novelraw Chapter 1127 - 1126 - Masks Off
Chapter 1127 - 1126 - Masks Off
The once pristine walls were cracked and being repaired as they pulled up to the massive gate for the Strider. There were slots for the vehicle to directly connect and clearly become an additional level of offense for the city.
There was already 1 other Strider part of the wall but Lind noticed it was also damaged. Sabotage had crippled the city.
"Husband, are you not going to change back?" Chu ran her hand through his lengthy emerald hair and he shook his head.
"They laid a trap for me despite my efforts to hide. Unless I truly abandon all of you and totally change myself from the ground up, they will always find me. I am unwilling to stand aside and my harmony will always give me away. Masks are useless." He was wearing the gray robes of the Emerald Immortal but his appearance was now his natural state.
His emerald eyes looked at the broken Strider and found it was nearly beyond repair for any refiner. Whoever broke it, knew well what they were doing.
His Eyes also saw that the formations and weavings were damaged just as completely. It was just a normal stone wall at that point.
He walked over to the broken Strider but the soldiers had no idea who he was. If not for Chu, they would have stopped him. Jur was looking around as the rest of their party waited by the exit of their Strider.
The wagon and horses had to be unloaded still.
"What about your name?" Lind paused at the legitimate question. His real name was only known to a few and most of them were either dead or with him.
It was a sad state of affairs when he thought about it.
"We will address that as well but the Dao Title is real so I will assume that for now." She nodded but they finally got near the team of refiners who were looking resigned to delivering bad news to the king.
The men and women were in work aprons with portable tables set up for refining materials or setting up formation arrays. They saw him approach and all bowed low as his aura was clear as day.
"Lord Immortal, I am sorry you find our city in such disrepair but do not worry, we will have the defenses up and running soon." The lead refiner was a robust old man that had muscles easily as thick as a leg on his arms!
It made him nostalgic for old Master Cain.
"It is all right, but from what I can see, this is essentially scrap. Can it be used to make a new one?" The old man's dark eyes widened before he rubbed his balding head and shook it.
"Ah no, it is so bad that it can't even be made to make a new one at this point. Some artifacts maybe but most of it is useless since it was made by experts far beyond us long ago." Lind realized most of them were only Sky Realms with the old man a Moon Tier.
Lind nodded in agreement. Refining would not be able to fix such deep damage to grade 7 construction. His hand lit up and they all jumped back but he simply placed it against the Strider.
The glow spread quicker than the eye could follow as the entire vehicle lit up like a small sun. Elements flowed into it beyond just the natural Qi.
Creating from scratch was beyond his current recovery, but a patch job was far easier.
Shock flooded the group as the dead hulk lit up with Qi! It was not formations but something they knew. Forging!
Lind ignored them as he completed his work. He could not recreate everything but they were minor issues in the grand scheme of things.
He stopped after he became light headed. It was enough.
"I have restored 80% of it. You should be able to take it from there." He turned to find the refiners standing slack jawed and smiled at them. "Here."
He tossed a jade slip to them and the old man treated it like it was the most precious thing in the universe.
"Thank you Lord Immortal!" The group moved to examine the now restored Strider while both Chu and Jur were glaring at him. He held up his hands in placation.
"I did not overdo it, I promise." The death glares did not let up but they made their way to the gate where Princess Fyre and the 5th Prince were waiting. Confusion was clear even from there but they just marched up.
Piercer of the Veil Immortal had on a more subdued robe compared to the last time but her blindfolded face turned to him in clear confusion and he just waved.
"Princess Fyre, 5th Prince, and Piercer of the Veil Immortal, you all look like you are still asleep." His voice was the same but his height, features, and general aura had changed drastically.
It was no pair of glasses but it was more than enough to make them doubt they had met him before.
"Lady Chu, where is your husband? Also, is this the esteemed Maester Taren Cord?" Princess Fyre recovered first. He noticed her eyes were slightly unstable. It was minor but he was able to pick it up.
The 5th Prince did not seem to have any such issue.
"Ah, I am afraid he is right here. Also, Taren Cord is a false name. This is my husband, Lord Emerald Immortal." Lind briefly shifted to his human form and back to prove it. Shock covered all their faces as a disguise was one thing but he changed entirely!
