From somewhere unseen, Lingfeng's laughter rippled faintly through Shen Hao's mind.
Tevalk's expression didn't relax. In fact, it seemed to harden into something between disbelief and resignation. He exhaled sharply through his nose, then turned toward the city's inner road. "Come on," he said, his voice clipped. "If you're serious, you're not telling me, you're telling the City Lord."
He didn't walk like a man escorting a friend. He walked like a man trying to outrun consequences. His pace wasn't the urgent sprint of a guard in crisis, but the steady, fast stride of someone determined to deliver troubling news before it grew teeth.
Shen Hao followed at an unhurried pace, hands folded behind his back, gaze drifting lazily to the surrounding streets. It could have been a garden stroll for him, the way he let his eyes wander over carved doorframes, flowering balconies, and the occasional spirit beast tethered outside a merchant's shop.
Lingfeng's presence hovered beside him, voice tinged with dry amusement. You know, there's a certain charm in how completely you ignore other people's panic.
"I prefer the term professional," Shen Hao murmured, eyes following the curve of a tiled roof.
The city's inner sector emerged after a gradual climb. Here, the buildings stood taller, their walls of clean-cut stone showing no cracks, their roofs edged in precise symmetry. The streets had fewer stalls, more patrols. Each step forward seemed to pull them further from the chaos of the market and deeper into the order of governance.
They stopped before a tall, unadorned structure set back from the street. It lacked the showy ornamentation of wealthy merchants' homes, yet its presence was solid, unyielding, the quiet confidence of a place that didn't need to prove its importance.
The gate guards straightened as they approached. Without hesitation, they brought their fists to their palms in salute, stepping aside to allow Tevalk through. Shen Hao received the same courtesy, though their eyes lingered on his masked face for a moment before turning forward again.
Inside, the estate's hallway was a study in restraint. Smooth, polished floors reflected the soft glow of lanterns hung at regular intervals. The air was cool, faintly scented with sandalwood. Footsteps echoed here, not loudly, but just enough to make one conscious of each step.
Tevalk led Shen Hao to a side room, where a man sat at a low table, drinking tea. His robe was black, its fabric plain yet of unmistakable quality. His hair, streaked lightly with silver, was tied back in a style that balanced simplicity and authority.
The City Lord looked up as they entered. His eyes took in Tevalk first, then the masked figure beside him. He set his cup down with unhurried grace.
"Tevalk," he said mildly, "you look… stressed. Who is this guest?"
Tevalk's reply came flat and humorless. "Someone who could have made my entire week easier by speaking up yesterday."
The City Lord's brow lifted. "…Oh?"
Shen Hao stepped forward, offering a respectful fist-in-palm salute. "Greetings, City Lord. I am Shen Hao. I came to Hollow City for the purpose of using the Celestial Nexus Array."
For a moment, the City Lord's expression remained still, not unwelcoming, but measured. Then a slow blink, a faint smile. "You came to what?"
"To use the array," Shen Hao repeated evenly.
"But it was just opened yesterday," the City Lord said, his voice carrying a note of disbelief.
"I know," Shen Hao said. "It was an impressive sight."
"You… want it opened again?" the City Lord pressed.
"Yes."
"This week?"
"Yes."
The City Lord's voice dropped into something more deliberate. "You have the funds?"
"One billion credits," Shen Hao said without hesitation. "Ready."
Silence filled the room, stretching long enough that the faint hiss of the tea's steam seemed loud. The City Lord leaned back slowly, as though buying himself the space to think, or to hide the brief flash of disbelief in his eyes.
"Two Nexus activations in one week…" His tone was quiet, but carried the weight of logistical headaches only a city official would fully appreciate.
"I tried to warn you," Tevalk added.
The City Lord sighed, the sound soft but resigned. "We're going to break records. And my filing workload."
Lingfeng's quiet murmur slipped into Shen Hao's thoughts. I think he's panicking politely.
The City Lord straightened, smoothing the front of his robe. His voice regained its formality. "Very well. Shen Hao, your request is approved. The array will be recharged and activated tomorrow at noon. I will personally oversee the process."
Shen Hao inclined his head. "Much appreciated, City Lord."
"Please," the City Lord continued, "spend the night in comfort. Rest well. The ceremony requires precise timing."
"I've arranged lodging already," Shen Hao said. "A simple room will suffice."
"Excellent. Tevalk will see you back."
Once outside, Tevalk's composure cracked enough for a low grumble. "Next time, just say something. I nearly resigned."
"You handled it well," Shen Hao replied. "Barely any twitching."
"Goodnight, Shen Hao. And try not to set off another citywide event before breakfast."
Tevalk peeled away toward the gate, one hand rubbing at his temple.
Shen Hao walked alone through the dimming streets. Lanterns glowed warm against the deepening blue of the sky. The crowd had thinned, leaving the sound of his steps and the occasional distant laugh.
