Chapter 160: Aria Goldleaf II


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    Waving goodbye to Lily, Emir began making his way towards the academy''s exclusive shopping district, a privilege granted only to students and certain individuals like himself.


    As he strolled through the area, he couldn''t help but notice the unique architecture and grandeur of the buildings that surrounded him, each bearing a sense of elegance unfound in the lower district.


    Surrounded by these structures that harmoniously blended modern design with traditional aesthetics, his mind drifted back to the conversation he had just shared with Lily.


    ''Everything matches with how Aria acted in the novel...''


    ''But I didn''t think that she would be such a loner... Though I guess the only one who could handle her personality is that kid, Elijah, chasing her around like some dog...''


    ''Such good friends they are.'' He inwardly snickered.


    ''Well... She''ll remain as a typical twin-tailed tsundere for a while, and she''ll only start to change when she meets our ever-so-naive protag, the walking plot device...''


    ''I''m kinda dissing myself here too, but whatever.''


    Turning the corner, he was greeted by a picturesque scene that unfolded before him.


    Two rows of charming shops lined the pathway, each adorned with a unique blend of vibrant colors and designs.


    The shops were of varying sizes, their facades disying an array of merchandise, from sparkling jewelry to sleek hunter gadgets, from vintage books to avant-garde fashion.


    The bustling atmosphere was fueled by the presence of numerous students who strolled along the path, theirughter and animated conversations infusing the air with youthful energy.


    Emir''s gaze swept over the shops, his mind capturing theyout.


    His eyes showed admiration for the carefree demeanor of the students before him. Many were leisurely window-shopping, enjoying the freedom of their post-school hours. Theughter, conversations, and shared moments seemed to paint a picture of camaraderie and rxation, not knowing that a man was going to kidnap one of them soon.


    ''Now let''s see... Where are you, Missie?''


    Emir blended into the crowd of students, moving with the easy confidence of someone who belonged.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    While he appeared to be walking like any other student, his heightened senses were on full alert.


    With a subtle activation of his Temporal Perception ability, he scanned his surroundings for milliseconds after every step, his eyes darting around the students'' faces, even those inside the shops.


    And as he reached the end of the bustling sidewalk, his scans yielded no results.


    He paused, his brow furrowed in thought.


    Casting a nce back to where he had just been, he made a swift decision.


    He retraced his steps and crossed the street, this time choosing to walk on the other side, blending in with a group of students making their way through the district.


    ''The leaf ain''t here... I guess gossip isn''t really reliable.''


    Shrugging his shoulders, Emir continued to walk behind the group of students, subtly blending in and minimizing his presence.


    He was careful to mask his footsteps and always stayed out of their direct line of sight, ensuring that they remained oblivious to his presence.


    Ignoring their ongoing chatter, he kept his attention on his surroundings, searching for any signs of Aria.


    But no dice; luck wasn''t on his side, and he found himself nearly reaching the end of the sidewalk once again.


    In an attempt to avoid looking suspicious, he paused beside a hunter shop, its design reminiscent of their own, with a ss window disying an array of weaponry and equipment.


    Emir studied the items in the window, giving the appearance of someone genuinely considering whether to enter.


    After a brief moment of contemtion, he made his decision and entered the shop with deliberate yet measured steps.


    The door automatically opened, weing him inside.


    And just as his feet stepped inside, he was weed by a charming attendant.


    "Wee to our shop! We have any and all equipment you would need or want as a trainee."


    Nodding enthusiastically at her words, he adopted an excited tone, attempting to mimic the way those students talked:


    "Thank you! My sister actually got epted into the academy! She''s gonna be a student soon, so I''m here to look for any weapon that she would need!"


    The attendant paused, a look of surprise coloring her face.


    She clearly didn''t expect someone as massive and imposing as Emir to act so happy-go-


    lucky.


    ''Does it not fit me? Touche~.'' He inwardly mused.


