Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 508 - 507 - Starforged Island

Once the teleportation was completed, Lind found himself in a similar structure.  The guards were now wearing bright white armor.  They had markings of a hammer crossed with a pen on their right breasts.

"Greetings fellow Daoist, what brings you to the island?"  As they knew Lind had been allowed in they were respectful but it was only when they saw the 3 badges that awe came to their eyes.

The slim man that spoke bowed deeply but Lind only smiled.

"It is my first time here but I am on my way to Starfire House.  Where am I right now?"  They all bowed to him at that point.

"We are honored to welcome you to Carriden Guild.  We are refiners and formation experts that research the cutting edge of what is possible in both fields."  Lind recognized the name from reports but he examined the armor they all wore.

They were inscribed beautifully at peak grade 5 and even Heaven grade 2 with the slim leader.

"I can see the good work on each of you.  May I look around somewhere?"  The guards smiled with pride at his honest praise and happily led him out to a place that instantly reminded him of Cimmeria.

The sound of forges were clear as well as the profound auras of formations flaring and disappearing constantly.

Lind saw a sprawling street of masters teaching young apprentices while the feeling in the air was different from any island he had been to.

The legend that Starforged Island came from above was likely true based on what he sensed.

Lind looked at the various displays of experts and knew the guild was moving both raw materials and finished products to make the most of their resources.

While they had refiners and formation masters, it was likely mostly to preserve the raw material they shipped out and to test anything new that was found.  Still, they were quite good.

Any that saw his badges let him observe without question but he did not pry too much.  As he looked out, he saw massive mines and warehouses in the distance with signs of caravans being built up for a massive move towards the purely mercantile guilds on the island.

It took him a week to simply move outside of that single area but then he came to the true mines.  Massive pits dug into the surface yet the density of Qi was incredibly higher than any island he had been on to date.

Even the mountain that was Lily's true body was not as thick with Qi as the air was on Starforged Island.

Lind looked on as giant golems were controlled to break giant veins of metal and stone at the same time while others carried massive carts up to the surface level.  He found it all fascinating but moved on.

The roads were wide and very well maintained with carriages at regular intervals but Lind flew past it all.  His badges seemed to act like a magic ticket to anywhere he wanted to go.

Eventually he left the mining operations behind and finally saw magnificent structures sprawling across the horizon.

Cimmeria was a commerce power that could not be ignored in the lower world but in the Floating Isles, it would not fill a quarter of Starforged Island.  He saw many towers piercing the Heavens next to markets and warehouses.

Auction houses were not allowed on Starforged Island exactly but a fierce trading area acted in a similar way as many stall holders shouted their prices that were only opening bids.  Lind looked on as a few figures raised the price between them until one outspent them all.

He saw everything that could exist up for sale but also saw consignments being moved to teleportation arrays at all times non-stop.  He almost felt dizzy at the sheer wealth that flowed like mad out of a single island.

He tried to see the various emblems on each building but many saw his badges and it was like all the merchants saw dollar signs like the old cartoons on Earth!

He was offered steep discounts or exclusive access to a mine of a new ore to the point that Lind was tempted but his goal was beyond the hawkers.

He simply flashed the medal he had and most left him alone but a few sneered as Starfire House was not supreme in the Floating Isles.

The massive cityscape was confusing but he finally spotted his goal.  Unlike in the lower world, floating buildings were not allowed but he saw a flaming star above a middling tower, yet it was near the center of the metropolis.

He saw a bustling square of stalls calling out much like the others yet Lind noticed that unlike some of them, there were massive lines at some.  He smiled as he saw elixirs, forged items, and a few high end refining or alchemical pills were quite familiar to him.

"Great master, welcome to Starfire House.  How may I assist you today?"  A young aether child of water and darkness called out to him but he simply held up his medal that made the young lady blush.  "Please follow me."

They walked past the stalls and some noted his badges but his appearance seemed to shock most of them.  Unlike other places, his description was clearly well distributed.  Many bowed to him in respect while others whispered in excitement as he passed.

He was not used to such reactions in the Floating Isles.  Of course he had a very rough entry over nearly 3 and a half centuries ago.

He saw a few appraisers examining ores and finished products that were likely being set up for future auctions.

They finally entered the tower and he saw receptionists accepting various guests but his guide led him back to a platform that rose after Qi was infused into it.

They rose into the air as he looked down at the faces that turned to see them rise up.  It seemed the platform was not used often.

Floors passed by but his eyes barely perceived the contents as they moved too fast until it finally slowed down.

The current stop was not the pinnacle of the tower but Lind could feel the profound formations all around him.  He guessed they were peak grade 5 which made him wonder what Heaven grade the upper floors had reached.

The complex turns were also part of the defenses as he could feel the pressure from each door was far above anything he could easily deal with.

They finally came to a set of double doors at the end of a hall with plush red carpeting.  He realized where all the power of the Stardust Emporium came from.  If Starforged Island sent even a tenth of its resources to the lower world, it would let them maintain their power forever.

"Lady Estelle is expecting you, Master Frey."  His guide bowed and returned to their post.  Lind found it odd there were no guards but the moment he approached the doors, he felt massive pressure focused on him.

"Interesting, the formations are active in a way I have not seen before."  Normally, a formation would be either set up or require a cultivator to infuse it but the ones in front of him reacted to his presence alone.

He was curious but had more important issues to address.

"Lind Frey greets Lady Estelle."  Lind bowed as he entered but instead of pressure he heard cackling laughter.

"Welcome–"  Estelle spoke but Lind was then knocked over by a crimson and green aether child at the Star Tier.

Lind felt tears fall on his face as he was nearly crushed by the hug of an old friend.

"Mythra!  Stop crushing Master Lind!"  Su hopped up from a couch in the room but Lind only smiled but could not wave as both his arms were snared in Mythra's grasp.

He did not mind but he saw Lady Estalle looked far older than before.  He also noted she was only a tier 5!

Why had she not advanced?

"Sigh, when I adopted you, I assumed you would be more reserved than I am but it seems fate really brought me a daughter after my own heart."  Lind smirked at the clear amusement and enjoyed the warmth of the moment.

After Mythra was finally peeled off of him, he sat in front of Lady Estelle.

"In such a short time you have come so far, Master Lind."  He bowed to her but his concern must have shown through.  "I reached the end of my potential long ago so this tier is as far as I go."

He examined her but saw her dantian was indeed nearing its end.  He could help a bit but the other issues in her body made him see she was right.  He felt sad about his lack of ability to restore Estelle to a state to advance.

"Nevermind all that!  You have made a massive splash in more ways than one and now come knocking at my door.  You have come for a reason?"  Estelle stared at him but he nodded.

"I need to build a Heaven Realm sect and want the Starfire House to help me fund it."  Lind's words made all 3 women freeze before Estelle started to giggle.

"You never stop making your sect since you started it."  Lind's aura flared suddenly and he looked far more imposing than before.

"That is the thing, this sect will not be about education but war.  I want to drive the Fiends back.  I want them to pay for the harm they have wrought on all our lives and I refuse to let petty arguments undermine my goals."  Lind was grim and resolved.  He was no longer the naive boy who crafted elixirs to survive anymore.

He was a true blooded cultivator and he no longer held back.