System's POV
chapter-321-1

"You look good in that uniform, Zion," Alessia said as she looked at her son, who was going to the Headquarters of the Central Government, which was located in the Aldebaran Continent.

After three years, he would finally report to his post and, with it, the recruitment for his battalion would officially begin.

The news had already spread far and wide, and those who wished to become part of the Legendary Rookie's battalion, headed to the venue where the Central Government would be conducting interviews for recruitment.

Of course, these interviews would not only recruit members to the 69th Battalion, but to the other battalions as well.

"I'll be away for a while mother, but I'll come and visit during my days off," Thirteen replied. "Continue to practice alchemy like you always do.

"Your progress has been steady so far. I believe that in a year, you will be able to craft Gold-Grade Pills, which will be helpful for the growth of Champions, Thrones, and Monarchs. Then, we can auction them all and rake in a lot of money."

Alessia smiled as she patted her son's head, who had increased the coffers of their family, making them several times richer during the three years that he had been in Pangea.

Suddenly, both of them heard a knocking on the door followed by the call of an adorable little girl.

"Bwadder!" Rhia shouted as knocked on her brother's room. "Open!"

Thirteen didn't hesitate to open the door, and his little sister hurriedly grabbed onto his leg like a Koala, not wanting to let him go.

The little girl had cried two days ago after Thirteen told her that he would be away for several months.

Rhia also cried when Mikhail and Shasha were summoned to Solterra on the Night of the Solstice.

Because of this, she developed a habit of wanting to be with her family at all times, not wishing for them to leave.

Unfortunately, they couldn't do that.

Until they reached the Grandmaster Rank, they would be unable to ignore the call to Solterra, which would always happen on the night of the Solstice.

Only Thirteen had been given a pass for the next three years because he had already spent three years in Solterra at the tender age of seven.

In fact, if he didn't wish to return to Solterra for another three years, Laplace Demon, and The One, wouldn't utter a single complaint about it.

"Be a good girl and listen to Remi, Mother, and Father, okay?" Thirteen said before picking up his sister and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Un." Rhia nodded sadly before hugging Thirteen's neck, and resting her head on his shoulder.

The teenage boy then walked out of his room, while carrying his little sister, who wished to stay with him for as long as she could.

When he arrived in the living room, he saw Remi waiting for him as well.

"Be careful, Brother," Remi said as she stood on tiptoe to kiss Thirteen's cheek.

"Thank you," Thirteen replied before returning his sister's kiss. "Look after Rhia for me, okay? She gets lonely very easily."

Remi nodded in understanding because this was the truth.

Fortunately, Rhia didn't resist and throw a tantrum when Thirteen handed her to Remi.

"Zion, I don't really know the real reason why you planned to join the Central Government, but whatever it is, I'm sure that it will benefit our family," Gerald stated as he rested his hand on his son's shoulder. "Just a piece of advice. I'm sure that the Monarch Clans and the Prestigious Families will use this as an opportunity to plant some spies in your Battalion."

"I know, Pops," Thirteen replied. "Also, I don't mind if they send their spies to watch over me. I will definitely put them all to good use."

Although he was just a Rookie, his influence in the world of Pangea couldn't be ignored.

The Monarch Clans and the Prestigious Families were happy that he was not able to increase his rank because that meant he wouldn't become a powerhouse in the future.

Although he was now in the Central Government, and leading a Battalion of his own, they believed that he wouldn't make any large waves in the world.

But, just to be sure, they decided to have their retainers and spies infiltrate his Battalion, so that they would be up to date about Zion's movements.

A few minutes later, Thirteen walked towards a Helicopter that was parked on their property.

Waiting for him was none other than Cristopher and Colbert, who were going to become his Captains.

"Are you ready to leave, Young Master?" Cristopher asked.

Thirteen nodded before boarding his Attack Helicopter, which was gifted to him by Arthur himself.

Colbert followed behind Thirteen, and sat beside him inside the helicopter.

The one who was going to drive it was none other than Cristopher, who had trained in handling all types of vehicles, including planes and helicopters.

Currently, Thirteen had three Attack Helicopters.

One of them came from the Remington Clan, which was their way of saying thanks for saving Harry, as well as a means of forming a strong connection with Zion.

The second Helicopter was given to him by the Central Government because a certain black-haired beauty told them that Zion was fascinated with Attack Helicopters.

Soon, the Helicopter lifted off from the ground, and left the Leventis Residence behind.

"How many recruits have registers for my battalion?" Thirteen asked Colbert, who served him like a secretary of sorts.

"According to the site where the Wanderers registered, there are over five thousand of them," Colbert replied.

"Five thousand?" Thirteen frowned. "The Field Marshal said that I can only recruit 200 people.

"It seems that there were a lot of complaints in the Military because this is the first time that someone as young as me has been allowed to have his own Elite Army."

"That's not all, Young Master," Colbert commented. "I have received our military funds, and I don't think that it will be enough to maintain our army for an entire year. At most, it will only last for three to four months tops."

"Oh?" Thirteen arched an eyebrow because he found this quite amusing. "It seems that the Central Government is divided into several factions as well. They are really doing their best to make things difficult for us."

Colbert nodded in agreement. "Young Master, what do you think we should do in order to solve the problem of our military funds?"

"That's not really a problem, Colbert," Thirteen replied. "Just leave it to me. I'm sure that we can earn funds by recruiting the RIGHT people."

Seeing that his Young Master was smiling evilly, Colbert couldn't help but smile evilly as well.

Just a glance was enough to tell him that the teenage boy had a plan and, frankly, he couldn't stop himself from looking forward to what kind of diabolical schemes Zion had planned to earn money.

It took them an hour before they arrived at their destination.

Thirteen could already see a lot of people on the ground, who had traveled from all over the Aldebaran Continent just to register for his team.

Unfortunately, he only had very limited spots, so he couldn't invite them all.

The moment his helicopter landed, several soldiers lined up to greet the youngest commanding officer of the Central Government.

"Welcome to the Freedom Garrison, Lieutenant Colonel," the Soldier saluted. "Everyone is already waiting for your arrival."

Thirteen returned the soldier's salute and followed him to where the Wanderers, who wished to join his team, had gathered.

Other High-Ranking Officers were there to meet the boy, who had been a very popular topic of discussion among the military officers.

Now that he was here, they were looking forward to seeing if he was truly as competent as the rumors said or if he was just a fraud, whose exploits had been exaggerated by the Leventis Family to be used for propaganda.

Thirteen, who didn't know what these High-Ranking Officers were thinking, walked with confident steps.

He had already come up with a plan to solve their funding issues, and he was sure that the moment he executed his plan, complete pandemonium would descend upon the Freedom Garrison, where thousands of hopeful recruits wished to become part of the Legendary Rookie's Elite Team.

Watching this scene from a tall building were two old men.

They were none other than the Field Marshal and the Grand Marshal of the Central Government.

"I just hope that you made the right decision inviting this boy among our ranks," the Grand Marshal said as he observed Thirteen from on top of the building.

"He was the one that came to us," the Field Marshal shrugged. "Also, I think it would be a shame if we didn't take him under our wing, while we still had the chance. My daughter has said many good things about him."

The Grand Marshal chuckled, but didn't make any further comments.

He simply gazed at the young man, who piqued his interest, and made him leave their Main Headquarters in the Sirius Continent, just to get a glimpse on how he would handle the recruitment process, which he was certain would become a chaotic scene.