Bze couldn’t help but feel a bit skeptical about Axel’s words. As a reporter for *Dune Times*, she knew all too well how hard it was to make it into the War Academy. Every year, only about a hundred people passed, and of those, less than one in ten actually awakened.

  But she didn’t need to focus on the reality of the situation. "Positive energy" stories were always welcomed by her editors. The more hopeful, the better. After all, leaders liked reading that kind of thing.

  “Well, today’s interview was very pleasant. Here’s a little something for you from the government—five thousand dolrs,” she said, stuffing a bank card into Axel’s pocket.

  Axel smiled, the kind of sunny, grateful smile that was as genuine as it was infectious. After a quick photo, Bze made her exit in a hurry.

  She was always happy to meet someone like Axel. He didn’t compin about the slums or the hardships of life. He gave all the right answers, the kind the leaders would love to hear. It was the perfect interview.

  But of course, as pleasant as the interview was, she had no desire to get to know Axel better. The people from the slums and those from the city were simply from two different worlds.

  Once Bze left, Axel looked down at the card in his hand, frowning slightly.

  Hadn’t Freya already given him a reward? According to Bze, this five thousand was from the government, but what about the money Freya had left on the table?

  Curious, Axel opened the package. Inside was a new card with a bance and password marked on it. There was also a small, heavy package. He opened it and carefully counted the contents—twenty fine raw stones, each one pristine.

  The value of the raw stones alone was at least 40,000 dolrs.

  On top of that, there was the 50,000 dolrs on the bank card. The total value of the reward from Freya and her team exceeded 100,000 dolrs.

  Flipping through everything again, Axel found a small note written in beautiful handwriting: *“The captain was worried you’d refuse, so he didn’t bring it up. This is yours—don’t turn it down.”*

  Axel was stunned. This was the greatest act of kindness he and Annabelle had received since they’d been on the streets.

  Even though Skye came across as carefree and generous, Axel had sensed that Skye hadn’t fully trusted him that day. But now, not only had he not investigated him further, he’d given him such a rge sum of money.

  "I’m so sorry," Axel muttered to himself. He understood that the secret would never be uncovered.

  Axel knew better than to funt wealth, so despite the rge sum of money he’d just received—still far from enough to buy a house in the city—he decided to treat Annabelle to a meal at a restaurant.

  After dinner, Annabelle wore the cute rabbit headmp they’d gotten from the restaurant, smiling with genuine joy.

  For people in the city, a hot pot might be a regur meal, but for Axel and Annabelle, it was a rare luxury.

  As they ate, Axel fiddled with his phone and noticed that his cssmates had been mentioning him in their group chat.

  “Wow, Axel is a hero!” “Killed the infected?! Are you sure this isn’t a joke?”

  Axel clicked on the news link, recognizing Bze’s fast reporting. The interview had barely finished in the morning, and by evening, it was already online. It seemed like Bze had used most of his words verbatim.

  “Confidence in awakening? That’s... a bit much,” one comment read.

  “Maybe Axel’s never used a raw stone before. But it’s good that he’s optimistic,” another student replied.

  Many of his cssmates were shocked by Axel’s bold statement. While no one outright disagreed, it was clear from the comments that most thought Axel was being overly optimistic.

  Still, the fact that he had helped the w enforcement team take down a high-level infected was big news. It was something worth talking about at school.

  By the end of the day, Axel’s name had spread through Dune High School.

  While admissions to the War Academy were based on grades, competition was fierce. And now, people were starting to wonder: Could Axel be from a hidden wealthy family?

  But after doing some digging, they all rexed. There was no evidence of anything out of the ordinary.

  Axel’s st test had shown a Force value of 72, far from the threshold needed to awaken, let alone qualify for the War Academy.

  Now, Axel's role was clear: he was just a lucky pawn picked to cooperate with the propaganda—set up as a folk hero to inspire confidence and give people something to look up to.

  As for his bold cim about breaking through after using fine raw stones? That was just the kind of thing someone with no raw stones and no real knowledge would say.

  Axel wasn’t surprised by the comments. After all, his goal had already been achieved.

  ......

  Now that Area C had been unsealed, there were less than 20 days left before the Awakening Ceremony, and Axel was finally returning to school.

  Compared to more than ten days ago, he looked healthier and more energetic.

  On the one hand, he’d continued using life crystals to boost his Force. On the other, after not having to bleed constantly, his malnutrition had improved, and his overall condition was getting better.

  That morning, as soon as he arrived at the school gates, someone stopped him.

  "Axel, come here. Master Ryder wants to see you."

  The girl speaking was Vale, a cssmate from the next css over. She wasn’t particurly striking, but she had long bck hair, light makeup, and a pair of bright eyes.

  Axel recognized her. Vale was a social butterfly at School, known for befriending students with potential.

  When Axel had first entered school three years ago, his Force value of 42 had been impressive for his age, and Vale had gone out of her way to be friendly with him.

  But as his test scores dropped over the years, Vale's attitude had cooled, and their retionship became more distant.

  "What’s going on?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Vale gave him a faint smile. "It’s something good for you."

  She looked him over, noticing the subtle change in his demeanor, but didn’t think much of it.

  In the past three years, Vale had kept a mental list of everyone’s potential, and Axel had long at the bottom of the table.

  Of course, she didn’t dislike him, but in her eyes, it seemed like a waste of time to pay him much attention anymore.

  As they walked, Vale continued casually, "I heard you got a lot of fine raw stones from the Law Enforcement Bureau. Congratutions."

  She added, "And you were so brave, fighting against the infected. I honestly wouldn’t have the guts to do that."

  She smiled, trying to ftter him. If it had been any other student, they might have started chatting right away. But Axel simply kept walking at his usual calm pace, talking casually in return.

  "By the way, Axel," Vale said, with a more pointed tone, "I know your test results are a bit far from the War Academy standard. I also know you don’t have much money, and it just so happens that Master Ryder is looking to buy raw stones."

  Vale led Axel to a small group, where a pale-faced boy in a light-colored handmade leather jacket was absorbed in his phone, pying a game. A few others were gathered around, chatting. The boy didn’t even look up from his game.

  "Why are you so slow? Is this Axel?" His follower, standing beside him and blowing out a puff of smoke, looked impatient. "Name your price. Master Ryder wants to buy your raw stones."

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