𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧

9 - realm of clouds

Dear Y/n,

    I'm sorry that I can't come to see you directly. I'm currently in my domain researching the structure of a Khaenri'ahn scout machine. It is incredibly interesting, and I cannot afford to leave it alone for too long due to the danger they pose. I am writing this letter to invite you to come and have a look - since it was my promise from our conversation last time. If you are interested, visit me at Luhua Pool tomorrow afternoon! The palace is hidden pretty well underground, so I'll lead you the way once you arrive.

-Guizhong

p.s. Sorry for the burn in the corner of the paper. A field tiller shot me while I was writing this, burning me in the process. I'm alright, don't worry.

This is the letter that appeared at Y/n's front door this morning. She looked at the letter and frowned. The handwriting is incredibly messy, and it seemed like Guizhong wrote this in a hurry.

Y/n knows exactly which domain she's describing. It's the Hidden Palace of Guizang Formula - the domain that contained 2 ruin guards and 1 ruin hunter. The one that completely traumatized her at AR30.

She can imagine the chaos that is going on inside the domain right now.

*************

[y/n's pov]

Luhua Pool is located near the outskirts of Guili Assembly. As I made her way through the garden, I marvelled at the beauty of the place. The grass was immaculately kept, and the trees were carefully trimmed. It looks like nothing and everything like the in-game location at the same time - albeit with the lack of half-damaged ruins.

The garden is huge. How can I find the god anyways?

"Guizhong?" I said uncertainty out of nowhere.

"Ah, you're here! Follow the trail of glaze lilies - *BOOM* *CRASH* Sorry! The machines are really active - *BOOM* Just follow the trail and I will unlock the seal for you!" Guizhong's voice echoed around me, making me wonder if the goddess was okay.

"Uh, am I going to survive this?"

"Who knows? Life is unpredictable!" Guizhong's answer did nothing to calm my nerves.

"Well, that's reassuring," I muttered under my breath. Great, I'm already regretting this decision. But as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I followed the trail leading me to the entrance of the domain. Underneath, I could see the entrance that was sealed by adepti arts. I stepped closer and felt as if I was walking on glass.

"I would recommend you to step away from it unless you want to fall," warned the voice of Guizhong.

"Nah, I have a glider, it's fine!"

"If you say so."

As soon as the seal was unlocked by Guizhong, I felt the air around me rush by as I suddenly began falling. I quickly pulled out my glider, the one I bought with 60 primogems, and slowed down the fall. Then, with a loud creak, the door of the domain opened for me.

I gasped in awe.

Oh, what a sight to behold! A sea of white, fluffy clouds stretched out as far as the eye could see. Rays of light shone down from the sky and illuminated the soft, ethereal landscape.

I stepped out of the door, feeling a sense of weightlessness as the clouds cushioned my feet. It felt like I was walking on a solid floor, even though I knew I was standing on the clouds.