Elton hovered above the Port City of Miles. Since he had no idea about number 343 and his strength, Elton had to be cautious. His mission was to capture number 343 and bring him back to the Heavenly Guild headquarters for interrogation. But even more importantly, he had to protect the Port City of Miles, that was his absolute first priority. As a result, he had to prepare safety measures to ensure Miles remains protected. In preparation for that, Elton was currently noting the layout of the city and calculating the resources and power needed to set up a divine array around the city. The permission and help of the City Lord were required for his objective, so for now, Elton was planning the finer details of the array.
'All right, this should work,' Elton thought as he concluded. He was going to use the [Divine Array: Flyrogenesis] that would create a force field around Miles City, allowing what was inside to be safe and undetectable from external forces. Though, if it was against a Divine Trait then it would be meaningless. The reason Elton had chosen this specific array was that it would make the city imperceivable to those outside, protection from outside attacks was just a bonus. But, divine arrays could not just be cast on will alone. To cast a divine array, one would need information on the geological terrain, the technique and image of the array to be cast, and an incredibly large amount of divine aura. Elton possessed all those conditions, but there was another additional condition. To create a divine array, a material known as 'Yellow Crystal' was needed. The 'Yellow Crystal' was a crystal that is capable of storing and conducting divine aura and was also a required element to cast any divine arrays.
By storing and conducting a divine aura, the 'Yellow Crystal' allows the created divine array to be maintained for as long as there is enough divine aura remaining within them. For this reason, 'Yellow Crystal' was an extremely valuable product and not many people possessed them. The City Lord, being who he is, is sure to possess enough for Elton to use, but the only problem was that the City Lord was currently away. No doubt he had been summoned to be warned about number 343 and his predicted attack on the Port City of Miles. Elton would have to wait for his return before he could proceed with his plans.
********************
A day had passed since Savana was saved. She was still fatigued from the events of the past week she had experienced and still lay unconscious on her bed. After Elton had returned her to the City Lord's mansion, Stewardess Lin had in all haste called their family doctor to closely examine Savana's condition in greater detail.
"She should be fine. She just overused her divine aura and is fatigued as a result, she should be fine with some rest," the doctor reassured as he informed the Stewardess of Savana's condition. "Though, instruct her to receive ample rest after she awakens. If she over-exerts herself in her current condition then it might be fatal."
It had been a day ever since then, and Savana still remained asleep. A single maid stood watching over her, waiting for her to awaken.
Savana's mind was currently recalling the memory of her being saved by Elton in the form of a dream. She hazily remembered bumping into Elton and pleading for his help. She remembered the group of men that had attempted to forcefully take her away and how they were so easily dealt with by Elton. In the end, she watched as the men fled from Elton's presence and the relief it had bought her, to see the men finally gone. Savana was then approached by Elton, and as she tried to express her gratitude, her mind went dark and she lost all recollection of what happened afterwards.
Savana slowly opened her eyes to see a familiar ceiling, as her dream came to an end and she woke. She glanced around, finding herself to be in her bedroom. She lifted herself and sat up straight on her bed. Her body still ached from the remaining fatigue and she groaned in pain.
"Lady Savana... you're awake," the maid remarked with tear-filled eyes as she held both her hand in front of her mouth, grateful that Savana had finally awoken.
"Louis...?" Savana asked the maid in a daze.
"Yes, it's me, Lady Savana. I'm Louis," she responded in a respectful bow. "I'll tell Stewardess Lin that you have awoken, Master Rindell should be here by the end of today, as well. Please wait a short moment," she rose back up and hurriedly left the room.
Savana's mind, having just woken up, still remained in a daze and her thoughts were hazy. She tried to organize her thoughts and understand her current situation. That's when she remembered everything and her eyes widened in shock.
