Galaxy's First Ruler

… Hahaha…

The brown-haired man's laugh and words were like a virus, making almost the entire audience let out an infectious laugh.

Aldrich noticed, though many were genuinely letting out a scoffing laugh, some Dreamers didn't laugh at all, too. And like him, they also didn't have any insignia other than the triangle with a dot. With their heads down, almost hiding from the squinted eyes of the laughing ones, they kept moving on.

Aldrich said nothing. He leaned over his cane and turned to leave.

"…"

All the laughs died suddenly. The Baron narrowed his eyes, and like an apparition, he appeared in front of Aldrich again.

-Whoa!!

-That speed!!!

-Amazing…

The crowd buzzed up with murmurs filled with awe, making a smile surface on the Baron's face. Aldrich lifted his face and looked into the eyes of this man, who, for unknown reasons, just didn't want him to bear this pain in peace.

"Generally, I don't talk to your kind. But… you are giving me a foul vibe. What's wrong with your eyes? Are you on MTD?!"

Aldrich's eyes were dull black as if there was mud in his eyes. They were glossy, and his eyelids were half-closed. Even though he had used cuff-link, some truths couldn't be masked over by any false images. At its core, the Item was just an imitation, to begin with.

Aldrich didn't know what this MTD was. But from the way all faces, almost simultaneously, got taken over by emotion of disgust, he could tell it was some taboo drug of some type. Even before someone could ask him any explanation, curses came flying at him from the mouths of other Dreamers.

-Fucking Hell!

-Man! A scum and now this…

-Tch-Tch! Throw him away

This was pretty unreasonable. But the one who had said this was a Baron. And he had two dots in his triangle. Aldrich didn't know the significance of these dots, but even if he knew, what could have changed for him?

Nothing.

Not getting an answer out of Aldrich, the Baron harrumphed.

"Humph! Do you think there is no way to check? Fool!"

The brown-haired Baron lifted his hand and reached towards Aldrich's right eye. For the first time, after coming out of his room, Aldrich's lips parted. It wasn't much, just enough for a hint of air to come out of his mouth. But this parting of lips was enough to make the Baron shiver from head to toes.

Terror…

Unimaginable terror...

Gulp!

The Baron's hand stopped just an inch away from Aldrich's eyes, and the tips of finger vibrated like dry leaves in a storm. Simultaneously, Aldrich's lips stopped, making the young man opposite him take a big gulp.

There was a sinister silence between Aldrich and the Baron. None could tell why, but all sounds seemed to have run away as if being scared by something. Something evil, and something devilish.

Just as it seemed this silence would engulf them and their soul, a high-pitched shout came out from Aldrich's behind.

"BENJAMIN REES!!! What's going on here?"

The silence broke, and along with it broke the petrified posture of the Baron and others. Baron Benjamin Rees' hand dropped, and he reluctantly took his eyes off Aldrich's whitish-purple face. Towards Aldrich's back, the crowd parted, and a tall beauty walked towards the two of them.

She had long black hair and dark brown eyes. Her lips were cherry red, and her breasts were almost ripping out of the white jacket. Like Benjamin, she too had two dots with the triangle insignia, but Aldrich could feel that she was at least two levels higher than the man. Over her right chest pocket, there was an insignia of an eagle's image on a round golden shield.

"Nellie…"

Benjamin muttered out, but not before the newly arrived Baron snapped at him.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"Ah… Sorry! I meant Ms. Nellie, I think this candidate has taken MTD."

Tad-Tap!

Nellie furrowed her brows and put her arms over her breasts in a crossing fashion. As she came from Aldrich's behind to look at him, her high heels rang out melodiously. Most of the Dreamers had already lost their soul to this beauty, and their faces became pink and red.

Aldrich's eyes adjusted, and he looked at Nellie. There wasn't any disgust on his face, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel the buried ego in her heart. One word and Aldrich could make her take that ego and pride out on her face. But there was no profit in it.

"MTD?! Humph! And when did you become an expert in the field of Mana Apothecary?"

"I…"

"Look at him. His eyes are dull, but they aren't dilated. His lips aren't dry, and the tips of his ears aren't blue. These are the foremost symptoms… Sigh!"

As Nellie kept mentioning one thing after another, all hunched over from here to there and noticed it was indeed as she was saying. Such was the fickleness of hearts. Those whose hearts didn't know when to take a stand were bound to lose their will on the thorny path to success.

Aldrich shook his head inwardly at this sight. Benjamin's face became red with shame, but even then, the disgust on his face didn't go away. Nellie took her eyes off Aldrich and called out.

"Benj, I sent you to oversee if all had come out of their rooms, not to make a clown show. ALL OF YOU! Proceed to the Instruction Hall…"

With this furious shout, all almost ran away like rabbits hearing an eagle's cry. Benjamin gritted his teeth, and left too, but not before giving Aldrich an ugly look. Nellie was about to go back, but then she stopped, and again looked at Aldrich. She pointed her finger at the insignia on her right breast and said in a prideful tone.

"… Can you see this? Stay away from anyone who has over one insignia. Few are fortunate enough to receive my advice anyway…"

Cr-click-rack!!!

"… Hmm? What is that noise? Are your teeth clattering?!"

Aldrich nodded and meekly replied.

"… I am cold."

Nellie jerked her head at hearing this and harrumphed as she went away.

"Humph! Whatever… Just keep your head down and you will survive."