The final destination for the moment was the Gale Lowlands, which meant stopping just short of reaching Yustina’s old country. John was willing to request that they visit the area later, as his own curiosity was sufficient even if she was unwilling to do so herself. He didn’t intend to cause an incident, of course, but if one happened he could manage it.
For the moment, however, they were nearing the end of the road. Their escorts were shielding the whole caravan from rather serious winds that changed directions seemingly on a whim. John was surprised at how much plant life still remained regardless. Few trees… but grass that grew tall enough to act like trees was present. Actual trees might not survive.
It was unlikely the winds only ever got this fast. With the rapid direction changes, any rigid structure would be damaged. The massive blades of grass bent downwards, flopping in whatever direction the wind blew. In the infrequent moments of stillness, the average level of the grass was five meters high, growing taller further away from the roads. It was impossible to view the horizon most of the time, except along the straight path of the road. At each crossroads John could see between four and eight directions and nowhere else.
Obviously he would see more if he flew above the group, but he was willing to be surprised with whatever sights appeared. They wouldn’t have been taken on a tour of the continent if their final destination wasn’t also meant to impress. That would just be embarrassing.
The very first thing John saw was a lone tower, though he didn’t recognize it as such at first. That was because it was alone and terribly distant. As the rest of the city began to rise up around it, however, it became more clear.
The direction they had been chosen to approach from was very intentional… or perhaps all roads were slated to receive such a view. Buildings spiraled upwards around the central tower, growing larger until the grandest of them was just a fifth shorter than the main tower itself. The decreasing heights continued outwards until the very edge of the city. That was sufficient to impress on its own, but there was more.
As the winds shifted, the buildings leaned. At first he’d just felt something was weird, but as he’d looked closer, using spiritual energy to enhance his eyes, he saw it. Technically, that was true of tall buildings on Earth… but it was less extreme. Perfectly rigid structures wouldn’t stand, but flexible structures might bend too far. They could also crash into each other. These seemed to gently repel each other, perhaps with the help of some sort of formations.
It was still insane. It was also surprisingly beautiful, with the buildings reflecting the light of the sun. John suspected the way it did so was not accidental.
As they continued to approach the city, John felt the ambient levels of fire and light increasing, while the air element remained similar in quantity. Something about the city specifically drew in the other elements, which was no surprise given that the Bright Trinity used all three elements. Aldara had come from that sect, and it had risen to even greater prominence along with her. All others were ultimately subordinate to them, though they obviously maintained some autonomy.
John wondered if being at the top of those towers would be wildly unpleasant. Regardless of anything else, the experience was likely only suited for cultivators. If it was at all positive, John no doubt thought he would find himself in such a position at some point.
The city that was really just the core sect of the Bright Trinity, also serving as the capital of the Empire of Elements, was astounding. John wondered how much of it had existed before Aldara’s time. If she had created all this herself… well, work under dictators could be surprisingly efficient.
Perhaps John was falling into some of the trappings of power, but he didn’t think that being a dictator was entirely bad, if the person in charge was decent. And as far as cultivators went, Aldara was far from the worst. Regardless of any connection to Matayal, she had some sort of integrity. John would save final judgements until he knew more about the places within the empire that they hadn’t visited.
A short time later Aldara revealed herself. If he were actively searching, John could have picked her out. However, when she didn’t wish to be noticed she could easily blend in with the background. When she revealed her power, she rose above the city, looking towards the approaching caravan.
John decided to fly up to meet her. After all, when she had come directly into the heart of Astrein on her own she had done much the same.
A dome shaped barrier fit the city perfectly, and John skimmed a short distance above the surface so as not to disturb it. Aldara kept her position until he arrived a few moments later.
“Welcome to the Bright Trinity, the core of the Empire of Elements. My sect.”
Her sect. Like it was her house. Given the presence of Elder Roi and certain others, it was likely that the Bright Trinity had been powerful before her appearance… but it was hard to argue that her status as an Exalted Soul Phase cultivator wasn’t sufficient to elevate it. Even before that, she’d still become the empress, which displayed her ability to coordinate people.
“Thank you,” John said. “It is a beautiful city. How much of this was put together by yourself?”
“That was the previous peak,” Aldara said, pointing to one of the structures at the second height. “Its siblings and the central tower were formed under my rule, and the rest of the city was rearranged to fit.”
Had she torn down and rebuilt an entire city just for that? No, it was actually feasible to rearrange buildings with sufficiently powerful cultivators. They could just shove them around, foundations and all. Stabilizing buildings in a new position would be viable as well.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
John clearly wasn’t abusing his position enough. He thought Lunson had become quite impressive. The Six Elements Crossroads had fantastic sect grounds, the arena was a major draw, and the rest of the city was prosperous… but seeing things like this let him realize how much his thinking was influenced by his first life.
