If not for Daniel's earlier performance—his seemingly ordinary yet utterly breathtaking sword strike—no one would have truly grasped the extent of his talent.
This was a genius beyond definition, or perhaps even a monster in human form.
And the chaotic scene before them was all caused by that single sword strike.
—
"Daniel, you… really can't make this decision on your own?"
Veya hesitated for a mont before asking.
"As far as I know, Velen Forging Workshop isn't a place that enforces strict restrictions, right? And besides…"
She clearly rembered how Dixon had practically begged Daniel to help him before.
That attitude was completely different from what Daniel was suggesting now.
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—
Daniel chuckled.
"Don't be fooled by Master Dixon's age. He's got quite the temper too."
Veya smiled.
It was clear that Daniel was joking.
—
"So… which faction do you actually want to join?"
"Thousand Suns Hall and Blue Jade Guild? Or maybe Artisan's Sanctuary?"
Veya asked curiously.
—
Daniel thought for a mont before slowly responding—
"To be honest, I'm not particularly interested in either."
"I just want to find a place with no conflicts, sowhere I can be with close friends and family—drinking tea, relaxing. That's more than enough for ."
As he spoke, his mind drifted for a mont.
He wondered how Rose was doing now.
—
"That… does sound nice," Veya admitted.
—
"Yeah, it really would be."
Daniel sighed.
"But who knows if that's even possible."
—
anwhile…
Dixon had just experienced what it truly ant to be at the peak of his life.
Normally, these kinds of high-ranking figures were people he could barely even et.
Yet today, they had been bickering in front of him like children.
—
And all because of Daniel.
—
At the end of it all, Dixon ultimately decided to follow Daniel's original wishes.
He had asked Daniel before—after everything that happened with Artisan's Sanctuary, did he still want to join them?
Daniel's answer had been clear:
He never really cared about joining Artisan's Sanctuary in the first place.
He was only participating in the Enlightennt Competition to help Dixon and his daughter regain so dignity.
After all…
They had been humiliated by Greg.
—
Dixon had been deeply moved at the ti.
So now, following Daniel's wishes, Dixon announced—
For the ti being, Daniel would remain a mber of Velen Forging Workshop but would head to Thousand Suns Hall to further his training.
As for whether he would stay there permanently—that would be up to Daniel.
—
The Thousand Suns Hall official was delighted by this outco.
As long as Daniel set foot in Thousand Suns Hall, he wasn't worried about keeping him there.
With the abundance of resources available, not to ntion the support of Blue Jade Guild, there was no way Daniel would want to leave.
If Thousand Suns Hall couldn't retain him, then Artisan's Sanctuary definitely wouldn't stand a chance!
Now, he just had to return and report this incredible news to his lord.
At the sa ti, he also formally established an alliance between Thousand Suns Hall and Velen Forging Workshop—a mutual support agreent.
—
As for Morris…
He was deeply disappointed.
Daniel could have joined Artisan's Sanctuary.
But because of one small mistake…
Everything had slipped through his fingers.
—
No!
This wasn't his fault!
It was all Greg's fault!
—
Morris suddenly realized—
Yes, this was all because of Greg!
If it weren't for him, none of this would have happened!
Greg had poisoned his mind, constantly talking about how terrible Greenstone City was.
He had warped Morris' perspective, leading him to ignore a talent like Daniel.
That was the real reason things had turned out this way!
—
Thinking back, Morris recalled that in previous years, he had always made sure to evaluate Dixon's recomnded students before making any judgnts.
Sotis, Dixon didn't recomnd anyone at all—probably because there were no students in Velen Forging Workshop that t the standards.
But this ti…
Morris had completely skipped the evaluation process.
If that wasn't Greg's fault, then whose was it?
Because of Greg, he had even strained his relationship with Velen Forging Workshop.
—
Even though Dixon had already chosen to send Daniel to Thousand Suns Hall, Morris still had to do sothing to nd their relationship.
—
"Dixon," Morris said, forcing a smile.
"When I return, I will speak with the other Artisan's Sanctuary elders about providing additional resources to Velen Forging Workshop.
"After all, we are partners."
Morris was trying to show goodwill.
Because once a relationship was damaged, it was incredibly difficult to repair.
He was now doing everything in his power to fix things.
Damn Greg!
If it weren't for him…
Morris wouldn't be struggling like this!
—
And so, the struggle ca to an end.
Shortly after, the final rankings of the Enlightennt Competition were officially announced.
But for so people, the rankings didn't even matter.
Because everyone had already witnessed the truth—
The undisputed first place was Daniel, the one who cut the Blue Stone in half.
—
As for second place…
Naturally, it was Veya.
—
The rest of the rankings didn't matter.
There was no controversy over the results.
—
Following this, the official prizes were awarded.
The top ten contestants were all granted core disciple status in Thousand Suns Hall.
—
Veya was overjoyed.
She knew—
If it weren't for Daniel, she might have struggled to even make the top ten.
But now, she had secured second place.
—
And with that, the Enlightennt Competition finally ca to an end.
The journey to Thousand Suns Hall was scheduled for the next day.
—
That night, Dixon drank a lot.
He even drank through half of his ten-year collection of wine.
It was obvious—Dixon was incredibly happy.
Even his tolerance for alcohol seed to have improved.
After drinking, he clung to Daniel, rambling on about all sorts of things.
Eventually, his emotions overwheld him, and he even started crying, wiping his tears and snot all over Daniel's clothes.
—
Daniel was speechless.
He swore that he would never make fun of Dixon for being a lightweight again.
Compared to tonight, he preferred the Dixon who passed out after one drink.
—
Watching Daniel's deadpan expression, Betsy burst into laughter.
—
Late at night…
Before leaving, Daniel handed his written insights to Betsy.
He also specifically bid farewell to Betsy and Ed.
Though his ti here had been brief, it had been wonderful.
—
The next morning…
Perhaps because Dixon was too hungover, he didn't co to see Daniel off.
Only Betsy and Ed arrived.
After saying his goodbyes, Daniel boarded Thousand Suns Hall's airship, swiftly departing Greenstone City.
—
The airship was massive.
Beneath him, Greenstone City gradually shrunk into the distance…
And then, disappeared completely.
—
Watching this, Daniel felt a wave of emotion.
So people, so monts—
Would ultimately beco nothing more than fleeting mories.
—
"I never expected us to co here together… and now we're leaving together too."
Veya walked up beside him, gazing at the now vanished city below.
—
"But you… will definitely go much farther than ," she said, with absolute certainty.
—
"The road is long."
"No one can say how far they'll go."
"All we can do is give it our all… and leave the rest to ti."
—
Veya smiled.
"Yeah… leave the rest to ti."
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