"Your seclusion is too sudden… but we can't blame you."
By the end of her scolding, Veliona's tone turned soft. I did not use words to apologize, but instead my lips. Kissing her moist pink lips, coupled by her narrowed eyes, spelled her approval.
We did not go for a long kiss. Veliona invited me inside the multi-storey pagoda. The first floor remained as neat as ever. The second to the eighth floor contained all sorts of spiritual herbs stored in separate rooms. Our destination, the ninth floor, is the solo floor for alchemy.
It is not unusual for alchemists' failed concoctions to cause explosions and the likes. Seele's obsessive compulsive disorder refused to make a mess out of things, and as such, designated an entire floor for the sake of precaution.
My eyes are greeted by an endless expanse of dark-blue. Each of my steps caused ripples to appear on the ocean's surface.
"Bronya set this up, didn't she?"
"You know her well, huh…"
Veliona affirmed my guess.
This simulated environment is caused by a sixth grade formation, Heaven Patching Formation. It can freely simulate countless environments suitable to the cultivator. Seele's water spirit root fits well with oceans and the likes, providing her with a boost whenever she is in one. It can also slot-in an entire spirit vein to further improve this boost.
This formation is a staple within the Sect. Weaker versions of it already exist for weaker cultivators to use.
"Are you interested in Sister Bronya?"
Veliona suddenly asked a dangerous question. Her crimson pupils strictly scrutinized my reaction.
Before I could even speak, she already saw through me.
"So you do!"
"..."
I knew I couldn't hide from her.
"Yes. Will you help me?"
"Humph. To think I will help you…"
"Won't you?"
She gave me an exasperated look. Her teasing side dissipated into bubbles. I win.
"You already know the answer. Why ask?" She said. "I will help you. Even if it meant selling out Sister Bronya… but it's not like she isn't interested in you. Hm, you must have seen it already."
"I did."
I readily admitted to seeing Bronya's feelings. She did not make it clear during our last meeting. I chose to wait for her initiative.
"If… Hm..!"
Veliona's eyes widened at my surprise kiss. My right hand crept up to her waist. Her body felt delicate, inadvertently reminding me of the time her legs turned muddy.
My teasing went further. I used my tongue to pry her mouth open. Surprisingly, she is very cooperative. Upon capturing her narrowed eyes filled with satisfaction, my heart fluttered.
The sound of tongues intertwining is all I could hear. Veliona's hands pressed gently onto my chest. It took a while to 'disengage'.
"Do you want to…"
"No." She shook her head. "Let's wait for Seele."
I followed through with her choice. The ambiguous atmosphere between us disappeared as we calmed down. Still, we continued to shower each other with affection. Veliona loved doing that by digging her face on my neck.
"How is it with the Bubble World?" I asked.
"It happened as you predicted. We cannot sustain their existence for long."
I haven't forgotten about the Bubble World inside Seele. I have a mission to reverse time and bring back everyone from the Previous Era.
As it turned out, the consumption of summoning a random person on the Bubble World is the same as summoning the Herrscher of the End. Summoning them for an extended period of time cannot be done. Vill-V and Mobius would have steamrolled through immortal cultivation's integration with the Tree and Sea had it been possible.
Needless to say, their talents are the best I have ever seen. Their innovative ideas are something even I cannot consistently come up with. That was with me possessing hundreds of millions of cross-referenceable knowledge inside my head.
There is also Kevin and Grandpa Su. Kiana nor I couldn't save them after the battle on the Moon. Kevin died due to his overuse of the Cocoon's power. Grandpa Su used the forbidden technique to help Kiana scope out IX.
Bringing them back involves turning back time, something possible with my current power.
"Are you also eyeing the women of this Bubble World? Miss Elysia, Miss Mobius, Miss Vill-V, and your "student", Pardofelis…"
"The future is not fixed… but there's a huge chance I will."
"Hm."
Unlike what I expected, Veliona did not say any sharp remarks. Her calmness stirred another wave in my heart.
I sensed her fear of being forgotten.
"Veliona."
"Hm..?"
"I will love you. Forever."
Her entire body froze. The next moment, it relaxed. She did not say anything else, but I can feel her joy. My free arm locked her waist in a hug.
For a while, I relished this moment of peace.
*****
The Imaginary Tree holds countless worlds on its leaves. This world does not exist like a conventional universe. Every "world" is separated by an imaginary barrier. It is akin to leaves hanging on a tree's branches. Special means are necessary to cross one world from another.
The Path of Trailblazing is the universally acknowledged power when it comes to this. However, it does not mean that others are incapable of traversing worlds without it.
"A world hidden from the gazes of Aeons…"
The Memokeeper's fingertips touched the 'empty space'. Ripples appeared on its surface.
"Unrecorded even by Remembrance… As expected."
Excitement began to surge from the depths of her heart. She is a part of the Garden of Recollection, a faction in this world under the Aeon Fuli. Their main purpose is to gather memories and ensure it will be remembered in the face of the world's End.
Stepping onto a world never seen before is the equivalent of striking a gold mine for the Memokeepers. Their morbid obsession over recording memories is unmatched by others.
Unfortunately, she is bound to get nothing. The Memokeeper's power is useless in the face of this gigantic imaginary barrier. More than seventy percent of Kiana's (i.e., Cocoon's) power is spent to sustain it. This huge expenditure is meant to shield the solar system (and its surrounding asteroid belts) from other worlds as well as block foreign invaders. It also has the function of speeding up time. Twenty years outside is two thousand years in the solar system, a full one hundred times difference.
Unless an Aeon personally takes action, it is practically indestructible. The question is…
Who will take action?
Everyone saw the World Rendering Sword exhibited by Shi Tian. The level of that power was more than enough to deter them all. At the very least, they cannot blatantly strike at the mysterious solar system.
The Memokeeper was forced to depart, jotting the location on her little notebook before doing so.
Just then, she glanced at this special world one last time. Surprised filled her eyes, if she had any.
"Elation is unsurprising. But…"
The visage of a witch was reflected on her light blue helmet.