"They gave it to me, and to Joy, so easily..." Grace murmured softly, her voice nearly drowned by the sound of bubbles popping on the water''s surface. A faint fear was visible on her face, though she tried to hide it.


    Deep down, Grace still felt a bit of doubt. This elixir was a blessing, but she couldn''t ignore the shadow lingering in her thoughts. If it hadn''t been Nita—someone she fully trusted as a fellow woman—who gave it to her, she might not have epted this item so willingly.


    Grace took a deep breath, letting the warm steam soothe her mind. "I hope joining this alliance was the right decision," she said with a tone full of hope. Her words sounded light, but they carried a lot of uncertainty. Discover more content at empire


    She knew very well that great power always came with great threats. Thatw applied everywhere, across the entire universe. A powerful alliance was bound to have equally powerful enemies.


    ***


    Life in the Divine Sky Realm continued as usual. Hunters were busy exploring the maind, a vast region that served as the center of resource wealth. While the floating inds might yield valuable materials, nothing couldpare to the bounty from the maind.


    That was why most hunters chose to hunt there. However, their time was limited. Lein had set a rule that they only had seven days before new regtions would be implemented on the maind. Currently, they were on the fifth day, leaving only two days for the hunters to maximize their harvests.


    Far above the maind, thousands of floating inds continued to move slowly but surely, following Lein''s orders. The inds were directed toward the edge of the maind, where they would settle permanently. Lein had decreed that the maind would be the primary base, and no floating inds were allowed to cross its boundaries.


    Among these inds, onerge ind moved at a significantly higher speed than the others. This ind was a symbol of power—a majestic and formidable fortress. Towering structures rose above it, apanied by sturdy defensive towers and massive walls exuding an aura of menace.


    Despite the ind''s high speed, its inhabitants went about their daily lives undisturbed. From a distance, the dominant ck color of the ind gave it a somber impression, but its beauty was undeniable. Vast forests, neatly arranged settlements, and smaller surrounding inds serving as defensiveyers added to its grandeur and unmatched presence.


    In one part of the ind, a grand town hall stood prominently, serving as themand center surrounded by defensive towers on all sides. The building upied a vast area, underscoring its crucial role in the ind''s operations.


    Inside the main chamber, an elderly man satfortably in arge chair behind an imposing desk. The man, Haikal Emanuel, was reading a report disyed on a holographic screen in front of him. The figures and data captured his attention, causing him to nod slightly from time to time.


    Behind him, a formally dressed woman stood silently, observing Haikal with focused attention. Her calm demeanor reflected a high level of professionalism.


    "Where are we now?" Haikal asked casually, without looking away from the hologram in front of him. His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable authority.


    The woman behind him, his personal assistant, responded quickly, "Mr. Haikal, we are currently 450,000 kilometers away from the center of the maind. It will take another 52 days to reach the outermost area."


    Haikal nodded thoughtfully. "Hmmm... at this rate, the journey will take quite some time. At least another two months," he muttered lightly, almost as if speaking to himself.


    He recalled Lein''s orders—that they, the core members, must spread out across all corners of the Divine Sky Realm. They would be the main pirs supporting the stability of this region.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "What about the portal construction?" Haikal asked again, this time with a slightly more serious tone. He remembered the task he had assigned a few days ago and wanted to ensure everything was progressing smoothly.


    "Everything has been initiated, Sir," his assistant replied. "However, it will still take some time in the more remote areas."


    Haikal nodded again, then said calmly, "Don''t push them too hard. Provide substantialpensation to those relocating to more strategic locations." He understood that efficiency was key, but he also didn''t want to overburden the workers.


    The quiet atmosphere of the office was suddenly disrupted by a ringing sound. The blue holographic disy in front of Haikal turned bright red, casting a glowing light across the room. Large text appeared on the screen, immediately changing the mood to one of tension:


    "Anomaly detected. Seek shelter immediately."


    The holographic panel in front of Haikal disyed a ring red warning, while themunication device held by his assistant emitted a simr notification. The female assistant looked panicked, her eyes shifting from the device to Haikal.


    "Sir, unidentified objects have appeared just above the ind. Not just one, but many!" she said anxiously, reading the information disyed on her device.


    Haikal Emanuel, who was usually calm, furrowed his brows. "What is happening?" he murmured softly, his voice tinged with a rare tone of concern. He could feel the presence of a massive energy pulsating in the air, even before the hologram issued the warning. A sense of foreboding began to grow within him.


    Without much thought, Haikal stood up from his chair. His steps were firm as he headed toward therge window in the main room. With a swift movement, he leaped through the window, his body hovering in the air as if defying gravity. The cold night air brushed against his face, but his mind was solely focused on the source of the mysterious energy.


    From the empty space in the air, arge sword suddenly appeared. Haikalnded on it steadily. In an instant, the sword shot forward, carrying him through the skies toward the threatening energy source.


    From above, Haikal surveyed the scene below. The Disaster Ind, usually calm, was now in chaos. Residents were running aimlessly, their faces filled with fear. An old man stood in the middle of the crowd, his voice rising above themotion, "Quick, take shelter! Another war like before ising!"


    On the other side of the street, a woman clutched her husband''s hand, her face full of worry. "Honey, let''s go back home... The kids are still there!" she said, almost in tears, as they hurried into their car.


    However, this chaos was not limited to Disaster Ind. Other inds owned by the rulers experienced simr turmoil.


    Elsewhere, Laras, one of the core members, was exploring the empty skies above the Divine Sky Realm to hone her hunting skills. However, an urgent message appeared on hermunication device.


    "Anomaly detected on the main ind," the brief message read.


    Laras immediately changed direction, abandoning her training and elerating her journey back to her ind. Her face was serious, reflecting the gravity of the situation she was now facing.


    ***


    - Main City of the Chinese Alliance Ind -


    In the Main City of the Chinese Alliance Ind, amotion erupted on the main streets surrounding the town hall. Residents pushed and shoved, trying to escape in panic. Several security officers attempted to calm the situation, giving instructions through megaphones to evacuate residents to the nearest shelters.


    Not far from the town hall, a mysterious object stood tall. Shaped like a massive cylindrical tower, the structure was approximately 40 meters high with an astonishing diameter of nearly 100 meters. Its appearance resembled an ancient building, with walls covered in dry moss and creeping wild grass.


    The object seemed to have just emerged from the ground, like a long-hidden secret finally revealed. Around it, the earth rippled as if shaken. Police lines were set up to cordon off the area, while a number of officers and scientists gathered, cautiously observing and setting up detection devices.


    A crowd of residents tried to watch from a distance, despite police orders to stay away. Children cried, the elderly tried tofort their families, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense as more personnel arrived to secure the site.


    Among the group observing the scene, a graceful woman in a red gown stood withmanding presence. Her sharp eyes fixed intently on the tower before her. A curious expression was evident on her face, especially as she examined the tower''s door. Her gaze seemed to prate the tower''s surface, hoping to glean whaty beyond the door.


    Behind the woman, several guards stood alert in a defensive stance. One of them, a female assistant, stepped forward respectfully to report thetest developments. "Madam Bai Qi, these sky towers have appeared in several locations across our ind," she reported in a firm yet polite tone. "Additionally, simr phenomena have urred on other alliance inds, including the World Market Trade Alliance Ind."


    Bai Qi nodded slowly at the report. Her previously tense face began to show signs of slight rxation. Although she had never witnessed such phenomena before, the fact that simr events were urring elsewhere gave her some relief. At least she wasn''t facing this situation alone. Yet her mind remained filled with various spections.