novelraw Chapter 885 - 884 - Leaving Once more
Chapter 885 - 884 - Leaving Once more
Romana appreciated the very refined construction around her. The place had only been founded a thousand years ago but it looked timeless. If not for the wide open plains beyond the walls like everywhere else, it would not be unusual to find ancient trees all around it.
They moved past what was clearly more common and guest areas to the central corridors as she felt the decorations increased vastly in value until she stopped in shock.
While she had seen excellent Forgers and refiners in her time, the works around her were no less than art! They were also familiar!
She saw Lady Gua, the Divine Guardian, and others that had passed to the best of her knowledge!
As they moved deeper, they finally came to an area that stood before 2 large golden doors lined in black. There were corridors to either side but no doors in the walls that could lead into the rooms beyond.
In other words, none could pass without seeing the opened room in front of her.
She was frozen in shock as she saw the dragon body of Lanbao encircling the ceiling with her head looking out over the door.
At the heart of the room, bathed in sunlight, was a bright smiling woman innocently looking at her. The golden skin seemed to suit her and a plaque beneath shocked her even more.
{Hope: She sacrificed for us all to stand in the light.}
She had never heard of the person but Fey stunned her as she bowed reverently to the statue that seemed like it could take a breath at any moment.
"Who was she?" Romana felt compelled to ask and saw Fey gently touch the base with a sad smile.
"My little aunt." Confusion crossed Romana's face but no further answers came. She grasped that Lind had intentionally made a sort of walk of remembrance for all to come to his clan.
They were the ones that died for others to live and more, for Lind to come to be who he was. He never forgot them and would never let others forget either.
There were no such statues in the Sanctuary Empire, save maybe personal collections, but Lind had to have authorized all she saw.
She bowed to both Lanbao and Hope before proceeding to the opening doors. A massive hall lay beyond but she noticed an open window to a valley beyond was visible.
She had not seen the valley from her arrival so it had to be at the top of the hill she had seen outside.
Even a glance told her Qi density was insane in the valley. Herbs were clearly being cultivated and she knew Lind was very good at raising them.
Strangely, no one was in any of the seats but Fey kept walking until they were behind the main seat where Lind would normally be at.
They then stood over another teleportation weaving but the security on it was very strict. Fey had to drop some blood on a pedestal at the window side before it lit up.
"I would take a breath if I were you." Fey's words were confusing until an intense feeling of displacement came over her and the world went white.
Romana blinked until she froze in shock as the wide open blue sky greeted her! She was far above the ground based on the density of Laws and Qi. She had never flown so high in her life!
She looked around and realized they were on top of a tower over a weblike structure. It had 18 spheres equally distant around them. She had heard of this structure!
It was not all as she looked up and saw a strange vessel made of crystal and wood.
It was not like the Nautilus Class skyships at all as it was bigger but compared to the complex Wings of Freedom she had seen before, it was shaped closer to a boat.
It had an open deck with a deep hull. It had a few strange extensions along the bottom but she was not sure what they were for at that distance.
She also was not sure how big it was as it was even farther above them!
His last skyship had fundamentally changed the world as cultivators no longer were restricted by teleportation or the inability to fly. It also gave sects and other powers the ability to more easily consolidate their borders with less man power.
The Wings of Freedom had been a legendary vessel and would not be forgotten but the myriad problems keeping it going proved too much even for Lind to over come.
Fey coughed and drew her attention back to follow her down steps inside the tower. She saw people wandering around but unlike below, it was mostly Heaven Realms and Sky Realms. She also noticed that there were strange people with golden skin she had never seen before.
Who were they? They seemed very young to her senses and impossibly beautiful. She could not recall any race with such skin color or beauty. She wanted to ask but Fey just kept going!
Many bowed at Fey and looked at her curiously but paid no other mind to the pair. They walked all the way to the bottom before they found Lind.
He was working on some contraption that looked like part of a larger whole.
A man with obsidian hair she recognized was helping him by holding it up as he also examined the piece.
