Out there, in the middle of the sea, the Emperor Island city…
From afar, the town looked old-fashioned.
Perhaps because of its remote location, the architecture here differed from the Baroque-style designs of the Silvaria continent. The buildings here smelled and looked like they were made with Gothic elements in mind.
The buildings were made with red or white stone blocks. All the buildings here looked like tiny cathedrals that gave off a divine air. Larger constructs looked like castles where nobles might hold a ball. A stranger would assume they got transported to an era where nobles still held elaborate balls.
Strolling along the red brick pavement, one couldn’t help but note the beautiful trees lining the sides with flowers blooming around the giant trees’ roots. The Emperor Island city is stunningly beautiful…
The citizens here lived like normal citizens. Some were busy working, some were busy with household chores. There are also those on errands, running past citizens who are relaxing while drinking. There are also shoppers walking around. It looked like a normal bustling city filled with liveliness.
They are all Guardians!
Unlike the Guardians tasked with upholding the old Guardian traditions, the citizens here are normal citizens.
If there are cultivators among the Guardian clan then there must be those who can’t cultivate or are crippled.
Only outstanding talents are recruited for the task of defending the Domain of Gods. Those without talent like normal humans and low-level cultivators gave up this divine task to live like normal citizens.
Most of the citizens here are low-level cultivators or normal humans without talents for cultivation.
As for the Guardians who took up the divine task, they lived near the center of the bustling city, under a ridiculously massive tree.
Wu Yan listed as Sylph explained the origins and rules to abide by while inside the city. He gazed in the direction of the giant tree as his heart trembled.
He had never seen a tree this huge before!
Wu Yan is currently in the outer region of the Emperor Island city. There is still quite some distance between Wu Yan and the tree. Even so, he can see the giant tree covering more than half the city’s area in its shadows.
He isn’t sure about the diameter of the branches. However, the treetop is easily over 10 kilometers from end to end.
Given this gargantuan dimension, the branches must be impossibly thick too, right?
A tree this big is unheard of on the Silvaria continent. He’s not sure there is a tree that can rival this thing even among the countless transcript worlds in his system. It’s only natural to be awed by something this grand.
Wu Yan didn’t notice when Sylph stopped talking.
When he did realize it, he turned around to see Sylph staring back at him with her icy blue eyes.
Because there is only a shoulder’s length distance between them, Wu Yan can see her breath-taking beauty and charming gleaming eyes from his taller vantage point. Despite being used to beautiful girls, Wu Yan still felt his heart racing when he noticed the ice queen’s exquisite presence.
Wu Yan still felt unreal.
She has beauty on par with any girl in his harem. She is also of an outstanding birth, he couldn’t believe someone like her, an idol among her people is his fiancée.
This extremely beautiful lady threatened to get hitched for real with Wu Yan in front of so many people.
Wu Yan couldn’t be blamed for questioning reality.
Wu Yan might be very intimate with his harem, doing all kinds of play with them, there is only one lady engaged to him, Asuna who is still in SAO’s universe.
It’s unknown whether Sylph read Wu Yan’s mind. Either way, she asked Wu Yan who appeared to be spacing out with her usual monotonous tone.
“Are you listening?”
Wu Yan came back to his senses.
“Ensi is one of the Guardians protecting the Emperor Island?”
Sylph lightly nodded. Wu Yan more or less understood the situation here.
“Ah, I see, just a fool who put on a paper cap while pretending to be a strategist. He even went and protested to the three emperors.”
“The Guardian Clan has been doing a good job protecting the Domain of Gods for eons. Due to this contribution, even the emperors can’t judge them without sufficient basis.”
Sylph didn’t comment on Wu Yan’s remark.
“I heard father talking about how Guardians tried to pick a fight with him when he was still a prince…”
“Hah?”
Wu Yan gasped.
“Even your father got bullied?”
Sylph nodded.
“Because the guardians like to pick on imperial families, they will assist you whenever you are going to butt heads with the guardians, their great contributions notwithstanding…”
“This is rather surprising…”
Wu Yan shook his head. He teased Sylph while grinning.
“What about you? Did they pick on you?”
“No one so far.”
Sylph replied.
“With your appearance, I reckon it would give them excuses to do so…”
Wu Yan awkwardly scratched his cheeks.
“R-right!”
Wu Yan pointed at the giant tree.
“What’s the deal with that tree? Why is it so huge?”
Sylph looked up at the giant tree. Her eyes flashed with thoughtful ripples.
“That’s the Guardian tree!”
“The Guardian tree?”
“Guardian tree.”
Sylph nodded. Wu Yan can guess that the tree isn’t normal from its name.
Sylph started narrating the tree’s origin with an expressionless tone.
“It’s a tree made by the three founding gods with the Power of God.”
“The three founding gods planted it?!”
Wu Yan subconsciously held his breath.
“The Guardian Tree is an abnormal treasure in its own rights. The three founding gods planted it near this region and used the Power of God to accelerate its growth, creating an entire island that rose from the seabed. Its roots form the foundation of this island…”
“You’re telling me that thing formed this island?”
Wu Yan gasped.
“That island is this island?! The Emperor Island?!”
“Indeed…”
Sylph explained like this was commonsense. She talked like this was just another random island.
“The treetop of the Guardian Tree might look impressive, but, the roots themselves are more impressive in my opinion. It not only forms the foundation of the Emperor Island, it is also connected to the seabed.”
Sylph started talking with a humbled tone.
“Because this island was made by the Guardian Tree, the Power of God coursing through the tree made it a treasure. It is also an invincible existence on this island.”
“Invincible?”
Wu Yan sucked in another gasp of shock.
“The Guardian Tree is more than just a monument…”
Sylph explained.
“It’s also the true Guardian of the Domain of Gods. This tree can bar outsiders without the blood of the imperials from entering the Domain of Gods. It’s also responsible for stopping the Guardians from leaving this island.”
“I see…”
Wu Yan sported a grave expression.
“Is it truly invincible?”
“I don’t know…”
Sylph replied.
“At least, nobody has ever defied the Guardian Tree’s will.”
“Including the three protector demigods of the three empires.”
Wu Yan and Sylph experienced a short pause of silence.
Wu Yan sighed while bitterly laughing.
“Doesn’t that mean I can’t enter the Domain of Gods?”
Sylph stared at Wu Yan for a brief while. She looked away as she continued walking forward.
“The Guardian Tree is sentient, when I declared you as my betrothed partner, you are already an imperial family member in the tree’s judgment. You are qualified to enter the Domain of Gods.”
Wu Yan guffawed as he caught up with Sylph. They continued strolling towards the giant tree known as the Guardian Tree.
