Chapter 604 - Tiger (Patreon)

"You also want to live in the sky, Human Gandolf?" Lapin asked.

"Hohoho. That's right. That's what I've always wanted. I've been living at the continent's highest peak for a long time as an alternative, but if a sky island is possible, that would be perfect." Gandolf said, his expression becoming nostalgic as he reminisced about his younger days.

It was actually the dream of his late wife, who had passed away during the chaotic times.

In a world where people constantly took advantage of one another, she had been one of the few genuinely kind-hearted people who would sincerely help those in need, even if it meant putting her own life at risk.

After she died, her dream also became one of Gandolf's goals in life.

With his current position and strength, creating a floating island was possible, but he would need a Spiritual Vein to sustain it in the sky. However, Spiritual Veins were among the continent's most valuable resources. How could he use one simply for himself?

His late wife would never agree to that either. She would be furious if he abused his position for personal reasons.

But now, an opportunity had appeared right before his eyes, one that wouldn't take away precious resources from others. How could he possibly let it slip away?

Bloodline powers could grant magical abilities governed by their own unique laws, allowing them to bypass the normal laws of the world.

Since Lapin's bloodline power could accomplish this, Gandolf was certain that it wouldn't require another source of energy to keep a sky island afloat.

To Gandolf, his earlier praise wasn't an exaggeration. Lapin's bloodline power really was the best bloodline power he had ever seen because it could finally fulfill a dream that had remained in his heart for thousands of years.

While Lapin and Gandolf were bonding over their newfound friendship, Leyvi found himself facing a barrage of questions from his children.

"Daddy, who is this Carrot Loving Uncle really? Why did he come out of your spirit beast bag? I heard him say he's a rabbit. Is that true?" Leywini asked, her face filled with serious curiosity.

Leylin and the twins were just as curious.

"Hahaha. Your Carrot Loving Uncle really is a rabbit. Once a demonic beast reaches the King Level, it can transform into human form. They can also keep some of their animal features if they want to."

Hearing this explanation, all four children simultaneously turned toward Anda and stared at the birthmark around her left eye. Their minds seemed to synchronize as the exact same thought crossed all of them.

Could Aunty Anda be a transformed panda? Was she related to the panda family back home?

"Oh, are you all curious about Aunty?" Anda asked with a mischievous smile, clearly aware of what they were thinking.

The four children nodded, eagerly waiting for her answer.

"Hehehe. You guessed right. Your Aunty is a demonic panda who transformed into a human so she could be with your daddy. Everyone already knows this, but now you kids know too."

The children blinked innocently, completely believing Anda's "confession."

"So that's how it is. No wonder Aunty Anda always resembles a panda. You even have so many panda things in your room. Even your name is just panda without the P," Leywini said seriously as she pieced everything together.

The other children nodded in agreement and began scrutinizing Anda with even greater curiosity, bombarding her with questions.

They even asked whether the baby between her and Leyvi would be born as half panda.

With Anda's personality, she naturally entertained them all, mixing truth with lies as she continued pretending to be a demonic panda who had transformed into a human.

At the side, Leyvi held back his laughter and watched in amusement.

No matter how bright his children were, this only proved that they were still kids. They were incredibly gullible and easy to fool.

Still, he had no intention of ruining their fun. One day, they would figure out on their own that they had been trolled by Anda.

During the journey to the headquarters, an unexpected friendship blossomed between Lapin and Gandolf.

They spent a lot of time discussing suitable lands to place on Lapin's clouds and raise into the sky, along with all the other details involved in building a sky island.

It wasn't just the weight of the land that needed to be considered. The weight of everything they wanted to build and place on the sky island had to be taken into account as well.

If the total weight accidentally exceeded the limit, the cloud would no longer be able to support it. If it was only slightly over the limit, the island would slowly descend, but if the weight exceeded the limit by too much, the cloud would break apart and everything would come crashing down.

