Seeing Zhao Yu still not casting a spell, Noah spoke.
"Standing there like a statue? Sweep."
Watched him pick up leaves by hand.
Sighed.
"I've weighty matters to ponder. Meditate or craft a broom."
In this strength-driven world, self-improvement is paramount.
Recruited the first member, earned ten tickets. The System's pretty generous.
Ten tickets… Wonder what I'll get. Activated the Celestial Reunion function.
In Zhao Yu's eyes, the manor lord's gaze blazed, body unbound, floating midair. Winds swirled, leaves danced, light shimmered, mystic vibrations pulsed—like a chorus cheering. Suddenly, the lord raised a hand. A radiant pillar shot from the heavens, dissipating to reveal a verdant bronze compass in his grasp.
Zhao Yu stood stunned. That divine spectacle, that terrifying illusion… just for a compass?Trying to bewitch me?
Outside Tigerbold Manor, thirty-eight stood before the gate.
The signboard's notice left them bewildered. Is this an expedition to a relic shaping the five empires' fate? Feels like visiting a countryside estate. Spirits dampened.
Abruptly, the flag Luna Victor carried stirred.
It broke free, soaring upward. Its symbols vanished, leaving a plain black banner.
Simultaneously, the manor's signboard shifted from Three-Tiger Manor to Tigerbold Manor.
The sudden change split the group into five wary factions, eyeing each other.
The notice about opening in three days also vanished.
Realizing the flag posed no threat, tensions eased, gazes softened.
Luna Victor, leader of the Moonlight Empire, surveyed the group.
"The manor's name change signals something grand. Any insights?"
Aurelius Cassian replied calmly.
"Whatever it is, we should hold steady for now."
Princess Lalatina Celeste, Prince Murong, and Crown Prince Iron Liu agreed to observe and adapt.
Waited, but no one opened the gate.
After deliberation, the group decided a Moonlight Empire member would knock first.
A Moonlight Empire prince approached but halted mid-staircase—his limit reached.
Others tried, only to stop at the manor's steps, unable to advance.
The farthest was Prince Murong of the Great Prosperian Dominion, three tiles shy of the final step, too far to touch the gate.
Unable to proceed, they retreated to strategize.
Suddenly, the air stilled, the sky wove an array.
The prior phenomenon blanketed East Continent's heavens again.
Unlike before, it felt unshakable, like bedrock—immovable, indestructible, enduring through cosmic shifts.
"Here it comes again…"
Feeling vibrations from such proximity, their eyes fixed on the vast, starry expanse above, enveloped by an infinite sense of safety, unable to break free.