Chapter 325 Deus Citadel 2 (1/2)
The memorial went on for another three hours. Each member of the procession all laid down flowers and prayed for the victims to find peace in the afterlife, as they swore to seek vengeance for those who perished. As if feeling their grief, the heavens above turned grey in sorrow, and heavy teardrops coated the monuments with a gorgeous monsoon hue.
”Even the Immortals above are showing their sorrow.” Kanari smiled. Turning to the forlorn youth who was staring straight at the sky, Kanari grabbed hold of his hand and proceeded to comfort him. ”We will win. We will make the Black Masks pay for everything that they have done, Shin!”
”Yeah...” There wasn't any need for Kanari to convince him. Even if the Summit weren't held, Shin would have continued to chase down the Black Masks for his own gain. Junius hasn't paid for his crimes after all.
”Let's move,” Gonggong ordered. At the moment, there were five Spirit Venerates present in the procession, but none of them dared to question Gonggong's authority as the leader of the group. Even Spirit Saint Firebird kept a reasonable distance, blending into the surroundings as if he really was a beggar on the streets.
The sea of onlookers split into two, allowing the Himmel Empire's group to march straight east and out of the Main Hub entirely. To prevent themselves from getting wet, Shin and his friends opened up their umbrellas. Fortunately, it wasn't needed for long...
”Wow… That...” After walking for fifteen minutes, the procession sent by the Himmel Empire had finally reached its destination. The fortress where history would be made.
Thick heavy metal chains with each one of its links bearing the size of a small house, rose from the underground and latched on firmly onto the vast land mass that somehow managed to defy the laws of gravity. Almost as massive as the Main Hub itself, the levitating island had hundreds, if not thousands of gun ports where long metallic cannons pointed straight at the ground.
Of course, it wasn't just that its underside was fortified. Engulfing the entire island, a concrete barricade armed to its teeth with cannons and sentry posts protected the outskirts of the fortress, while floating air mines defended its skies. From Shin's position, he could only see the tall walls and the overwhelming number of mortars that the citadel possessed. While he couldn't observe the interior of the fortress, he could see a towering needle-like structure reaching for the heavens above.
”It looks like a spinning top,” Elrin commented.
”You're right. It does resemble a spinning top.” Emma giggled at how uncanny the resemblance was. ”With that skyscraper in the centre and its wide base, it really does look like a toy that you would sell in your shops.”
”Hah! I wish I could buy the Deus Citadel!” Elrin's mind started to race a million miles a second just to figure out if she could even hope of purchasing the famed Immortal-grade fortress. However, after a brief moment of consideration, the young girl shook her head in helplessness. ”Even if the Blacksmith's League was looking to sell, I doubt anyone has the financial capability to buy. I've heard that it requires over a hundred million gold ingots to operate Deus Citadel for one year! That's why the Blacksmith's League rarely takes it out to play.”
”O-One h-hundred million?” Ella stuttered when she heard that amount. Lady Seph had given them one gold ingot per month, which would have already placed them at the top one percent of every earner in the Capital. Yet, even if she had saved all of her earnings, it would take her over a hundred million months to operate Deus Citadel for just one year!
”Yeah… If the Blacksmith's League truly wants to sell Deus Citadel, it would be upwards of a trillion gold ingots. Even if the Himmel Empire empty out their entire treasury, they wouldn't be able to cough out that crazy amount.”
”A trillion gold ingots… Is there even enough gold in the world to create that amount?”
”God knows.” Elrin shrugged her shoulders. ”However, since my Terlus Conglomerate has one or two billion gold ingots sitting in the bank, I guess there should be enough.”
”...” Once again, Shin and the twins were reminded that they were in the presence of the richest girl in the entire Empire. Often times, due to how informally Elrin would act around them, it became easy to forget.
”Just ignore her.” Kanari smiled bitterly as she looked at her fellow classmates. Even though she was the heir of the Highgarden Duchy, there was no way that she could hope to match the riches that Elrin had. In fact, she remembered the time where they both participated in a high-level auction, and Elrin claimed almost all of the items at a record price without batting an eye. ”You shouldn't look at money through her lens. It'll just depress you.”
Ella and Emma nodded furiously.
As they reached the first metallic chain that anchored Deus Citadel and prevented it from floating to oblivion, a group of ambassadors from the Blacksmith's League stood in wait. Leading them, a stunted middle-aged man with a rugged beard opened his arms in joy just as the Himmel Empire procession was about to reach his shores.
”Welcome, esteemed guests! Welcome to Deus Citadel!” The short man exclaimed. While his face seemed amiable, a faint ghastly pressure could be felt, especially among those who were below the Spirit King realm.
'A Spirit Emperor!' After facing countless of Spirit Emperors, Spirit Venerates and Tier 9 Spirit Beasts, Shin seemed to have garnered an acute sense for the cultivation levels of those far superior to him. Hence, even though he was meeting the man for the first time in his life, Shin could accurately deduce how powerful he was.
'Not just that… Those behind him are Spirit Emperors as well!' Shin nearly gasped out loud. Since when were Spirit Emperors at such a high supply? The Frie Clan only had three Spirit Emperors in their midst, and they were able to dominate over their region! 'Only in this international Summit would so many Spirit Emperors act as doormen...'
”My name is Gabul, and I will be your guide for the day.” Gabul gave a respectful bow. While he may be a Spirit Emperor, the procession that was sent by the Himmel Empire contained a mixture of potent Spirit Venerates as well as a transcendental Spirit Saint. Not to mention, they probably had a vast number of Spirit Emperors as well.
”Thank you, Gabul.” The leader of the procession, Prince Koshaku gave his gratitude.
”No, it's my honour to serve you, your highness.” The middle-aged man got up and pointed to the silver disk that was right behind him. ”As much as I would love to chat, I'm sure that you are tired. Let us enter the Citadel first. Everyone, get onto this platform in batches and hold on tight. We will be lifting you into the Citadel.”
”That entire silver platform is a lift?” Shin muttered out in wonder. That unsuspecting metallic circle that was nearly as thin as a paper sheet had the capability of hosting dozens of people up into the Citadel?
”Only the Blacksmith's League could possibly think of such a contraption.” Lady Seph, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, answered Shin's question.
”Yip yip!” Bingbing jumped into Shin's embrace and buried herself deep into his dark blue robes, ignoring the boy's complete surprise. After being separated from Shin for such a long time, Bingbing needed to refuel her Shin reserves.
”Master?! Where did you go?” When they first came into the Land of Dreams, Lady Seph left the group without any prior warning, prompting Shin and the rest to worry about her safety.