novelraw Chapter 112 - 111 - Cimmeria
Chapter 112 - 111 - Cimmeria
The boundless city of fortune was a nickname given to Cimmeria. The main headquarters of the Stardust Emporium and a large source of alchemy, weapons, artifacts, and anything that could be imagined for cultivation.
In the millions of years since its founding, none have dared attack it. Legends speak of an actual Immortal Inheritance found at the heart of the city long ago, but no one living knows the truth. What was known was that massive reserves of ores, herbs, and Qi stone mines of all levels were found here. It was literally the largest trade hub in the realm.
The Sapphire Auction House, the main mercantile force in the other 2 continents, was merely just a store here. Instead, the Starfire House was the auction house for the elite of Cimmeria. The Sect Masters of Divine Sword Sect and Heavenly Maiden Sect would come out for the once in a century tournament hosted by Starfire.
All production professions would compete in an event that would span 1 month. Old masters would show off their masterpieces that would be auctioned at the spectacular auction held after the tournament.
Old monsters would compete over rare items or materials while the rich and powerful that qualified to enter would pick up the scraps. It was rumored that this year there would be a special addition to the auctions, but none knew what it was. For the Starfire House to be promoting such a rumor, because rumors only exist with their permission, it had to really be something unexpected.
Lind had re-dyed his hair and put on the gray robes of Taren Cord to enter the city. Annabelle did not like his hair that way but he had explained he did not want to draw attention. Any information broker had long since distributed his information and besides, the Sapphire Auction House was not the main power here.
They were merely minions of the Stardust Emporium.
The line to get in was long but moved efficiently. Unlike some towns Lind had seen in the Saint Kingdom or Darkmoor Kingdom, no one made any trouble. One glance at the guards told him why. They were all low Diamond Tier!
Guards were low Diamond Tier!
If Lind knew nothing else, that fact would explain the power of the Stardust Emporium in Cimmeria. The Heavenly Maiden Sect, for all its powerful members, tended to cap guards at the Gold Tier. Diamond Tiers would have far more important missions and besides, all their defensive and offensive formations were of the Sky Realm tier 1 equivalent.
Low grade 4 formations were on Cimmeria, but they were not as complex as the ones Lind had seen at the Heavenly Maiden Sect, but with the low Diamond Tier World Realms, they would not need to be.
"What are those?" Annabelle was pointing at the floating structures that could be seen above the wall. The smallest seemed to be an island estate with enough land to allow for a small arena outside the main building. The largest, and Lind would feel safe in saying the true overlord of Cimmeria, was a massive structure that practically shone like the sun if Lind used his Eyes to look at it.
The floating fortress seemed to have towers both reaching a pinnacle at the very center top and bottom to make a diamond shape from how far away they were.
"The Stardust Emporium allowed the powerful sects and merchants to flaunt their power by building these floating structures. While they are impressive, they can't move very far." Lind relayed what he had read up. It was very true, the floating structures looked impressive, but the resources to keep them afloat was already prohibitive.
Getting even the small island estates to move would drain a small country's treasury. Once lifted off, maintaining their height was a delicate balance of formations, resource consumption, and repairs. If any of those 3 legs falls short, the islands will fall.
To the best Lind could find, only 2 such incidents occured and it was due to a rivalry between merchants. They had kept pushing their structures far higher than the formations could sustain and nearly caused a tragedy. The massive fortress in the sky was the reason no one below was hurt.
It was not floating like the others. It was the heart of a massive formation, hence Lind assumed it to be the Stardust Emporium main capitol building. A flow of Qi covered the entirety of Cimmeria just below the lowest floating mass.
From what Lind could guess, the flow empowered the structure to stay up and also could be used to catch anything that falls. Whoever made that formation was a genius. Lind made a note to study formations more as it was something that could assist his future elixir creation.
After midday, the pair finally reached one of the smaller gates. The main gates were for caravans, wagons, or major powers and their entourages. Lind and Annabelle were just itinerant cultivators so far as the world was concerned.
"Please identify yourself while infusing Qi into this sphere." A female guard approached them with the most bored voice Lind had heard in awhile. He had only heard such a level of boredom back in his office work days. The pale sphere in her hands was not something Lind was aware of. He hoped he could pass without issues.
"Annabelle here is a recently manifested aether child. Is there a certain procedure we need to follow to allow her inside?" Lind delayed with the practical problem but the guard's eyes only flickered.
"No problem. She will do the same. Please follow my instructions." Lind nodded to Annabelle and she looked nervous as she approached the sphere. Her innocence finally cracked the guard's veneer of indifference.
"It won't harm you child, it will just check any wanted lists against your name and dantain." Lind silently felt relieved. If that was all it did, he would be fine.
"Annabelle!" Annabelle cutely squeaked out her voice as light and water Qi flowed into the sphere. It turned the corresponding colors before fading back to its original pale color.
"As expected, you are fine. Please stand aside until your companion is done." Lind saw her nearly jump away as she fidgeted waiting for him but he gave her a reassuring smile. He put his hand on the sphere and repeated the procedure.
"Taren Cord." The sphere vibrated as all 6 elements flared before it once again went back to the pale color. Lind expected it to be fine but saw shock on the guard's face.
