In just a second or two, the floating island became completely barren.
The clear starlight pouring down from the sky flowed silently as if it were substantial, outlining layer upon layer of buildings, overlapping each other. Even just the revealed silhouettes were so stunning that it was hard to look away.
Gradually, colors appeared on the outline of the city, sketched by the clear starlight, as if composed of a vast number of illusory things, shifting chaotically and combining with each other.
In the Land of Perfection of the Astral World, a golden-yellow magic cube, inscribed with numerous symbolic signs and magical marks, rotated spontaneously until the patterns on each face were perfectly aligned.
A golden light was just about to flare up when it was dissolved into nothingness.
Strands of solidified black mist appeared out of thin air, intertwining to form a figure with many eyes, draped in a black cloak, who took the golden magic cube into his hand.
As he moved, black mist continuously overflowed from him and drilled into the golden magic cube, casting a layer of shadow over its golden surface.
As the golden magic cube was sealed, the surroundings instantly shifted from noon to dusk.
"Almost there," Leyton muttered to himself, then casually tossed out the golden magic cube.
Having done all this, his figure rapidly disintegrated, reverting to pure black mist, and re-integrated with this divine kingdom.
A golden ray of sunlight flashed across the Astral World, directly submerging into the Specter Empire, which was covered by starlight in reality, disappearing amidst the fluctuating colors.
As if a catalyst had been added, the light on the floating island rapidly solidified, transforming into peculiar, substantial high-rise buildings, dozens to hundreds of meters tall, connected by a complex, spiderweb-like network of roads.
At the very center of these high-rises was a tower, primarily golden-yellow, adorned with constellations.
The brilliant Stars in the sky had disappeared at some point, and a not-too-blinding sunlight once again fell upon the earth, shining on the hundreds-of-meters-tall Tower, illuminating it with a brilliant golden light that spread along the inscribed patterns on the Tower to the ground, extending to every corner of the city.
In less than two seconds, this peculiar city, standing on the floating island, was lit up. Lights of blue, white, red, or green appeared dim under the daylight sun, like scattered stars decorating the city.
To everyone's astonishment, the city seemed to come alive, revealing a strange, magnificent, and grand side.
Its existence seemed to transcend time, to surpass the limits of human imagination. It was not a creation of the current society, nor of any other era; it was a kind of miracle.
Roselle's figure once again projected into the sky. He spread his arms, looking down at everyone below, and said in a relaxed tone:
"Welcome to Meris, the capital of Southern Intis, the city bestowed by God, the pinnacle of miracles and art, the convergence of knowledge and civilization."
"This place welcomes any seeker of knowledge, every citizen of Southern Intis, and believers in knowledge and civilization."
"The upcoming coronation ceremony and celebration will take place here. Everyone, the Meris shuttle has stopped at the port. Please proceed. Next, you will witness a miracle belonging to Southern Intis."
As Roselle's words fell, the crowd in the city below became uncontrollably restless, buzzing with excitement, constantly whispering to each other, occasionally standing on tiptoe to peer ahead, urging those in front to hurry.
On the other side of the sea, Stars appeared out of thin air, densely packed and dazzling, casting down rays of starlight.
Under the operation of the Constellations Masters, the scattered starlight miraculously constructed transparent and brilliant long bridges, connecting the city descending from the sky with the ships.
On the Future, which was covered with a layer of starlight, Cattleya slightly turned her head and said to the crew members behind her:
"Let's go too."
Ottolov, as the chief Sailor, subconsciously asked:
"Everyone together? No one needs to stay and guard the ship?"
Cattleya shook her head and said, "Not here."
With that, her body was lifted by shimmering starlight and flew directly onto the starlight-brilliant long bridge, stepping forward.
Behind her, Frank, Ottolov, and Nina, among others, also jumped onto the long bridge formed by condensed starlight, following their captain's pace, occasionally whispering to each other, guessing what the interior of that strange city ahead would be like.
Above the Gray Fog, Klein and Leyton watched this scene together. While marveling, he looked at Leyton and asked:
"Is this the ability of a Paragon? Directly conjuring a city out of thin air?"
"Not exactly out of thin air," Leyton shook his head, then explained, "The blueprints and materials were prepared by Roselle and me beforehand. I merely skipped the construction process and completed it directly."
"This is the Future development direction of this world that I have set. With this initial goal, the development of society and civilization will, under various direct or indirect influences, move towards this direction."
"Want to go down and take a look? How boring is it to watch a live broadcast alone?"
