548 On the Airship (3)

As he was the first to move away from the wall, Shui ordered lunch and also came to get the twins once it arrived.

"Lunch is ready."

"Ah, just a few more minutes please."

It was a little surprising considering the fact that they were normally so reserved, but both sisters appeared reluctant to move from their spot. It was only when he reminded them that they would be on the airship for at least two weeks that they tore themselves away from the splendid view to eat. Likely if their cultivation was high enough that they could forgo the need for eating, it would have been harder to get them to leave.

The food that Shui ordered wasn't inferior to what could be obtained from any restaurant that was in Windwave City, but it was still lacking compared to the experience of being on the airship. After lunch, the twins returned to watch the sky while Shui set up a couple arrays in their room. He didn't expect for them to be attacked, it was just a precaution made since they would be staying here for a while.

When night came, Shui called the twins for dinner, much more easily than during lunch, and then they went to bed after bathing together. Shui had planned on retreating to his bedroom as well, but Alia made him go back to the viewing room instead.

"What is it, Alia? You could have come here by yourself you know."

"Idiot, I didn't bring you here because I wanted to look. Sit down and face the stars."

Partially curious about Alia's intention, Shui followed her instruction and sat cross-legged in front of the scene of the night sky. Compared to during the day, the night sky had a level of serenity that seemed enlightening. The darkness was usually associated with fear, but within the unknown, there was also knowledge. The weak and cowardly couldn't find it, but if you were willing to reach for it, there was the possibility to touch upon something profound.

"What now?" Shui asked.

"Shh, focus. Usually this would be impossible, but I have a feeling it'll be different for you. Now, pick a star."

"Pick one?"

"Yes, look at the stars and pick one."

Shui wasn't completely clear about what he was supposed to do, but he still made an attempt. He watched the almost identical stars far off in the distance, and tried to figure out which one he should pick. At first he could barely tell the difference between them besides their position, but as he kept staring at them, their unique qualities became more apparent. After he could tell the difference between their appearances, he began to have favourites among them and his ranking became more stringent as he learnt more about them. With his sense of time lost, he didn't know when, but he picked a star that seemed to suit him perfectly, and then it also picked him.

Suddenly, everything around him changed and Shui found himself stranded in space. This wasn't the first time he went through something like this, but it still wasn't a comfortable experience. Even so, he didn't spend long panicking because the first thing he saw replaced any thoughts he had with pure awe.

"Wow."

It was as if a group of colourful stars had been vaporized and mixed together, or he found a mythical rainbow cloud. It seemed tangible, but at the same time too fantastical to be real. Even the wildest dream wouldn't be able to produce such a brilliant scene. And yet, Shui recognized it.

"Is this, a nebula?"

There was no one around to answer his question, but he was certain. What he was seeing was the representation of his nebula state soul, and the three particularly bright points inside the nebula further proved his idea. He definitely hadn't expected to end up here of all places when Alia told him to pick a star, but he was eager to make the best of this opportunity. Shui started off by approaching the nearest bright point, ready to comprehend as much as possible.

Meanwhile, in the Scorched Desert, a discreet door appeared on top of endless sand. From the door, a young lady stepped out wearing a blue gown reminiscent of the bright sky. Once the door vanished, she seemed to randomly pick a direction and began walking. Her walking style didn't seem odd, but all witnesses would say the same thing; that she appeared and vanished like a ghost.

In one of few villages nearby the eastern outskirts of the Scorched Desert, the young lady appeared, now with her face hidden under a cloak. She went to the only tavern open during the day and boldly entered through the front door. All the vulgar patrons immediately turned to her, but with a silent smile she pressured them into looking away. Normally they were the ones who scared off little boys and women with their boisterous laughter and suggestive smiles, but in this case all of them felt the same fleeting yet horrifying presence rolling off of her.

The patrons didn't hide how nervous they felt around her, but the young lady still approached one of them who was drinking beer by himself. This patron seemed like a simple villager fresh into adulthood, but he was actually the only patron who wasn't nervous around her.

"You sure have grown since I last saw you Shino. Your brother will be proud."

"I hope so. I secretly thought that once I accepted this inheritance I could finally be on the same level as him, but my growth only makes his back look much farther."

"It seems your strength isn't the only thing that's increased."

The young lady, Emily, accepted this praise with a nod before reaching out and placing a storage ring on the table. The ring looked plainer than a cheap wedding ring but the villager could immediately tell what it was due to his experience. The villager smoothly took the ring from the table and then carefully looked at what was inside. Less than a minute later, the villager looked up at the young lady.

"I'm not complaining about the amount, but are you sure you want to give up this much?"

"Yes, I judged that your help was worth about that much in return."

In the storage ring, were millions of spirit gems, a couple of artifacts of spirit rank to relics, hundreds of pills, herbs and materials and ancient cultivation methods and spells. It was more than enough for Emily to get killed over, but the villager didn't say that because he thought it was a needless warning to the matured person in front of them.

"Very well. If you're looking for him, I don't know where he is, but I can probably contact him."

"No, I have a journey to go on so I can't stay for long. Thank you for all that you've done, I look forward to see you again on the future."

"May our streams intersect later in time."

Once they said their goodbyes, the patrons blinked, and both the young lady and the villager were gone.