10x Rewards: Becoming Invincible With My Sign-in System

Chapter 299: Fun Date On The Underside

They stopped at a food stall run by a heavyset man with a thick beard and an apron stained in colours that probably weren’t all from cooking. He offered them two small bowls of something he called "Mood Broth."

Aegon took a sip. It tasted like warm honey and cinnamon, which confused him because he could clearly see it was a savoury soup with vegetables floating in it.

’Warm honey and cinnamon,’ he thought. ’What does that correspond to? Comfort? Contentment?’

He glanced at Elara. "What does yours taste like?"

She paused mid-sip, her expression shifting through several stages of confusion. "Strawberries," she said slowly. "And something floral. Like jasmine."

The merchant laughed hearing that. "The broth reflects the heart, not the tongue. Whatever you taste is what you feel most strongly right now."

Elara’s ears went red again.

Aegon decided not to ask what strawberries and jasmine meant. He had a guess, and pressing her on it would only make her defensive. Besides, his own result wasn’t exactly subtle either.

Contentment. That was what he felt sitting here, in this strange little settlement on an impossible floating island, eating soup that shouldn’t work the way it did, next to someone he had known for years and was only now beginning to understand differently.

’This is enough,’ he thought with a smile on his face. ’This is more than enough.’

They finished the broth in comfortable silence, watching the upward stream catch the shifting light. The children were still playing near the well. The old woman was still knitting.

And somewhere past the settlement, deeper into the Inverted World, the real anomalies were waiting. It was the place the tourists visited mostly.

Aegon had plans for those too. But first, he needed to handle something.

"Wait here for a moment," he said, standing up. "I need to check something at one of the stalls."

Elara gave him a suspicious look. "Check what?"

"Something boring, it’s related to Rune Formations. You wouldn’t be interested." He shrugged.

"I’m interested in everything you do."

"That’s sweet, my lady but you’re still not coming."

She narrowed her eyes but didn’t push it. He walked back toward the crystallized flower stall, bought the pale blue star and the deep violet one without bargaining, and slipped them into his spatial ring before she could notice.

’Well, that was easy,’ he thought, smiling. ’Now the hard part is finding the right moment to give them.’

When he returned, Elara was crouched near the well, watching a little girl toss pebbles into the upward stream. The girl was laughing every time the stones shot up and came tumbling back down, and Elara was laughing with her.

He stood there for a few seconds, just watching.

’No matter how many times I see her, the charm of presence never goes away. She really is beautiful.’

Then he cleared his throat. "Ready to see the main attraction?"

Elara stood up, brushed her gown, and nodded. "Lead the way, tour guide."

"I prefer the term ’brilliant planner who also happens to be incredibly handsome.’"

"I prefer the term ’delusional.’"

"Harsh."

They followed the path past the settlement, which gradually curved downward along the island’s edge. The grass thinned and the ground shifted from soft soil to exposed rock, pale grey with veins of something metallic running through it.

A wooden signboard stood at the curve, painted in bold letters: UNDERSIDE ACCESS — DESCEND AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Below it, someone had scrawled in smaller handwriting: Seriously. We mean it.

"Charming," Elara remarked.

The path led to a series of stone steps carved directly into the island’s edge, spiraling downward along the cliff face. Iron railings had been bolted into the rock, though some sections were missing or bent at odd angles.

Aegon went first. As they descended, the world above slowly disappeared and was replaced by something entirely different.

The underside of the Inverted World was alive.

Vegetation grew downward from the island’s base, thick roots and vines hanging into open air like a forest turned on its head. Flowers bloomed facing the ground far below, their petals heavy with dew that didn’t fall.

Rivers ran along the underside in shallow grooves carved into the rock, their water clinging to the surface as if held by invisible hands.

And the light. It didn’t come from the sun above because the island blocked it. Instead, the vegetation itself glowed. Soft blues, pale greens, warm ambers. It was like walking into a painting that someone had dreamed up after eating those mood fruits.

’The bioluminescence must be a survival adaptation,’ Aegon caught himself thinking, then stopped. ’No. Not today.’

[Host. Do you need drugs?]

’Shut the hell up!’

"This is..." Elara trailed off, looking around with wide eyes.

"Yeah. It’s amazing."

For once, neither of them had anything clever to say.

The stone steps ended at a wide platform built into the underside, reinforced with metal beams and thick ropes. From there, wooden walkways extended outward, suspended by chains attached to the island’s base. They swayed gently with each step.

Other visitors were already there. A family with three children, a group of elderly men sketching the scenery, a young couple who were far too busy staring at each other to notice the glowing forest around them.

Aegon and Elara stepped onto the walkway. It creaked under their combined weight but held firm.

"If this thing breaks, I’m blaming you," Elara said.

"Why me?" He asked, pretending to be hurt. "I’m innocent."

"Because this was your idea."

"That’s not how structural failure works, dumbo."

"I don’t care how it works. I care about who I’m going to haunt, smartass."

She laughed. Actually laughed, not the controlled chuckle he usually managed in public. It surprised even him for a moment.

He looked at her with a strange expression. Eyes soft, almost tender. Then he flicked her forehead.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"You should laugh like that more often," he said simply, and walked ahead.

She rubbed her forehead and followed, not sure whether to be touched or annoyed. She smiled and settled on both. What could she do? She chose to love this idiot of a boyfriend.

The walkway led them through the hanging forest. Vines brushed against their shoulders. Glowing flowers released faint trails of luminescent pollen that drifted upward, back toward the island’s topside.

Small creatures moved between the roots, things that looked like a cross between lizards and moths, with translucent wings that caught the ambient light.

At one point, a creature landed on Elara’s shoulder. She froze.

"Don’t move," Aegon whispered softly.

"I wasn’t planning to," she retorted back, her eyes fixed on the small thing. Its wings pulsed with a slow blue light, matching her breathing.

It stayed for about ten seconds, then flew off.

Elara exhaled. "That was terrifying and adorable at the same time."

"Like you."

She punched his arm. It didn’t really hurt and well, he deserved it.