Atlantis was a grand city with only a few hundred residing humans. Only the numerous beasts were providing life and movement in what might just be a ghost city without them.
Now that things were settling down, Lotus Weizhe was realising how big of a decision he had truly made. A hundred questions appeared in his mind, whether they were doubts or worries, the mountain of inquiries was there. They were scratching at the door to his mind's control room, bugging his conscience.
Was it the right choice?
Was listening to that winged Nightwalker the right move?
What if he cooperated with Sky Cross instead of causing a cataclysm? Could he have saved more of Avina that way?
"Cousin Weizhe! Cousin Weizhe!" A young woman's voice rang out in his ear, and it attracted Weizhe's gaze.
The speaker had a head full of shining, white hair—a characteristic of the Lotus family. On top of that, this young lady's hair was spotless thanks to the Seed of Atlantis' defensive measures. Even if her hair floated around her like a long, beautiful scarf in the magically clear waters, it still maintained its spotlessness.
Her voice pulled Weizhe out of his reveries, making him straighten up in slight fright.
"Yes, Xue?" Weizhe coughed as he faced his younger cousin, "What is it?"
"I have gathered all of the people in Atlantis, as per your command. It turns out that your predictions were right. A lot of commoners and Adventurers were caught in the light and unable to escape." Lotus Xue replied in a secretarial tone as she brushed away her floating hair.
"Mm, where are they now?" Weizhe asked with a nod, before making a small comment on the wavy floating hair, "It must be bothersome to have such long hair here, underwater."
"It is actually easier here in Atlantis." Lotus Xue laughed, "The energy in the city keeps it clean, and my hair is practically weightless. So is my chest, in fact, making life very relaxing so far, Cousin Weizhe."
She then gestured behind her as she returned to the topic at hand, "As for the people, they're waiting at one of the lower gardens of the palace. I will lead the way for you."
Weizhe let out a smirk when he heard his cousin's laugh. The lady was a lover of comfort and only comfort. She had been that way since they were kids, always choosing the softest pillows, the warmest blankets, and the best chairs.
Weizhe reminisced for a moment as his footsteps matched Xue's as she led him down the mountain. As he rounded a corner, he caught a glimpse of the garden that Xue mentioned,
"Alright, let us see which unlucky faces have been dragged into the depths."
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Through the radial hallways and spherical rooms, the two of the Lotus clan descended the magnificent central palace of Atlantis.
From afar, that magnificent palace carved into the undersea mountain almost looked like a decoration-filled Christmas tree. The colourful baubles that normally hung on an evergreen tree were akin to the many spherical rooms of the palace. Marble arches lined every scenic hallway that snaked around like garlands and colourful corals brought vibrancy like lively candles.
In this grand palace, there were many small, disk-shaped gardens housing juvenile sea anemones and seagrass. One of the larger gardens currently housed around four hundred humans, chattering and whispering with each other.
Those humans were dressed in rags, and yet those rags were beautifully cleaned. Their skins all glowed with their pale skin tones, and not a single wound bled with red.
If only their expressions matched their unblemished hygiene.
Worry and mental fatigue plagued their faces, and even their postures were that of exhaustion. Slouched backs and heavy shoulders were a dime a dozen.
The energy of Atlantis may have brought them beauty, but it did nothing for their grieving hearts and traumatised minds.
"Good noon, everyone." Lotus Weizhe put on a gentle smile as he stepped into the garden filled with people. "As you might know, I am Lotus Weizhe, the current head of the Lotus family. I hope that my family's welcoming hadn't been insufficient."
Weizhe's voice reverberated clearly throughout the garden, drawing the many gazes of the common folk and Adventurers present.
"As you might also be able to tell, Avina has been destroyed by the machinations of the Exiled and our enemies from Illum." Weizhe's expression turned sour the moment those words left his lips, but he quickly regained his smile, "In order to make it out alive, I had to go a great distance and take risky measures to ensure our lives. I was here for you all when Sky Cross was not. I did not want to leave anyone behind."
Weizhe paused and scanned the crowd, "Now, I wish to seek aid from everyone here. Atlantis is a beautiful city, but beauty is all it has right now. We, as survivors, need to breathe life into the new walls that keep us alive. Do it for all those who had been lost to the floods of Avina."
"Do it so that one day, we may show our faces on dry land once more." Weizhe then gestured towards Lotus Xue who had been standing by his side.
"My cousin, Lotus Xue, shall be dividing the tasks for any of those who wish to help. We are not forcing you all, but as humans, we need to eat and drink at the end of the day. The Lotus family has the means to defend Atlantis from whatever monstrosity lies here in the deep sea, but our food reserves are limited."
Lotus Xue then received a glance given by Weizhe and knew that that was her cue. While bringing one foot forward, she continued the man's words,
"Thus, we would love to have a pleasant cooperation between everyone here. Every person shall be granted a home here in this empty city, so you may all rest well at night. Then, during the day, we will hunt for food and rebuild our lives, one step at a time."
Lotus Xue blinked as a short moment of thought passed over her, "Yes... We will build a new city..."
"A city where we will not be bothered by the ongoing war. A city where we do not have to go through any more tragedies. A city where we can be safe."
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An hour went by as the weary populace were organised and given tasks to do. The earlier speeches had given them something to look forward to. Something to hope and wish for. With the work they would be confronted with, there would be a chance that they would be distracted... Distracted from dread born from their losses
They could forget about the friends they had lost, the families that left them, and the homes that they had abandoned.
"Does anyone here have the Tier I Skill, Shop?" Lotus Xue asked a small group of orange Users she had gathered.
An awkward second passed as Lotus Xue scanned the group, hoping that there would be at least one with the said skill. She looked around and could not spot a single raised hand. She sighed, 'I guess expecting a Tier I orange User was too much...'
Mix the fact that the countries controlled the circulation of orange Nebula Gems and the fact that the people of Oxhor did not have a culture of increasing their Tiers, you get a surprising perhaps even baffling rarity of orange Tier I Users. And now when it was needed the most, they did not have such a tool at hand.
'I'll just have to train one up myself then...' Lotus Xue thought before spotting a small hand being waved.
A child was trying to get her attention for whatever reason, and so, with a gesture, she called the child over.
"What is it?" Lotus Xue saw a fair and soft face with innocent black eyes filled with curiosity. The small smile on the boy's face was in stark contrast to the sullen expressions that still governed every face currently around her.
Lotus Xue couldn't help but mirror the boy's cheerfulness. A smile popped up on her lips.
"Ah, weren't you looking for a User with the Tier I Skill, Shop, Miss Xue?" The boy tilted his head as he stopped right in front of her.
"Hm?" Xue felt compelled to tilt her head as well. She then asked in surprise, "You have the Skill? No way... How old are you?"
"I actually do have it!" The boy smiled as a flash of orange appeared in front of him. After a few non-verbal commands, a special screen had then manifested. On it, was a catalogue where quite a large variety of items were put on display.
With a small laugh and youthful grin, the boy then answered Xue's second question, "I'm four, by the way, and turning five this October!"
"...O-oh, yes... I see." Xue blinked twice as she stared at the orange screen in front of her. In her mind though, a few question marks had popped up.
'How did a four-year-old... Nevermind. I just have to focus on my job... This is good. We at least have another option when it comes to materials.'
Xue shook her head, making her long floating white hair slither like a snake. A gentle smile returned to her face as she asked the boy of a few things. Those things ranged from his name, to where he was born, and a few more seemingly random questions.
Those random questions though, allowed Xue to profile the child before her.
'Intelligent, happy-go-lucky, and... perhaps stoic?'