After clarifying all the details, the whale declared, "Sesel, Ervly, Leafar, and all the thousands from the Nine Star Tree Sect, naturally, you won’t be able to return and will stay hidden with me."
Everyone nodded, sighing. The whale continued, looking at them, "But don’t worry, this is temporary. Idris and Ambry are my trusted allies; they’re part of and lead that sect."
The whale turned to the two Feys. Years had passed, and although they were no longer children, they still didn’t appear to be adults. Cultivators could maintain the same appearance until just a few years before death by old age. Usually, people let their bodies age until they reached adulthood and then stopped the process. However, these two preferred to keep the appearance that the whale knew so well.
Kisala, on the other hand, had always been physically a mature woman, and now her mind and body were in sync. However, those two exuded a peculiar feeling.
"It won’t take long. We’ve already planted master’s seeds throughout the sect. With your return, it will be easy to make them even more reliable, allowing you all to come back," said Ambry in a calm tone.
Everyone nodded softly; that sect was their home. Although they were happy to be with the whale, they wished they could visit and spend time there whenever they wanted. The only one who didn’t seem relieved was Oami, an ancient Starry Sky Tree, whose vitality was nearing its end.
The whale noticed her expression and spoke calmly, "Unfortunately, you won’t survive more than two years in that body."
Oami turned to them, worried. However, Alm and Bruno no longer saw her as a stranger, as they had known her essence when she was still Minnan during the main mission. They wouldn’t let her go if she didn’t want to.
"I can ask Amary, an Essence-Root Tree, to create a good body for you to start over. You’d have to cultivate again from scratch, but you wouldn’t need to lose your memories or reincarnate randomly. What do you think?"
"An Essence-Root Tree..." Oami knew well the noble origin of that tree race.
This race created two types of soldiers with unique powers and was almost extinct in the universe. Rumor had it that the Shadow God Sect possessed their king, but no one could confirm or accuse them without proof due to the sect’s power.
Starting over in a body created by Amary, with her experience, the possibilities were unimaginable. Moved, she nodded towards the whale.
"Amary isn’t good at leading, but his children need someone experienced and capable to guide them. I’ll count on you for that in the future," said the whale gently.
Turning to everyone, he asked for a full report on the war and the events. Misite said he would send it right away, but added:
"Almin should be back in a few days. Before leaving, he mentioned finding clues about the secret at the core of our galaxy, but didn’t share details."
Everyone nodded, already speculating on what it could be. Misite left, giving a serious look to his daughter, who shivered slightly before nodding. Misite took the people from the other sect to see the place.
Now, only the whale’s closest allies remained in the building. At that moment, Ruri turned her gaze to Purimu, feeling a bit uneasy. She had realized who that woman so close to the whale was, but something about it bothered her.
"Aunt..." murmured Purimu, deep in thought.
Ruri sighed deeply, feeling a lingering pain. She remembered fondly caring for Purimu when she was a baby, imagining what she would be like when she grew up. Now, she had missed all that growth and suddenly found her already an adult.
Ruri smiled but didn’t move, clearly deep in thought and serious for some reason, which made Purimu very tense. Ruri looked at the whale and sent a message: ’Master... I feel a very close connection with her.’
’Yes, I noticed something similar. Let’s leave that for later, you have a lot to talk about, I’ve had my time with her,’ Bruno replied gently.
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Ruri nodded, took a step, and grabbed Purimu’s hand without hesitation, pulling her to another place. Purimu glanced at her father, silently asking for help, but he just nodded, wishing her good luck. Quirio had been raised in the city by Ruri, he knew how demanding and tough she was; if Purimu thought her upbringing was strict, she would see the difference now.
After they left, Zaimo and Nebai approached the whale. They turned to him, and Nebai smiled: "These are my children, sir. Please take care of them."
She turned, and a dwarf couple was standing there, staring at him. Sihmo, the eldest son, the whale already knew. But next to him stood Diama, a young dwarf of 15 years old.
Diama stood out with her long, wavy red hair that cascaded vibrantly, framing a small and determined face. Her intense and expressive eyes revealed bravery and cunning. Her posture was firm and confident... until her face started to change, contorting.
Zaimo and Nebai turned to their daughter, surprised. She rarely showed much emotion, but now her eyes were trembling, as if she were experiencing a strong impact.
Alm and Bruno noticed something and, without hesitation, turned to Sesel behind them. That elf seemed very disturbed.
They both sighed, confirming their suspicions. Then they sent a message to Sesel: ’The Heaven’s Will brought her. Your friend Oria is back. She doesn’t know yet, but she feels something strange. Leave it for now, but take good care of her.’
Oria, like Sesel, was one of the women who had been captured and enslaved in the Heaven’s Realm. A group of men from various races imprisoned them, and that situation lasted for many years. Unlike the other women who chose suicide instead of enduring that condition, Sesel and the dwarf Oria stayed strong and resisted until the whale and Ruri freed them.
After returning to her universe, Oria chose to fight to the very end against the heroes who invaded to destroy the whale’s religion. She died there, but probably fought for quite a while.
This reflected in her current personality; she was like a born warrior, learning with extreme ease.
Sesel slowly approached Diama. When the dwarf turned to her, it seemed like they immediately understood each other. So, they went out together to talk.
Bruno thoughtfully reflected on the situation: ’Purimu... for Ruri and us to feel the same about her... the only option...’ Suddenly, a message arrived through the array, from Ruri.
’Master! It’s her! I gave a brief summary and even intentionally left a flaw in the Shadow Space that Sayqi taught me. Purimu immediately learned how to use it and fixed the hidden flaw on her own, on the first try. That’s impossible to do the first time!’
The whale sighed. Ruri, with her sharp intelligence, connected the dots and asked questions followed by tests until she made the discovery. Sayqi, who had taught the spatial movement technique that Ruri still used, was known to them in the Heaven’s Realm as well.
Unlike Sesel, Oria, Leafar, and Ervly, Sayqi hadn’t had her universe invaded, thanks to Mihkriel’s actions. She probably lived well and died a natural death. Still, the Heaven’s Will had placed her near them again.
Ruri and the whale had known Purimu when she was still a baby, but a newborn has a very weak soul and energy. So, since they spent little time with her, they hadn’t noticed any of this before.
’Can’t complain. It’s good to have these two back,’ commented Bruno, and this time, Alm didn’t curse the manipulation.