Aiden felt as though he was being guided by an invisible force. He ascended the stone platform step by step and arrived in front of the golden pearl.
"What is this? Why do I feel like it's calling to me?"
From the moment Aiden entered the hall, he felt a powerful pull from the golden pearl, as if it were summoning him. Now that he was standing directly before it, the sensation of being called grew even stronger.
He carefully examined the golden pearl, but aside from its brilliant radiant glow, there didn't seem to be anything remarkable about it.
After observing the golden pearl for a while, Aiden extended his hand and picked it up from the stone platform.
"I wonder what the purpose of this golden pearl is?" he muttered to himself while staring at the pearl in the palm of his hand.
Suddenly, as Aiden focused on the golden pearl, it transformed into a beam of light and shot directly into his forehead, disappearing inside him.
At the same moment, a golden pillar of light surged into the sky, piercing through the cloudless expanse and leaving a massive hole in its wake.
.....
_Olsson Family_
The Olsson family was one of the overlords of Fresh Breeze Town, having a connection with the Imperial Family of Light Wind Empire.
This family was very big and had many courtyards and gardens.
Deep inside the Olsson Family, there was a bamboo forest. It was not exactly a forest, for it only spread over a few hundred meters of land.
In the middle of the Bamboo Forest, there was a hut.
It may look like a shabby hut, but in fact, it was the place where the previous leader of the Olsson Family lived. He was currently sitting cross-legged on a wooden bed inside the hut and had his eyes closed.
Suddenly, as if he sensed something, his eyes snapped open.
Looking at the distant sky, he muttered, "Something strange is happening in the Valley of Death."
He immediately took out a token and shattered it.
Not long after, the current leader of the Olsson Family, Brad Olsson came with a few middle-aged men and two old men.
"Father," Brad greeted the old man, and so did the other men who came here.
The old man nodded his head, but everyone could tell that his attention was clearly distracted. After a while, the old man took a deep breath and said, "Something strange is happening in the Valley of Death. Send a few people to investigate. It may benefit us a lot or it may bring us misfortune as well. We have to stay alert."
"Something is happening in the Valley of Death? How could it be?" Brad muttered in a low voice, full of suspicion.
One of the two old men who came with Brad also nodded his head and said, "Are you sure, Arvid? You should know more than anyone else how much the Valley of Death matters to us. Nothing happened to the Valley of Death for thousands of years, how could something suddenly happen?"
Arvid, the previous leader of the Olsson Family looked at the old man deeply. The old man smiled embarrassingly, for he knew why Arvid was looking at him like this.
As expected, the next moment, Arvid said, "Don't think I don't know what you are thinking. Let me tell you, even if I'm no longer leading the family, it doesn't mean I don't know what you all are playing inside and outside. As for whether what I'm telling you is true or not, it is not for you to question me."
Saying this, Arvid looked at his son Brad, and said, "Send a few people inside the Valley of Death to investigate what is happening. I just felt some kind of insurmountable power surging inside. It is very likely a supreme treasure has appeared, or at least close to that. Whatever it is, if we can get our hands on this treasure, believe me, our family will definitely rise to prominence like never before. At that time, even the imperial family of the Light Wind Empire will be no match for us."
"Although we have some relationship with them, we still have to take our steps carefully. However, if we can get our hand on whatever treasure has appeared inside the Valley of Death, we may obtain the strength to replace the imperial family and rule over the entire Light Wind Empire."
Brad nodded his head in agreement. He knew his father had never once said a baseless word. Since he was saying that a Supreme Treasure may have appeared in the Valley of Death, then it means there is at least a very high probability for it to appear. All he needs to do is to send a group of powerful people to investigate and if possible, bring back that treasure.
As for what his father meant by the first few sentences about the old man, Brad didn't understand. He suspiciously looked at the old man and saw him trying to avoid looking at each other. He wanted to know what the old man was hiding and what his father meant by 'inside and outside', but he left this matter for now as it was not important for the time being. The most important thing now was to send a group of warriors to the Valley of Death and investigate the turmoil there.
All the people left the shabby hut soon and went their own ways, leaving Arvid alone.
When everyone left, Arvid looked above and muttered in a low voice, "I don't know what this sign is, I hope nothing bad is going to happen. Otherwise, the consequences to my family will be greater than what we can endure."
.....
Inside the Valley of Death, Aiden took a deep breath. He doesn't have any idea what the Golden Pearl is that entered inside him. He panicked and wanted to pull the thing out of his body, however, that thing seemed to have disappeared somewhere inside his body and was out of his reach.
Aiden could only sigh. He then looked at the sky and saw the hole, created by the golden beam of light, slowly being repaired on its own.
"What exactly happened here?" Aiden muttered in a low voice but there was no one to answer him.
What Aiden didn't know was that, far away, a mysterious island was floated in the sky. An invisible barrier enveloped the entire island, which perhaps explained why no one ever discovered it and nothing had ever happened to it, even after countless years of drifting through the air.
This island was vast, so vast that it was larger than Aiden's home planet, Earth. This island was covered with lush forests, towering mountains, flowing rivers, and sparkling springs. All these natural creations were contributing to a breathtaking display of this island's beauty.
However, despite its grandeur, not a single living creature could be seen anywhere on this island.
At the center of this island stood a majestic palace that is also the only structure on this entire floating landmass, silently watching over the island.
The palace itself was a marvel of craftsmanship. Its interior was so striking that it seemed as though the entire structure had been crafted from pure gold, for everything within shimmered with a golden glow. The radiant light illuminated the vast halls, while elegant red curtains on large windows swayed gently with the soft breeze. The ceiling was adorned with intricate carvings, and the grand pillars supporting the palace's architecture bore exquisite, detailed engravings.
There were hundreds of rooms throughout the palace, so many that attempting to count them all would be a waste of time. The palace was a sprawling three-story structure equipped with everything one could desire for comfort, luxury, and entertainment.
However, due to the lack of a living creature, this floating island appeared as though it has been abandoned by people living here hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Inside the throne room, apart from the majestic-looking throne at the center, there were two rows of royal chairs flanking it on either side, adding to the regal atmosphere of the room.
Despite being abandoned for countless years, not a single speck of dust marred the pristine interior of the palace, as though time had no effect here.
Suddenly, the grand throne, which had been silent moments before, began to tremble violently. It continued to shake for over a dozen seconds before abruptly stopping.
Immediately after, a golden light burst forth, and within its glow, a blurry figure dressed in golden robes materialized. The figure was so indistinct that its facial features were impossible to make out. However, upon closer inspection, one startling detail would become apparent. This figure possessed three eye sockets instead of the usual two, with an additional eye socket located in the middle of the forehead.
Had anyone been present, they would have been astonished by this sight.