Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1662 - 1661 - Shift in Priorities

Lind had been honing his ability to begin working on mid grade 8 and Dao Grade items unlike anything he had seen before when he was suddenly on a chair in the humble courtyard with a steaming cup of tea in front of him.

Neither of the Twins were present but suddenly Karu and Gaia snapped into existence as well as a glowing emerald sphere off to the side.

The former were disoriented but Lind quickly stood up and examined the sphere.

He was surprised by a few things but reassured as nothing unusual came back to his senses. The protective shield was the last ditch defense of the medical bay he had created in the ship.

Any emergency where the vulnerable patients could not escape, the entire med bay became a sort of escape pod. Further, the time barrier was also working perfectly which shocked him more.

Inside the sphere, time was moving so slowly that not even a quarter of day had passed despite all the years he had been inside the Inheritance.

A small set of hands encircled him as Gaia wept into his robes.

"MASTER!" He smiled and patted her head while Karu flicked her fox ears in clear joy to see him as well. He could see both had improved dramatically.

Karu was now firmly in the Journeyman Tier. She was above him! Gaia was also now a Divine Realm mid Apprentice Tier.

"You have both had opportunities as well I see." The pair smiled proudly but then Lind became grim.

He was far from claiming the legacy of his Master. He could tell the next stage would have been the Journeyman Tier but they had all been summoned. That did not bode well.

"You need to work on your facial tics, Lind Frey. I am not my brother but you are far too easy to read. Come, we have much to discuss." Despite having the same face and manner, the body gave away that Older Twin was hosting them.

The group sat but he glanced at the sphere with an arched eyebrow.

Older Twin actually scratched the side of his face with a flash of frustration.

"It is embarrassing to admit that you have made a system of weaving and concepts that I cannot unravel safely. The young woman is perfectly fine as you intended but could not benefit like your other companions. Of course, and I wish I knew how you did this, I was able to determine she has some potential if not for a partial heart demon in her." Lind was actually happy as he had not had a true test of scanning inside the barrier aside from himself and Karu.

He had wondered if someone unfamiliar with his methods could do it!

"I can dispel it. If that is all right?" Older Twin nodded and Lind's eyes lit up. It was a simple command from him but others would need to know the sequence of sigils to unlock the sphere.

With a simple dispersal, the slim young girl inside the center was lowered gently to the ground. The final traces disconnected. Her dark auburn hair was neatly framed as she had been cleaned up by Karu and Gaia after he healed her.

She had fresh white robes as well. A few consoles made of jade and wood had survived but without the last bit of power from the sphere, they ceased to function. He collected them as it would save time rebuilding later.

Older Twin looked at them with deep curiosity but clearly suppressed his desire. That only made Lind more concerned but he waved to Gaia to stay near the young girl. She was the most familiar with her.

Lind resumed his seat and waited for the bad news.

"I will start with the fact that we are somewhat aware of the external world directly outside the Ruined Islands. The powers are chaos but at times clear channels appear we can use. We have seen humans gathering from that Broken Tower group. The woman you left alive is upset to be sure." Lind narrowed his eyes.

"It should have taken over a century for those to arrive." Older Twin nodded at his observation.

"The Inheritance does invert time intentionally so that real consumption and wear is lowered but the Ruined Islands make the effect a bit random. Once started, the rate is not fixed as you suspect. It was going well until someone had a rather audacious tribulation." Older Twin stared right at Lind.

Lind now was the one looking guilty but he could not have known it would be so insane.

Karu looked confused before her eyes went wide!

"You did that?! I thought it was from other trial takers after multiple Journeyman Tier tribulations!" Lind looked away as he recalled the devastation left in his wake.

"Regardless, the incident made the external world intrude and speed up. Before that point, only a month had passed outside." Lind sat upright in shock. That kind of inversion was insane! The level of power needed was not something he could conceive!

Older Twin did not give time for questions.

