"Where is Julia? Wasn't she supposed to sleep with us?" Riya asked seeing that Julia wasn't with them.
"She must have gone to sleep with Aditya." Alicia couldn't help but sigh feeling slightly depressed over the whole situation. Ever since Julia and Aditya slept together and lost both of their virginities, she has noticed that both of them have gotten closer. Although Alicia was happy for Julia, a part of her wanted to experience Aditya's warmth every single night just like her sister did.
Sigh!
Alicia noticed the goddess of Nature looking pissed. Compared to before, Riya was slowly learning to control her emotions.
Alicia changed her clothes and wore her pajamas. She then lay down on the other side of the bed. For a while, neither of them spoke. Both of them remained silent. Both were lost in their own thoughts.
After around 10 minutes of silence, Alicia looked at Riya. "Riya, have you found anything about the goddess of wisdom?" Just after Aditya's marriage with seven goddesses was announced the goddess of wisdom went missing. No one knows what happened. It was not just her family, every single person in her family disappeared that night. No one knows what happened. Many have tried to search for the goddess of wisdom or the members of her family but so far no one has managed to find her.
These past few years, Alicia has been using her own resources to look for the goddess.
"In the last 2 and half years, I have been using everything in my power and influence to look for her. Our soldiers have searched every single inch of the Celestial Terrain. Yet I haven't found a thing related to her. I don't know where she has disappeared to. But I am hundred and ten percent sure that she certainly hasn't come to The Celestial Terrain."
"What about you? Did you find anything?"
Alicia rolled her eyes hearing Riya's question. "Don't ask me such a dumb question. If I had found any trace or anything related to her, then I wouldn't have asked this question to you. I have poured lots of money and used both of my guilds to search for her within the continent of Westnia and the Dying Isle continent."
"Why don't you contact the other goddesses and ask for their help?" The elf princess asked.
"For starters, I don't even know who the goddess of lust is. Even though I tried to find her identity, nothing has ever worked. I can't even pinpoint which continent she lives in. She is full of mystery. One thing that I have managed to learn about her is that she is the strongest and most deadly assassin in this world."
Riya raised her head and glanced at Alicia. The elf princess was very surprised right now. "So you're telling me that the goddess of lust actually has decided to become an Assassin." Here Riya was thinking that the goddess of lust is a Succubus who had the power to charm any being.
"Not just any assassin. She is the world's best Assassin. It is said that her techniques are unmatched. The last time she even killed an Emperor who was a Peak 5th-order cultivator. The Emperor was sleeping with his wives. The goddess sneaked in and assassinated the Emperor so quietly that not even his wives who were sleeping beside him felt anything. The next morning, when the wives woke up, they were horrified to see the dead body of the emperor."
"No one is 100% sure if the Emperor was really assassinated by the goddess of lust. In fact, most people think that the assassination was done by someone else. But I strongly believe that this was done by her." No one was able to trace down the assassin as no evidence or traces were left behind.
"What about others?"
"I have met the goddess of music but that was a long time ago. I heard that she is traveling. If I want to contact her, it would take some time for my letters to reach her. And as for the goddess of War, from what I heard she is planning on breaking through Peak 5th-order in the main continent. Who knows one of these days, she might even pay a visit to Aditya?"
"Among all the goddesses, the goddess of war is the strongest one, isn't she? Then who is the second strongest?" Riya couldn't help but think that maybe she would come second.
"Maybe the goddess of lust."
"Why do you think that?" Riya asked in a surprised tone.
"I have a feeling that the goddess of lust is as strong as the goddess of war. The goddess of lust was able to kill a Peak 5th-order Emperor in his own castle while he was sleeping surrounded by his wives. Do you think accomplishing this kind of impossible feat can be done by anyone? If both of them were to fight then the goddess of war would win but only if she manages to look out for her sneaky moves. After all, Assassins are known for their decisive and swift moves." As the goddess of wealth, Alicia had strong calculating abilities. If both goddesses do fight, even though the goddess of war would win, that win wouldn't be so easy. It will come with a cost.
"You know if you had focused on cultivation as much as you focused on your business, by now you would have become a 5th-order cultivator already."
"Just as you love Nature, I love making money. To me cultivation was boring. I didn't see any purpose in cultivating regularly. But now this is different." The fight with the mutant fire ants made her realize just how weak she was in those emergency situations.
Riya looked at Alicia for a long time and then said. "You have changed. I clearly remember the first day when I met you, you were the type of person who would only care about her business and earning money. It was very difficult to read your emotions. But now this is completely different."
"What about you? Even if you don't realize it, you're slowly changing."
"Yeah. I guess we all are changing."
"Yeah. It's all because of him." Both girls smiled thinking about Aditya.
"Goodnight Alicia."
"Goodnight Riya."
-
-
In a different part of the world, in a place where the light of sunlight never reached, in a place where no ordinary human would be able to survive, in a place where no one would be able to find, there was the goddess of lust sitting on the floor and silently looking at the moon.
