Ronan finished his experiment in Cloud Top World and returned to Earth Local Time-Space. Since he had jumped from Lake City to Cloud Top World, he did not give it much thought on the way back and returned to Lake City again.
In Lake City, the place with the most acquaintances was naturally Lakeside Hotel.
Ronan instinctively headed there. Yet the instant he arrived, he suddenly remembered that Mora, Mountain Lord, Black Lion, and the others had been fairly diligent lately. The effects of the previous round of stimulation were still fermenting, so there was no need to intensify it further. He still had to keep diminishing returns in mind.
So he hit the brakes abruptly, stopping above the lake surface that occupied most of the hotel grounds. He had spent the entire night fussing around in Cloud Top World. It was now early morning, exceptionally tranquil.
Yet the next instant, with a rush of wings, birds from the lake and shore burst into flight. Like dark clouds, they churned through the sky before swiftly scattering into the distance.
The birds were merely the most visible part of the surrounding environment's reaction.
Fish in the lake, cats, dogs, snakes, and rats on shore all stirred into unrest.
Such a commotion was against Ronan's intentions. Instinctively, he drew in the vital aura around his body, using the Breath-Concealing, Trace-Hiding Art Red Fox had taught him, along with techniques imparted by Master Xiu. He had not noticed it in his natural state, but once he drew himself in, the sensation became entirely different.
Some kind of force was clearly swelling outward from his body.
Moreover, there seemed to be something wrong with his senses. Noise densely wove itself around his ears; the clear, silent sky before his eyes was smeared with complex