Red Forest

"No need to send your stupid father, I'll come myself. I'm getting bored here anyway!"

"But… Grandpa. Who will shoulder the family and business while you're gone?

Haji Tea replied perturbingly.

Haji Tea heard a deep sigh from the other side of the phone.

He quickly asked

"Grandpa... is everything okay?"

Baghi Tea replied in a drained way.

"I've already handed the family matters and business to your elder brother. Since you had declined the offer to be the next head of the family. So, all the elders decided to make your brother the new head of the family."

Haji Tea stood up after hearing that. He was enraged

"Who dares? Who dared to make this decision to change the family head when you are still alive and of sound mind. They have violated the family rule, I'll flay them alive!"

Baghi Tea chuckled.

"Haha, easy child, it was my own decision and just like you, everyone else opposed it but... I'm tired now, I can't handle these responsibilities anymore.

I had already planned to leave the family mansion and live my remaining life in Abran with you."

Haji was surprised but deep inside felt a surge of happiness.

"Grandpa, are you really going to live here with me in Abran?"

The dominant tone came back in Baghi Tea's voice.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?"

"No, no, it's simply splendid news to me. I always admired the way you managed our family and business.

You built back the family back from the ashes to our current thriving state.

I can only imagine how Abran will improve even further with you coming here and helping me manage the city."

"I'm not coming alone, I'm also bringing Aisha with me."

Baghi Tea mentioned indifferently.

"Wait… Grandpa don't bring her here! It's dangerous, who knows what could happen to her in this forsaken city."

"Don't worry, I will be there to protect her. Don't make pathetic excuses like your father!"

Haji Tea laughed and scratched his head.

"Thanks for coming grandpa, I've always wanted to spend some time alone with you here in Abran."

Baghi Tea sighed again.

"I've always wanted to come but various circumstances never let me. I was 18 years old when the catastrophe came and engulfed everything precious to me in flames, my father and grandfather, as well as my friends and other members of the family.

I had to prioritize stabilizing and taking care of the remainder of our family and its position, as the new head.

In this cruel world might makes right, after all, so I couldn't let my family fall after this. I had to hold myself back from coming here for around 2000 years by now.

I was too afraid. The fear of failing to revive Abran held me back. However, now I've now decided that I'll try my best in helping bring Abran to its former glory.

As my own father used to say "Nothing can be washed without getting wet". I won't know the results unless i overcome my fear and try."

Baghi Tea was sharing his griefs and fears with Haji Tea.

This whole time Haji Tea didn't say anything and was silently listening to Baghi Tea.

"Grandson! Are you there?"

Baghi Tea ended his communion with a sudden question.

Haji Tea replied immediately.

"Yes, Grandpa! I listened to your every word."

Baghi Tea held the phone in the other hand and leaned on the chair he was sitting at.

"Haji… you don't know how happy you made me today. The news of that boy raised my spirits high."

Haji Tea chuckled.

"Haha, if this little thing raised your spirits high then I believe you'll die out of bewilderment, Grandpa."

Both Haji Tea and Baghi Tea continued to laugh and talk.

It didn't look like one of them was a rather well-known tamer famed for his strength and politic know how while the other a genius of his city, trained from a young age.

Instead, it just looked like a common scene between a loving grandfather and his young naïve grandson.

~Ancestor Law Enforcement Headquarters~

Akash Tagar's clothes were sweaty due to his unrelenting practice. He wiped his similarly sweaty forehead with his sleeves and went outside. His heavy breathing indicated his exhaustion.

"It's already midnight, I should sleep now. Tomorrow is the first day in the training grounds, so I have to be in my top shape."

Akash came back inside and instead of going to his chamber. He sat on a sofa, stretched his arms with a yawn and called the System.

"System, show me the list of the training grounds."

*beep*

Three lists were shown on the screen.

PLATINUM GROUNDS

GOLDEN GROUNDS

SILVER GROUNDS

Each category had millions of training grounds.

Akash Tagar asked in confusion.

"System, why there are three different categories?"

*beep*

[Each category has its rewards and the risks associated with them.

The Silver Grounds have up to 10 Star Nobility Rank beasts, and their resources are not that rare. The Golden Grounds have up to Star King Nobility Rank beasts, and these grounds' resources are quite rare.