"That's right... I... " she paused. "I was saved by that man," her voice was weak and she pressed her hand against her forehead, to ease the pain she was feeling. She put her feet on the floor and rose with the assistance of the pillar that supported the ceiling of her bed. She trudged over to the door that led to her balcony and slowly pushed it open, stepping out into the lukewarm wind that carried the smell of salt that crawled up through her nostril, and the warm rays of the bright sun that was high in the sky. She breathed in the fresh air, "Feels great~" she commented as she leaned her body forward on the railing.
The mansion was atop a mountain, and the balcony provided Savana with an incredible view of the sea that sparkled underneath the sunlight, the ocean was artificially created to give the city an enhanced aesthetic sense. After all, what is a Port City without a sea? Countless floating ships docked at the ports and countless others took off, disappearing into the distance in a short amount of time. Savana closed her eyes as the winds picked up, the scene temporarily relieved her from her weak body and revitalized her spirits.
Savana inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. "I must properly express my gratitude to that man," she resolved and opened her eyes, her lips curling upward in a small smile. She excitedly anticipated their reunion, her body regaining some of its usual strength.
Footsteps resounded from the hallway outside her room. Two people entered in a rush, one in tow with the other. It was the maid that was taking care of her when she was unconscious and Stewardess Lin, the maid closely following behind the relieved Stewardess.
"Lady Savana," Lin called out.
"Lin," Savana responded to her name being called.
"I'm glad to see you have awoken, but you should take it easy and rest a little more," Lin advised with a worried look.
"It's fine. I can at least walk around," Savana reassured Lin with a smile.
"You should still take it easy. It hasn't been long since your body just experienced aura deficiency, pushing yourself might cause your condition to worsen. Even if you feel fine right now, you should still be careful," Lin insisted.
"Fine, fine, I got it. I'll take it easy," Savana agreed with a sigh. "Honestly you are such a worrywart, Lin."
"Thank you for your compliance, and it is for your health, of course, I worry," Lin said matter-of-factly.
"That is how you've always been, I guess."
"As the Stewardess of the Rindell family, I, Lin Chen have a duty to take care of this family. Even then, the most important reason is that I have cared for you since you were young. I can't help but see you as a little sister," Lin spoke with a melancholic expression.
"I know. I see you as a big sister as well, Lin," Savana walked inside and took a seat on her bed.
"Please prepare a nutrition drink for Lady Savana," Lin turned to the maid and requested of her.
"Yes, at once," she briefly responded before disappearing to carry out the task assigned to her.
Divine beings need no sustenance for their body to function. They never starve for food, nor experience a thirst for water, as such those things never have and still do not exist in Heaven. However, a fluid that could be referred to as a drink that allows divine aura to be recovered upon drinking does exist, and it is referred to as a nutritional drink and is similar to a magic potion.
"Enough about me, do you know of the man that saved me?" Savana queried Lin.
Elton's face clearly appeared in Lin's mind. "You were brought to the gate of the mansion by a man, but he disappeared soon after without answering any of our questions," she informed Savana.
"I see," Savana cast her gaze down in thought.
Lin sat on the bed beside her, "Can you tell me what happened?"
Savana looked at Lin's serious expression and nodded back as she relayed the events she had experienced over the past week. Lin listened calmly as Savana continued to speak. Her recollection of the past week took a long time for Savana to explain, and part way through, the maid had returned with a yellow-coloured drink for Savana. Taking a break, Savana momentarily enjoyed the refreshment as her body regained a little more divine aura, ridding Savana of the fatigue her body felt, ever so slightly. The maid bowed before exiting the room with the empty glass that Savana had finished, and she continued.
"And then I was saved by that man and woke up in my bed," Savana finished her explanation with a sigh.
"I see..." Lin mumbled. "No doubt the man used bloodlust to instil fear in the heart of those men, judging from your description of the fight," Lin concluded in a muse.
"My memory is fuzzy... So I'm not sure what really happened, but it is a fact that that man saved me. I at least wanted to thank him," Savana said with an expression of regret.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, you will get your chance," Lin told her.
"Huh...? What do you-?"
"That man said he would return once you are awake before he disappeared," Lin stood up.
