Inside the bamboo house, the atmosphere felt warm yet full of preparation.
"Hey, let's go now. I'll wait for you outside," Lyra said to Azril. A moment later, Azril stepped out of the bamboo house with a calm expression.
"Are you sure, Lyra? Do you want to go with me?" Azril asked to make sure.
Lyra smiled widely, her eyes radiating firm resolve. "Enough, don't ask so many questions. I'm going wherever you go," she answered steadily.
Azril didn't say much else. He clenched his fist, focusing his mind on the coordinates of the Cloud Dust Palace.
Crackkk!
The space in front of them cracked as if it were made of glass. "Come, hold my hand," Azril said while holding out his hand to Lyra. They stepped into the dimensional rift and instantly appeared right in front of the grand gates of the Cloud Dust Palace.
Lyra looked around in awe. Only two days had passed since the brutal battle between Azril and Damien, yet the palace that was initially a mess was now neat again as before. The efficiency of the cultivators here was truly extraordinary.
As they walked in, the atmosphere turned into a buzz of whispers from the disciples. Jealous glares stabbed at Azril from every direction—the girl of their dreams was now walking side by side with a foreign man.
"Just a handsome guy... getting the goddess just by relying on his looks," grumbled one of the disciples with a disappointed expression.
"Hey, shut your mouth!" whispered another disciple with a pale face. "Don't you know? That man is the one who killed Lord Damien of the Red Mountain Palace. Shut up before your head comes off!"
Lyra noticed those stares and threw a cynical glance that made the disciples instantly lower their heads. Right at the entrance of the main hall, Auron's deep voice echoed from within.
"Please come in, Friend."
The large door opened automatically. Inside, the palace high officials were gathered. "All of you get out first. And call Serez and Yelan," Auron ordered. The officials immediately bowed respectfully and left the room.
"Please sit, Friend. Let's wait for the two of them to arrive first," Auron said to Azril. Not long after, Serez and Yelan entered with hurried steps.
Auron looked at Azril and Lyra in turn. "Now, then, are you really sure you want to go now? And you, Lyra, do you really want to leave Planet Veridia?"
Azril nodded firmly. Lyra chimed in, "Yes, Master. I want to see what Planet Lunaris is like. Back when I had just become a disciple, our planets hadn't collaborated yet, so I am very curious."
"Ahahahaha! Alright, Lyra," Auron laughed thinly. "Serez, while I explain about Lunaris, you prepare the formation ship first."
Auron then put on a serious expression. "Planet Lunaris is ruled by several great sects, unlike Veridia which is ruled by the Palace system. The number one sect there is the Golden Valley Sect, led by a Step 4 Star Ascendant (Celestial Gateway)."
"Is that true, Master?" Lyra wondered, feeling horrified by that level of power.
"It is true. If he were to fight the strongest person on our planet—the Master of the Black Sky Palace—he could kill him as easily as turning over a palm."
"But aren't they both Step 4, Master?" Lyra asked, confused.
"Same level, but different caste. The leader of the Golden Valley is nicknamed 'The Calm One of Lunaris.' He is an old monster who has been at Step 4 for a long time, while the leader of the Black Sky just broke through it and his foundation is still unstable," Auron explained. "So, don't try to look for trouble there."
"Understood, Master," Lyra replied obediently.
"Yelan, draw a map of Lunaris leading to that slum village for Lyra," Auron ordered Yelan. Yelan immediately drew a pattern on paper using energy from his fingertip. "Here, Senior," Yelan said, handing over the map.
Serez re-entered the hall. "Master, the ship is ready."
"Very well. Serez, Yelan, just escort them to the surface of Planet Lunaris," Auron ordered.
Azril and Lyra immediately boarded the formation ship. Inside the palace, Serez asked curiously, "Master, why are you being so kind and helping that man?"
Auron smiled thinly. "He is a Step 3 Star Ascendant (Void Stillness) just like me.
If it's true that he lost his memory, it's possible his background is very terrifying. Maintaining a good relationship with him is a future investment."
