A barefoot rock nymph with pale yellow skin and a lower white skin tone dressed in a white shirt and black fitted pants led Orion and Fifi to their new room.
The room was similar to the previous one they had stayed in but much larger. It contained an extra-wide pool and a room filled with crude weapons hanging on the sides—a training
room.
Orion wasn't sure if the room could withstand their strength, but he wasn't interested in testing it since he didn't plan to stay for an extended period.
"This is your new room. Fresh fruits and wine are prepared on the table if you're hungry. We don't have any magical beasts' meat in the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled, so I'm afraid we can't provide that. However, the Sovereigness has already arranged a trade for some magical beasts' meat from the Bastion of Ashen Hope, which will take a few days. So, please be patient, travellers," Felissa said, bowing slightly to Orion and Fifi.
Felissa was the head maid of the Crown Palace, sent by Nadia to escort them to their new room once it was ready. Her expression was dull, and her eyes carried a hint of tiredness. To most, she resembled any other nymph in the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled.
However, Orion and Fifi saw her astonishingly high energy level.
[ Energy level - 1,660 BEM ]
This was sixty BEM higher than Nadia, the Sovereigness of the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled, who stood at [ 1,600 BEM ]. The revelation confirmed to Orion that his suspicions were not unwarranted. For a force to survive this long within such a pocket dimension, they must have hidden cards and couldn't reveal everything to strangers like them.
Orion slightly shook his head. "You can inform the Sovereigness that there's no need to go that far. We are satisfied with the fruits and wine and will let you know if we need anything else," he responded.A sudden brightness appeared in Felissa's curious expression as a smile formed on her lips.
"Okay, I will do so. The Sovereigness will be here within an hour so that you may begin your conversation. I'll be leaving," Felissa said, bowing respectfully to Orion and Fifi before turning around and exiting the room, closing the door behind her.
Orion approached the table and picked up one of the fruits from the two medium-sized baskets.
The fruit was pale grey with an oval, curved shape at its bottom, reminding him of the Kalna fruits in Paradise, except for its colour.
Out of curiosity, Orion removed his mask, brought the fruit to his mouth, and bit off a piece. As he chewed and swallowed it, he instantly froze in place, his eyes widening in shock.
Noticing Orion's sudden stillness, Fifi frowned and asked worriedly, "Is something wrong?" "Try this and tell me what you think," Orion replied, regaining his composure and turning his head toward Fifi. He stretched the half-eaten pale grey fruit out to her.
With a frown, Fifi took the fruit and bit off a piece. As she chewed and swallowed, her eyes widened in shock, just as Orion's had, and she froze.
"This..." Fifi muttered, unable to finish her sentence, staring at the bizarre fruit in speechless stupefaction.
"I felt the same way," Orion said with a nod, noticing Fifi's reaction.
Although the fruit tasted more sour than an unripe Lipry fruit, what shocked them was that after eating it, they felt the Vylkr energy within their bodies replenishing.
It felt as though they were consuming Vylkr vines!
It was pure, raw vylkr energy!
Fifi, who had exerted a slight effort to bring the team down into the ocean, immediately directed her Vylkr energy toward her Vylkr Fusion Armlet, further strengthening it and hastening the Vylkr energy's absorption into her body.
Orion also felt the Vylkr energy gathering, strengthening his body and slowly being stored within his Vylkr container.
"These fruits can satisfy our hunger and help us refill our Vylkr energy simultaneously," Orion said, nodding at Fifi. He picked up the wine, poured it into a wooden cup, and drank it out of curiosity.
An excited expression instantly appeared on Orion's face.
"Quick, try the wine too," Orion said, handing the wine to Fifi.
Without hesitation, Fifi drank the wine. As she sensed the ferocious Vylkr energy surging through her body, she directed it toward her Vylkr Fusion Armlet.
An excited expression also spread across Fifi's face.
