novelraw Chapter 887 - 886 - Dances
Chapter 887 - 886 - Dances
There was a large hall that could be used for large meetings to special events like weddings or funerals, but festive sounds came from it as Lind approached. He also smelled fantastic food!
When they entered the hall, the mass of people all turned and cheered his entrance. He saw most of his family that were at least having a lot of fun.
The little ones came running like a small horde! He opened his arms wide and then was buried by them! He only had 11 grandchildren at the moment but they all loved him! He played with them every chance he got as they were very recent and close to the time he had to leave.
"'Anda! You smell nice!" A tiny girl with silver hair and obsidian eyes smiled up at him as she clung to his arm. He smirked but saw his mother just looking on lovingly while his mother-in-law pouted that none of the great grandchildren came to her!
His wives made the same complaint but only half heartedly. Afterall, they spoiled them too when they were not busy!
He had freed up more time due to his impending departure.
"'Ood is good!" A chubby little boy with gray scales spoke up as his cheeks were near to bursting with said food. Lind patted his head as he smiled wide.
"Now, now, I am here for the party, so why don't you all show me around!" Of course he noticed a few faces that were not family looking to come talk to him. The grandchildren made a great excuse to avoid them!
The little squad of tiny children laughed and pulled him along but most looked on with smiles as Lind was clearly happy.
The platters of food took up some tables at the edge of the room like a buffet but he noticed several distinct plates left alone. He smirked seeing his wives that enjoyed cooking had set out some of his favorites.
Steamed potatoes stuffed with bits of bacon and something close to sour cream and vegetables. There was seasoned meat next to some rolls with further cheese and onions available for him to make into a sandwich.
Shoti was very good at making cheeseburgers with Lysanna making the potatoes. He also saw plates from Annabelle and Kora.
Ethry did not see the need to make fancy food but could make a roast to die for as well!
After entertaining the grandchildren he intentionally sought out his own children but the little bastards betrayed him! They were dancing with partners or busy talking with important visitors to the event!
It left him wide open until Cyntilla came up to him. She was in a form hugging black dress that left a shoulder fully exposed as well as both her arms. She was stunningly beautiful to him at that moment as her lavender skin was flush and shone under the crystal lights.
"You had your fun, now it is our time." Before he could grasp what she meant, he was pulled to the dance floor as a slow tempo was started by the simple band in the corner. The zithers and chimes made a romantic air fill the room as he moved with her across the dance floor.
The first day and night was spent with all his wives on the dance floor but he had fun!
Annabelle was shy but glorious in her pale white dress that left both her shoulders exposed. Her arms were covered by the same color gloves. She was as light as a feather in his arms.
Qing and Shoti both had golden dresses on that threw him off. Qing was an angel in a golden dress that covered her completely but Shoti had a skin tight dress that made her bust seem bigger while leaving a window for him to look down if he tried to just look at her face!
She smiled wide at him as he blushed deeply each time he was caught off guard.
Kora was in black and gold and seemed to float across the dance floor with him.
Ethry was strangely submissive as her prismatic dress matched well with her hair. It shimmered in all the colors as the light bounced off of it that drew appreciation from the crowd.
Lysanna was actually a better dancer than him and pulled him along at her pace with a slim azure dress that pulled out her features to him. He was hard pressed to keep calm to be honest but enjoyed the dances.
Fey then snagged him as his daughters began to take him for a spin on the dance floor. She and Tal were the only ones of his daughters to not marry.
He worried about that but in Tal's case it was simply a matter of extremely high standards. She refused to compromise on her desire to find someone Lind would find acceptable in all aspects.
He tried to say her desires and happiness were all that mattered but Tal refused to budge. Fey was a different issue entirely.
She had lost faith in people outside the family. Frankly she had lost faith in her own heart and seemed to be focused on increasing her power to the point she left them all in the dust.
She was now a Shard Tier, the first of their family!
The step between the 2 tiers was far more massive than the Heaven Realm tiers.
He was happy to dance with his family but eventually, his luck ran out.
Thankfully, his next dance partner was a dear friend.
Her voluptuous body was nearly on display in the low cut dress she wore that was very deep black but seemed to absorb the light from the crystals. Her green and crimson skin revealed she was an aether child.
Mythra had struggled to advance but Lind had provided elixirs and the spheres to let her advance her Immortal Sliver Tier with ease. Now she smirked as he blushed like an adolescent on his first date!
She knew him better than most but her mercantile heart would not let a possibility slip by.
"You have been avoiding the elites of the city, Lind. You should know better than to sacrifice such opportunities." He smirked at her.
"I have no interest in being like I was as Emperor. I just want to be Lind Frey, the head of my clan." He was done with being the leader of a power like that but Mythra frowned at him like he was the village idiot.
"You are a peak mid grade 7 elixir master, Forger, and weaver. You are the leader of a clan that will rival most supreme powers without trying. Just how did you expect to be viewed by all the others?" She smiled at him teasingly but he only shook his head.
"So how much trouble am I looking at?" She became more serious as they twirled across the dance floor.
"The Maidens have held off official issues but you remember politicians. They will find any crack to slip through and use any advantage. The plain truth is you are a walking spirit stone mine that they do not want to let slip to a competitor." A vein bulged on his forehead just listening but she pulled him close to remind him where they were.
"So basically, we have spent 1000 years in the Celestial Fields and had relative peace but they still believe I am making some kind of power play?" It was not wrong to call it a miracle that he kept a smile on his face while speaking.
"They are still stuck in the old way of thinking. They are held together by the long ties built up during the war and now they are seeing new enemies rising around them. The Temple of Souls is not exactly friendly to non-dragon races." Lind could not deny that.
If someone was fleeing Fiends, then the temple would help them. It was a common thread for all the races. Fiends trumped many prejudices or rules banning interaction with others.
The few pockets of power that had truly survived were quickly recovering now that the threat of doom did not hang over them all.
The Alliance, while not warlike against anything but Fiends, had no way to deal with powers that wanted to remain independent and had the strength to do so.
The Temple of Souls had always been separate from all such struggles and refused to join outright.
He had heard the dragons complain enough when they reached out to him for elixirs or other items.
It might also explain why the Alliance wanted him to be involved again.
"They want to use my True Lord status to bring others into their group?" Mythra smiled wide at him. She then stopped as the music came to an end.
"You have been far more relaxed these last few centuries and I know you prefer being with your family but this clan you built will be a power to rival all others. Plan better for that." He sighed and bowed to her as well.
His dances had been a mixture of fun and now advice. It seemed a new dance awaited him but he was not so naive not to see the shape of things to come.
However, he had held some things back from everyone. He had to find the 2 other facilities that worked with the Realm Refiner in the upper layers of the Celestial Fields. The list of things he had to take on was not small and only seemed to grow the more he thought about it.
One thing that bothered him was that despite restoring the Celestial Fields, not a single Crystal Tier Immortal has shown up. The temple confirmed they should be able to but none had come.
Why?
That and more demanded he continue to increase his strength and as Mythra warned him, plan for the future.
He took a very deep sigh before heading to some 'merchants' that had been keeping a close eye on him. It was time to safeguard his family's future and keep the parasites off his back.