Chapter 98 – Bright Star City and Serene River Mansion

Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 98 with the four's new home's introduction. Hope you'll enjoy the chapter!

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Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth

Demian's P.O.V.

An unknown time later, the Energy blocking his Senses finally disappeared, prompting the young man to let out a slight sigh of relief, especially when he noted, unlike the previous time, how little impact the journey had on him. 'Teacher was right, it was much easier than Intercontinental Void Travel.' He realized while taking stock of his environment with some slight curiosity. After a brief glance, he noticed how similar the room layout was, from the visible material used in the walls to the striking pillars or even those fantastical frescoes. There were obviously some minor differences, such as those characters and monsters on the frescoes being slightly different, or the room being slightly smaller than the one they departed from. Still, it was obvious that the ones who designed the two buildings were either the same person or from the same organization.

"Done looking around?" Ling's playful voice suddenly brought him back from his contemplation, causing him to move his gaze in her direction. There he noticed the husband and wife looking at him and the three female Mikhailovs with smiles on their faces. "Since the four of you seem to have completely recovered, let's leave now." The next few minutes went by quickly, with the group exiting the room and reaching the Main Hall of the Relay Station, where a great number of Cultivators were entering and exiting the building and the different corridors. Without wasting time, Sergei led them toward the Entrance of the Station, which also served as an Exit since the place did not need extensive tracks or a runway, unlike Airports and Train Stations. The only need for space seemed to be those rooms, each arranged with a Low Tier 4 Void Teleportation Formation linked together in a Compound Peak Tier 4 Void Teleportation Formation, which both enhanced the efficiency of each Array and lowered the cost. From what Sergei told the four of them, the difference in cost between each Formation sub-tier's activation can be massive, especially as the Tier increased. In other words, a Low Tier 1 and a Mid Tier 1 Formation may not have too much of a disparity in cost, but using a Mid Tier 4 Array is massively more expensive than a Low Tier 4, let alone in the case of that array at Peak Tier 4.

'In a way, it's a bit similar to Mortal money. The difference between 1 Ruble and 2 Rubles is negligible. But 1 Million Rubles and 2 million rubles are two completely different concepts. And that's only if it was a linear increase, which isn't the case.' Demian pondered as their steps led them toward the open entrance, massive enough to fit thousands of people if not more, which gave the false impression that the crowd of Cultivators was sparse when in reality, Demian roughly counted no less than tens of thousands of travelers. And that was just with a cursory glance. 'Once you enter the Cultivation World, numbers do seem to lose their meaning...' He briefly pondered before they finally arrived in front of the Void Relay Station, where flying vehicles kept landing on what seemed to be specially designated areas before departing when the number of passengers reached a certain amount. Interestingly, each of them had on their doors a round Azure Star Logo with the two words 'Bright' and 'Star' written on each of the logo's sides.

"Flying cars?" Demian remarked with a mix of curiosity and amazement, followed by Seraphine's question. "Are we taking one of those?" After shaking his head slightly, Sergei replied. "No need. Since we can use Void Travel, it'll be faster that way." Turning toward Ling, he asked rhetorically. "I'll bring Demian and Adeliya while you'll be in charge of bringing Seraphine and Brynhild along, if you don't mind, Honey?" Nodding her head, she replied with only 'No problem' and a smile. By the time his brain caught those words, he already felt himself being surrounded by the same kind of Energy as their previous Teleportation, although the feeling it gave him was... Different. As in less stable, but also much less powerful, the latter making it much easier for him to cope. After an unknown time, his Senses recovered, this time with no trace of disorientation. 'I don't know if it's because I'm starting to adapt or simply because the journey was much shorter...' he pondered for a second before Ling's next words broke his concentration. "Welcome to our humble abode!"

Feeling curious, his gaze moved toward the wooden Paifang [A/N: Traditional Chinese gate] that seemed to reach between 15 to 20 meters high and was surrounded on both sides by similarly massively high walls. The traditional gate's top was colored dark blue and adorned with the words 'Serene River Mansion' written in beautiful Chinese calligraphy. "Serene River Mansion... What a beautiful name." Demian muttered in Chinese, bringing an impressed look to Ling's face, who replied in the same language. "I see that you haven't slacked off in your studies." Shaking his head wistfully, the young man replied. "Any random Cultivator at the Chi Gathering Rank could master the language in a matter of weeks, so it's not much of an achievement." As soon as those words left his lips, Sergei commented in the same language. "Having the potential and realizing it are two different concepts. How many Cultivators waste their talents by not grabbing the opportunities in front of their eyes simply to reach the end of their lives filled with regrets, wondering 'What if?' or 'If I had known, I would have...'." Pausing for a second, he added. "That's why any success, no matter how little, is worthy of pride. Not arrogance, mind you, but pride."