"Master, you're quite cunning, aren't you," Serez joked.
"Enough, go quickly!"
The formation ship began to condense energy in front of it, creating a teleportation hole. In an instant, they were in the vast vacuum of space, high above Planet Veridia.
"Beautiful..." Lyra murmured, staring at the clusters of stars.
"Senior Azril first appeared in that direction," Yelan pointed to a dark coordinate. "Then he shot down like a meteor crashing into the planet."
Lyra laughed softly. "You appeared from there and crashed straight into our planet? You really are like a space rock."
Some time passed until a large planet began to come into view. "That's it, Planet Lunaris," Serez said.
The planet looked magnificent, surrounded by threads of white and blue energy that resembled a protective aura. "So beautiful..." Lyra praised.
"We can only escort you this far," Serez said while giving a farewell salute along with Yelan.
"Come on, you must want to meet your parents quickly," Lyra grabbed Azril's hand. "Thank you, Senior, Junior!"
Azril pulled Lyra's hand, jumping from the ship's deck. They free-fell through Lunaris's atmosphere at high speed.
"Hey! Don't go too faaast!" Lyra screamed as the atmospheric wind began to burn the air around them. They landed with a loud thud right in the middle of a dense forest.
ON THE OTHER SIDE: REMNANT VILLAGE
"Forgive me, Sir! I didn't mean it!" Aerith screamed in panic, sitting on the barren ground.
"How dare you enter the soldiers' patrol area! Come here, you wench!" roared a soldier while roughly pulling Aerith's collar.
"That's enough. Don't be too excessive toward people who don't know when they are going to die," a calm voice was heard from a distance. A young man carrying a flute slowly approached them.
The soldier released Aerith and walked arrogantly toward the young man, pushing his body. "Enough, don't argue with a scholar. You won't win," called the Commander from inside the tent, stopping the commotion.
"Typical imperial scholar wannabe," the soldier sneered while walking away.
The young man helped Aerith stand up. "Come, let's leave this place."
"Thank you, Sir... thank you very much," Aerith said with a tone of immense relief.
"My name is Huo Lan, don't call me Sir," the scholar said kindly.
"I am not worthy of calling you that, Sir. My name is Aerith," she replied humbly. "Why were you in the soldiers' area?" asked Huo Lan.
"I was looking for food... in Remnant Village there are no more food distributions. The citizens have been looting. Everything is a mess," Aerith told him sadly.
They walked toward Azril's small family home. As they entered, Aerith brought Huo Lan to meet Arlo, Lana, and Lizra. "Sorry that our environment is like this, Sir Scholar," Aerith said, feeling embarrassed.
"It's alright, Aerith. I am saddened to see this condition," Huo Lan looked sadly at Arlo and the others. When Aerith admitted she hadn't found food yet, Huo Lan shed a tear. He took out a food package from his bag. "Eat this."
"Who is he, Aerith?" Lana asked, confused.
"He is Huo Lan, the imperial scholar who saved me earlier."
"Thank you, Sir. You have saved my wife," Lizra said sincerely.
"So... are you all couples?" Huo Lan asked in shock, looking at them.
"Yes, Sir," they answered.
"Enough, just call me Huo Lan. I'm only 18 years old," he said with a smile. "The empire is in chaos because of the war. I left the palace and now have no place to stay. May I stay here for a while?"
"Of course," they answered in unison.
BACK TO AZRIL & LYRA
"Hey! What was that! I was so shocked!" Lyra protested while cleaning dust from her clothes after that extreme landing.
"Sorry, Lyra," Azril said shortly.
"Where are we now?" Lyra opened the map from Yelan. "The direction of that village is to the West. We are currently in the Eastern Continent, in the territory of the Daxuan Country."
Lyra flew up for a moment to adjust the coordinates, then came back down. "Come, hold my hand!"
The two of them instantly shot off as fast as lightning toward the West, cutting through the Lunaris sky for one purpose: Home.