The next day, the sun had just risen, and the skies were clear, giving off a pleasant vibe.
However, two figures from above were looking below at the heart of the most famous city in the continent - Xeton Imperial City.
Damien felt that the continent as a whole was not that big, and each of the four empires almost had equal surface area as if the continent was perfectly split into four parts.
The Xeton Empire was towards the south-west direction of the Rong Empire and was a few thousand kilometers apart.
Damien was awed by the grandiose of the city below.
The Xeton Imperial City was built on the banks of a delicate natural harbor and was truly a gorgeous marvel.
He could see that the Xeton Imperial Palace was built near the water bodies and could notice how majestic and grand it looked even from afar because of its massive height that seemed to even touch the skies.
Its appearance was matched by the backdrop of cascading waterfalls, which helped shape the city into what it was today.
The materials these waterfalls brought were of great importance, but they were also influential when it came to architectural designs as the vast majority of buildings have their own man-made waterfalls or similar elements as part of their architecture.
The skyline was crowded with high-rise buildings, and it seemed as if very few of them were undergoing construction work.
Damien heard that education was superb in this city and that it has attracted a lot of attention.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})He had learned that many new cultures had left their mark not just on the city's development but also upon the city's identity. What historically was a city of few cultures has grown into an amalgamation of differences which the millions of people in the city had gotten used to.
Damien could see hundreds of bakeries, pubs, and entertainment areas that offered a plethora of culinary choices. Those who felt hungry for something else can enjoy dance, water sports, one of the many parks, or one of the many other recreational venues.
'Wow...they quite live up to their grandeur at least.' Damien was surprised at how different the Rong Imperial City and the Xeton Imperial City were.
His eyes, however, landed on the grand-looking headquarters of the Rising Sun Trading Guild, which was also where the Alchemist Society was located.
The size of the Rising Sun Trading Guild itself spanned a few kilometers and could be comparable to a small town.
Damien found it hard to believe it was just a trading guild. He never expected that it would be so big, and he could see that there were seven floors in total. Although there were only seven floors, each of them was shockingly tall and wide.
All the floors together made it seem as if the building pierced the clouds. At the very top, he saw a flag with the emblem of a fiery sun rising over a hill fluttering in the air proudly. It seemed as if the sun's symbol on the flag seemed to give off a dazzling shine under the sunlight.
He had no doubt that one could easily spot the building from any corner of the Xeton Imperial City.
The walls were all reflecting a radiant and pure glow that could possibly be only made using top-notch stones like the Sunweave stones. Every brick of the building was extremely precious, even more than the Rong Imperial Palace.
He could see the people looking at the building in reverence as if they were this close to worshipping it.
'Truly prosperous.' Damien sighed in astonishment.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})He was more curious about the secret Xeton Empire was hiding and knew that it was the only reason they were even able to achieve their current prosperity and power.
He noticed that at the entrance, there was quite a gathering of people and a few guards overlooking them and making sure things are peaceful.
He saw that the people had to enter through a formation, which kind of seemed like a security check.
If the formation glows green, it means one could enter it, while red means they can't enter and would probably invite the suspicions of the guards.
Damien, along with Valentina, descended towards the entrance. As he came down, people noticed a cloaked figure flying down slowly with a dignified pose.
A Heaven Ethereal Realm practitioner!
The people inwardly screamed in fear and reverence as they saw Damien.
However, when they saw the rosy pink-haired girl beside Damien, their eyes were fixed at her as if they were bewitched by her intoxicating beauty and even their blood stopped flowing to their heads. The men especially seemed as if they had lost their souls.
Damien chuckled, seeing the reactions of the people around him. He quite expected it as even he was transfixed at her beauty for a few moments, the first time he saw her transform.
Valentina didn't seem to care at all about their reactions and only found it annoying that many of them were staring at her.
She realized how two-faced people were and noticed how different their reactions were after her transformation. She only trusted Damien and knew that he was the only one who accepted her wholeheartedly and truly cared for her.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})She looked at him and wanted to cling on to him intimately.
But as he was in his alter ego identity and she was also aware of her identity as the personal disciple of Alchemist Azrael, she couldn't even hold his hands.
She was frustrated that she couldn't act intimate with him in public. Instead, She had to maintain a dignified and formal demeanor.
"Ahem." Damien cleared his throat loudly and spread some of his soul aura jolting everyone out of their daze.
They all realized they were too bold by staring at someone accompanying a Heaven Ethereal Realm cultivator!
What if Damien got pissed off and made things harder for them for their rude behavior. They knew Heaven Ethereal Realm cultivators were supreme existences they could only look up to and worship.
They didn't dare to take another look at Valentina lest they get stunned by her beauty again.
Even the guards at the entrance straightened their posture upon seeing Damien and did their best not to take another look at Valentina.
"Hey, who is that goddess and—"
"Shushhh, do you want to get us in trouble? Stop whispering and shut up!"
Some whispers were going around in the crowd, but most of them tried to stop themselves from saying anything out loud lest they blabber something unnecessary.
Damien walked towards a guard and showed a glimmering azure jade token.
The crowd let out gasps as they saw the azure jade token,
"Oh my god, isn't that the rumored azure token that could let one gain entry to the topmost floor?"
"Yes, of course. I knew it. He must be Alchemist Azrael. Not even the other Heaven Ethereal Realm cultivators would have the chance to get such an exalted token."
"Ha...thank god I came here today. Otherwise, I would never have gotten the chance to see the rumored azure token. I heard only the imperial family had such tokens. Senior Azrael is really not simple."
The guard's eyes immediately widened upon seeing that token. He instantly took out a talisman and sent some transmission.
"Honored Senior, please enter. Hope you enjoy your time inside." The guard said as he gave a deep bow.
Damien nodded and entered through the automatic doors. He was immediately greeted by a smiling young man who looked in his late twenties.
He was about to say something, but when he saw Valentina, his smile and mouth froze as if his brain was turned off.
Valentina gave a cold glare with hints of bloodlust in her eyes. She was getting more irritated having people ogle at her.
Feeling a chill through his blood because of her gaze, the young man quickly averted his eyes and looked at Damien with a shaky smile.
He cleared his throat and said, "Welcome, Alchemist Azrael. It is an honor to meet you in person finally. I won't waste your time and lead you directly to my master, the Guildmaster of our esteemed guild."
