The next day, Zold returned to Letran City, bringing along the twins with him.
He used the Auburn Family's private plane to go back since Maria had told him to use it as he pleased.
Though, he still told Maria over the phone that he was going to use it.
While he appreciated Maria's help, he didn't want to get carried away.
Oddly enough, when Maria answered and found out his reason for calling, she was a bit grumpy.
Confused, Zold shook his head and brushed it aside.
He decided not to think too deeply about it.
He was never good with emotions anyway,
Since Maria was busy, she quickly hung up the phone after.
In another note, his talk with General Volks last night lasted for half an hour.
Aside from asking a few more questions, General Volks only thanked him and sent him on his way.
Zold had sensed that the man was probing him for his attitude, but he didn't mind. As long as they didn't barge in his door and demand his help in everything, he was willing to cooperate and help them out.
The faster humanity could recover from the First Era Ending Calamity, the better for everyone else, including him.
After returning to Letran City, Zold didn't immediately go to his condo unit.
He went to the nearest mall and bought some clothes for the twins since they were going to live with him starting from now.
With the twins joining him in his everyday life, Zold immediately realized that his inheritance money might run out before he knew it.
Thankfully, since the association was established early in this life, he didn't have to worry about where he could get money.
After buying everything the twins needed, they returned to his condo unit.
"Alright, make yourselves at home for now."
Leo and Lia nervously strutted inside, looking at the room with curiosity…
"I'll make it clear right now," Zold sighed, glancing at the twins. "No staying up late until 10:00 PM. If you're bored, you can use the desktop or play some games with the PeyS, but no going outside. If you two are hungry, then there's some snacks in the fridge. Understand?"
Leo and Lia straightened up, perking their heads.
"Understood!"
Seeing them nod in sync, Zold's expression softened a little, but felt secretly troubled.
How did he end up in this position…
He shook his head.
"Anyway, the paperwork for my guardianship over you two has already been handled. Since I have to go to city hall tomorrow, you'll come with me to register at the Awakeners Association. Wake up early."
***
Letran City, 10:00 AM.
Outside the condo, Zold was waiting under a shed, looking at the sky thoughtfully.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, teacher."
At that moment, Leo pulled his sister with him as they stepped outside, feeling embarrassed to face Zold.
Even though Zold had told them to wake up early, they had slept through most of the morning.
From the corner of his eye, Leo couldn't resist stealing a glance at Zold's expression, feeling uneasy.
'Can't happen again!'
While Zold wasn't a bad person in their eyes, Leo was still careful not to make a mistake around him.
Who knows if one wrong impression could make the man rethink everything?
If that happens, he wouldn't just be wasting Zold's time, he would waste his and Lia's efforts as well!
That definitely can't happen!
"It's alright."
But Zold simply nodded calmly, walking ahead of them.
It didn't seem like he cared at all, making Leo sigh in relief.
If Zold knew what Leo was thinking, he would've simply found it amusing and correct their thinking.
When the twins were still sleeping past 8:00 AM, he simply decided to adjust his schedule so they could sleep as much as they wanted.
They had just come back from a highly intense and traumatic experience that had lasted several days. The least they deserved was a long, comfortable rest.
"You two. Do you know what the Awakener Association is?"
Zold asked the twins as they walked.
But to his surprise, Leo nodded and answered him, "I know. It was established a few days ago by the government. According to the law, every city has an Awakener Association, with the duty and responsibility of regulating and supporting awakeners in that city."
"Correct." Zold nodded slightly. He could faintly remember Leo fiddling with his desktop yesterday, perhaps the kid had dug that information online.
Then, Leo asked with some hesitation, "The law requires everyone to register their talent and identity in the association, but what happens if the awakener lied or kept some part of their talent a secret…?"
Zold answered him, "The awakener needs to show their talent for their words to have weight. They can try to lie, but it's another thing if they can prove it. As for keeping part of their talent a secret, that's not a problem."
Although the association required one to reveal one's talent truthfully, only naive people would follow that rule to the core.
It's never a good idea to reveal all your talent's abilities, even if it was the government asking for it.
The more someone else knows about your talent, the more easily they could find ways to counter you.
Hearing that, Leo sighed in relief.
"Understood."
He pulled his sister closer and whispered something to her ear, making Lia nod quietly.
'He's smart, alright…'
Seeing this, Zold nodded in approval. Not bad. He didn't need to personally tell them.
Since the Association had just been established, talent assessments were still rudimentary. At this stage, they held little to no basis at all and were only set up to bait those with powerful talents.
If someone came knocking in to brag about their powerful talent, then that person could only be vain or naive.
Either way, the government could control such people through monetary benefits or patriotism.
The main point of the Awakener's Association wasn't to force control over everyone, but to regulate society while they were busy solving other issues.
Expecting everyone to comply with its rules was wishful thinking. But as long as some people did, then it was enough.
Of course, once things gradually settled down, these loose rules in the Association would be tidied up. Though, that wasn't something the current generation of awakeners needed to worry about.
On their way to the city hall, Zold suddenly bumped into a familiar face.