"Given some revelations, my attempts to hide from my enemies were pointless so I have chosen to revert to my true form. I am the same man." He bowed low but he knew his aura was drastically different compared to before.
They did not seem to know what to do but Lind glanced around and frowned. The soldiers and refiners were working on repairs but he saw several children and families sitting despondently in the streets.
He knew the destruction was bad but there were Soul Realms and below there. They were essentially mortal!
He moved past the group and Chu was glaring harshly at his back but he started with the children. He summoned elixirs, pills, and everything he had. His grade 3 and lower supplies were abysmal but he had been making them every chance he could get.
There was something he had in abundance though.
"Chu and Jur, set up the kitchen in that burnt out husk over there. I will give you supplies. Bori and Lan will work with Mills to distribute." Oz and Ranger sighed but smiled as they took up guard positions. Nana kept an eye on their currently sleeping bundle of joy.
The smell of meat began to float on the air and the people perked up.
[Everyone that can hear my voice. Please come to the east gate area on the right side of the road. Food is being made and any injuries will be taken care of by an elixir master. If you have any skills to help, I will employ you.]
His words reached the entire city but he knew all would know it meant he was an Immortal. The fact he could reach the entire city would stun them but he did not care.
Once they got going with some serving, they cleared out the ruins more and made the left side of the street an exit area.
Someone came running with the emblem of the kingdom on his gray robes but one look at Lind and he turned around instantly to return wherever he came from.
Maybe it was the fact that 2 of the King's children were standing behind him also.
They kept the line moving but a crowd was building that made Lind frown. It was not the numbers but the quality.
Haggard people were being replaced by those in far better shape. His aura flared instantly.
[Anyone abusing my good will not enjoy how I deal with it. This is your only warning.] He let a projection of his dragon head appear but a chop behind his head dispersed it.
"I will deal with them, Husband." Chu's smile that followed made several people flee the line immediately. He rubbed the back of his head and things went back to what he intended.
A few low grade alchemists and apothecaries were found but their shops had been destroyed. Lind sighed but had them work with the raw materials he had with his own tools.
It replenished up to low grade 3 for their needs and he guided them as he could as well.
"Lord Emerald Immortal, just what kind of saint are you aiming to become?" Princess Fyre had given them until midday but she could no longer contain herself. He smiled as he looked up and saw both the 5th Prince and Piercer of the Veil Immortal helping control the crowd.
A very neat butler had also returned to help them out.
"I am no saint but I have seen enough suffering in this life of mine. The battle here was between my enemies and all of us. Short as it was and the dangers we face, I will not ignore the problems created by it. Besides, I am slowly setting up their own experts to take over." She looked over and saw his words were true.
Cooking was not any expert endeavor plus the alchemists, whether apprentice or recognized master, were now churning out what was needed. Lind had paid out of his own pocket with spirit stones at the Soul and World Realm levels.
He broke down a single Immortal Stone at the Crystal Tier level to make a mountain of what he needed. No one in their right mind would do that but he was planning ahead.
Spirit stones would help get the economy back on its feet faster if the commoners could spend it.
"You have done this before?" She seemed confused at how smooth the operation was and Lind became grim. Flashes of many destroyed villages and cities passed over his eyes.
"More than anyone ever should in any lifetime." His dead voice surprised her but she did not ask. They spent the remainder of daylight setting up 3 more stations and he left them enough supplies to last a week.
He had the various production personnel swear an oath to Heaven and Earth to keep things going for the week but after that they would need to get things back on track themselves.
Lind also targeted several interested parties. He made it clear how his wrath would fall on them if they even tried to profiteer in the current circumstances. His aura stayed on them and he made sure they felt it!
He could not do much more than that at the moment, but they did not need to know that! Their group cleaned themselves up and followed their guides up to the palace.
He had an impossible task ahead of him but now the people were fed and spirits raised if they had to leave quickly. He hoped they would not but looking up at the volcano peak, he really had no idea how to prevent it.
The group moved up the incline and the city came back to life slowly but steadily around them. Hope rose but it may fall back into despair all too soon.