Skywater City (Part 2)

Qingfeng asked no further questions. Although she often read wish-fulfillment novels, she understood that fiction was fiction and reality was reality.

The two absolutely could not be confused. Besides, wasn't she herself a character in a wish-fulfillment novel?

She watched her older brother walking at the front. Whenever he had a moment, he would deliberately stretch the fire flag toward her, hoping to warm her up.

But... even if her brother didn't say anything, she ought to prepare something for him too, shouldn't she?

Skywater Academy...

As for keeping her brother's love all to herself, she had never thought about that. As long as he held her in his heart, she was content.

Mm, she would watch Yosuga no Sora again when she got back.

After leaving the snowfields, Wei Lin slowed the flow of his Soul Power.

The Off-Ground Flame Light Flag was, after all, primarily meant to burn things to ashes.

Even though he was confident he could control it, he didn't want to risk even a one-in-a-hundred-million chance.

"Is that Skywater City? It looks so big."

Looking into the distance, they could already see Skywater City's broad, thick walls. Falling snowflakes draped the city in a plain robe of silver-white.

It lay right beside the Far North, so its temperature was lower than in other places.

"Let's stock up on supplies first, especially padded winter clothes and things like that. I can't keep carrying this flag around all the time."

Wei Lin had barely taken a step when something suddenly occurred to him.

"Um... did any of you bring money?"

Qingfeng: "???"

Qingyu: "???"

"Um... would Credit Points work? I do have a few of those."

Huang Tianyi pulled out a black Northland Bank savings card. She was actually a little rich lady herself.

Wei Lin: "..."

It looked like... they were screwed.

Between the lot of them, they couldn't scrape together a single Copper Soul Coin.

"I never thought the day would come when I could give the old man a run for his money."

Sigh, what a headache.

Wei Lin turned his gaze toward An Jiao.

An Jiao nodded, and his figure vanished from the spot. Apparently, he had gone to the Far North to fetch some stock.

"Let's head into the city first and see if there's an auction house or something. If all else fails, we'll sell something."

Wei Lin had never imagined that he, the dignified city lord of Tianshu City, would one day worry about Gold Soul Coins.

Sooner or later, he would bring the Douluo Continent into the Credit Point system.

Before Wei Lin reached the city gates, An Jiao returned.

He had brought a roughly twenty-thousand-year-old Mirror Beast with him, and it had only one breath left.

?

Wait, a Mirror Beast?

Wei Lin looked it over from left to right. A twenty-thousand-year-old Mirror Beast? Are you sure this isn't that sausage-selling uncle's future sixth Soul Skill?

"Is there something wrong with this Soul Beast?"

An Jiao was a little confused. His thinking had been simple: he needed a valuable Soul Beast, but not one that was too valuable or too worthless.

While he was thinking about it, he ran into this fellow.

Mm, ran into it in the physical sense. As a result, he sent it flying with a single blow, knocking it out on the spot.

So he brought it straight over.

"No problem. This is the one."

As for what would happen in the future, what did that have to do with him? Besides, it was still uncertain who the Douluo Continent would belong to in the future.

They were lucky he hadn't charged them living expenses, air fees, land-soiling fees, and Soul Power absorption fees.

"Who's carrying it?"

Everyone turned to look at An Jiao.

"..."

The corner of An Jiao's mouth twitched. Looking at the other three's resolute gazes, even a blind man could have understood what they meant.

You're the core of the team, and you brought this Soul Beast back, so you carry it.

Even though he knew the outcome, he still wanted to make a struggle.

"Xuan Zhen, he..."

"This would dirty my clothes."

"I'm the main attacker. I have to be ready to ensure the young master's safety at all times."

"I sweaw! I won't put Jueyun Chili in your food for a while after this!"

"..."

The light visibly faded from An Jiao's eyes.

What sins did I commit to end up with these three weirdo teammates?

Protect the young master? Even if you went at him yourself, you might not break through the Wu Ji Apricot Yellow Flag's defenses. Does the young master need you to protect him?

Sigh~ Life isn't easy, An Jiao sighed.

Looking at An Jiao, who seemed to be getting "bullied" by the group,

Huang Tianyi and the others all gave him a thumbs-up.

"As expected of the young master's most capable subordinate! You're so dependable!"

(An Jiao: "Chirp chirp chirp, squeak squeak squeak.")

The closer they got to Skywater City, the more people they encountered.

When those people looked over, their expressions all changed.

The Mirror Beast was nothing much in the eyes of Wei Lin and his companions, but to these people...

At five meters tall, the Mirror Beast was fairly large even among Soul Beasts. On top of that, there was the pressure emanating from its twenty thousand years of cultivation. Even though it was already at death's door, with An Jiao keeping its last breath alive,

it was still more than a group of ordinary people could withstand.

The expressions of the guards watching over Skywater City changed as well.

One of them hurried into the city, apparently to report the news.

By the time they reached the city gates, the people who had been waiting in line had already opened a path for them.

Wei Lin didn't stand on ceremony. The strong always enjoyed certain privileges.

All right, the main reason was that he liked the feeling of showing off.

Mm, the root of Wei Xi's personality had been found.

"Senior, you are..."

After glancing at the enormous Mirror Beast, the gate guard swallowed with difficulty. Even so, he steeled himself and stepped forward to ask. He had even thought out how to write his last will.

If the compensation paid to bereaved families by Skywater City's lord weren't so generous, he would never have stood in the way of an expert like this.

"Oh, you mean this? I lost my wallet on the road, and I was thinking of stocking up here."

Wei Lin pointed at the Mirror Beast behind him.

"You have an auction house here, don't you?"

"Yes, Senior, we do. Please, come in."

The gate guard hurriedly stepped aside.

He only had to go through the motions. That way, he could earn his pay and keep his life.

The important thing was to hurry this great god inside.

Wei Lin didn't make things difficult for him. He patted the guard on the shoulder and walked in.

It was only a moment later that the guard came back to his senses.

"This lord feels... really a little different."

Inside Skywater City.

Much of what was there consisted of winter supplies or warm clothing.

It was close to the Far North. Although it didn't snow all year round, it was fairly cold for two-thirds of the year.

"I am Shui Wuyue, the lord of Skywater City. Young friend, may I ask how I should address you?"

Wei Lin, who had been looking at padded coats, turned toward the voice.

There were two women who looked to be in their thirties. One wore the ice-blue attire of a city lord, while the other wore a long ice-blue dress.

Their faces bore some resemblance to each other, and they appeared to be sisters. Even though they looked a little older, their beauty had not diminished in the slightest; instead, it had gained a mature, alluring charm.

"I am Shui Wuyue, the lord of Skywater City. This is my younger sister, Shui Yun'er, the dean of Skywater Academy."

"Tianshu, Wei Lin."

Wei Lin's return greeting was brief but perfectly proper. Huang Tianyi turned her gaze to Shui Wuyue and her sister.

"One is eighty-five, the other eighty-two."

Those two brief statements were made without the slightest attempt to keep them from hearing, but they made Shui Wuyue and her sister's hearts sink.

It seemed a great Buddha had come to their little Skywater City. They just didn't know whether it was a blessing or a calamity.