Although Rachel Derek spoke rather bluntly, after observing her over three meetings, Evan Grant could tell that she had feelings for the original owner of this body. She hoped he could pull himself together, act like a man, stand tall, and shoulder the honor of revitalizing the family!

However...

That Derek never understood her good intentions. Because of a casual joke from a female student, Hannah Cooper, he had already perished forever in the dangerous Nightblood Forest, a land of ferocious magical beasts.

After a moment of silence, Evan Grant cast these thoughts aside and continued to nurse his injuries.

Condensing true energy and restoring his body was his top priority at the moment!

By evening, Rachel Derek came again, arriving while Evan Grant was meditating with his eyes closed. Seeing that he was "sleeping," she helplessly pursed her lips, set down his dinner, and left.

The same routine continued the next day. Evan Grant didn't speak, and Rachel Derek no longer brought up the matter of inheriting the family's honor. Clearly, in her view, if she kept pressing Derek after making this request, it would be disrespectful to their deceased father and go against his last wishes—something she simply couldn't do.

After two days of recuperation, Evan Grant's injuries had improved somewhat. Although not fully healed, he was no longer hindered in basic activities!

At noon on the third day, when Rachel Derek brought lunch as usual, he directly stated his request: "I think I've pretty much recovered. I can be discharged now."

"Discharged?" Rachel Derek's gaze was full of suspicion!

Evan Grant nodded!

"You mean discharged from the hospital?"

"Yes!"

At that moment, Rachel Derek truly sensed some changes in Evan Grant. In the past, he would have used his injuries as an excuse to drag out a ten-day hospital stay to twenty, thirty, or even longer, just to avoid training and going to Xingyao Academy!

But now...

He was actually asking to be discharged on his own?

Unbelievable!

"Are you sure!?"

Evan Grant was helpless and nodded again!

"Yes, I'm sure!"

Rachel Derek gave Evan Grant a strange look, muttering to herself, "I wonder how long this newfound resolve will last. Hopefully he won't revert to his old ways in three days." With that thought, she still said, "Alright, come with me! I'll take you to handle the discharge procedures!"

"Thank you!"

"Don't—hearing you say thank you makes me feel all awkward!"

As Rachel Derek spoke, she really did seem uncomfortable, quickly speeding up her pace and widening the distance between herself and Evan Grant!

"......"

......

The discharge procedures went very smoothly. Although the hospital staff found it odd that Evan Grant was in such a hurry to leave, they still respected the patient's wishes and processed his discharge!

"Let's go, I'll take you home first!"

Evan Grant nodded and followed her out of the hospital!

He had been cooped up in the hospital room all this time, so his view of the outside world was extremely limited. The moment he stepped out of the hospital, Evan Grant saw this city, four hundred years in the future, clearly for the first time!

Crowded!

That was his first impression of this city!

The entire city was filled with skyscrapers. Those thirty- or forty-story buildings that were rare in small cities could be seen everywhere in Xingyao City. Even fifty- or sixty-story towers were not uncommon. Some buildings, like unsheathed swords, pointed straight at the sky, towering into the clouds, their tops invisible at a glance...

Every building was packed tightly against the next, one after another. When they were first constructed, the only concern was housing as many people as possible—space and sunlight were never considered!

In fact!

Under the threat of magical beasts, humanity's living space had become extremely limited. At times like this, any safe area was incredibly precious! No matter how crowded the housing in this city was, people from satellite cities and small towns would do everything they could to pull strings and move into these cramped apartments. The higher the city's level, the more obvious this phenomenon became.

Compared to living in low-level cities or small towns, where they could be wiped out by magical beasts at any moment, high-level cities guarded by innate secret realm experts were undoubtedly much safer.

While the city had developed vertically, its transportation issues had not been properly resolved. As Evan Grant followed Rachel Derek onto the street, he could clearly sense the terrifying volume of people!

And...

It didn't even seem to be because they were in the city center!

If this were the most prosperous downtown area, who knows how crowded the streets would be!

Besides the crowding, the attire of the people coming and going in the city was also wildly varied. Some wore their work uniforms, some wore retro clothing and dressed like people from ancient times, and some even wore knight's armor, their entire bodies encased in metal. The glint in their eyes from time to time made it clear that these were people who had truly seen blood!