Chapter 721: Celebration

"Emperor!" Jia De Li Ya was slightly surprised, then bowed and greeted the other party.

Luo Sai Er gave a slight nod, naturally stopping Jia De Li Ya's bow, and then, in a senior's manner, said, "No need to be so formal; you are Jia De Li Ya, right? I often hear Beiernadai mention you."

"You are steadier than she described; at such a young age you're already a 'Prophecy Master.' When I was your age, I had just been promoted to 'Mystic Scholar.'"

He then turned to Fu Lan Ke, smiling, and said, "You're right; the city's greening is indeed an issue. Neither I nor that 'Erudite' have authority over life, so we can't make the city bloom with flowers and trees."

Fu Lan Ke was stunned; he hadn't expected the conversation to shift to him, nor that his words were heard by the now godlike Emperor Luo Sai Er.

He swallowed, and Fu Lan Ke suddenly felt his speech falter, awkwardly explaining:

"Luo, Emperor Luo Sai Er, I was just speaking offhand, like Ni Na said; not everyone likes an environment overrun with plants."

Luo Sai Er shook his head, smiled, and said, "Relax a bit, no need to be so tense; it's just a projection. Come and see the reckless little girl Beiernadai mentioned."

"Your words just now were fine; appropriate green accents can make people feel pleasant and make the city more livable. If you have ideas, you could provide suitable plant seeds to help improve the city's environment."

"No, he didn't." Jia De Li Ya opened her mouth but ultimately didn't say it; she was somewhat worried that Fu Lan Ke's taste might turn this "Divine Gifted City" into a mushroom city.

After returning, I'll talk to Fu Lan Ke and have him show me the seeds before providing them. Although his mushrooms are unlikely to cause a large-scale mutation here, he himself could be arrested as a terrorist.

"Someone else has arrived," he muttered softly, then turned to Jia De Li Ya and said:

"You can head toward the municipal plaza; there are more novel and fun things there."

As soon as his words ended, his figure merged into the city like a shadow, blending into the underlying rules.

After Luo Sai Er's silhouette vanished completely, the crew of the "Future Vessel" finally breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged glances, and exclaimed:

"I never imagined I'd one day see a living, no, truly Emperor Luo Sai Er, and be able to converse with him."

"Damn it, you didn't dare say a single word just now; your legs were shaking so hard you almost wet your pants."

"I've decided; I'm changing my faith. Compared to the 'Lord of Storms,' a legendary figure like Emperor Luo Sai Er is far more worthy of my belief and worship!"

Ignoring the noisy pirates around them, Ni Na patted her somewhat oversized chest and exhaled, saying:

"You scared me to death; even though Emperor Luo Sai Er seemed so kind, my heart kept racing uncontrollably. That feeling was more terrifying and oppressive than facing the monsters in the deep sea."

Jia De Li Ya nodded slightly, calmly explaining, "Even if it's just a projection, the entity doesn't diminish. If you follow the 'Lawyer' path, you could sense more; perhaps you'd faint on the spot."

At this point, Jia De Li Ya recalled that there was also a cat on her ship following the "Sheriff" path as a neighboring path; Pas might also sense some auras that ordinary mortals cannot.

While pondering, she anxiously looked around for Pas's figure and finally saw Pas lying motionless beneath a metal streetlamp post at the corner.

The spiritual intuition of the "Prophecy Master" let her instantly judge Pas's condition; he had already been frightened into unconsciousness.

On the other side of the city, the vanished Luo Sai Er appeared inside a magnificent palace, seated on the highest-backed chair.

"Those little guys are really cute; I said I'm just a projection and they believed me."

He muttered softly, then suddenly reached forward, pulling something out of thin air.

Figures, some bewildered, some calm, materialized out of nowhere, having been transferred directly from various parts of the city by Luo Sai Er.

Ke Lai En, still bearing the Ge Er Man Si Pa Luo image, was stunned for a moment, holding a skewer of candied hawthorn he had gotten from a street shop.

Fortunately this world had never had candied hawthorn before; otherwise my cold‑blooded adventurer image would have been ruined.

He muttered to himself, then calmly surveyed the hall and recognized many familiar figures: A Li An Na, the abbess of the Night Abbey; a blood clan member with eyes bright red as blood; a towering bishop of the Earth Church, half‑giant in stature; an elder wearing the robes of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom; the Mysterious Queen Beiernadai; and even the Fate Angel Urolius serving under the True Creator. Sitting at the highest seat, Luo Sai Er lifted his right hand, speaking in a deep, authoritative tone:

"Since you've come here, you're friends. Everyone, please take a seat."