That said, Lapin was already an expert at this, so he had all the necessary precautions and fail-safes prepared whenever he made a sky island.

While the two were getting along, Leyvi also got to know Gandolf's three disciples, Nemi, Popo and Domino.

Although they were completely unrelated and came from three different mortal villages scattered across the South Region, the relationship between the three of them was more like that of close siblings.

Leyvi was naturally curious about what kind of talents Gandolf was nurturing, so he secretly inspected them.

Sure enough, all three possessed top-grade spirit roots. On top of that, all three had wind-element spirit roots, which made Leyvi suspect that Gandolf himself might also cultivate the same element.

A top-grade spirit root was already rare enough, and wind-element spirit roots were less common than the five basic elements. Leyvi guessed that Gandolf must have put incredible effort into finding them. He must have truly wanted to pass on his legacy.

Leyvi hoped that the three of them would eventually succeed Gandolf.

He might not want to involve himself with all the heavy responsibilities that came with being a Protector, but if things became truly dire in the future and he has the ability to lend a hand, he wouldn't mind doing so.

Besides, these three youngsters were around the same age as his nephew Jojori and Vivian's disciple Mawarini. The two of them were also being steadily nurtured by the Mountain Dew Sect as future pillars of the sect.

Perhaps he could ask Gandolf to let the youngsters train together from time to time and give Jojori and Mawarini some guidance on how to become good leaders.

...

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

As Leyvi and the others drew closer to the headquarters, more than half of the Protectors had already arrived. They sat in the grand meeting hall, their expressions a mixture of impatience and quiet concern. Questions swirled in their minds, unspoken but heavy in the air.

One of them was a Protector who Leyvi and Anda would immediately recognize.

She sat at the large round table, one of the twelve seats reserved for the continent's highest guardians. Her attire was conservative yet elegant. A flowing dress that moved like water whenever she shifted. Long platinum blonde hair cascaded down her back, held in place by delicately crafted ornaments that caught the light with every subtle movement.

A smooth veil covered her face, outlining the shape of her nose and revealing only her clear, piercing eyes and the thin arch of her phoenix-like eyebrows. Despite the veil, there was no mistaking her presence.

She was Protector Alexandra. The youngest of the twelve, and the greatest cultivation prodigy the Cloud Continent had ever produced. She had reached the Soul Transformation Realm in just over a hundred years, a feat that had left even her seniors in awe.

The last time Leyvi and Anda had seen her was during their return from the Mystic Realm expedition. Back then, she had been worn thin by years of worry over the missing participants, her usual dignified composure cracking under the weight of guilt.

Now, nearly twelve years later, that composure had returned. She looked every bit the formidable Protector she was.

But beneath the veil, a familiar frown had crept back onto her face. The same worried crease between her brows that had appeared during the expedition crisis. She tapped her finger lightly on the table, lost in thought.

"Geezer Sugaro," she said, her voice calm but curious. "What do you think this is about?"

The old man she addressed was bald, with a neatly trimmed goatee. He took a leisurely bite from a purple sugarcane, chewing loudly before answering.

"Little Alexandra, you ask me?" He shrugged, taking another bite.

"Who am I supposed to ask? I want to know just as much as you do. This is the first time we have all been summoned like this." He gestured vaguely with the sugarcane. "It makes me want to stress eat."

"Hmph. Sugaro, why are you being so pathetic?" Another voice cut in, hoarse and gravelly, like rocks grinding together. The speaker was an old man with a stern face and sharp eyes.

"Whatever problem threatens our continent, we will squash it like a bug. I doubt it will be worse than what happened a thousand years ago."

Sugaro rolled his eyes, taking another loud bite. "Leave me alone, Tiger. Your voice is terrible. My sugarcane is for eating, not for plugging my poor ears. Why don't you talk less?"

"Calm down, everyone, calm down." A middle-aged man with a refined, scholarly appearance raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Gandolf and the rest will be here soon. There's no need to bicker so early."