The one retrieved from The Void

The crowd began to disperse, students moving to their assigned areas. Vas noted that his group consisted of five students from each of the planets that had sent participants to Nu this weekend.

It's probably due to the prison's regulations, Vas mused. They must only allow one school per planet to send students.

"Alright, everyone," the officer in charge of Vas's group addressed them. "Your assignment is to assist the merchants. Nu has several merchants operating within its walls. Each one submits requests for materials or products to sell. Commerce here is conducted using a point system. Each inmate earns a set amount of points each week, which they can either save or spend. However, if they choose to save them, they must remain on good behavior until their points are spent or depleted. Your task will be to deliver merchandise to the merchants based on their requests and to collect any forms for future orders. An officer will accompany you to ensure everything goes smoothly. Understood?"

A student raised their hand. "Excuse me," they said.

"Yes, go ahead," the officer replied.

The question came from a young man from Thalassa. The lower part of his face was replaced with some kind of metallic device—likely a modification to help him adapt to Thalassa's environment.

"Will we be working with others from our own schools?" he asked.

"There's a chance," the officer responded. "Assignments are randomized, so you might be with your friends or you might not. It depends on the grouping."

Satisfied with the answer, the students nodded and began preparing for their assignments, the air buzzing with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

Vas and the rest of the group began to move out. In the team Vas was assigned to, the only person he recognized was Carmilla. The others were unfamiliar, hailing from different planets. There was a pair of siblings from Pyros and a girl from Zephyrus.

The two from Pyros had black hair that appeared scorched, likely due to the intense heat of their homeworld. The brother sported a clean, short haircut, with a strong jawline and a straight nose. His eyes were a vivid fiery red, reflecting the flames he likely lived amidst on Pyros. His sister had the same burnt-looking hair, though hers was styled into a short cut, longer at the front and gradually tapering shorter toward the back. She too had those striking fiery red eyes. Both siblings had golden-hued skin, though it wasn't overly intense, and they shared monolid eyes with a natural curve.

Each had distinct cybernetic enhancements: the brother's arms were entirely replaced with sleek, black cybernetic limbs, while the sister had a cybernetic spine, marked by a prominent black line that ran from the back of her head down her spine.

As for the girl from Zephyrus, she had spiky, dirty blonde hair and an oval-shaped face with a small mole beneath her lips on the left side. Her hazel eyes were almond-shaped, and her skin had a pinkish hue.

None of them had particularly approachable looks, but that didn't matter much to Vas or Carmilla.

"Okay, now that everyone in the group is here, you'll be paired with Teacher Paula Milena," the officer announced.

Paula Milena was one of the teachers who had accompanied Vas and Carmilla on this trip. She was a woman in her forties, with a face covered in freckles and long hair. She wore glasses, and her large, round eyes gave her a somewhat stern appearance. Her face was slightly pointy, ending in a small chin. Known for her strict demeanor, she was not one to tolerate nonsense.

"All right," Paula said. "Follow me, please."

The group obediently fell in line behind her.

"Our task will be to visit all the businesses, both new and established ones, collect their forms for merchandise requests, and confirm they have enough points to pay for the items they've requested," Paula explained as they walked.

"Do we even know how many businesses there are?" asked the young man from Pyros.

"Around 200," Paula replied curtly. "Not that many."

"Before asking questions, maybe you should introduce yourself," suggested the young woman from Zephyrus.

"Sure thing," the man from Pyros said. "I'm Ken Huo from Pyros."

"I'm Yuu Huo," his sister added.

"Guess it's my turn," said the woman from Zephyrus. "Aura Volny."

"Vastian Hek," Vas introduced himself.

"Carmilla von Kreuz," Carmilla said.

"Wait, Hek?" Ken asked, sounding surprised. "Are you related to Abigail or Gerald?"

"They're my grandparents," Vas replied casually as they continued walking, now approaching the courtyard where business transactions took place.

"Wow," Ken said, clearly impressed. "My grandfather used to talk about them a lot."

"So, he knew them?" Vas asked, genuinely curious.

"He worked alongside Abigail during the war some years ago," Yuu answered.

Vas looked at them in surprise. This was the first time he'd met someone who had actually known his grandparents from that era.

"So you're one of them," Aura said, her tone carrying a hint of judgment.

"Not exactly," Vas replied. "They never paid much attention to me, unlike my siblings. You could say I'm kind of an outsider in my own family."

"Yeah, sure," Aura said sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"It's true," Carmilla interjected, hands in her pockets. "His parents barely talked to him. Whenever there was some school event, they would show up but focus solely on his siblings."

Aura's eyes widened in surprise. She'd often been told her temper would get her into trouble, and here she was, already making a bad impression on the people she'd be working with for the next few days.

"I'm sorry," she said, realizing she had messed up.

"Don't worry about it," Carmilla replied with a shrug, throwing her hands in the air. "He really doesn't care."

"Well, that's something my grandpa used to say about Gerald—he remained unfazed by everything," Ken added, now purposefully walking beside Vas to show he was slightly taller.

"Are you from the von Kreuz family of mercenaries?" Yuu asked Carmilla.

With a wide smile, Carmilla responded, "Yeah, but I don't think I'll become one."

"Why not?" Yuu asked, looking genuinely curious. "That's your family business."

"I don't know," Carmilla admitted, looking up thoughtfully. "Honestly, I'm not even sure what I want to do with my life."

"You should've already thought about that, young woman," Paula cut in sharply.

"No, she shouldn't," Vas countered. "We're teenagers. We're supposed to be figuring things out. Rushing us into making decisions could just lead to us being miserable in the future because of a wrong choice."

"Hmm, that's why you never ranked first in the exams," Paula retorted with a scowl.

"I don't care about that," Vas said with a sarcastic smile. "I didn't even study for the tests. I just passed them with what you guys taught in class. So maybe you should check what you're teaching if I didn't get the highest score."

Paula despised talking to Vas. She never liked him—he never seemed to pay attention in class, yet somehow, he always passed. To her, he seemed like someone just coasting through, and she couldn't stand that kind of attitude.

"Keep quiet until we reach the courtyard," Paula ordered, trying to mask her irritation. "We're here to work, not socialize."

"Actually—" Vas began to say.

"Vas, I just told you to stop talking," Paula interrupted.

Vas didn't mind; he knew her temperament well enough. The rest of the walk was in silence.