A floating ind measuring 100 x 100 meters leisurely drifted through the clouds.
On this ind, a young man sat on a chair, with a table beside him holding a ss of wine.
The man was Lein, enjoying the beautiful morning. The warm morning sun bathed his muscr body.
Yes, this was the seventh day in the Divine Sky Realm.
[Event: Rise of the Sovereign]
[Event duration: 0 days, 1 hour, 12 minutes...]
The event time was down to just over an hour. Lein opened the event leaderboard and his expression turned indifferent.
[Event Ranking]
1. William Anderson - 136,490,000
2. Bai Qi - 91,721,000
3. dimir Nova - 85,034,000
4. Kim Un - 55,648,000
...
26. Lein - 23,800,000
31. Laras - 21,738,000
He could hardly believe it. He had been very proud of his SSS-level talent, something that defied the heavens.
But it seemed his talent did not lie inbat. His instinct to create a trading organization had been spot on.
Lein was curious about the powers those other people possessed. Did they also have SSS-level talents? Lately, he had been losing sleep over these thoughts.
Realizing there was no chance of making it into the top 20, Lein decided to return to his main ind.
He stood up and entered the only portal on the floating ind.
___
At that moment, atop a circr altar, a young man with ck hair and a golden sword at his hip emerged from a 10-meter portal.
Lein observed his surroundings and saw many people. He had missed this ce.
He had not returned to the main ind once in his quest to climb the rankings, but all his efforts had been in vain.
Stepping off the portal altar, Lein saw the bustling city streets, lined with street vendors and buildings like hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, and more.
"Hahaha... I seem to have pushed myself too hard. Isn''t this vibrant ce my dream?" he thought to himself.
Yes, Lein had been trying his luck at bing a sovereign, a king, an emperor, like in the novels. With his SSS-level talent, he thought he could do it. But reality was different.
"Alright, I wonder how Nita is doing?" Lein was curious about his younger sister, Nita.
...
"Hey, stop... I said stop!" A uniformed man grabbed a young boy by the shoulder.
"Give it back," the man demanded, extending his hand.
"What? I didn''t take your stuff!" The boy didn''t give up, his hand trembling in his pocket.
He stared defiantly at the uniformed man without fear.
"Are you trying to cause trouble? I''ll show you the power of a level 13 mage," the uniformed man threatened, his body glowing white. A ck staff appeared in his right hand.
The boy activated his own equipment, a wooden sword materializing in his hand. He was only level 3.
Before the uniformed man could use his skill, an elderly man in red robes appeared.
"Master Ruyi, let it go. He''s still young. He''s also my student from the Red Flower Magic Academy."
"I''ll rece whatever he took," the old man continued.
"Alright, I won''t pursue this further. Ask him what he stole," the uniformed man replied, visibly annoyed.
"Aldi... What did you take?" the old man asked the boy.
The boy seemed to relent, showing respect for the elderly man before him.
He pulled out a ck pouch containing 10 Energy Crystals.
"Sorry, Teacher Damas, but my mother needs these crystals," the boy exined, tears streaming down his face.
"Don''t cry. I''ll visit your hometer," Teacher Damas reassured the boy, then tossed the ck pouch to the uniformed man, adding 5 extra Energy Crystals aspensation.
"The matter is settled here," the old man dered.
"Thank you, Master Damas," the uniformed man grumbled before walking away.
Lein had watched the entire scene. He had wanted to intervene, but the old man had acted faster.
"Red Flower Academy?" Lein mused aloud.
He decided to continue exploring the ind.
Lein felt the creation of the academy was justified. His floating ind now spanned over 120 x 120 km. Combined with the total area of the floating inds of the 10 members of the World Market Alliance, the alliance''s total area was 150,000 square kilometers.
A huge ind, with only 50-100 thousand residents, leaving many areas still uninhabited.
Lein continued his journey through the vibrant Life City. After wandering through several streets, he arrived at a three-story restaurant.
He entered and was warmly greeted by a male waiter.
The waiter was very efficient and polite.
"Wee to Rudi Resto. Please, sir..."
The waiter guided Lein to a table and offered the menu.
Grilled Fish with Sambal, Tofu Fried Rice, Grilled N Soup...
Seeing the menu, Lein couldn''t help but be astonished.
"What is this? Is this Earth?" For a moment, the menu shocked him, which was very simr to those in Earth''s restaurants.
"Excuse me, sir, is there nothing to your liking?" the waiter asked, noticing Lein''s distraction.
"Sorry, sorry. I''ll have the Spicy Crab and hot tea," Lein replied, still deep in thought. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing.
During his six-day absence, Nita hadn''t mentioned anything like this. She had only said everything was going well. There were no void monster attacks, no dangers, and the city was thriving.
"Did she do this on purpose?" Lein wondered.
A broad smile appeared on his face.
The restaurant''s atmosphere was very tranquil, with the sound of a mini fountain adding a peaceful, harmonious touch.
Lein looked around, seeing other patrons, young couples, families, and some individuals.
Their attire varied, almost resembling Earth''s fashion.
"Yeah... The system is indeed convenient. Equipment only appears when activated," he thought.
Like in the earlier conflict between the uniformed man and the boy,bat equipment is only activated when used. In normal conditions, only regr clothes were visible.
Within five minutes, Lein''s order arrived.
A crab the size of a human head was served with steaming hot broth that looked fresh and delicious.
"Your order, sir. Please enjoy," the waiter said, carefully cing the dish before leaving.
"Thank you."
Lein tasted the crab soup.
"Wow... This is incredible... I''ve been missing out for six days," Lein cursed his choice.
"Damn you, Nita. I''ll get back to you someday," Lein muttered, ming Nita for his misfortunes.