As his words ended, chairs materialized on both sides of the hall, each laden with fruit, pastries, and drinks, apparently prepared in advance.

Ke Lai En scanned the surroundings and finally chose the seat to the left of A Li An Na.

After sitting, he turned slightly and gave a light nod, saying, "Long time no see, Ms. A Li An Na." "Long time no see, Mr. Sparo."

A Li An Na gave a slight nod and replied, showing no confusion at Ke Lai En's current appearance.

Indeed, the "Faceless One's" disguise was ineffective in the eyes of this hidden angel; after all, the Night Church trains diviners, and the goddess was once a subordinate deity of the "Destruction Demon Wolf," making her familiar with such disguises.

While pondering, he saw the blood clan member with eyes bright red as blood and a faint aura of strong life sitting to his left.

Before he could decide how to greet, the other party spoke first:

"Ge Er Man Si Pa Luo? You truly are a follower of the 'Fool,' or more precisely, a devotee."

"I am Fei Ao Er Duo, the 'Red Moon' Duke of the blood clan, representing the clan and its ancestors, here to attend the celebration launched by the Black Emperor and the Hermit."

Ke Lai En kept Ge Er Man Si Pa Luo's cold expression, gave a slight nod, and said nothing.

No wonder there were no royal members of Luen or Vusak, nor churches of the "Eternal Blazing Sun" or the "Lord of Storms"; the so‑called celebration was essentially a victory banquet.

As thoughts drifted, he saw the highest Luo Sai Er rise from his high‑backed chair, now holding a crystal goblet filled with deep red liquid, raising it toward everyone present.

"This cup celebrates our victory!"

The Mai Rui Si celebration lasted until the next morning; only then did everyone, exhausted, return to the inn and their assigned rooms. This was not the end—the public holidays continued. As post‑war restitution, the celebration would last five days in total, allowing everyone to fully relax and forget the sorrows of war.

Ke Lai En yawned, took the ferry and returned to Le Sai Er's port; although he is already a Tier‑3 Saint, he still isn't accustomed to staying up late drinking and celebrating.

After leaving the port, he randomly found an empty alley, prayed to himself and answered in his own way, left Nan Yin Di Si, and returned to Bei Ke Lan De.

Sensing the city's solemn, depressive atmosphere, Ke Lai En felt as if abruptly awakened from a dream.

"Actually, this is the true nature of the world; Mai Rui Si's revelry is merely a façade, a burst after prolonged suppression. When the celebration ends and they return to empty homes, their hearts will settle again."

Rekton's voice suddenly echoed, his silhouette outlined beside Ke Lai En as he gazed at the desolate, ruined capital of Wan Du, Bei Ke Lan De, and sighed softly.

Ke Lai En turned his head toward Rekton, puzzled, and asked, "If it's just a façade, why spend so much manpower and resources on a five‑day celebration instead of focusing on post‑war reconstruction?"

Rekton smiled and replied, "People need laughter and joy, a big laugh or a big cry to forget worries and sorrow. Moreover, the war never spread to the mainland of Yin Di Si."

Ke Lai En gave a gentle nod, sighed, stopped the topic, and asked, "How did you end up here?"

Rekton said evenly,

"Huo La Mi Ke Hai Dun, head of the Steam Church's Bei Ke Lan De diocese, Archbishop, and member of the Divine Council."

"After the Divine War in the Star Realm ended, he disappeared, along with the level‑2‑and‑above seals stored beneath the Steam Church in Bei Ke Lan De, as well as various archival documents the church kept."

Ke Lai En was briefly stunned, then thought of a mirror that had constantly been flattering him.

Rekton added promptly, "Among the seals taken by Huo La Mi Ke Hai Dun is also your sycophant, the 'Magic Mirror' A Luo De Si."

Ke Lai En's mouth twitched, wanting to object but finding no point, and asked, "Can you locate that Archbishop of the Steam Church?"

"Why do you think I appeared here?" Reckton tilted his head and asked back.

"Alright."

Klein sighed and nodded, reaching out to take a makeup mirror he had once touched from the historical rift, then reaching out to draw on the mirror's surface a symbol blending "hidden" and "peeping".

As the symbol was completed, no change occurred on the mirror's surface.

"Arrodes is no longer in Backlund."

(End of chapter)