"You are a 6 elemental at tier 8 Soul Realm?" Lind did not understand why she was shocked but he nodded. She then pulled out a jade slip and whispered something into it. "Please wait here."
Now, Lind was also nervous! He moved towards Annabelle and took her hand to calm himself as much as her. The reaction was not terrible but it was drawing more eyes than he wanted. It was only a few moments before another male guard came running.
Unlike the gate guards, he was only at the peak of Iron Tier.
"Taren Cord?" Lind nodded and followed the guard inside the gate. The outside was already impressive but Lind was stunned by the sheer noise once they crossed the gate. There seemed to be a stall for everything that existed under the sun.
There was food, textiles, ores, pills, and even elixirs he had not made were being hawked all around them as they wove through the crowd. The bright blue shirt under the armor made the guards stand out and people made a path for them without complaint.
Lind glanced at the pristine white tower off to his left but they were heading farther away from that. The massive complex of streets was so crowded that Lind was stunned there was any room to move, but merchants likely worked fiscal magic to make sure the flow of people would never be obstructed to their stalls.
As they moved away from the gate, the simple wooden stalls were replaced with storefronts and wider streets. Despite the floating masses above the city, the parts underneath actually had illusions of the sky to make it seem unobstructed. Lind wondered if they reflected the view on the other side but he had to keep the guard in sight and his hand firmly on Annabelle.
The quality of shops continued to increase but Lind finally saw residences and sects laid out in the city as well. High walls emblazoned with the emblems called out who was who, but Lind knew that most of the sects in this city leaned towards business rather than pure cultivation. They had a lot of resources because of it, but their martial path was shallow compared to others.
Lind was stunned, though, as they passed a street that seemed to surround a Ruin! It was heavily guarded by mid-Diamond Tier cultivators but the fact he had not seen anything about it in his research indicated it was recent! A new Ruin?!
The guard finally led them to a facility that seemed to be a guard station. It was a miniature castle with an open courtyard just inside the sturdy gray stone walls. LInd noted the emblem of the Stardust Emporium marked on the wall. The falling stars in blue seemed to sparkle even as it was in the shade of the other buildings.
None of the guards stopped them as the duo followed their guide deeper into the structure. Lind was suddenly struck by a large number of aether children practicing on one side of the courtyard. They were not dressed as guards but wore pale blue robes that marked them as something related to this guard base.
Lind had no time to soak it in as they were pulled indoors where it was blessedly cooler and then passed several bunks and offices before ascending the short tower to the main office.
"Captain, I brought the 6 elemental." The guard turned and glanced at Annabelle before gesturing for them to enter. "Please wait for your companion out here with me, miss." Lind froze at the sudden separation.
His hard glare did not seem to make the guard flinch but he finally smiled in a way Lind knew was friendly and real.
"Don't worry, sir, Captain Drake only wants to see you. We will not move from this spot." Lind looked a little longer than summoned an artifact from his ring. He attached the bracelet to Annabelle's wrist and had the pleasure of seeing the blood drain from the guard's face.
"Make sure you keep your word." Lind swept away. The bracelet was not Annabelle's but his. It was his identity as a guest elder of the Heavenly Maiden Sect. While Lind had not become a cynic, he was not taking unnecessary chances either. As the bracelet did not have any way to be used by the guard to gather information, all the guard knew was that Lind or Annabelle was a guest elder of 1 of the 2 most powerful sects in the world.
Lind entered an office that if he was to sum it up, functional would be the best word. There were shelves full of scrolls but neatly stacked. The desk took up most of the space but it was in no way decorated nor glowing with formations.
There were 2 simple wooden chairs in front of it and 2 formation plates for light later in the day. The window allowed enough sunlight but only barely. The man behind the desk was chiseled jawed with stubble from some days of beard growth. His salt and pepper hair revealed he was an older World Realm and might be low Gold Tier but Lind found it hard to gauge the Qi around him.
Lind now had a moment to catch his breath and he noticed something odd about the Qi flowing around the captain. The guard had been that way as well but the gate guards were not. Lind noted it for later and took one of the chairs as the man in front of him was still writing something.
Seeing a quill and ink was unusual as Lind was used to imprinting a jade slip but making those slips for daily reports was wasteful so it made sense they would use paper still. The massive broadsword leaning at the back of the room was easily as tall as Lind but that meant the man in front of him must be towering once he stood up.
"Taren Cord. No criminal record, in fact damned few records. Point of origin was the Saint Kingdom. Demonstrated excellent tactical ability during a manifestation incident on the Fortune Way. Is that all correct?" Lind had to resist nearly leaping out the window. Such precise knowledge was terrifying.
"It is." Lind wanted but the man never looked up. Instead, he pulled out a talisman and crushed it. A wave of Qi flowed across the room. It was too fast to move but Lind felt no threat until it was too late. His hair burned as the dye was purged from it but nothing else was done to him.
"Hello, Lind Frey. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Deep blue eyes looked up at Lind as if finding prey in front of them. Lind summoned his staff and readied his Qi. He would get Annabelle away from this place if nothing else. Suddenly, Lind felt all his control leave him. "I think we can skip the part you think I am after you. I need your help but I dislike obstructions. Now sit down and let's talk."