"And…"
"I think we might have to get married."
Damien rubbed his forehead in exasperation. After the Challenge Gate's madness, he'd completely forgotten about this troublesome situation he'd landed in.
But right now, he didn't have the energy to entertain the thought at all. He simply wanted to leave Jiao Mei in the Seeking Lotus Palace's care and leave.
"Do you want to get married?" He asked.
"Not particularly," Leona responded immediately.
"Then we won't. It's that simple."
"But it isn't. News spreads quickly in our world. The fact that you conquered the mountain trial is already known by all the major influences. If I refuse to marry you, it will truly cause problems." Leona sighed.
"Still," Damien shook his head and said, "I have no interest in getting married. I'm sure you don't want this burden holding you down either. Therefore, let's do something simpler."
"And that is?"
"Every heard of Death Emperor Star?"
Leona jumped slightly upon its mention. Who didn't know of Death Emperor Star? It was an influence that every genius dreamed of but barely any were able to reach.
"There isn't a single talent in the universe who doesn't know of its most prestigious academy and training ground. But why are you bringing it up?" She asked. But in the next instant, her eyes widened.
She'd seen Damien's talent personally, after all. It wasn't too hard to understand his intent.
"You…you are going to Death Emperor Star…how?"
Damien shrugged. "I met a guy and he recommended me. I heard it's a good place to train so I'm going to check it out."
"I…I see…" Leona didn't know how to react to his casual response. Internally, she was really itching to strangle him.
Nevertheless, if it was Death Emperor Star, then there truly was a much simpler solution.
"Geniuses who train on Death Emperor Star usually do so for an undetermined amount of time…and with the war on the horizon, people don't have as much energy to focus on minor matters…Azure Rain Star is slowly becoming an important strategic point in the supply chain so our experts tend to be preoccupied…it could work." She finally nodded her head.
Announcing that Damien was going to Death Emperor Star would only reap positive results. Aside from conveniently delaying Damien and Leona's marriage until its existence became inconsequential, it would also help Seeking Lotus Palace gain influence and power even beyond Azure Rain Star.
The status of a Death Emperor Star trainee wasn't light at all. And if one could become a Paragon, their status would be nigh-untouchable.
Most likely, Damien and Leona would never meet again. If they did, it would be on the battlefield when the flames of war spread out of control. This solution was more than enough to deal with their situation.
Therefore, Leona didn't hesitate.
"I'll announce the news after your departure. I'll have to reveal your name and ranking on the Dimensional Leaderboard as well to corroborate my story. Is that okay with you?"
"Mm, that's more than enough," Damien said with a smile.
There was a reason he always chose a big influence to join when he went to a new world. The backing of a major influence was a perfect tool to get him out of complicated social situations. It also granted him far more leeway in his actions.
Whether it be arrogant young geniuses who would've attempted to start problems with him, old monsters who could've killed him in a single blow, or even young women in situations similar to this one, they'd all be dealt with easily.
The marriage conversation ended just like that. The two of them were fellow Celestials and had a budding friendship forming between them due to this. The previous matter would only stain their relationship if they lingered on it.
After forgetting about the issue entirely, they talked a bit more about various subjects, mostly surrounding the war. Half an hour later, Damien walked out of Leona's residence and returned to his own.
And then, his body disappeared into the void.
***
When Damien reappeared, he was floating above the Sanctuary. Now that its previous land had formed into a proper world, his location was a place similar to the starry sky.
'This world needs a new name since the Sanctuary is expanding. I'll just let the residents pick.' He thought to himself as he observed the world's progress.
In total, there were only around 7 million people in this world. They didn't take up even a portion of its space.
However, the areas they did occupy were far different from the grassy wildlands Damien remembered.
It'd been roughly three years since the 3000 Beast Mountain Range's population was transported to the Sanctuary. During that time, their civilization flourished.
The elves spread out far beyond the other four races. Previously, they'd lived in a massive city that accommodated their number. This was due to the 3000 Beast Mountain Range's dangers.
Now that they had space, why would they do the same? The Sanctuary's Elven Kingdom was flourishing and widespread. The plains were mostly occupied by them.
The Fire and Ice Phoenix Clans settled in the singular mountain in the distance. When Damien observed it, he realized that it'd transformed into a natural volcano with the expansion of the Sanctuary.
The Fire Phoenix Clan lived at the precipice of this volcano and utilized its rampaging fire energy for their own convenience. As for the Ice Phoenix Clan, they lived at the base of the mountain on the seashore. While there weren't any extreme cold environments for them to flourish in, water was the next best thing.
Finally, White Dragon Grotto and Lucius' group of demons. These groups went east into a desert-like area. Because their ideals were similar, they lived in close proximity and interacted often.
There weren't enough Demons with Lucius for them to form a separate community anyway. Cooperating with one of the other races was in their best interest.
Nevertheless, the Sanctuary was a true world now, a world that would expand into a universe as soon as he could make it happen.
Seeing its growth, Damien couldn't help but be proud. He basked in this feeling for a few seconds before locating Jiao Mei.
Currently, she was with Xue'er, Elitra, and a few Elven girls. Just as she was about to speak, she found the scenery around her instantly shift.
"Jiao Mei, how've your past few months been?" Damien asked with a smile. He could see that the girl integrated into the Sanctuary's community well.
Jiao Mei's eyes widened when she heard his voice. "Ah! Where've you been?! How'd you get here? How'd I get here?" She fired off a flurry of confused questions.
Damien chuckled lightly and answered with a shrug. "I'm a spatial practitioner. If I couldn't do this much, it would be a disappointment."
Jiao Mei slowly regained her senses over the next few minutes and spoke to Damien about her love for the Sanctuary. It seemed she found true friends in Elitra and those elves and a little sister in Xue'er.
Hearing her talk, Damien almost didn't want to tell her about Seeking Lotus Palace. But in the end, he understood that the choice was ultimately hers to make.
"I came today to fulfill a promise I made to you 3 months back. How about it? Do you want to explore the world or do you want to stay here?"