    Getting out of her shock, she finally replied:


    "Of course, I''ve got many weapons I can rmend to you, but I can only know how to appropriately outfit your sister with a budget in mind..."


    ''She''s being polite? How professional...''


    "Just bring me the best you got! She deserves to be spoiled"


    Chuckling, she nodded and gestured for him to follow her.


    However, just as he began to follow her, a suddenmotion announced itself right outside


    the shop.


    Pausing his steps, Emir asked, "What''s going on outside? Did something happen?"


    She looked back for a moment and then walked past him, her gazending on the students gathering around at the front of the street.


    After a few moments, she turned her attention to Emir.


    "Oh, don''t worry about that. This always happens when an Elitees here, andtely, Miss Aria has been frequenting this ce with Sir Elijah."


    ''Jackpot! I''ll need to soften up this girl a bit more before I do anything, though...''


    "Ah! And here I thought it was something interesting, never mind that, let''s go."


    She raised her brow at his promation but didn''tment and walked back into the shop.


    They passed by a few gun racks and arrived at a small collection of guns, stored behind arge box made entirely out of bulletproof ss.


    Fishing a key out of her pocket, she unlocked the top half of the box, presenting the weapons. She picked up an assault rifle and handed it over to Emir, speaking as she did so: "This once used to be a new prototype from Hyperion Arms, but now they''ve finalized this version, calling it AR-HA2."


    "It''s one of the best we have in stock, customized to be highly urate and easy to handle. It''s fitted with a specialized scope for long-range targeting."


    As he took the weapon, she continued:


    "And if you''re interested in something more unique, we also have energy-based weapons and advanced prototypes avable for those with a taste for cutting-edge technology."


    "Nah. That''s fine, I like this one."


    ''I remember this... What a throwback!''


    ''...I even used to think that I''d never be able to use something as strong as this, but look at me


    now.''


    He reminisced while taking hold of the weapon by the grip, noting that it felt more lightweight andfortable than before.


    The holographic sight was now reced with a full 2-x scope, giving the weapon a more


    tactical edge.


    "It''s been designed with much higher firepower than other weapons with the same weight."


    She exined further.


    Emir nodded.


    "I like it, do you guys have a simtion room where I can try out the weapon for myself? I


    need to test this one a bit."


    "I''m sorry, but we don''t have that, our shop can''t handle the expenses that would bring, but I


    can instead point you towards a shooting range not far from here, it''s in the academy, so it won''t take you long, you only need to pay the deposit beforehand, and if the gun isn''t to your


    liking, no money would be lost from your side."


    ''She''s all warmed up, alibi check.'' Giving her his ID, he said, "Alright, I''ve got no problems with that."


    Taking a step behind the counter, she positioned his ID on a scanner embedded in the surface


    and tapped a few keys on her terminal.


    The screen disyed his information, verifying his status as a future student.


    "Emir, right?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him.


    "Yep."


    After a quick scan and beep, she returned it to his hands.


    "I''ll be waiting, hopefully, it matches up to your standards."


    "I hope so too." He replied as he stuffed the weapon inside his rucksack while leaving the


    shop soon after.


    He began heading towards the training grounds, passing by a group of girls who were


    shrieking about, fantasizing about how dreamy Elijah looked and what else teenagers their


    age do.


    They didn''t pay him any mind, only looking away when their eyes met his, all due to a simple


    reason.


    Because while Emir is handsome, his scariness far outweighed that, especially to those


    younger than him.


    And he paid them no mind either, as he quickly moved through the crowds of students like a snake, simultaneously mapping out the area.


    He examined all the cameras that were pointed in his direction, creating a mental image of


    their positions. Reaching a corner, he activated his TP ability, causing time to pausepletely.


    In this suspended reality, his eyes scanned the buildings in front of him, searching for any


    cameras that had him in their sights.


    Spotting one far away, he resumed the flow of time and stepped towards it.