After playing with the cat, Amon's mood that had been weighed down by thoughts of the crusade and star beasts finally lightened.

With that, he was able to enter a peaceful state of meditation as the night silently passed on.

…

The next morning arrived quietly, and feeling the biting wind on his skin, Amon opened his eyes and glanced at the little white cat staring at him curiously.

"Little guy, are you curious about what I'm doing?" Amon rubbed Aegon's head gently as he stood up.

'I can sense your presence thickening the longer you maintain that state, so I guessed you're increasing your strength.' Aegon guessed with his child-like voice that sounded like someone around the age of 5.

"Yeah. It's called cultivating." Amon calmly explained, picking up the little cat into his arms.

"It's pretty simple and it's all about absorbing pri—divine energy from the air."

The cat looked slightly excited. "Can I learn?"

"Of course." Amon nodded, though he was uncertain if the cat could cultivate since it had died.

Curious about something, Amon changed the topic and asked, "You said you've forgotten a lot of things, right?"

Aegon nodded.

"Then, can you recall if being a cat is your true form?" Amon was puzzled as to why the primordial dragon became a cat after forming a bond with him. Was there some sort of error in the process?

"Hahaha," a childish laughter resounded in Amon's head.

"I find this appearance cute," Aegon said. "I can shift into any form and this is just one of them. However this is the cutest, hence the reason I appear as this."

As Aegon finished speaking, his size began increasing and he jumped down from Amon's arm.

Gradually, scales began lining his fur and within a few minutes the cat had changed into the form of a dragon.

The wings spread throughout the room, carving a few dents into the wall.

Meanwhile, Amon stood flabbergasted by the situation before him.

"You can actually change forms?" Amon whispered in shock.

Aegon nodded his large head.

In his dragon form, he seemed somewhat similar to the primordial dragon from before, with the same black scales and deep golden eyes, narrow black slits buried within like a silent blade. However, there were clear differences, especially in the aspect of size.

Amon was certain that if the true form of the primordial dragon he encountered before reincarnating were to take shape, the dragon before him would span the entire Europe.

"Ha… haha." Amon finally broke into a smile, tension leaving his shoulders.

'Guess I had been worried for nothing.'

Aegon looked at Amon in confusion.

Feeling that Amon didn't fully believe him, his large dragon form shrank slightly and took the shape of a wolf.

Growl…

The wolf bared its teeth at Amon and he couldn't help laughing at the little cat's behavior.

"You don't need to change your appearances more. I believe you."

"Okay." Seeing the trust in Amon's eyes, the wolf began to shrink, its ash fur gradually turning white as it regained its cute, small appearance.

The cat licked its feet slightly and gazed toward Amon.

"Wait here for a moment while I go freshen up for a bit." Amon stated and hurriedly rushed into the bathroom to bathe.

Within moments he was done and he picked up the little guy and took him with him.

Upon opening the door, he noticed Natasha standing there with a hesitant expression and her right hand raised slightly mid-air. It was clear she was about to knock before Amon opened the door.

"How long have you been waiting?" Amon asked as he casually locked his door.

Natasha broke into a faint smile. "Not too long. Don't worry about it."

She trailed beside Amon as they began walking.

"There's an interesting creature on your shoulder. Is it your celestial dragon?" Natasha commented, feeling a peculiar presence.

She glanced slightly at the cat with her dark green blindfold.

"Yes." Amon replied with a slight grin, then stroked the fur of the little cat.

"Impressive. Your celestial dragon can take physical form…" Natasha praised coolly.

"Is it really that impressive?" Amon asked, although a hint of curiosity slipped into his voice.

"According to our instructor, you should show off your celestial dragon as much as possible if it has physical form. In fact, there's a chance you might be reallocated to our class if it's discovered that your celestial dragon can take physical form."

Amon paused briefly, processing her words more seriously this time. "It's that important?"

Natasha shifted her gaze toward Amon, her lips curling up meaningfully.

"Having a celestial dragon that can take human form just shows that you possess a unique, terrifying gift. Since the academy values benefits the most, of course they would want to sponsor you as much as possible."

Natasha's smile didn't recede as a thought came to her. 'Perhaps it's due to the unique gift from your celestial dragon that you're able to become so strong, even facing us on equal stance with your strength at mortal vein realm.'

She did not voice her thoughts and simply walked beside Amon as he drifted into deep thought.

Soon, they reached the classes area.

Natasha was about to continue on her way when she paused and commented, "Right. There are no students around now. They should have gone to the treasury to retrieve their rewards."

"Rewards?" Amon raised a brow, recalling Damien had mentioned this the previous day. Back then he had not paid it much attention, but now it actually sounded interesting.

"Yes, rewards. I heard there are even medicinal pills." Natasha said with a smirk as they changed directions instantly.

Amon caught up with her, curiosity rising. "What are medicinal pills?"

"Inside the star gates, there are all sorts of treasures, including plants drastically different from normal. These plants possess unique traits such as 'healing', 'enhancing the speed of cultivation', and a lot more."

"Aside from that, there are also rare materials found in the star gates. The plants can be used through a unique process called alchemy to produce pills."

"Once swallowed, these pills can aid one in increasing their speed of cultivation." Natasha explained calmly.

Meanwhile, Amon's eyes lit up at her words.

Increase one's speed of cultivation?

Normally, it would take Amon months or even a year or so to form a core. However… what if he could speed up the process with pills?

With the coming crisis looming over him, this might be the best way to strengthen himself quickly.

Amon's breath hitched as his heartbeat quickened.

Noticing his expression, Natasha chuckled lightly and punched Amon playfully on the shoulder. This time, the gesture felt more natural, guided by the energy in his eyes.

"What are you getting so excited about?"

Amon felt her light punch and was briefly taken aback by the casual familiarity, but he composed himself. "I'm just impressed that there's something so magical in the star gates. I thought the places were just filled with star beasts who wanted to come to our world to destroy it."

"Ha… haha." Natasha laughed with a derelict expression.

"You truly don't know much." she said. "The most important thing and the reason why everyone wants to explore a star gate is to find… an artifact."

"An artifact?" Amon's interest sharpened instantly as he stared at Natasha.

The little cat's eyes narrowed slightly as he climbed to Amon's hair, pulling a few strands loosely with his claws, as if sensing something subtle behind the word.

Natasha grinned before offering an explanation. "Artifacts are…"

The words hung in the air as the place fell silent around them, her voice trailing deliberately.

To be continued.

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