Abhay and Vamika stood together outside the grand Healing Pavilion. Inwardly, Abhay was practically bursting with excitement. Gazing out at the colossal islands floating in the sky, he thought to himself, "Wow! This is absolutely breathtaking. Standing on these islands high up in the sky... it feels like I'm flying."
Abhay was lost in his daydreaming, a giddy smile plastered across his face. Vamika, observing his childish excitement, allowed a faint, cryptic smile to touch her lips as well.
Suddenly, the blue light of the System interface flashed right before Abhay's eyes:
[ Target: Vamika Aghor is feeling Greed toward you. Mool-Ansh +0.001 ]
[ Target: Vamika Aghor is feeling Greed toward you. Mool-Ansh +0.001 ]
Alarm bells rang in Abhay's head. "Why the hell is Vamika feeling so greedy right now? How exactly is she looking at me?"
Confused and suddenly cautious, Abhay looked at her and asked, "Vrinda... what's wrong? Why are you smiling like that?"
Deflecting the question, Vamika replied, "It's nothing, Abhay. Come on, let's keep moving."
Abhay looked at the empty expanse ahead and asked, "Are we going to walk on thin air? Or is some giant flying beast coming to pick us up?"
Vamika chuckled softly. "No giant flying birds are coming, and we certainly aren't going to walk on air."
"Then how are we supposed to leave?" Abhay asked, bewildered.
Gesturing forward, Vamika simply said, "Just follow me." Saying this, she walked right to the absolute edge of the floating island and stepped forward.
For a split second, Abhay thought she was going to plunge to her death, but he was wrong. To his shock, Vamika phased right through an invisible wall in the air!
Witnessing this magic, Abhay was about to step forward when his System screen rapidly flashed again:
[ Target: Vamika Aghor is feeling Greed toward you. Mool-Ansh +0.001 ]
[ Target: Yamini is feeling Greed toward you. Mool-Ansh +0.001 ]
[ Target: Yamini is feeling Greed toward you. Mool-Ansh +0.001 ]
Abhay was dumbfounded by the new name on his screen. "Yamini? Who the hell is Yamini now? And why is this unknown person feeling greedy just by looking at me?"
From the other side of the invisible barrier, Vamika's voice called out. She was now standing next to an unknown figure. "Abhay... what's taking you so long? Come out quickly!"
Abhay was terrified internally, but what choice did he have? He was surrounded by the open sky with nowhere to run. With no other options left, he slowly approached the invisible wall.
He reached out his hand, trying to touch the anomaly. The moment his fingers pushed into the invisible barrier, the crisp sound of shattering glass echoed in his ears. Abhay slowly pushed his body through the barrier, stepping entirely to the other side.
The moment he set foot out, he realized he wasn't stepping on cold stone anymore, but on lush green grass. He opened his eyes, and his jaw dropped. The floating islands and the boundless blue sky were completely gone! Instead, he was standing in a dense, sunlit jungle surrounded by rocky terrain.
He looked around frantically, but Vamika was nowhere to be seen. Panicking, he yelled out, "Vrinda... Vrinda! Where are you?!"
Vamika and the woman standing next to her had merely concealed themselves. Seeing Abhay shouting in fear, they suddenly materialized right in front of him.
Seeing them appear out of thin air, Abhay stumbled back in shock. "Where did you disappear to?!" he asked, his heart pounding.
Vamika replied calmly, "We simply concealed our Aura so you couldn't spot us for a moment."
It was then that Abhay's eyes fell on the woman standing beside Vamika. She looked older than Vamika, exuding an aura of extreme danger and elegant beauty. Staring at her, Abhay asked hesitantly, "And... who is this girl standing next to you?"
Vamika laughed and said, "Her? She is one of our VIP Customers... who has come to pick up her 'Goods'."
A cold sweat broke out on Abhay's forehead. "Goods? What goods?"
Raising a finger, Vamika pointed directly at Abhay. With a chilling smile, she said, "You."
Abhay's entire world flipped upside down. "What?! I am the goods?!"
A primal sense of danger washed over him. Without a second thought, Abhay spun around to run for his life. But just as he took his first step, he tripped and fell flat on his face.
Before he could even react, Vamika was pinning him down with her knee planted firmly on his back. In her hands was a thick black rope, and she began tying his wrists and ankles with terrifying speed. Abhay thrashed around like a dying fish, trying desperately to break free, but it was completely futile. The physical strength of a Cultivator was on an entirely different level.
Vamika secured his bindings effortlessly. Then, pressing two fingers hard against a pressure point at the back of his neck, she struck. Abhay's thrashing stopped instantly, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
Having subdued him, Vamika stood up and looked at the customer. "Your goods have been packed, Senior Yamini. Would you like to make your payment in Spirit Stones or a precious Artifact?"
Yamini, whose eyes were gleaming with amusement after watching Abhay's pathetic struggle, smiled. "Very well. Here are 200 Spirit Stones and a 3rd-Grade Artifact."
She tossed a leather pouch toward Vamika. Catching her payment, Vamika happily opened the pouch to inspect the glowing stones inside.
Yamini then gestured toward a massive dark carriage parked in the shadows behind her. "Now, pick up the goods and throw him into my carriage."
Tying the pouch to her waist, Vamika bowed slightly. "Right away, Senior."