Eve of the Festival

Kirakishou's arrival gave the family something to get excited about for a while. As the undisputed "First Family," we welcomed any new member with open arms, but Qian Qian's celebration plan was ultimately never carried out: little Kirakishou was simply too weak after her rebirth. She lasted less than ten minutes in the outside world before returning to my mind and falling sound asleep.

With Alaya also living in my spiritual world, I could now proudly declare that I was carrying my whole family with me wherever I went!

Though that ability sounded unbelievably lame.

The next few days were peaceful. Everything had gotten back on track, and the Carnival was fast approaching.

After the initial few days of excitement, the five-man group from the God Realm finally restrained themselves somewhat. Aside from occasionally wreaking havoc in Shadow City or fooling envoys from various races, they at least knew how to save me trouble when they went out. Ding Dang's hold over 123 and the others really did have some effect, and Viska was, after all, a high-ranking deity who knew a little restraint—at least in theory.

As for Shadow City and the other two Assembly Halls, construction had now entered its final stages. Following my suggestion, every venue had been built through a mix of different construction methods. The highly efficient Shilin Builders handled the main venues and public spaces, while craftsmen brought by the various races took charge of their own cultural decorations. This allowed powerful factions with significant standing in the Empire's territories to fully display their cultures, while weaker groups—perhaps wandering "refugees" with only a dozen or so members attending the celebration—could receive a modular venue mass-produced by the Builders according to their preferences. Quite a few visitors from the Macro World had chosen this option.