The effects of the wine and fruit were similar to those in Paradise, capable of rejuvenating a person's body and soul despite being slightly different. But wasn't this the joy of every warrior? Eating and drinking while feeling your strength grow rapidly without constantly eating awful Vylkr vines.
There were even warriors who only utilised vails provided by the Research centre to grow stronger because they couldn't handle the taste of the Vylkr vines!
Orion's doubts about the forces within the pocket dimension resurfaced, growing even stronger.
'It seems the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled holds greater secrets than I assumed,' Orion thought, his resolve hardening. No matter what happened, he would bring the nymphs into Paradise, even if it meant using Aurora's spawns for aid.
After organising his thoughts, Orion sat in the comfortable chair and continued to dine on the feast before him.
Fifi sat beside him, joining him without any reservations.
...
After thirty minutes, a knock echoed through the room.
Fifi stood up, approached the door, and opened it.
An ice nymph with deep purple skin on her upper body and rich brown skin on her lower half stood at the door. She wore a black long-sleeved flowing shirt with shoulder and armguards on both arms, purple fitted pants, and matching string sandals.
It was Nadia who had changed from her armoured attire into something more casual. She nodded at Fifi and stepped into the room.
Fifi closed the door and returned to sit beside Orion.
"How are you liking your new room?" Nadia asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"It's nice," Orion replied.
"That's good. If there's anything we can do to improve it, please let us know so we can act
immediately," Nadia said.
Although Orion's response wasn't entirely to her liking, she remained intent on ensuring they
had the best possible stay.
"If you don't mind, I'm here so we can begin the meeting," Nadia added.
"Please, let's start," Orion responded, not wanting to delay any longer.
Nadia nodded and sat in one of the three chairs facing them.
"What is the first thing you'd like to know?" Nadia asked, her tone curious.
"How many forces are currently in this ocean?" Orion asked.
"Only three: the Bastion of Ashen Hope, the Tidal Depths Kingdom, and the Bastion of Wailing Gnarled. The Tidal Depths Kingdom is a coalition of four former Bastions that united under one rule to protect each other just a few years ago. Other forces died out one by one many years ago, with the most recent loss occurring five years ago," Nadia replied. "Although I was informed of this earlier, to know so little means you must have truly come from a distant place," she said, frowning.
"You're right. It's farther than you can imagine," Orion nodded.
Fifi nodded as well.
"Can I ask where exactly you came from?" Nadia inquired.
"We are from Paradise. As you can imagine from its name, it's a place where many races live together in harmony without worrying about the tainted beings or danger. I dare say it's the safest place in the entire world," Orion responded, his voice filled with confidence.
"Oh, we also have tree nymphs, but unfortunately, there aren't any ice or rock nymphs. I can take you to Paradise directly if you want to leave immediately if you want to see and confirm for yourself. I'm sure the tree nymphs would love to see their long-lost sisters," Orion added, his gaze fixed on Nadia.
He subtly began revealing his offer of bringing them to Paradise sooner rather than waiting until he uncovered more of their secrets.
The more secrets Orion unearthed within this pocket dimension, the more it pointed toward
Naka. Although he didn't fully understand its restraints or whether the Key to Ilse's Golden Palace could still work if the pocket dimension closed, he wasn't willing to take any chances. He had already discussed with the others the possibility of forcibly bringing all the forces to Paradise if persuasion didn't work.
It wasn't kidnapping, but doing the right thing and asking questions later!
A brief look of surprise flashed across Nadia's face before it shifted into a frown. She
struggled to believe that such a place could exist, but the thought of her long-lost sisters filled her with pain.
"Are the tree nymphs in your force slaves?" Nadia asked, her tone were slightly tense.
Orion raised a brow and responded, "No, they are not slaves. In fact, they are among those with the highest privileges in Paradise."
His words were true. The tree nymphs held the highest privileges since they were just a
village. Despite Zogar and the former Village Chief Brane's strength, they were never
mistreated.
Instead, they were shown the utmost respect, to the point that Anara's approval was needed before any significant changes were made within the farm.
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