The mountain’s peak pierced through the clouds. It was difficult to put into words how magnificent it was. It was not an exaggeration to call it a divine mountain. Colorful rainbow bridges connected many beautiful palaces on the mountainside of the divine mountain. Floating platforms surround the rainbow bridges. They were either filled with diamond-like fruit trees or weapons of various kinds. There were also dark cannon barrels on some of the platforms. Even though they were a few hundred meters apart, they were clearly visible from the ground.
Those platforms floated on their own accord. They would occasionally turn in another direction as if they were patrolling the surroundings and ensuring the divine mountain’s safety. Outside those platforms were rolling clouds, and the faint roars of magical beasts could be heard from within. Lophis noticed a giant diamond-encrusted dragon and an ice-flower-encrusted Phoenix flew by.
The magical beast he saw vanished as he rubbed his eyes. Only the peak remained in the clouds; he wondered if he was dreaming.
Even though it was winter, there was only light snow in the sky, and the sun was a deep red, the divine mountain in front of him was unaffected. The snowflakes would melt as soon as they entered the sky above the divine mountain. The mountain and the outside world appeared to be worlds apart.
Furthermore, the walls of the sacred mountain facing Lophis were platinum in color. A platinum staircase extended down from the foot of the floating mountain to the ground and then toward Vermillion Town.
The mountain’s east side was green. It grew lush vegetation, and a massive eagle with its wings spread was carved into the mountain. He recognized it as the symbol of Monte Town’s Wind Eagle. The free wind blew through the forest.
On the other side of the mountain, he saw a massive cliff with lava that fell like a waterfall. Pinging sounds echoed from the platinum palaces on the other side as if someone was forging a divine artifact, and there was a large red torch pattern at the top of the mountain.
Lophis could not see what was on the back of the mountain from the northern side, but he guessed that it was something quite extraordinary. That divine mountain that spanned more than half the border was unique on every side, like a celestial kingdom left behind by a god in the human world.
“Am I dreaming?”
Lophis muttered to himself. He realized why Adele had such a terrified expression on her face. He was horrified as well when he saw what was in front of him. The presence of such a majestic divine mountain made him feel small, especially while in the platinum tunnel. His fear grew as the tunnel rose automatically and gradually approached the divine mountain. His legs could not stop trembling.
A bright color flashed across his eyes at that moment. It had a hint of blue to it.
He lowered his head. He would have already climbed tens of meters up the platinum passage. He realized at that point that the entire floating mountain range was not land. The original land had become a vast ocean. The blue sea surface reflected the dim sunlight, causing strange colors to refract.
Thick white fog floated on the sea’s surface, so Lophis missed the fact that the land in front of him had turned into an ocean. There seemed to be a huge black ship floating in the sea. Countless black shadows floated beside it, and the voices of the dead could be heard. If the mountain in the sky was magnificent and could make people think of a godly kingdom, then the sea underneath it was the polar opposite. It felt as if it would bring endless fear and death.
Lophis felt suffocated as he stared at the sea for a while and quickly averted his gaze.
He became acutely aware of a problem. The border had changed dramatically. The original land had become the sea, and the ground was floating in the sky. Who had done all that? Was it a deity?
There was one more point. Lophis noticed the patterns of Monte Town and Torch Town on the mountain. That proved that those two towns were either on the mountain or were related to it. However, Vermillion Town remained in its original location, with only a descending staircase leading to its entrance. What happened?
“Is it possible that the border count intends to expel Vermillion Town from the border?”
Lophis thought back to what the border count had said a few days before that. Those who did not travel to Blackmoon Town would be expelled from the border. During those days, the border count had not sent anyone to Vermillion Town, and with Adele’s explanation, he felt that the border count’s previous threats were just words. However, he changed his mind as he stood in front of the divine mountain; he realized that Vermillion Town had been dismissed.
Only Vermillion Town remained beneath the divine mountain after the other towns had all converged on it. What was the distinction between that and exile? However, he did not understand it. The border was not like that a few days ago; how did the world change so drastically in such a short period. Even a platinum-tier elite could not accomplish such a feat, right?
“Did a god descend into the world to establish his divine kingdom?”
Lophis could not stop muttering to himself. He crossed his hands in front of his chest. He was not a devout believer, but he muttered a prayer at that moment.
While his thoughts raced, he had already ascended the platinum stairs to the divine mountain’s summit.