The Platinum Grounds have the beasts who have a Higher Nobility Bloodline than the Star King Beasts. These grounds possess the rarest and richest resources.]

Shock was visible on Akash's face.

"So, what exactly can we do in these grounds?"

[ The King's subordinates can cultivate there and let their beasts fight, and train.

As already mentioned, because of the dilation, years can pass within the training grounds while only a few months do in the real world.]

"I see, are there any other fees or requirements besides the healing fees you've mentioned before?"

[ There are other restrictions as well. Soldier ranked subordinates can only enter the Silver Grounds.

Earl Ranked subordinates can enter both the Silver and Golden grounds.

Whereas the King and his Lords can enter all three grounds.]

"Huh, is there a particular reason for this distribution?"

[ The System cannot answer this question.]

"Why do you say I can enter all three grounds but only mentioned my subordinates earlier?"

Akash was perplexed as he asked this.

[ There is a training ground specifically designed for the King's use only. The King must train there first before entering any other grounds. Its name is the Red Forest.]

Akash raised his eyebrows and thought about where he had heard that name before.

"The Red Forest of Ancestor Turtle!"

[ Indeed, The Red Forest is only available for The King.]

"What kind of training will I get there? Will it help me in eventually meeting Ancestor again?"

[ System cannot answer this question. ]

Akash Tagar couldn't resist the urge to explore The Red Forest and to meet Ancestor Turtle again. He took out his mobile phone from his pocket and dialled Haji Tea. Haji Tea didn't pick the call.

"It's too late, Earl Haji is probably sleeping.

I'll just send him a text that I'm going to go ahead by myself and that he should go to a training ground suitable for him."

[ The King doesn't have to worry, the System will convey the message to Earl Haji as well as guide him.]

Akash nodded and went to his chamber and opened the bag given to him by Haji Tea. He picked up his necessities, put them in his inventory and came back.

He didn't forget the sabre, which he left on sofa when he went in his chamber, either.

Akash Tagar didn't have to carry a spatial ring now as his new inventory could carry the same amount of things more conveniently and the inventory's size could even be increased as well.

He went into the Ancestor Training Grounds room. It was pitch black, as Akash entered, a notification came from system.

*beep*

[ The King, Akash Tagar, has entered the Ancestor Training Grounds. ]

All of a sudden, the ceiling started to glow, and the room was not pitch black anymore. The colourful lights were dancing on the ceiling just like a borealis.

[ The King has chosen the Red Forest Grounds for his training.]

Within 1 second Akash was teleported. He saw a flash of light as he remembered how he saw the same light when The Turtle sent him to Earth.

Akash opened his eyes as he found himself in a big dense forest. He saw some strange trees resembling Sequoia sempervirens, but they had leafy branches from the roots to the top.

All their leaves were crimson red while the branches and trunk were black. They were tens of thousands feet long

Akash was still wondering what to do when he suddenly heard something. The screeching sound from trees and clomping sound from deep inside of the forest.

Akash's heart started to beat fast. He didn't know what they were but he figured that they were extremely powerful and large in size.

This forest was naturally unfamiliar to him, all he knew was that this was on located on the Turtle's shell and it was much bigger than his Fairy Planet.

Aside from that, he knew nothing about it nor what the inhabitants were like. The noises from both sides started to get loud, those beasts were moving at a terrifying speed!

Akash yelled out of instinct.

"Ancestor!!!!!"

Akash could only yell that out before…

~THUUDDD~

A giant figure landed from the sky, the deafening crash quacked the land.

Akash Tagar looked at that beast with his mouth agape, a cold sweat drop slid from his brow to his chin.

Akash couldn't accept that his life would end so soon without even accomplishing his task.

Fear, terror and regret were surging inside of his body.

He remembered these familiar feelings, he felt the same things when his planet was destroyed. That's why he ran.

"Am… Am I really this big of a coward? No! I will not die here, nor I will cower anymore. I'll fight and live!"

Akash equipped the King's cloak and sabre as he called out Ponytail.

A colourless portal opened, and the God Demon Panda jumped out. Ponytail felt Akash's feelings as soon as it came out, thus it bore its fangs towards the giant beast without a hint of fear.

Akash was still thinking about how to attack before the beast spoke.

"Hohoho! So, you are the King that the old turtle has chosen."