"Really?" Savana asked as she stared at Lin, wide-eyed.
"It is what he said," Lin confirmed Elton's words.
"Is that so... So I can thank him... I see... That's great..." Savana rejoiced quietly.
"Anyways, I have to take care of some last-step preparations for the arrival of Sir Rindell, so Lady Savana should get some more rest."
"Fine, fine," Savana sighed exasperatedly at Lin's words.
"I hope you actually listen to me and get some worthwhile rest," Lin said with suspicion.
"I heard you the first time," Savana remarked with a lack of motivation.
"I'll take my leave then," Lin sighed at Savana and started for the door. "Please get some rest," she turned around and told Savana once more with a worried expression.
"I will so you should go and take care of your work, already," she answered, prompting Lin to leave. Still not fully convinced, Lin left the room, closing the door as she exited.
"Honestly, she worries too much," Savana said to no one in particular as she smiled to herself. Despite all her nagging, Savana was grateful for the care Lin showed towards her. In this family where all her siblings fought for the right to inherit the title of City Lord from their father, she was a better sisterly figure than her true and blood-related sisters. That had been the case for as long as she could remember.
Out of everyone in her family, the only one whom Svana had ever had a proper familial conversation with was her father. As a City Lord, Savana's father had many different wives, and Savana had many half-siblings. When Savana was five, her mother met her end during a certain event. A criminal god had attacked the City Lord's mansion, killing multiple guards on his way inside. In an attempt to protect Savana from the culprit, her mother suffered a fatal attack ad was obliterated without a trace. Perhaps it was because of that, Savana's father always treated her favourably.
Of course, many of her half-siblings did not take to this kindly, leading her to be further isolated among her siblings. Stewardess Lin was one of the few who cared for Savana, as well as her father. Though, her father could not openly show such favouritism and decided to keep his distance from her. Savana knew this, which was why she did not feel sadness or sorrow when she stopped meeting her father more often. She knew that her father cared for her, even if he could not display his love, it was still there nonetheless.
Deciding to heed Lin's advice, Savana decided to rest. The body of any and all divine beings consists purely of divine aura, so for them to be able to do anything, divine aura was needed. If one were to overuse their divine aura to a certain degree, they would no longer be able to retain their form and cease to exist. So, even though divine beings never tire, they have a need to sleep, since a suspended animation is the best and most effective way to restore divine aura.
Savana lay on her back, preparing herself to go into a state of suspended animation, in others words sleep. A yellow aura seeped from her body, and her eyes lids grew heavy. Just as she was about to drift asleep, a strong gust of wind blew into her room through the balcony. Savana sat up, the yellow aura no longer visible as she gazed out the balcony. Amidst the blowing curtains that became an obstacle between her and the balcony, she could make out the figure of a man facing his back to her.
"You..." Savana uttered. Though he was facing his back toward her, the atmosphere around him made it easy for Savana to conclude his identity.
"Seems you are awake," Elton turned around to reveal his face to Savana. "It seems you have recovered. You look like a completely different person since the last time we met."
Savana stared at Elton in surprise, unable to still process his presence before her.
"Are you all right?" Elton asked Savana as he observed the bewildered expression on Savana's face.
"Ah, yes, I'm fine. I apologize for my appearance the last time we met, and thank you for rescuing me," Savana stood on her feet, having regained some of her composure. Raising the tips of her dark violet nightgown, she bowed in an expression of gratitude toward Elton.
"No need for all that," Elton said with a blank expression. "You were told to rest, so don't mind me."
"Were you...?" Savana trailed off. Now that she thought about it, how was this man in front of her? Unlike ordinary mansions, the City Lord's mansion was different. The City Lord's mansion was within an isolation barrier with the help of a divine artifact. The only thing that served as an entrance to the inside of said barrier, was the large gate that led into the mansion. In addition, only those who have gained the City Lord's permission are capable of entering through the door, and those who do not have his permission are denied entry. "How are you here...?"
