The whale’s group headed towards the nearby star in high spirits. With the danger finally overcome, they could breathe easy and reflect on the dangerous and indescribable adventure they had faced. The three young Feys were the most excited, thrilled to be in another galaxy, as they had barely left the area around their home planet.
The distance was long, but the journey was smooth, and everyone chatted happily. Alm and Bruno encouraged them to relax and interact; their group’s life was full of dangers and tensions, so whenever there was time to have fun, they should take advantage of it.
After three days, Rehvka and Ruri awoke. Ruri became the center of attention for now being an Empyrean Ancestral. Everyone heard her vague explanation about how she broke through:
"I only had master in my mind and wanted to deliver the message to him at all costs."
Rivine and Nixis nodded understandingly, while the others just snorted, ignoring those words. It wasn’t something they could replicate. She broke through the barrier with her obsession; they understood they needed to find their own path.
"Ruri confirmed that it’s possible to advance just with will. I sealed in everyone those ancient wills from the Desolate Battlefield; if you master them, you’ll break through easily."
The whale spoke lightly, and everyone understood. It seems that all of this was in the whale’s plans the whole time, and they had already received a path to advance; Ruri just cut in line.
After a while, Alm and Bruno confirmed that they were very close to the galaxy’s core. Then they noticed something and asked Ruri to focus in the direction of the galaxy’s center. She quickly became startled and confirmed the existence of an extreme spatial power there.
’It’s completely different from the dwarves’ galaxy, which has that strange Law, and from our galaxy, which has Yin laws focused on demons,’ Bruno reflected.
In their previous universe, and in all other universes they visited, galaxies only had spatial distortions, black holes, or similar natural phenomena at their centers. But in the queen’s universe, laws seemed to flow from the core, certainly something she created with some unknown purpose.
Without answers, they decided to focus on what was before them. In exactly seven days, they reached the solar system, spotting a huge, radiant planet.
It was clearly something of the highest level, and it wasn’t surprising that one of the greatest powers of the galaxy lived there.
As they approached, they saw several spaceships arriving from different places and entering the planet. This reassured them because they knew they could enter directly. From the activity, it seemed that something important was happening.
The group entered the atmosphere, and as expected, they encountered no resistance or hostility. They sensed the most populous city and moved towards the planet’s center.
As they approached the landing area for the ships, they saw a line of cultivators of various races, lined up at several city entrances. A simple check and registration were conducted.
The whale chose a random entrance, and the whole group joined the line. Fortunately, in front of them was a group of young human women. With free time, Ruri approached and chatted with them.
"You came without knowing?" one of them asked, surprised at Ruri, who nodded affirmatively. "There are only a few weeks left until the opening of the Red Void Forest. The four Ancestral nations are recruiting cultivators up to the Divine Origin Realm to explore the treasures with them. It’s a great opportunity for everyone."
Ruri didn’t mention that they came from another galaxy; she just asked discreet questions, and the humans started talking. Apparently, there are four powers that inhabit this planet, and they seem to be the largest in the galaxy.
The line moved quickly until it was their turn. They just registered their names and races without being questioned; the powers’ recruitment didn’t refuse anyone.
Inside the city, the first impression was of something gigantic and luxurious, but it didn’t seem as superior or powerful as it should. The young people in the group were a little confused; the whale spoke lightly.
"It’s common for a great power to live in separate worlds. Even though they’re still on a planet. This city is probably equivalent to the commercial planet that was near the planet Gloom. The greats like to live in places inaccessible to others, creating an air of superiority."
They nodded, cultivators always acted to pretend to be greater than they were; in this wild world, hiding reality to intimidate was a matter of survival. In a few steps, they soon confirmed that the area around the city was indeed a commercial zone.
Alm and Bruno looked towards the city center and noticed something with their senses. At the heart of that place, there was a spatial distortion impossible to see, only to feel. That must be where the entrance to the Red Void Forest was.
Ruri immediately widened her eyes and took a few seconds to think before sending a message. ’Master, the spatial laws of this place are at the same level as the internal spatial rune I possess...’
Ruri stopped suddenly, as if something interrupted her thoughts. Soon, she spoke quickly. ’Coltia mentioned feeling a very close connection between his laws and this place. Something similar to what he felt before that Calamity.’
Alm and Bruno nodded, realizing there were many questions, but confident that the answers would come eventually. They turned to a distant tall building and moved in its direction. If this was the most powerful place in the galaxy, then the followers of the God of Merchants and a Larimar Market would certainly exist here.
It wasn’t hard to find, just following the highest point, where the Larimar Market logo was identical in all places.