Those wise words gave him some food for thought. After all, although he considered himself relatively wise, at the end of the day, he had just lived for 48 years if one counted his previous life. However, one's 48 years of life may not equal another's. It all depended on how one lived, what lessons were learned from the experiences one encountered, etc. When it came to himself, he felt like he had barely started to truly live in the last few months, which made it hard for him to call himself experienced. At least when it came to his own heart. 'What was that saying that Mom always used? 'What matters in Life is not what you experience but what you do with that experience'. The more I explore my own heart, the deeper her words seem to me...' His pondering was disturbed by Adeliya's amused remark. "I don't know if you noticed, but none of us can understand a single word of what the three of you are saying."

Turning toward her, Demian noticed the confused look on the two sisters' faces, along with the wry smile on his Aunt's own. Feeling playful, he teased. "This is what happens when you don't study enough, Liya." Rolling her eyes, she replied in a playful tone. "Cocky brat!" As he was about to retort, he was interrupted by Ling's exasperated words. "Alright, you two. You'll be able to flirt all you want once we've settled you all down. Follow me." After the two concerned people heard the short-haired woman's rebuke, they simultaneously froze with Adeliya's fair cheeks gaining a red tint while Demian's own expression turned embarrassed for a second before turning back to normal. After all, having a thick skin was an essential skill for anyone dreaming of having several wives. 'Can't be indecisive or I'll never get anywhere with Liya and Bryn. Especially Bryn!' He thought briefly while following Ling to the Paifang's closed gates. A brief moment later, a smaller door embedded in the right wooden panel opened, unveiling the presence of an attractive female Cultivator. With long black hair, Asian facial traits, and respectable curves, greatly highlighted by the silky green Qipao she was wearing.

Once her gaze fell on the group, she exclaimed in Chinese while bowing respectfully. "Yue'er welcomes the Lord and Lady back. I hope your travel was smooth and fruitful." The woman's reverential attitude brought out a wistful sigh from Ling, who remarked. "Yue'er, I already told you we don't need you to act like that. I'd rather you call me Big Sister than Lady." Shaking her head slightly, the cold beauty had a small smile appear on her face as she replied. "I can not do that, My Lady. This is the only way in which my brother and I can repay the debt I owe My Lord and Lady." With an exasperated sigh, Feng Ling waved her hand and exclaimed. "Forget it. We keep having the same conversation every time, and I always fail to convince you. You're really one stubborn woman." The comment brought a smile to Sergei's and Demian's faces while the accused woman had her small grin grow slightly bigger before she asked. "May I know if My Lord and Lady have any instructions concerning the guests standing there?"

Nodding her head, Ling instructed. "Go prepare one of the guest's courtyards. There's no need to separate the four of them. They're pretty... 'Close', shall we say." Her last comment made Demian's lips twitch slightly as a thought briefly appeared in his mind. 'Did you have to phrase it like that, Aunt Ling..? Although I can't say you're wrong.' Whether it be that 'Yue'er' did not know of their familial 'bond' or that she simply did not care, she made no comment besides a simple 'Very well' and a bow before she left to deal with her orders. As for the group, Sergei quickly mentioned that he needed to do some shopping for the four Mikhailovs, asking his wife to bring them inside and brief them on the basics. After making a gesture to follow her, the older woman then crossed the three-meter tall 'small' door in the gigantic Paifang separating the outside world from the Mansion's interior, the four Mikhailovs following behind her.

Having been promised answers once they 'arrived home', none of the four could contain their curiosity anymore, prompting each of them to start asking question after question, not even letting Feng Ling the time to answer any of them. Exasperated, she gestured for them to stop while exclaiming. "Stop, for Heaven's Sake! If you don't even let me speak, how am I supposed to answer you?!" She then muttered under her breath. "Ugh, I knew Sergei was up to something. Take care of 'Administrative procedures and shopping for essentials' my beautiful ass!" Despite her words being barely audible for normal humans, none of the four could be considered 'normal and thus they all heard her, which prompted Liya and Bryn to apologize immediately, while Sera and Demian had a sheepish expression on their faces, which quickly turned amused. After all, they could tell she was just joking around, probably trying to dispel any apprehension about moving to a new region of the world, previously unknown to them.

