"Please wait!"
At the dock, before the group could get far, they were stopped by a Pepeshi and an Intellitron.
"Eh? Penaconians? Are all the people from Penacony here on the Luofu?"
While it wasn't surprising to see Penaconians at the Xianzhou Wardance Ceremony, a cosmos-wide event, the group had only recently left Penacony. Seeing the Pepeshi gave them a sense of familiarity, like old friends reuniting.
"Judging by your demeanor, are you all quite familiar with the Xianzhou Luofu?" the Pepeshi asked, after the group had stopped. His eyes swept over them, revealing a hint of admiration.
To be honest, these people are stunning, the Pepeshi thought. Except for the one in the middle—she's clearly on a different level than the rest. How did she even end up in this group...
Though intensely curious, the Pepeshi refrained from asking outright. Such a question would be impolite, and these people not only looked striking but also gave off an aura of being trouble.
Especially the woman in the middle, who seemed to exist on another plane of existence. She was definitely not someone to be trifled with!
"Familiar? Hmm... I've been here once before."
Hearing the Pepeshi's question, everyone turned to look at Lumina. After a moment, she spoke, answering the Pepeshi's question.
That look in his eyes just now... did he think I was holding some kind of leverage over them, forcing them to stay by my side?
Lumina caught the Pepeshi's glance and couldn't help but feel a little astonished.
How twisted does someone have to be to jump to such a conclusion?
Oh, right, he's from Penacony, the Land of Dreams. Never mind then.
"We're from Penacony, you might have heard of it. We came to the Xianzhou Luofu to gather some interesting dream materials."
"We'd like to ask, are there any places on the Luofu that are worth visiting?"
"Places worth visiting?" Lumina didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned to the others beside her.
"March, you guys should answer this. You're more familiar with the Luofu than I am." Although Lumina had been on the Luofu longer than March 7th and the others, she hadn't explored as much.
Besides, whenever I visited, I was always accompanied by a beautiful Luofu girl. My mind was entirely focused on her—who had time to care about the wind or scenery?
"Oh, right," the Intellitron reminded them just as March 7th and the others were about to speak. "We're looking for unique experiences rarely seen in Penacony's daily life. Our users love those kinds of special Dream Bubbles."
"Unique experiences rarely seen?" Stelle's lips curled into a mischievous grin, as if she had just conceived a particularly wicked idea.
With her hands on her hips and a wide smile, she declared loudly, "Climb to The Peak of the Luofu Ambrosial Arbor!"
"Now that's special and rare, isn't it?!"
The moment these words left her lips, nearly every Cloud Knight in the harbor turned to stare. But when they recognized the group as honored guests of the Luofu, they quickly averted their gazes.
The General's honored guests wouldn't actually try to climb to The Peak of the Luofu Ambrosial Arbor, would they?
"Climb to The Peak of the Luofu Ambrosial Arbor?"
"Exactly! Climb to The Peak of the Luofu Ambrosial Arbor! How's that for special?" Oblivious to the Cloud Knights' earlier stares, Stelle replied, her hands still on her hips.
"Hey!" Seeing that Stelle seemed serious, March 7th frowned and quickly interjected. "The Luofu's Ambrosial Arbor is sacred. Don't suggest things that could tempt others to commit crimes!"
"If they actually go and foolishly climb to the Peak of the Ambrosial Arbor, and get caught, you'll share the blame for coming up with the idea, okay?"
Hearing this, Stelle grinned sheepishly, showing her pearly-white teeth, and scratched the back of her head.
"Ha ha ha, Miss, you're quite amusing. But let's stick to more practical ideas, shall we?" The Intellitron clearly understood the Ambrosial Arbor's significance to the Luofu, immediately recognizing Stelle's suggestion as a joke.
"Hey hey, I actually like this idea!" The Pepeshi beside him, however, seemed genuinely intrigued, nodding thoughtfully.
"Come on, what's that Xianzhou saying again?"
"Fortune... fortune favors the bold! Come on, let's climb that tree!"
"We'll reach the Peak of the Ambrosial Arbor before the Wardance Ceremony starts!"
More than intrigued, the Pepeshi was already preparing to take action.
As soon as the Pepeshi spoke these words, the more perceptive Cloud Knights nearby once again turned their gazes toward the group.
Fortune offered on a silver platter?
Hearing this, the Cloud Knights' gaze toward the Pepeshi softened considerably.
Approaching the Ambrosial Arbor was already a grave offense, let alone climbing it to reach its peak... This Pepeshi wasn't just a Pepeshi; he was a walking "Lifetime of Wealth and Glory" VIP pass for eighteen generations of ancestors and descendants!
Beneath their helmets, the Cloud Knights' eyes lit up with a shared glint of avarice.
"But..." Sensing something amiss, the Intellitron glanced around nervously, realizing that if this continued, things would spiral out of control.
"Ah, no buts! I've already thought of a name: The Peak of the Luofu Ambrosial Arbor."
"The main quest is to reach the peak of the Ambrosial Arbor, facing Cloud Knight resistance along the way. Failure means imprisonment in the Shackling Prison..."
Perhaps Stelle's wild fabrication struck a chord with the Pepeshi, for before March 7th and the others could react, he bolted toward what he assumed was the Ambrosial Arbor.
"Hey, wait for me!" The Intellitron, caught off guard, scrambled after him, barely managing to call out as he followed.
"Ugh..." Watching this unfold, March 7th paused, speechless for a moment. Then she glared at Stelle and snapped, "You'd better start praying to whatever god you believe in. If they rat you out, I'm never talking to you again!"
Upon hearing this, Stelle maintained her sheepish grin, as if acknowledging her mistake while secretly planning to repeat it next time.
"Alright, alright, let's ignore them and move on," Lumina said. Judging by the fervent expressions of the surrounding Cloud Knights, those two probably wouldn't even make it out of the Starskiff Jetty, let alone reach the Peak of the Ambrosial Arbor.
Besides, there wasn't much worth climbing there anyway.
Not only was it bitterly cold, but there wasn't even anything to see. The panoramic view that should have made her feel small and insignificant was completely obscured by clouds. It was truly the worst place Lumina had ever visited...