Knock! Knock!
"Come in." A cold-icy tone was heard.
Click!
Opening the door, a young female whose face was hidden under a veil and whose entire body was hidden under a dark red cloak. Even her hair was hidden under the red cloak.
"Milady, we have received a new mission. The client is specifically requesting you to complete this mission." The young woman kept her head down. She didn't dare to look at her leader who was sitting by the window more than 15 meters away from her.
"Who is the client?" The goddess of lust asked in a bone-chilling tone.
"The client is a rich man from the Dying Isle continent. The client is willing to pay 100 million royal gold coins." Hearing the name of the Dying Isle continent, the goddess went silent for an entire minute. During this entire minute, the young woman didn't even move an inch from her position. She remained standing there with her gaze on the floor.
The goddess looked at the moon while remembering a certain individual who have a special connection with her. "Who is the target?" Asked the goddess of lust.
"It is the Emperor of the Istarin Empire." Just as the young woman said those words, an endless amount of killing lust began to leak out of the goddess of lust. The young woman who was the goddess's personal maid couldn't handle the killing intent. She fell to her knees while holding her throat. The heavy killing intent was making it extremely difficult for her to even breathe properly. All of a sudden her entire body seems to have gotten heavier. She began to feel suffocated.
Fortunately for the maid, the goddess quickly calmed herself. As soon as she withdrew her killing intent, the maid stood up and pretended as if nothing ever happened.
"The price of the Istarin emperor's head is not just 100 million royal gold coins. Tell the client if they want the Istarin Emperor's head, they first must pay a heavy price."
"As you wish, milady. If there is nothing else then I will excuse myself." After giving a 90-degree bow to the goddess, the maid slowly retreated outside without making any noise in the process.
After the maid left, the goddess was left alone. Her maid had resurfaced some old memories that the goddess desperately wished to bury.
"I did hear that he has changed. Unfortunately, even if the client is willing to pay 100 billion royal gold coins I can't kill him otherwise I and 6 other individuals will also end up dying." The contract is what saved Aditya's life.
The goddess once again looked up. Gazing at the moon, the goddess couldn't help but feel a little confused. The source of her confusion is Aditya. She didn't know what to do with him. If possible the goddess would like to cut the rope that is connecting both of their souls and free herself. For an Assassin like her, being tied to another soul was the most suffocating thing. She even had to reject her client's offers.
"Well, it has been a while since I sent spies there."
Gazing at the crescent moon, the goddess coldly smiled. "You better not die."
-
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Scene change___
Next morning,
After having breakfast with the entire family, Aditya prepared to say goodbye to the Osburn family. "I guess it's time to say goodbye."
"I can understand that Aditya has important work back home but can you girls can stay here for a little longer?" Bianca, Alicia's biological mother was sad to part with the two girls whom she has started seeing as her own daughter.
Julia was the first one to reply. "Aunty, I want to help Aditya. Right now the Istarin Empire is in its developing phase. I want to help him with my alchemy skills."
"I also want to help Aditya. While staying there, I want to focus on my cultivation." Riya wanted to stay with Aditya. If he wasn't going to stay here, then she won't stay here either.
Bianca understood both Julia and Riya's personalities so she wasn't surprised by their answer. She was expecting this kind of answer from them. Fortunately, Alicia was planning on spending a few more days or maybe a few weeks with her family before returning to the Dying Isle continent.
"Mother, father, and everyone is welcome to visit me at the capital. The Istarin empire is always open for you. And Noah you better take good care of sister Lily."
"Of course. I would take good care of my wife."
"Aditya, remember what I told you last night? If you ever need any help, don't hesitate to ask." Aditya nodded his head with a grateful look. Aditya appreciated the words that Ronny has told him. Ronny was willing to get the Ethereal Empire in his mess just to help him out. This meant a lot to Aditya.
"By the way, where is Nora? I haven't seen her since yesterday." Aditya didn't even see her at the party.
"She is cultivating. After the event with the mutant fire ants, Nora wants to increase her strength so she has entered into seclusion. The low-grade spirit stone that you gave me, I have given it to her. With that stone, she can become even more powerful in a short time and the Ethereal Empire will have the backing of another powerful 5th-order cultivator."
Currently, the Ethereal Empire had become very weak. Even though thanks to Alicia, no neighboring Empires started a war, this peace won't remain forever. Someone will need to fill the power gap left behind by the death of many elite soldiers and an elder.
"Father, if you would like, I can send one beginner 5th-order dragon to help you out with the situation. This should temporarily fill the gap to a certain extend and buy the Ethereal empire enough time to cultivate another powerhouse." Aditya didn't have any extra motive behind this move. He genuinely wanted to help.
"Aditya, that won't be necessary. I appreciate your offer but the Ethereal Empire still has enough strength to protect itself. But in the future, if we ever require your help, I hope you don't turn us down."
