On the rooftop of the towering building, Kai and Eugene, who had followed Anthea up, came across the chief of the Guardians' garrison. He was reclining in a lounge chair beneath a sunshade, with two empty chairs set neatly beside him.
The chief stood up, turned his back, and began speaking to the three of them.
"Greetings, all of you. My name is Ren. I already know what has happened… Hm? Wait a minute—aren't you the one who gave me that free meal ticket? Oh, marvelous! What a surprise to meet you again, Kai. Never thought you'd turn out to be a Guardian."
Kai's eyes widened in shock at the sight before him.
"Wha—Ren? You?! How on earth did you end up here? And more importantly, why didn't The Vision Eye pick up on your presence at all?"
Ren replied calmly, "That's simple. The Vision Eye works by sensing emotions, reading one's identity, and even glimpsing their thoughts. But for someone like me, who has trained his mind to emptiness, there's nothing for your eye to perceive."
Anthea then spoke up.
"Well then, I'll take my leave for now."
She headed down the stairs, leaving Eugene and Kai alone with Ren. Ren gave Anthea a small wave goodbye before turning back to the others.
"Good luck, Anthea. I'll take care of the rest from here."
He gestured to the chairs.
"Come, both of you. Sit. I've prepared these seats for you. There are some things I think you'd like to hear."
Kai and Eugene sat down, gazing at the breathtaking view of the city as they listened.
Ren leaned back in his chair and began,
"The view up here is something, isn't it? Anyway, let's get to the point. As you already know, we need to find the Guardian of the East and restore the missing seat of power. If that post remains vacant for too long, the balance of the universe itself may falter. Many covet that position—it could spark an interstellar war. Out of nowhere, the Eastern Guardian vanished without a trace. No one knows where he went."
As Eugene looked out over the horizon, he muttered,
"Why not just let someone else take the position? Seems easy enough. If he's gone, stop wasting time searching. There must be plenty of others fit for the job."
Ren shook his head.
"That won't do. The Eight Directional Guardians are chosen only by the Supreme Overseer. The selection may come from the most powerful houses in the universe or from individuals deemed worthy. Most of the time, it is determined by strength."
Kai furrowed his brow.
"Strength alone? How is worthiness even measured?"
Ren reclined deeper, answering,
"Several factors matter—virtue, for one. But that isn't enough. A Guardian must wield the power to annihilate an entire planet single-handedly or crush an invading armada alone. Only then can they safeguard planets still in the process of spiritual awakening and maintain order in their dominion."
Kai pressed further.
"And when exactly do those planets awaken?"
Ren replied, "When even one person achieves it, then passes that awakening on to others, spreading it like wildfire. That's what you'd call the Enlightened One."
Kai nodded slowly, understanding dawning on his face. Then he asked another question.
"Are there beings stronger than the Eight Guardians?"
Ren gave a faint smile.
"Indeed. The Supreme Overseer. Or as you humans might call it—the God of the cosmos. The Guardians of the Eight Directions bow only to that one."
After saying this, Ren stretched out comfortably on the chair once more.
"In any case, the grand tournament begins in two days. Why don't you go see it? The champion's prize is tens of thousands of units."
Eugene's eyes lit up, and he nearly shouted,
"Tens… tens of thousands of units?! That's enough to live on for centuries!"
Meanwhile, a young woman draped in a black cloak that hid her entire figure arrived at the tournament grounds. She walked straight to the registration booth.
"I'm here to sign up."
The registrar replied,
"Certainly, miss. Please sign your name here and pay a registration fee of five units. After that, you'll receive your participant's card as proof of entry."
The mysterious cloaked woman paid the fee, signed her name, and accepted the card. Without another word, she disappeared into the crowd.