You're not human? Klein silently grumbled in his heart, then nodded expressionlessly.
Ending their brief exchange, Klein relied on praying to himself and responding to himself, using the Box of the Great Old Ones placed above the Gray Fog to directly transfer his body.
The "City Bestowed by God" Meris ahead was protected by divine power and rules, so he could not directly transfer there. He could only choose the nearby Lessel as his landing spot and take the shuttle with the surrounding crowd.
In the meeting room at the top of the central round tower in the City of Silver, in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Derrick participated in this meeting as the new elder of the Council of Six, personally recounting the detailed process of their exploration of the Giant King's Court and the final results.
Finally, he added, "According to Mr. Fool's hint, outside the palace gate of the Giant King's Court is the Sea of Ruins. By passing through that dangerous sea area, we can enter the normal world outside."
"However," at this point, Derrick suddenly paused, his tone becoming a bit somber:
"However, that Sea of Ruins has undergone a significant change. The rules we had previously summarized are no longer applicable. We need to re-explore it, or find other ways to directly bypass that area."
Across from Derrick, a burly man with a shaved head, dark green symbols tattooed on his scalp, and a height of nearly two and a half meters, nodded and asked:
"What about Gehrman Sparrow, who helped you explore the Giant King's Court?"
"He has already left, with the help of Mr. Fool."
Saying this, Derrick suddenly paused, and after realizing what Elder Wyatt wanted to ask, he shook his head and said:
"Mr. Sparrow is a Blessed of Mr. Fool, and besides, we have too many people in the City of Silver."
"I will try to seek help from others at Future gatherings. Perhaps, some existences at the angel level will have a solution."
Colin Iliad raised his hand, interrupting the other elders' questions, his gaze sweeping around before finally settling on Derrick and saying:
"After this, Elder Derrick will lead an exploration team to the Giant King's Court to find a way to pass through that Sea of Ruins."
"The other elders will take turns staying in the City of Silver, going out to hunt Monsters, and collecting Beyonder characteristic and materials. This is the best bargaining chip we can offer for trade."
With no one opposing Chief Colin Iliad's proposal, Derrick's first Council of Six meeting thus concluded.
Even after walking out of the round Tower and hearing the guards' greetings, Derrick still felt a sense of unreality, somewhat unaccustomed to the changes brought by his elder status.
In "City Bestowed by God" Meris, the people, who were originally burdened by the split of Intis, the return of Emperor Roselle, and the changes in faith and the Church, and felt lost about the Future, were gradually drawn in by this magnificent city, forgetting their troubles and feeling only astonishment.
The crew of the Future, who boarded this city from another side, scattered in small groups, curiously observing their surroundings, occasionally reaching out to touch things, showing no demeanor or awareness of Beyonders whatsoever.
An islander from the Archipelago Province couldn't help but imagine:
"The Archipelago Province has also been assigned to Southern Intis. When I earn enough money, perhaps I can live here in the Future."
Sailor Nina looked around and retorted:
"Only the most devout believers would have a chance to come to a place like this, unless every day is a celebration and festival like today, or you're willing to abandon your faith in the Storm and embrace knowledge."
As she spoke, she turned her head to Cattleya, seeking her opinion.
The latter shook her head and said calmly:
"Since the Emperor said that any Southern Intis person can come here, it must be true. However, if too many people come here, there will inevitably be some selection mechanism."
"How will they be selected? Based on their devotion to faith? Or their contributions to the nation?" Nina pressed.
Cattleya gently shook her head and said, "Perhaps both, or perhaps the breadth of their knowledge."
Ottolov, the chief Sailor, chuckled, a bit gleefully:
"Heh, just as I thought. This is an impossible standard for most pirates. They might not even recognize all the words, but we, as believers in 'Knowledge,' are an exception."
"I can already imagine my leisurely and wonderful old age."
Frank, who had been showing little interest, frowned and asked, somewhat confused:
"Why live in this city? There isn't a single plant here, only steel, glass, and concrete everywhere. There's no sign of life at all. It's an extremely poor environment."
Nina snorted, somewhat displeased, and said:
"Frank, not everyone likes living in the primitive jungle. That often means having to sleep with mosquitoes."
"Herbs to repel mosquitoes are simple," Frank countered.
"It's not about herbs, it's…"
Nina's words suddenly caught in her throat. She saw a familiar yet strange figure suddenly appear ahead.
It was Roselle, wearing a dark red coat with rusty golden threads, with curly chestnut hair, blue eyes, a high nose, and two neatly trimmed small mustaches.