The first thing that caught his eye was a neatly organized manor. The manor’s walls were forged with platinum-tier walls, and the houses inside were large palaces. Perhaps they were not palaces; he saw a luxuriously dressed manor owner dissatisfied with the palace’s location. He ordered the palace to transform into a massive giant rock golem and ascend from the ground.
There was a large area of farmland outside the manor, and more than a dozen farmers were on the farmland.
Lophis was not sure if he should call those people farmers because they were dressed in glittering golden robes that appeared to be gold-tier armor, and the hoes in their hands seemed to be gold-tier as well. The wheat seedlings grew taller as they worked the field. Even the wheat that grew was different; every grain was perfectly clear.
“It is as one would expect from a country built by the gods. Even the farmland is unique. It’s not just the quality of the wheat; the growth rate alone is incomparable to other crops.” Lophis exclaimed as he gazed at the farmland scenery.
There were numerous such manors visible from the top of the mountain. The higher they rose, the more beautiful they became. The farmer attended to the farmland as he flashed a starlight ring in his hand in front of the manor on the upper level. After a while, the previously empty farmland was filled with rich wheat. Lophis was stunned.
He also noticed a few knights fighting on the specially designed training field. One of the knights shattered the weapon in his hand. Then, he twisted his starlight ring, and a brand-new gold longsword appeared in his hand.
Lophis swallowed his saliva because he was thirsty.
He realized that almost everyone there wore a ring on their finger as if it were the divine mountain’s symbol. He was thirsty, and when he looked up, he discovered that the trees by the roadside were brimming with fruits of two different colors. One was as hot as the sun, the other as bright as the moon, and both had a delicate fragrance.
The power in his body seemed to grow when he smelled it. He walked toward the tree and picked one of the golden-red fruits. A voice from the side interrupted him.
“You entered from the outside, right? Are you here to conduct business?”
Lophis turned around; the person who spoke to him was a farmer who had just finished working on the farmland. He was holding a gold-tier hoe and wiping his sweat with a similarly gold-tier towel draped around his neck. There was a friendly smile on his face. Lophis was a little nervous, despite his handsome face.
Almost all of the farmers there were ridiculously attractive, leading him to believe that it was the land of the gods. He mumbled, “Yes, I entered from the outside. I am curious if you are a god’s servant.”
“A god’s servant?”
The farmer’s face changed to a strange expression when he heard his words. Then, he laughed loudly, raising his brows. “This place is called the Creation Mountain, and I am a servant here. I’m not a god’s servant because Young Master Watson was the one who built Creation Mountain. He is a great existence, comparable to a god.”
Blackmoon Town?
Blackmoon Town built that place?
As if struck by lightning, Lophis’ mouth was wide open. He imagined that a god had descended and transformed the border. Blackmoon Town was only a new border faction. How could it have such a method? It did not make sense, not even with the help of the border count.
Platinum-tier structures and floors, gold-tier armor and weapons, and fruit crops of the same quality—the total value of those properties was most likely comparable to the entire kingdom. The border had always been known as the poorest place in the kingdom. However, look at that place then. Even the capital was not particularly wealthy.
“You do not appear to be here on business. You must have inadvertently barged into this location. The fruit in your hand is a sun fruit, a specialty of Blackmoon Town. If you eat it, you will gain the strength of a gold-tier elite! These items are available for free in Blackmoon Town. However, if an outsider wishes to enjoy them, they must pay for it,” the farmer said as he smiled and pointed at the fruit in Lophis’ hand.
“It has the ability to turn a person into a gold-tier elite? Is there such a magical fruit in the world?”
Lophis was skeptical, but he still asked, “How much is this fruit?”
“It is not expensive. Only 100 gold coins per person.”
“A hundred gold coins are not expensive?”
Lophis endured the heartache as he took 100 gold coins from his pocket and handed them to the farmer. He decided to give it a shot after hearing the farmer speak in such a mysterious manner. He had been stuck at the peak of the silver tier for years, with no signs of ever becoming a gold-tier warrior. He guessed that the farmer would not lie to him; they appeared to be quite wealthy. If the farmer had lied to him, he would not let it go so easily.
Lophis stuffed the sun’s fruit into his mouth with that thought in mind. As soon as he bit into the fruit, it melted. A sweet fragrance and a majestic power surged into his body, causing him to moan contentedly. His back was adorned with a pair of blue and another pair of golden combat aura wings. A powerful golden aura descended on him instantly.
