After taking in the scenery around me, I didn't enter the Ancestral Estate in a hurry.
Although there's no reason to be cautious since there's no way someone would still be alive from the olden times where the Earth still prospered, I had to still check to make sure of it.
My life wasn't mine alone. My Companions were all depending on me and… I still wanted to spend more time with them. That's why I had to practice being cautious when I was in a place where I wouldn't be the superior one.
I could actually act like I owned the whole world on Earth or the Mortal Worlds because of my Energy Control and my identity.
As for this place… Even if it was connected to Earth, the creator of this sub-dimension, the Kouryuu, was the absolute ruler of this place. Or that was the case back then.
At the moment, there's not enough Source Energy here and most Source Energy that was being transferred here from the Earth was being used to repair this whole sub-dimension.
Well, not actually 'repair' but the Source Energy was bringing back the original state of this sub-dimension.
There should be various formations set up in this sub-dimension that would either restrict or prevent any trespassers. But all of those were non-functional while the sub-dimension was still in this state.
This sub-dimension contained the same principle as the Pocket Dimensions. They both exist within the confines of the Earth.
However, this sub-dimension was completely reliant on Earth compared to the Pocket Dimension that was actually just a sealed part of an incomplete Level 3 Source Energy. When the World's Will hibernated and the Source Energy disappeared, the entrance to this sub-dimension also shut its doors.
After a few minutes of observing the place, I stepped my foot inside the towering Ancestral Estate.
As soon as I passed by the opened front gate that was devoid of any defensive mechanisms, the front double doors of the Estate with two coiled yellow eastern dragons depicted on it swung open.
From the outside, it could be seen that there were at least four main structures for this Ancestral Estate and they were arranged to create a square space in the middle of the four.
The architecture of these structures was reminiscent of Ancient China.
Or the Kouryuu's architecture was where they based it on.
Although I was from Earth back then, I didn't get close to other Noble Houses apart from Seiryuu which Yuko was part of.
"Spring Pavilion."
That's what was written on the huge plaque hung above the opened front door.
From where I was, it was nearly impossible to see the interior of this Pavilion. It's masked by whatever Formation was set up inside.
Since my Adaptability wasn't being triggered by danger, I gave my immediate vicinity a quick look before entering.
"Welcome to my humble Estate..." An aged old voice instantly registered in my ears. The voice trailed its words as if the owner was surprised upon seeing me. A few seconds later, my old title that the Seiryuu announced to the whole world was uttered by the owner of the voice. "… Esteemed World Sage."
I naturally followed the source of the voice and found a white-haired old man wearing yellowish long robes embroidered with the same coiled yellow dragon I saw at the doors.
There's no fluctuation of Source Energy around him and he didn't seem like a flesh and blood individual.
It's more like, he's a holographic projection.
"I… I can't believe it. The World Sage in flesh... Ah! Excuse my rudeness, I am but a mere digital copy of my own consciousness. The World Sage visiting this humble abode of this lowly Huang is a great honor to those who bore the Yellow Dragon like me. I have heard of your tales and your rise to becoming a Divinity!" The old man immediately kneeled and kowtowed towards me. Even if he's a digital entity, he's the exact copy of the original.
However, he's now almost the same as that Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, compared to that one, this digital entity could only exist here in this sub-dimension.
This old man recognizing my appearance was something I expected.
Even though their Noble House fell from grace, this Huang, the Family Head of the Yellow Dragon or Kouryuu, was a peak Rank 3 Sage. His Pathway's attainment was high enough to be aware of everything that's happening on Earth.
However, he appeared to be somewhat uninformed. The Artificial Intelligence didn't tell him anything, huh?
Moreover, there's probably no UPL Scanner around to show him that I'm just a mere Rank 2 Transcendent.
Now the question is… how much does this old man know? Is he aware that the Earth he knew had experienced a Cataclysm? Most likely not.
The Artificial Intelligence told me to treat this as real but it didn't really explain what I have to do here except from meeting this 'owner' of Atlantis or the high-end Waste Disposal Site.
Nonetheless, he's probably aware that there's someone who would inherit the Legacy he left behind.
The Chaotic Energy was probably in this digital entity's care and was hidden somewhere. Because it was sealed, my Energy Control or Adaptability wouldn't be able to detect it.
That's why I should entertain this old man for now by putting on the grace of a Divine Realm expert.
Because he's still kneeling with his forehead kissing the ground, I waited for a full two minutes before responding.
"That's enough. Rise. Do you still need me to ask for it?" I put my hands behind me as I stood upright with my head slightly raised.
"That's right! My Legacy… May I ask if you're truly here for the Legacy of someone like me?"
"I don't want to repeat myself." I succinctly answered, devoid of any emotion.
Upon hearing that, even as a digital entity, the old man shivered before lowering his head again.
"Excuse my rudeness… World Sage is right. There's only one reason why you're here. I'm already a dead old man without knowing what exactly happened or why none of my kin entered this sub-dimension to take up the Legacy Acceptance Trial."
"Are you curious?"
"If World Sage can tell me, I will truly appreciate it."
"It has been thousands of years since you and many other Sage Realm experts of Earth died."
"H-how… how did I die? Did someone assassinate me?"
Should I say that he got sacrificed by me along with all of his kin and everyone on Earth except the Mortals?
Nah… I will be owning this place soon enough and I will be removing him. I have no use for the clichéd old man inside a ring, or in this case inside a device, to guide me.
"No."
"Then how… Please enlighten me, World Sage."
"A Divine World almost destroyed Earth. You're one of the few who sacrificed your life to defend it. Alas, even I failed to beat them. If I am Divinity, a Divine World is filled with them."
"That… Is that true?"
As an answer, I gently nodded my head while intentionally showing a forlorn expression.
Tricking a dead old man like this who had no other source of information was easy. Besides, what I told him were half-truths.
Let's just treat those who I mercilessly refined into Source Energy as noble sacrifices.
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