Then again, why shouldn’t it be? Beauty was worth creating, but there was some level that was excessive. Though perhaps employing cultivators to shift around a city would be beneficial not just to the economy but also to their own training. John should search for projects that could be done that wouldn’t ruin the natural state of the regions they were in. Though choosing a precise location would no doubt come with a lot of political maneuvering and at least the appearance of favoritism for whoever most directly benefitted.
“I will greet the rest of your retinue when they arrive at the city itself,” Aldara commented. “They deserve at least that much, especially those with which I had prior acquaintance.”
She had been friends with Steve and Yustina. About as close as anyone got. Then again, John had been married to Matayal but he was barely even a friendly acquaintance with Aldara. And friendly was sometimes stretching it.
“I have brought a number of those who share previous lives,” John said. “And a couple I suspect of such.”
“You are strong enough you need not concern expressing yourself honestly,” Aldara commented. “Who exists that could force us to have caution? As long as we retain our allies, of course. An empress alone would have no place to lay her head in rest.”
“I just didn’t get along that well with Mandlen,” John said. “So I never quite felt like it was worth confirming.”
“Because you took in all the others as friends,” Aldara agreed. “A powerful arrangement. Though I know that wasn’t your only intention.”
At some point, John might have said that his only intention was to be friends. However, it was more honest to say that it was one of his primary motivations. Even early on, he’d understood the value of surrounding himself with those that were powerful- or might become powerful. He just limited himself to those he got along with. He still wasn’t particularly interested in buddying up with people just because they were strong, though he was better at faking it enough to not offend people.
Aldara continued to look down towards the approaching caravan. The speed with which they traveled was significant, so it wouldn’t take them terribly long to reach the city. Probably just a few more minutes now. “I recall a rare few interactions with Sitora. And her presence during my death.”
“Her presence likely made our survival possible,” John said. “Though she wasn’t exactly a friend at the time. I have found her to be among the best of those from the Sky Islands.”
“And the worst was at the top. Which was why you squashed her under her own island.”
“... It made sense at the time,” John shrugged.
“I approve. One must make significant moves, lest others find you overly timid. At the same time, restraint is necessary. How is… Steve?”
“He’s better at restraint. When he wants to be. Not that anyone looking for trouble would let him provoke them anymore, unless they’re a massive fool.”
“Seating arrangements have been chosen with such personalities in mind.” She leaned forward slightly. “Our children married. And the daughter of that relationship has named a leviathan child Carl.”
“That’s right,” John said.
“I find that sort of understated naming quite amusing.”
“It’s great, isn’t it?” John grinned. “Everyone is surprised when Carl shows up.”
-----
John was aware of many important figures before he was introduced to them. Such information had been helpfully provided before his trip, though he wished they had pictures and not… flattering portraits. Some folk he didn’t recognize. John doubted it was because a particular portrait had been copied too many times.
Light cultivators had preserved images in the past. As they grew more powerful, simple utility became less appealing to many… but John actually thought such small conveniences were some with the greatest merit. Maybe using his influence to promote more such things would be worthwhile.
The Empire of Elements didn’t host grand tournaments, though there were overheard whispers that they might soon do so. Various localities held their own, but they weren’t continent-spanning. John would have liked to take credit for it, but it was already functional before he arrived. He just helped expand it, in part by making visitors more comfortable. Compartmentalizing different spiritual energies wasn’t part of that, though people did still prefer training rooms much of the time.
Certain other names that John came to know hadn’t been brought up before. There were about a dozen individuals, overlapping with the previous list of notable characters. Most likely, the entire group would overlap given more time- but some of those with previous lives were still young. And one had taken over an older body when he transmigrated. An unusual occurrence, but not impossible. Older cultivators could still fail in a similar manner where their cultivation and- perhaps their soul- were heavily damaged. John didn’t really know what had happened to Fortkran- the soul. And Deirdre. Steve knew even less, because the fellow he inhabited had been insignificant and seemingly unknown by any around where he died.
John would have suspected Transmigrations to be less common. Two deaths becoming one was… strange. However, the ‘club’ actually had more of them than the other kind. From Aldara’s explanations, her findings leaned eight to six in favor of reincarnation. Fourteen individuals in all compared to five plus some maybes.
John would be directly confronting Mandlen before whatever meeting would occur with the group. Even if he wasn’t reincarnated, he still deserved to take part in the rest of the diplomatic activities. But if he was, he might have valuable insights to offer.
Perhaps it didn’t matter how each individual came to be. Yet even so, understanding the broader mechanics could be valuable for recognizing others. Such people usually displayed great potential, and in truth John just thought it was an interesting subject worth learning about even if there weren’t any practical applications.
Obviously he wasn’t thinking about going back. At best, he could meet some great grand nephews and nieces, but likely just cousins even further removed than that who wouldn’t expect him to exist. Despite the various points of sadness in his current life, he did like his life. That was why he was so determined to protect it.
