This was the first time the mermaid artifact spirit was seeing a human and the only reason she even reorganized it was because she had faint memories from the time when people still lived here.
Even if her spirit body hadn't formed back the, she still had a level of consciousness. This consciousness accumulated the words and voices of the people that lived in the city, taking it as nourishment.
Only when it had all reached a certain level, would it form its own 'being'.
In some ways, it could be said that the Artifact spirit of the city was a culmination of every inhabitants memories and energies.
"So who are you?" Lin Mu asked the mermaid again.
"Me? I'm Lanbao and I'm Eighty thousand, six hundred and twenty years old." She introduced herself.
<anno data-annotation-id="77505453-8c4a-6678-c18d-bb698aa5caab">"Lanbao…" Lin Mu muttered, finding it similar to the city's name Deep Sapphire.</anno>
Elder Niji looked at the mermaid, wondering if she knew anything about his ancestors.
"You said you've been here for over eighty thousand years. Does that mean you never say any Haima before?" Elder Niji questioned.
"No… when I was born, I was all alone. The voices I heard when I didn't have a form were all gone…" Lanbao said in a sad voice.
"So no one was here?" Lin Mu asked again, finding it a bit weird.
"No… no one." Lanbao shook her head.
'How's that possible? Without anyone here, how can the artifact spirit be nurtured?' Lin Mu wondered.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be like that. The artifact might have already gained enough from the earlier presence of the Haima people. That is also why she knows of their existence and can speak. Its primitive form of consciousness had absorbed it all.
Having that, all it needed was enough time and energy to take form. Which happened a few thousand years after the departure of the Haima people." Xukong explained.
"I see. But didn't it take a little too long, senior? I mean, if a peak grade immortal tool takes more than fifty thousand years to develop an artifact spirit, no Immortal realm cultivator would be able to nurture an artifact spirit of that level." Lin Mu questioned.
"There are several factors that come into play here. While peak grade immortal tools do take longer to develop Artifact spirit, you mustn't forget there are difference even between them.
For example, this artifact spirit Lanbao is formed from an entire city. The size difference alone would make it worth several immortal tools and thus the time needed to nurture would also take long." Xukong answered.
"Oh, I understand now." Lin Mu replied. "Does this mean any city can form an artifact spirit like this over time?" he asked.
"You've already seen the formation spirits, right? They are more common in cities. A true born artifact spirit like this is very rare. Most spirits for cities are formed from the arrays that govern the city.
Not to mention, the city also needs to be in harmony for it to be considered a proper peak grade immortal tool. Otherwise it would be a composite immortal tool and wouldn't be able to birth an artifact spirit." Xukong explained.
Lin Mu had already seen Composite tools before, with the War Castle Jing being one. It was even on the pseudo Immortal level, and could have become an immortal tool if it had better harmony.
The Myriad Armament Canopy Abode though had a great chance of turning into an immortal tool as well as developing an artifact spirit. After all, it had been developed and improved by several generations of the Jing clan.
Lin Mu missed the Jing clan a little now. But knew that this was not the time for it and thus focused on the situation before him.
"Lanbao, what happened to the people here? I mean, from when you still have some memories?" Elder Niji asked instead.
"Mmm… I remember there being a lot of unease in the city and its people. That was one of the last memories I have of them. I could feel the unease filling me and it lasted until one day it disappeared.
But along with it, all the people had been gone too. My mind fell into a slumber soon after that, and when I came to my senses, I had been born." Lanbao replied, impressing Lin Mu a little.
'She certainly has decent intelligence to answer a contextual question like this.' Lin Mu thought.
Elder Niji though, had a different reaction. He went through the bloodline memories and knew what had really happened.
"The last memory of hers was of about 113,000 years ago." Elder Niji said after comparing the time line.
"Are you sure?" Lin Mu asked doubtfully.
"Yes. Lanbao entering a slumber also coincides with the great suppression of the empires. The array they used restrained the very oceans themselves, which might have had an effect on the city as well." Elder Niji replied.
"I see… that's why she doesn't have a proper memory of them leaving." Lin Mu muttered.
"Ah yes! Lanbao almost forgot!" The mermaid suddenly spoke loudly. "The ceremony! The ceremony needs to be done!" she said.
"Ceremony? What ceremony?" Lin Mu asked.
"The Ceremony to transfer ownership, of course." Lanbao replied. "The city can only be owned by someone of the Haima tribe. Unless the ceremony is done, the city will not fully open." She explained further.
"She means the branding. Have Elder Niji put a brand on the core of the city, only then will they be able to fully utilize the city." Xukong suggested.
Lin Mu nodded his head and looked at Elder Niji.
"You'll need to do this, elder Niji. Let the Deep Sapphire Island return to its true owners." Lin Mu spoke.
"Of course. It has been too long." Elder Niji agreed.
"Lanbao, take us to the core of the city." Lin Mu requested.
"Sure! Come with me!" Lanbao replied with a smile, her tears having disappeared.
Since she was a spirit, her tears had been illusory since the start.
<annotations style="display: none;"><ol class="tinymce-annotation-container"><li data-annotation-id="77505453-8c4a-6678-c18d-bb698aa5caab">Lanbao means sapphire in chinese.</li></ol></annotations>",