He found his inn easily, a modest place tucked between two shops. The room was plain: a clean bed, a small table, a narrow balcony that looked out over tiled rooftops.
He dropped his bag on the floor, sat at the bed's edge, and let his gaze drift out the window. The moonlight washed the city in silver, softening the sharp lines of its walls and towers.
"One more step," he murmured to himself. Then he lay back, eyes closing, his thoughts narrowing to the single purpose that awaited him at noon.
Morning in Hollow City began quietly, not because the people were slow to rise, but because anticipation has a way of dulling the usual noise. Even the hawkers in the lower district spoke in measured tones, their shouts replaced with murmurs about what was to come.
The sunlight crept in over the city's rooftops, casting long shadows that retreated inch by inch. Shen Hao walked through them with the same measured steps he had carried the night before. His black-and-silver mask caught the light in fleeting glints, each flash gone before it could settle.
There was no hurry in him, and yet the streets seemed to clear as he passed. Perhaps it was his composure. Perhaps it was the weight of the billion credits' worth of intent in his stride. Or perhaps it was simply the fact that everyone knew why he was walking toward the mountain.
By the time he reached the Nexus plaza, the city was awake, and waiting.
The plaza sat high, carved into the mountaintop like a crown. The air here was cooler, thinner, touched by the whisper of distant winds. Today, the crowd was larger than the day before. People had climbed the mountain hours before dawn to secure a place, huddled in cloaks against the early chill.
Shen Hao stepped into the outer edge of the assembly. Conversations faltered. Faces turned. The path ahead cleared in slow ripples, as if the crowd itself recognized the gravity of his purpose. Some whispered behind cupped hands. Others simply stared.
Is that him?
The one from yesterday?
Two activations in one week… impossible.
Lingfeng drifted unseen beside him, voice light in the private quiet of Shen Hao's mind. You should wave. It's practically a parade.
"I'll wave after I survive," Shen Hao replied, without changing his pace.
At the front of the plaza, the guards were waiting. They wore the city's black-and-gold, their spears capped with a faint shimmer of protective wards. Each saluted in turn before falling into step around him, guiding him toward the raised platform at the plaza's heart.
The Nexus stood there, a ring of great stone circles, each carved with runes that had been etched, re-etched, and renewed across centuries. The faintest hum came from it even now, like the quiet breath of something vast but sleeping.
The murmurs died as the City Lord arrived.
He walked with unhurried steps, his black robe trailing like the shadow of a passing cloud. His expression was composed, but there was a subtle weight in his eyes, the look of a man who had accepted that the day would be more complicated than it needed to be.
He stopped before the platform's edge and raised one hand for silence. His voice, carried by Qi, rolled across the mountaintop.
"Citizens of Hollow City… I am honored, truly honored, to announce…" He paused, exhaled heavily, "…that the Celestial Nexus Array will open again."
The crowd stirred. Surprise. Excitement. Disbelief. Somewhere in the middle, a sharp laugh broke the air before being swallowed by the mass of bodies.
"Yesterday," the City Lord continued, "we witnessed a historic event. Today… we will do it again." His tone was not celebratory. It was the voice of a man marking down a date in the record books while mentally calculating the paperwork.
Lingfeng murmured privately, He aged twelve years overnight.
The City Lord turned to Shen Hao. "Honored cultivator, may your path be clear, and please, do not come back tomorrow."
Shen Hao inclined his head in respect. "You have my word."
The platform was his now. He stepped forward to the center, the sound of his boots on the stone ringing once, twice, three times, and then silence.
The rings began to wake.
First, a low vibration in the ground. Then the runes lit, faintly at first, then brighter, their colors deepening like coals in a forge. One by one, the great stone circles began to turn, each rotation smoother than the last, until their movement blurred.
The air thickened. Qi surged upward in invisible waves. And then, the sky split.
Lightning cracked across the horizon. Snow fell in sudden flurries, melting the moment it touched the ground. Sunlight burned through a hole in the clouds only to be chased away by a roaring wind that carried the scent of rain. Flowers bloomed from cracks in the stone, scattering petals that dissolved into motes of light.
Every realm, every season, every storm seemed to take its turn in the space of heartbeats.
Shen Hao raised his voice against the chaos. "I've already done this once! Can we skip the weather show?"
Mo Han's reply was steady. "It is unavoidable. The Nexus disturbs the flow of time."
Lingfeng sounded faintly unsettled. I think I aged five years just watching this. Maybe six.
The array reached its peak. The spinning slowed, not from weakness, but from focus. At the center, the air bent inward, folding and twisting until it became something more than space. Light deepened to a tunnel of stars, stretching forward into an unending corridor.
Shen Hao turned one last time toward the City Lord. He offered a final fist-in-palm salute, a gesture of respect, acknowledgment, and closure.
Then he faced forward.
And stepped through.
Light swallowed him whole. The air stilled. And just like that, Shen Hao was gone, vanished into the silent pull of the stars.