"We were only able to barely get it working again after 2 centuries had passed. Even so, it is not as good as before. In total, 3 centuries passed outside and new beings have arrived I believe you are familiar with." A misty screen appeared above the center of the dark wooden table and Lind felt his eyes narrow.

Fiends. Hundreds of Fiends had arrived but that was not the part that made him narrow his gaze. It was the clear cooperation between the 2 forces!

That was not normal! Only 1 reason could allow it. The Bastard was hedging his bets!

Against just Fiends and with the backing of the Twins' Inheritance, a pure force of that vile race was likely to face a humiliating defeat. Mix in demons or human forces, highly motivated to kill him, presented a factor he could not so easily overcome.

He now had a firmer grasp of what his Art was doing and there was a fatal weakness to it. If a Divine Realm had not separated a piece of themselves, he might be able to hurt them in an ambush but they would not die.

It was the process of destroying that severed piece and bringing it back together that killed them completely!

The others that died had been something he had taken too long to learn. Divine Realm beings faded at their will but they could be tricked. Seeing your fellow die and suffering the same attack could trigger a shocking effect.

They killed themselves!

It had been an impossible thought but with how easily he had attempted to manifest Cyntilla from his memories, it became clear to him that an aspect of becoming a Divine Realm that was taken for granted was how powerful their minds were.

If they believed an attack would kill them if struck, they would die! It did not help he really could kill those with the technique to preserve a piece of themselves outside their main body.

The leader of the Broken Tower knew about his attack but there was a very good chance that the Bastard knew of the weakness!

Combining that knowledge would leave him in a pinch.

Older Twin waved his hands and more was revealed. A massive floating pyramid artifact?! It was emblazoned with a lightning struck tower so its owner was clear but next to it was a fleet of smaller cylindrical flying artifacts he recognized well.

The cultists clearly got their artifacts from the Fiends!

"The Royal Retreat! They really killed my father!" A voice broke Lind from his concentration to find a weeping young girl in Gaia's arms. Older Twin frowned but Lind moved before thought.

His hands glowed as she grew drowsy once more.

His Eyes and Touch confirmed major disruption had been on the verge of making a heart demon solidify.

"Senior, where is my Master?" Older Twin noticed the experienced skill and knew his brother had chosen well.

"Time is running out. The Fiends and humans are all in the Journeyman Tier but it is clear they are waiting for a Master Tier to arrive. While the chaos out there can stop them, a Master Tier can set up traps and then attempt to breach our Inheritance via that same issue that keeps us safe." His words made Lind understand.

The time inversion was now a trap. They had to leave, now.

"I am to be pushed to pass some final trial then?" Lind, however, was surprised when Older Twin shook his head. A smile crept over his face at his confusion.

"You have far surpassed his tests. Even I can only think of a few I could give you for Forging but you have likely already surpassed my trials." Lind was about to deny it but then he summoned several ores.

He was stunned to see the ease with which his Mystery energy fused with his aura to Forge a perfect storage treasure as if it was nothing!

Older Twin nodded in confirmation.

"As such, we are now focusing on what you need. Before leaving, you need to condense at least 1 Heaven Mystery. We cannot guide you but both of us felt you barely touched on it. Once you have that, you will be a true Journeyman Tier and they have no idea what awaits them when you are." Lind tilted his head but it was Karu that answered his glance.

"Lind, a Journeyman Tier is not like an Apprentice Tier. You are in transition so while you are much more powerful, a Journeyman Tier with a single Mystery can still overpower you. It is like you are primed and just need the final push to truly grasp the changes in your body." He then felt her aura nearly push him back with ease!

Yet Lind was not one to accept what all believed to be true. Emerald light flared and all present suddenly stumbled as he stood strong.

"I think you would all find it wise not to have such rigid minds." Older Twin was slack jawed while Karu looked like hope had returned to her heart. Lind clearly had no Heaven Mysteries but the power flowing off of him was actually above the Heaven Layer!

Just what kind of power would he have when he condensed a Heaven Mystery?!