"Hei, how does it look?" Lind's voice reached them and Hei smirked at Fey as his aura extended over the complex crystal lattice and stone object.
"It is stable but its endurance will need further testing, Dad. Also, Fey is here with Romana." Hei was now an Immortal so his disrespect was allowed.
Lind slid from under the apparatus and was in a simple shirt and pants that were disheveled from his work.
He dusted himself off and stood up before smiling at them both.
"You're late." Romana stuck her tongue out at him.
"I was taking the scenic route." She retorted at him but he smiled wider and then hugged her which caught her off guard.
"It is good to see you. Come! I have some good tea and snacks over here." He led her to a table and chairs set up nearby. The snacks were finger food of sweet bread and cookies while the tea was very good.
"Well, treats are all welcome but you know why I am here." She did not want her visit to be unpleasant but the current state of affairs demanded action.
Lind became more serious as Fey and Hei took their place behind him.
"The Heavenly Maiden Sect has received a rather firm request for me to return. In fact there have been powers that were closely allied with the Sanctuary Empire that want me to build a base of power to create a higher branch here?" He summoned a scroll that had the official seal of the Maidens and the Alliance.
It had arrived months ago but he had not answered.
The Alliance powers were fracturing and those that preferred stability wanted Lind to become a central figure to keep them together in the Celestial Fields.
It could work but Lind had been silent and absent.
"Sect Master Valkyrie has stated your desire to step down but many think she is simply speaking her wishes. A statement from you–" Lind stopped her with a wave of his hand.
"They want to draw me back in. If I even whisper, they will send envoys to annoy me and further, they will keep pecking away at my solitude." Romana arched an eyebrow but then really took him in.
Compared to the days she had known him as both sect master and Emperor, he looked happy. He had a spark in his eyes she had never seen before. Still, she had doubts.
"Explain what I saw on my way here then?" No matter how she looked at it. Lind was building the foundation of an empire out in the wilds of the Endless Plains.
He smirked and summoned a jade slip.
She sunk her senses into it and sat bolt upright. It broke down a flow of resources to all powers and back to them. It also showed how the clan was simply becoming self sufficient
She had not appreciated how many followed Lind out to settle his clan. Feeding and enabling so many cultivators to advance was not cheap. Lind had set up a foundation that allowed a cycle to begin to allow those that wished to increase their cultivation could do so without swearing fealty to them.
It meant the outer areas were not solely under his control but he took a tax in the form of goods to sustain the clan. It was a cheap price compared to non-existent spirit stones!
Starfire House followed him but compared to the mortal realms, it was still a tiny business compared to what it could have been had it stayed with the Alliance in the Heaven Realm lands.
There was simply not enough of a network to support a massive business in the current state of things.
The more she examined, the more she frowned.
"You are leaving again?" She noticed both Fey and Hei flinch at her words as Lind nodded.
"I have several obligations I have to fulfill but more than that, we need to build bridges to the communities on the far side of the Celestial Fields. I am at the exact center of the realm so it would be best if I could begin the process." She could not deny it but she suspected he had other reasons he could not share with her.
"When will you be leaving?" He was the one to flinch that time as both Fey and Hei smirked.
"When I am able to get an agreement on a traveling companion that will not cause a massive fight." Romana then understood. His wives had enjoyed a thousand years with him and were reluctant to let him go.
Still, when he said he had obligations, he was one to not joke about such things.
Romana sighed as she understood he was leaving once more on a journey but now he had built a home to return to. His family would grow and be sustained in his absence but he could not stay still.
She also noticed he was still a Sliver Tier at the peak of the realm. She assumed that was part of it as well.
In the end, her journey was a useless endeavor but she then let it go. She would have fun while she was there and enjoy her stay in the Frey Clan! Afterall, he owed her that much!
There was a new city to explore and a lot of catching up to do with all her old friends. She also saw a whole new generation of Frey family to corrupt, or rather, tell stories to!
She imagined all the new innovations awaiting her considering Lind's propensity for pushing his boundaries and looked forward to taking it all in. Still, she would look forward to any festivities!