give you a lift."
John was about to accept the offer when a familiar voice suddenly called out from a distance, "John! Look here!"
John and Vincent were montarily taken aback, turning to look in the direction of the voice.
They saw a portly man dressed in luxurious clothes, panting as he ran towards them.
A large group of bodyguards followed him, each carrying gaphones and a massive banner with John's na on it.
It was Albertus.
John was sowhat astonished; he knew very few people in the Imperial Capital and had never expected anyone to co to pick him up.
Moreover, since they had exited through a special passage, John hadn't paid much attention to the people waiting to pick up passengers, including those there for him.
Vincent opened the car door, smiling, "It seems soone is here to pick you up."
John nodded in thanks, "My friend has co, so I won't trouble you, Lord Vincent. Thank you again for helping out on the train."
Vincent waved dismissively, smiling nonchalantly, "It was nothing, just a small effort on my part. I have to leave now for another matter, but feel free to visit at the Judicators' headquarters for coffee soti."
After Vincent left in his car, John turned to Albertus, who was still running towards him, sweat drenched.
Teasingly, John remarked, "Your physical fitness really isn't up to par, is it?"
Truth be told, John felt sowhat touched.
After all, Albertus was the heir to House Fairfax and had personally co to pick him up.
Such treatnt was rare in the Federation, truly giving John the honor he deserved.
Catching his breath, Albertus wiped the sweat from his forehead, his chubby face twisting into a wry smile as he replied, "Our family's inheritance class is focused on spellcasting. Isn't it normal to be weak in strength and stamina? Not all magi can engage in close combat with bosses of equivalent rank like you."
Albertus explained that the Radiant Visage, seemingly a lee class, was actually purely spellcasting, which enabled the control over nurous weapons.
At that mont, House Fairfax's bodyguards brought Albertus's luxurious hovercar around.
The doors were opened by two guards, and the pair settled into the vehicle.
The car slowly started, heading towards the heart of the Imperial Capital.
Regaining his composure, Albertus curiously asked, "That person from earlier seed familiar. Who might he be?"
John casually answered, "Vincent from the Judicators."
Upon hearing this, Albertus, who was in the midst of drinking water, spat it out in surprise.
Fortunately, John was quick to react, shielding himself with a Zephyr Shield to avoid the spray.
Eyes widening in disbelief, Albertus gasped, "That was Demonlance Vincent?!"
John, sowhat exasperated, confird, "Yes, that's him. But is such a reaction really necessary?"
Albertus excitedly exclaid, "Of course, it is! You have no idea how formidable he is. He's on par with Victor, ranked among the top 10 geniuses on the cataclysmic-level Celestial List!"
John frowned, puzzled, "The Celestial List? What's that? Is it sothing significant?"
Albertus looked at John as if he'd seen a ghost, his astonishnt palpable.
"You actually don't know about the Celestial List? Your own na is on it, at the very top of the newcors' rank, no less!"
John's frown deepened.
He was clueless.
The term "Celestial List" was entirely foreign to him.
Albertus then realized the disconnect.
Growing up in the remote city of Stellarburg, John was naturally out of the loop on many fronts, not to ntion his recent awakening had hardly given him ti to catch up on such matters.
With no other choice, Albertus took it upon himself to enlighten John about this "Celestial List."
After a thorough explanation, John finally grasped what this so-called list was all about.
In essence, the "Celestial List" was a ranking system used by awakeners to categorize the Federation's strongest and most talented individuals.
Published by the top-tier intelligence organization "Celestial Secret," it featured virtually all well-known powerhouses and prodigies in the Federation, making it one of the most authoritative and trusted rankings available.
However, access to this ranking, hosted on the Celestial Secret's website, was quite limited, making it a rarity for the average person to see.
This was John's first encounter with the concept, given his recent awakening.
John also learned that after his encounter with Rean, he had rocketed to the top of the newcors' list.
According to Albertus, John had already gained so notoriety within the awakener community, albeit not of the flattering kind.
It was widely believed that John's premier position was sowhat inflated.
As the online community of awakeners would say, anyone in John's place could have defeated Rean and claid the top spot.
It was rely a stroke of luck that had John stumble upon such a fortuitous opportunity.
If it weren't for the absence of direct confrontations with him, John might have been dropped from the newcors' list long ago.
John couldn't care less about the rumors and gossip.
After all, being first brought him nothing but trouble and offered no real benefit, so its presence or absence was irrelevant to him.
Seeing John's indifferent deanor, Albertus couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.
With a bitter smile, he said, "I went through so much trouble just to secure the twentieth spot on the list of prodigies, and here you are, casually landing the top position. It's true what they say—comparisons can be incredibly disheartening."
Albertus bore no envy towards John; he was well aware of John's talent and strength.
Even though he acknowledged that John's ranking might be sowhat inflated, he believed it wasn't as exaggerated as the online community suggested.
John rely smiled in response and changed the subject, "Let's head to the Hidden Stars headquarters first. I need to check in."
With the Star Cluster Academy's assessnts starting in three days, John wasn't planning to idle away his ti.
He intended to familiarize himself with Hidden Stars' surroundings first and then look for ways to earn more rit points to save so money.
With the insatiable demand of being an All-Class Magus, a billion federal coins did little to provide him with a sense of security.
"Hey, hey, no rush," Albertus chuckled mischievously.
"You can check in anyti. I've booked a room for you at the most luxurious Wilton Hotel in the Imperial Capital. Rest up first, and tonight, I'll take you to the best nightclub in the Imperial Capital to unwind."
The sly grin on Albertus's face made it clear that his idea of relaxation was anything but wholeso.
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