"If you are curious about how I got in, then don't worry. I know your father, we are really close, actually. And as such, I have his permission to enter inside the mansion grounds at will."
"Really...?" Savana looked at Elton with widened eyes. To think her saviour was actually acquainted with her father. "Is that why you saved me and bought me back to the mansion?"
Savana's father was the City Lord of one of the Empire's most important cities. Such a man was no doubt a very important individual. To the point where he was aware of Elton's true identity and even aware of his true prowess.
"Oh, no, not really. I knew your father before you were born, and we had not seen each other in a long while, other than for business. So, I was naturally not aware you were his daughter. I did know your mother and heard about the daughter between them, which is you. Other than knowing of your existence, I had never seen you before and did not know you," Elton provided her with an explanation.
"Then how...?"
"I read your memory. After you lost consciousness when I saved you."
"My... memory?" Savana asked Elton, curious.
"[Divine Technique: Parapsychology]," Elton said. "Are you familiar with it?"
Savana shook her head. "I see, is that so... It's a technique that is able to show you the target's memory and allows you to change it. The requirement to use this technique is physical contact with your target. The closer your point of contact is to the target's mind, the more powerful the technique," Elton relayed.
"I see..." Savana answered vaguely, still processing the main points of the information that was relayed to her.
"It's one of the easier techniques to learn among the mind control category. Either way, enough about all this, you should get some rest. You acted like you were fine, but your body is still considerably exhausted. Anything you do right now is using more divine aura than normal, not to mention you should still be quite fatigued mentally as well."
"No, I am... fine...?" Savana tried to deny it but her body thought to disagree. She lost the strength to stand before Elton for the second time, and her body plummeted toward the floor. She was about to land on the ground with a thud but somehow landed on the soft comfort of her mattress.
"You might say you're fine, but your body is asking for rest," Elton said.
"I'm fine, really," she continued to deny it, attempting to sit back up with trembling arms.
"What a stubborn girl... just like your mother..." Elton commented on her pointless persistence. "It might be dangerous for you to over-exert yourself, so goodnight," Elton remarked as he raised his hand near chest level, extending it out toward the struggling Savana.
[Divinne Technique: Psionics]
"Huh?" Savana remarked with surprise. The world around her became hazy and her surroundings started to spin. Her eyelids grew heavy and she lost all strength in her body, dropping to her bed unconscious.
Simultaneously, the door to her room flung open and a loud boy appearing to be of equal age to Savana entered her room, with a large number of rare beauties behind in tow. "Savana!" he screamed out her name. He looked around her room, his sight landing on Elton, "You... who are...?" his questions were left unfinished as he recognized the girl laying on the bed to be Savana. "Savana!" he screamed as he began to approach her with long and heavy strides.
A desperate maid soon made an appearance, asking the boy to not enter, "Please stop! Stewardess Lin has instructed no one to enter Lady Savana's room!"
"You!" one of the ladies that was with the boy spoke up in a threatening tone. "Quit yer' yappin'. Let him see her!" The girl in question had a harsh appearance. Possessing a pair of mean eyes that caused the maid to shudder in fear and dishevelled green hair that reached the nape of her neck she forced the maid to step down. There were dark patches under her red eyes that outlined her lack of rest and a cause for her irritated behaviour.
The boy was handsome, with long yellow hair and blue crystal-like eyes. His hair was nicely combed and appeared smooth to the touch, shining as it reflected the rays of the sun that shone through the open door to her balcony. He was tall and appeared gentlemanly, dressed in luxurious white clothing with appealing aesthetics, even a kid could tell that this boy was a son of a noble.
He reached his light-coloured hand out toward the sleeping Savana, but it was unable to reach Savana due to a transparent wall of yellow light that surrounded her bed.
[Divine Technique: Isolation Barrier]
"You should keep it down, she needs rest to the point where her life depends on it," Elton warned the mysterious boy.
The boy looked to Elton with a frown, "Who are you?"