Upon entering, a human attendant approached. The whale spoke softly. "Is the person in charge of managing this branch a dwarf?"
The response was positive, and it seemed that all Larimar Markets were run by dwarves, which made things much easier for them. "Contact the commander and say I’m an acquaintance of Nebai. If he gets in touch with her, he’ll confirm it quickly."
The attendant was unsure, but seeing the whale’s confidence, decided to send the message.
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In the meantime, a message from Kaiyka came through the array. ’Sir, I feel that the souls of everyone living in this city are much more powerful than normal.’
Alm and Bruno were surprised. If she hadn’t noticed, they would never have checked. Focusing on a person in the area who clearly wasn’t a visitor, they investigated the same. Then they observed others and confirmed the same.
The power of the soul, compared to these people’s cultivation, was abnormal. It wasn’t something from a treasure; even those with unstable and clearly weak cultivations had a soul that was clearly powerful.
The whale was lost in thought. A few minutes later, the attendant returned and hurriedly led the group to a reserved inner room.
They entered a luxurious room, and it took only a few seconds for a burly, bearded dwarf to enter in a hurry.
"Are you Denil?" the dwarf asked seriously, and the whale confirmed with a nod. "Lady Nebai is on her way, please wait a few minutes." He bowed politely and left the room.
Alm and Bruno nodded in satisfaction. Nebai was an important figure in the dwarf royal family. She had access to the Prana Law of the dwarves’ galaxy and could easily travel between galaxies to meet them.
At that moment, they felt a squeeze on their hand. Turning around, they saw Ruri giving them a peculiar look. She turned gently, wanting to draw their attention to Zaimo.
The whale discreetly observed the dwarf and noticed a subtle nervousness coming from him. He kept glancing at the door out of the corner of his eye, clearly the cause of his agitation.
’Is it because of her?’ Bruno understood with excitement.
Less than ten minutes later, the door opened. A red-haired dwarf with long hair tied up entered alongside the other burly dwarf. Alm and Bruno noticed her gaze briefly meet Zaimo before she mentally snorted and turned to the whale.
"Sir," Nebai bowed quickly. He waved her to skip the formalities; they hadn’t yet announced to all the dwarves that they were the reincarnation of the God of Forging.
"First, send a message to Mistie. Tell her we’re fine and will return to the sect later. Second, did you manage to sell everything?" the whale asked calmly.
She nodded and replied. "I’ll send the message and deliver the Essentia Crystals immediately."
The two dwarves left again and, within a few minutes, returned. Nebai handed over a spatial ring filled with millions of Essentia Crystals.
That amount was negligible for them at the moment, representing less than 20% of what they had recently spent on cultivation. The whale turned to the group, divided it into four parts, and handed it out.
"Go ahead. You’re off duty, enjoy yourselves."
Ruri, Rehvka, Kaiyka, and Lansha were the leaders of the groups and already knew what to do. They would go look for information and take the opportunity to shop and have fun; after all, they were in a commercial city.
The whale turned to Nebai. "My missionary needs your help with something very important." She listened and took a deep breath, becoming serious.
The whale turned to Zaimo: "Take her. You have an important mission." After his words, the dwarf turned pale and looked terrified.
The poor dwarf turned to the whale in clear desperation. ’What mission, sir? I... I don’t remember anything about this.’ His trembling voice came through the array.
’Just make up something random, but take her out. Stop being an idiot,’ Bruno retorted, and the dwarf’s face seemed to drain of life. ’Pif, ask about the dwarf kingdom, then fish for things she likes to talk about. You just need to accompany her and keep her relaxed; don’t be so dramatic.’
He didn’t react, he was frozen. The whale gave a look to Ruri, who smiled, understanding the message. She moved the group and dragged Zaimo along with Nebai out.
Ruri enjoyed these things and would probably have a lot of fun secretly following the two, perhaps even helping with messages through the array. Zaimo had no way to escape; he showed interest, so Ruri and Bruno would push it to the end to encourage them.
As for Nebai, she would refuse absolutely no word from the whale. He mentioned it was something very important, and she just nodded and left silently.
After only the whale and the burly dwarf remained in the room, the whale took out a spatial ring and handed it to the dwarf. He saw the contents and widened his eyes; there was an Ancestral weapon with two runic seals inside. Something impossible to obtain, with no market value; it was an incredible treasure.
"It’s a fair trade. I want information about the galaxy, the nations, and everything you can tell me about this Red Void Forest."
The whale spoke softly, and the dwarf took a deep breath. They were sent to this place by the Calamity, and refused to believe it was random. Something important might be waiting for them, and knowledge was the most valuable thing they could acquire.