Once the four fell silent, the previous frustration on Ling's face disappeared, turning into her signature amused grin as she said. "Now that you all calmed down, we'll go one question at a time. But we'll keep walking at the same time, or we'll never get there." Although Demian was sure that she could have sent the entire group directly to the main building through Void Travel or even normal flying, he was not complaining. After all, the scenery was incredible, a real-life example of the expression 'Immortal Land'. At least, to the image he had in his mind when he read those Cultivation Novels. As soon as they crossed the entrance, colossal trees that seemed to be even taller than the Paifang itself met their eyes, their species unknown to the young man. The only thing he was sure of was the fact that all of them radiated Tier 1 or Tier 2 Energy Fluctuations, seemingly exhaling and inhaling the dense Spiritual Energy around them. Many varieties of plants, all of them unknown to the young man, swayed with the gentle breeze, which gave rise to a soothing fragrance floating in the air. From time to time, Demian could even hear some small grunts and strange rustling, all of them originating from deeper into the lush forest, arousing his curiosity. After a quick sweep of his Soul Sense, he found the 'culprits' behind those sounds. 'Those sounds come from Tier 1 and 2 small beasts and insects... This place feels unreal.' He pondered with admiration while his feet followed the irregular stone path, the latter blending perfectly in the environment despite being man-made.

"Can you tell us more about his place? I mean, we'll probably live here for a while, so..." Adeliya mentioned as she was chosen to be the first to ask her question. Nodding slightly, Ling responded. "As we told you earlier, we're currently in the Flowing Stars Federation, a Low Tier 5 Great Power. Don't think that just because there's a Low in the name, the Federation is weak. Any Tier 5 power needs to have at least a Tier 5 Cultivator and must govern over a Tier 5 Region with an Organization comprised of a certain number of Tier 4, Tier 3, etc. Cultivators. It's the same for any Tier of Power. I won't go too deeply into what a Tier 5 Cultivator means, but let's just say that any of them could easily ravage an average-sized country in the Origin Islands with a single attack Spell." Pausing for a short moment to let that information sink in, she then continued. "As for where we are right now, it's called Bright Star Island. It's located in the north of the Central Island and is among the Eight Inner Islands. To be precise, we're in Bright Star City, the Main City of the Island we're on. To be even more precise, we're in the Inner City's Great Tide District, located in the East of the Inner City."

The quantity of information, although abundant, was easily assimilated by the four of them, and Seraphine immediately followed with another question. "Then, Teacher, what about Bright Star City? Like, how large is it?" Shaking her head with the same playful smile on her face, Ling replied. "How large, you say? If you put together the entire Origin Islands, it would still be much larger, and by a wide margin. The Outer City alone has billions of inhabitants in its three Lower Districts, the Inner City's three Great Districts house hundreds of millions, and as for the Core City... Well, that one is special, and only Tier 5 and their loved ones are allowed to live there. As for the rest of the space, it's taken by the Island's main government offices."

The huge numbers stunned the four, with Demian commenting, confused. "That's a lot of people... How does that even work?" After all, people still needed to eat and... 'Wait!' He briefly thought before Ling answered. "The Seven Districts function more or less like little cities with their own source of food, goods, and services. Plus, with how thick the Spiritual Energy is around here, it's not like Cultivators have much need for eating food or drinking water to survive. Most of them either do so for the taste or for Cultivation." Pausing for a second, she added. "Keep in mind that, with such dense Spiritual Energy, the Fauna and Flora in this region have become not only abundant but also dangerous to unprepared Cultivators. It's relatively controllable on the Island, but once you leave it..." Shaking her head, she then added. "Forget it. You don't need to care about leaving this place for now. It's better if all of you focus on breaking through to the Foundation Building Rank before anything else. Otherwise, you'll just be used as snacks for those Sea Fiend Beasts, or captured by those Outer Islands slavers."

Furrowing his brows, Demian was about to question her when Brynhild interjected solemnly. "Is Slavery legal in the Federation?" With a shake of her head, Ling explained. "Of course not. But do you remember my explanation about the size of this Region? Do you think the Federation Authorities can monitor everywhere? They may be strong, but at the end of the day, they're not omnipotent Gods. Although it's relatively safe on the Eight Inner Islands and the Main Island, the Outer Islands, though... There are some sweeps done by the authorities, but those people are like rats: kill one, and ten others appear somewhere else. It almost feels pointless at times." As those words left her lips, she let out a wistful sigh. 'She sounds strangely too concerned... Interesting...' He pondered silently while the group stepped over an exquisitely crafted wooden bridge built over a crystal clear river that traversed the area. 'Is that the 'Serene River'?'

After the group asked a few more questions, they finally arrived at the main building, or more specifically, a collection of linked buildings in traditional Chinese style, with Koi fish ponds, tranquil streams, wooden bridges, beautiful gardens, etc. The whole place radiated serenity and Natural harmony, a feeling that was sure to help when focusing on Cultivation, or simply to help soothe one's strained mind. The four immediately fell silent at the view, prompting Ling to declare with delight. "Welcome to my place. My personal paradise and your new home for a long time to come." The joy contained in her voice brought a smile to the others' faces, especially at the prospect of living in such an idyllic place.

'Serene River Mansion, uh? I already love this place.' He thought, feeling a great sense of satisfaction as he followed Ling toward the building's entrance with Bryn, Sera, and Liya by his side.