Way of the Knights

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"This place is not bad." Raven murmured as he sat inside his room. 

A few hours had passed since Henry left. He said that he needed to make some reports at the Admission Office of the sect in order to finalize their profiles. He'll back after three days in order to accompany Unit-17 for their first hunt, but for now they are to familiarize themselves with their surroundings. 

Thanks to Raven's ocular technique, he was able to see through walls and inspect the entirety of their base - per se, without needing to venture out. And just like what Henry told them earlier, the interior of the base was more interesting compared to the outside. 

The holes outside were the entrance and exit for their respective rooms. Within these rooms, there are doors connecting deeper to the cave system within the tall cliff. 

Within this base, all of their basic needs are covered: shelter, food, spare uniforms, comfort rooms, beds, training rooms, and so on. Whoever created this base was considerate enough to provide all of this to the Junior Disciples. There are even some places where the members could gather and spend time together, or at least plan for whenever they decide to hunt devils.

There are enough supplies for everyone to not fight over it. The interior of the base is also pleasant to the eye, it's well lit, the walls are properly cemented, the floors are tiled and each places had plates that indicates its name, allowing anyone to not get lost easily. 

Overall, it is really not bad. Specially considering the hellish appearance of Tartarus itself. 

Currently, Raven could see some disciples roaming around the base while the rest are inside their rooms like him. Raven stared at the ceiling for quite sometime before feeling bored. It was then that he remembered something that made him sit up. 

"Right, I should go claim the reward the I got from the Knowledge Test." Raven murmured as he stood up and walked towards the exit of his room. 

He nearly forgotten about this matter altogether. Back when he was confronted by the Treasure Spirit of the hall, he was given a reward that he could claim here. And since he had nothing to do for now, he might as well go and figure out what he'll get. 

As soon as he exited his room, the dry and coarse air of Tartarus assaulted his nose, causing his nose to scrunch up a bit. It was then that his appreciation towards their base grew more since he realized that the air inside was more pleasant compared outside. 

Jumping down, he looked up and saw several plates dictating directions near their base. He released another sigh of appreciation for whoever built this as he now followed the directions to the place where he wanted to be. 

Although the atmosphere around Tartarus is gloomy and dim, Raven noticed that there are a lot of people walking to and from around him. He figured that this might be because there are new disciples roaming around. He could still remember when they arrived here from the war ship, he saw other Junior Disciples entering as well. 

According to the directions he saw earlier, he was heading towards the Repository Hall. It is where majority of the inheritances such as battle arts, cultivation scriptures and alike can be traded. The Repository Hall is located next to the Hall of Enlightenment, Merit Exchange Market and other facilities of Tartarus as well. 

It didn't take long for Raven to arrive at the place. The Repository Hall had an outside appearance of a bastion. He could see the large insignia of Ancient Elysium Sect within its gates. There is also a large horizontal plate which is located nearby the gates with the name of hall printed on it, this time without the impressive spiritual pressure. 

The gates were wide open and Raven could see many people entering and exiting the place. After having a good look of its outer appearance, he stepped forward along with the crowd to check what's the inside was like. 

As soon as he stepped beyond the gates, he involuntarily looked up due to him seeing an impressive statue of some woman. The statue was almost life-like, it radiated with an air of nobility and confidence. The woman depicted on the statue was incredibly beautiful even though her facial features were hidden by veil. She was decorated by white lotuses and wore pristine and colorful jewelries around her body. 

The woman was wearing what seems to be a silk robe that clung to her curvaceous figure. She was holding on an open book with her right hand, and on her left hand there was a shield. 

"Beautiful isn't she?" 

Raven was so pre-occupied that he didn't even notice that someone was already standing beside him, similarly admiring the beauty of the statue. He looked over to see who talked and saw a woman smiling at him with a kind expression. 

"Many of us, even including the Elders, doesn't know or remember what her name was. Instead, what we know is that, she is 'Athena the 1st'." 

" 'Athena the First' ?" Raven raised a brow.

The woman beside him nodded and said: "Yes. The name 'Athena' is a title given to those who are all-knowing - at least that's what we're told. But the longer you stay here, you'll realize that those who bear this title are the ones responsible for protecting all the knowledge and inheritance of our Sect Ancestors. Everyone may forget but not them. And should our sect experiences demise, the title bearer must never die, because if they do, then the very essence of our sect dies with them." 

Raven couldn't help but take a second look at the statue in awe. At the same time, he felt some sort of pity for those who bear the title of 'Athena'. Keeping knowledge and inheritance safe is a very heavy responsibility. 

"You're new aren't you?" The woman said, causing Raven to quickly shift his attention towards her. 

"Oh gosh, sorry about that." The woman said while covering her mouth, "I couldn't help myself, specially after seeing you staring at the statue like that. I am a big admirer of the hers you see..."

"Oh no, it's quite alright actually." Raven waved his hand and showed a kind smile. "I am glad to know more about the sect. Besides, you're not wrong anyway. But how did you know?"

"Oh that?" The woman chuckled, causing Raven to raise a brow. "It's because of your hair."

"My hair?" 

"Yes." The woman nodded, "I've been here for a long time, and I've never seen anyone with a hair color such as yours. That's how I knew." 

"Oh I see." Raven nodded, "Right, my name is Raven. Greetings Senior Apprentice Sister."

"Oh dear look at me! I haven't even introduced myself yet." The woman let out a vibrant chuckle, "My name is Erica. Nice to meet you Junior Apprentice Brother."

The two shook hands for a brief moment, Raven also took this time to briefly inspect her. 

Erica is a beautiful woman. She's about five foot, seven inches tall. She had a long black hair that reached her buttocks, she's fair and has a curvaceous figure. She wore a pair of glasses and was holding several books on her bosom. 

"Right, Junior Apprentice Brother Raven. What brings you here?" Erica asked after they shook hands. 

"Oh, I was actually about to claim something." He said. 

Erica seems to be confused about his words, thus she asked: "Claim what?"

Raven hesitated before eventually saying: "Uh well, during the recruitment, a Treasure Spirit planted an orb inside of me. It said that I should claim it when I arrive here. Am I the right place?" 

"Aha!" Erica exclaimed, startling not only Raven but also some strangers nearby. She seems to have noticed this, causing her to blush and showed an embarrassed expression. "Sorry about that."

"I-I don't mind." Raven smiled wryly. 

"Anyway…" Erica cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses. "It turns out that it was you, what a coincidence really! We were informed by Elder Libro about you. Come, I'll help you with the exchange." 

"Right, okay." Raven replied uncertainly as followed Erica. 

She noticed his uncertainty, causing her to be reminded of something. 

"Don't worry Junior Brother, I am working here. You won't be in trouble. Actually, if you want we can keep this matter private."

Hearing this caused Raven to feel relieved as he replied: "Thanks for your help, Senior Sister." 

Raven didn't want her to feel responsible for him, he could've handled it alone. But since Erica revealed that she's working here and that she'll keep this matter private, then his uncertainty was dissolved. On another note, the Elder Libro that she talked about, must be what the treasure spirit is called.

The two followed a certain path until they arrive an empty room. Erica fumbled with some inscriptions here and there while Raven was looking around him. 

After a while, he heard Erica stopped what she's doing. He looked at her and heard her say: 

"Alright Junior Brother, please take of your clothes."

"Excuse me!?"