"Istarin empire will always give a helping hand to the Ethereal Empire in every dire situation. These are the words of the Dragon Emperor. And my words are my promise." Ronny nodded his head with a satisfied look.
"Aditya, don't forget grandma. Be sure to visit us whenever you have time. Don't forget this place is also your home." Olivia has gotten attached to Aditya. When he left, she has been missing him. If possible she would want him to stay here with them forever.
"I will grandma."
"Julia and Riya, you girls come to stay here whenever you want. One day, I would like to meet both of your parents and have a long chat with them." Julia and Riya just nodded their heads with smiles on their faces.
"Julia, Riya, let's go." Taking both girls' hands, Aditya stepped inside the teleportation array. From the teleportation array, Aditya and Alicia both looked at each other.
At the same time, the rune circles started glowing showing that the teleportation array has been activated. Just before Aditya teleported away, he looked at Alicia with a gentle smile and said. "I will wait for you."
After Aditya left, Alicia stood there in silence. These words were more than enough to make the princess very happy. Meanwhile, the other family members stared at Alicia in amusement.
"Sister Alicia, it seems you have fallen too deeply for brother Aditya." On hearing this Alicia's cheeks slightly turned red.
"Hmph! Whatever. I have a lot of work to do. I will visit Sylvie." Saying that the princess left.
-
-
Scene change_____
In some other places of the Dying Isle continent, there were three men sitting on a large round table. One of the men was the prime minister of the Northern Frost Dragon Empire, Ewan Baker. And the other two were the Emperors of the Cloud Earth Empire and the Mist Ocean.
"Ewan, when you personally delivered the letter of alliance to us, it was clearly mentioned in the letter that the Northern Frost Dragon empire would be willing to give us benefits after winning the war. However, not only your empire lost terribly but also ended up losing two of our 5th-order cultivators and hundreds of thousands of our soldiers. Ewan do you have any idea just how much we have lost in this fight?"
Ewan silently clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh and began drawing blood. Ewan was pissed about everything. Not only the Northern Frost Dragon Emperor suffered a humiliating defeat, their Emperor, the white Dragon king has gone missing since that day. Ewan has sent their forces all over the continent to search for the White Dragon King. He even sent their forces to other continents. But no matter how much they searched they couldn't even find a clue about where the White Dragon Emperor had gone.
Ewan refused to believe that a powerful man like the White Dragon Emperor would be kidnapped. But a part of him couldn't help but think of the giant black snake that came out of the cracks. Even though he refused to admit it, a very small part of him couldn't help but think that the disappearance of the White Dragon king has something to do with the black snake. But if the black snake cannot attack the White Dragon Emperor unless the black snake lowers its cultivation to Peak 5th-order.
Ewan also had some other questions for the Emperor. That day he noticed the White Dragon King acting strangely. He did not care whether they lost or won the battle. He did not care even when he witnessed the death of his son. There were so many questions yet no one was there to answer those questions.
"What do you want?" Ewan asked while gritting his teeth in anger. Ewan was barely holding his back. Their big loss at the central plains, the death of the prince, the disappearance of the White Dragon King, and the fact that the Istarin Empire managed to conquer all of the Southern Fire Dragon Empire within a week, all of these factors have put the entire Empire in panic. Some were even speculating that this was the downfall of the Northern Frost Dragon empire.
When the public heard of the disappearance of the White Dragon King, it caused chaos. The crime rates suddenly spiked. The corruption level increased. The military had become unorganized and most importantly, there seems to be some sort of big fight between the children of the white dragon king on who will succeed to the throne. Also the over-growing tension within the Southern region. Ewan and many feared that the Istarin empire won't just stop there. Instead, King Aditya will use the absence of the White Dragon King to his advantage and attack the Empire. There was also a question on how did Aditya manage to kill the Black Drago King. Even if Ewan didn't like to admit it, the Black Dragon King was equally if not slightly stronger than the White Dragon King. All these factors have kept the prime minister awake.
'If only I can find the bastard that leaked this news.' Ewan wanted to suppress this news but some traitor leaked the news. Ewan feels that this traitor is someone from the royal family but he can't exactly tell who was it.
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Really Thank you very much to all those who sends support with valuable golden tickets. I hope we can keep it up!!!
3000+ chapter!!!
I wrote chapter a little longer as a gift to everyone. Thank you for all the support that you all have been showing me. All the gifts and golden tickets that you guys have been sending means a lot to me. Words cannot describe how much grateful I feel.
This also marks the end of volume 3. Along the way, I know I have made mistakes. I am still learning. I believe that I constantly improving and my writing quality is leveling up over time.
This chapter is full of hints about the future of this novel. Especially Sylvie and Nora is going to make their return in the future. I have some big plans with Sylvie's character. The story of the Ethereal Empire is not over yet. Next volume, we will be exploring a new continent which is filled with a new challenge together.
[This is the last chapter this is also the last chapter of this volume. This also why I have made this chapter very big.]
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