Chapter 1140: Nadia's First Glimpse Of Paradise
Chapter 1140: Nadia's First Glimpse Of Paradise
Her stiff expression revealed the depth of her emotions for the first time.
As though unable to control herself, Nadia continued eating the fruit, her emotions
increasingly tumultuous.
After a while, she calmed down, wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks, and held a small piece of the Kalna fruit in her hand, fixing her gaze on Orion.
"Can you tell me where you got this fruit?" Nadia asked, her voice tense. She was clearly determined to secure this information no matter what.
Fortunately, Orion had no intention of withholding it.
"This is called the Kalna fruit and is cultivated in Paradise by the tree nymphs," Orion replied.
Upon hearing his words, Nadia's body briefly trembled.
'How is this possible?' she thought as she examined the Kalna fruit in astonishment. She couldn't comprehend how tree nymphs could create something devoid of Vylkr energy.
The fruit provided the same nourishment as the Kalnir fruit, yet it was tastier and more satisfying.
Despite her confusion, the familiarity of the fruit made Nadia trust Orion's words without doubting his sincerity. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she asked, "Is it possible for me to follow you back to Paradise when you leave? I want to see and confirm this for myself."
"Didn't you hear me correctly before? We can leave for Paradise anytime you want and return instantly," Orion said with a light smile.
Nadia was stunned by his words. She recalled that he had mentioned this earlier, but she hadn't taken him seriously, thinking he was just trying to entice her into joining Paradise. Now, however, she was willing to give it a try.
"Alright then, let's do it. Please, take me to Paradise," Nadia responded firmly.
Orion nodded and stood up from his seat. He placed his right hand into his pocket, summoned the miniature mountain, retrieved a golden key, and re-summoned it. With the golden key in his right hand, Orion extended his arm.
The surrounding space rippled, manifesting a folded space before him. Orion felt the key insert itself into an invisible door lock in the air and, without hesitation, turned it to the side, following the sequence Ilse had taught him.
Nadia watched with curiosity. As the space rippled before her, she instinctively stepped back, her senses warning her of an impending danger. Her body tensed as she observed Orion's strange movements.
Soon, Orion withdrew his hand, and the key dissipated into golden light, transforming into a squared, massive door spilling intense, blinding golden light from within.
Orion turned to Nadia and said, "Let's go. This door will take us to Paradise."
Nadia hesitated for a moment before nodding and stepping forward.
'No matter the outcome, I need to see this for myself,' Nadia thought. 'If it's true, the entire Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled will undergo an astonishing transformation. But if I've willingly walked into a trap, I can only blame myself for being so easily deceived.'
Despite her slight hesitation, Orion was satisfied with Nadia's firm resolve as she stepped beside him.
"I've informed everyone not to disturb us until we're finished, so you don't need to worry about anyone interrupting until I return," Nadia said, her gaze fixed on both Orion and Fifi.
They quickly understood the intent behind her words.
Orion focused on Fifi and said, "We'll be back soon."
Fifi nodded in acknowledgement.
"Follow me," Orion said, leading the way into the massive, spatially squared door. Nadia nodded and followed closely behind him.
Watching the two vanish before her eyes, Fifi sighed and sank into her thoughts. After a brief pause, she contacted the remaining others for an update on their current situation.
'I'll speak with Seraphina later to see if she can add a visual feature that enables us to view what another individual is experiencing,' Fifi mused. She knew it would be a difficult feature to implement, but Seraphina would likely take it as a challenge and try to make it work.
She also wanted to test several functions of the mask, such as the disguise feature that allowed them to change their appearance.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
However, because Orion was unsure of the dangers they might encounter, he decided it was best not to entirely deceive the residents of the pocket dimension to gain their trust and eventually bring them to Paradise.
...
Orion and Nadia stepped through the door and emerged in an enormous city filled with countless concrete buildings, each designed with eye-catching architecture and adorned with precious stones-many of which Nadia had never even known existed.
The stones sparkled more brilliantly than the gems on her crown, which now seemed dull by comparison. To her surprise, there was no ocean, just an immense landscape.
Nadia gazed around the vast city, unconsciously imprinting its grandeur into her mind.
The large, square golden door disintegrated into specks of light, merging and transforming
into the golden key. The key landed smoothly in Orion's hand as though recognizing him as its
owner.
Orion swiftly pocketed the key.
Finally, Nadia couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Is this Paradise?" she asked, her tone filled with wonder.
Though it was far more impressive than anticipated, her curiosity about Orion and the others grew, especially since the place seemed devoid of people. From her current position, she could barely sense anything.
Contrary to her expectations, Orion shook his head. "No, it's not."
"Then where are we?" Nadia asked, frowning; caution filled her voice. Her body tensed, awaiting his response.
"Paradise is not far from here; we'll be there soon," Orion replied, deliberately avoiding her question.
He wasn't sure how Nadia would react if he told her they were currently in the private domain of a goddess. What if she didn't understand the concept of a divine being, or worse, reacted unpredictably to such knowledge?
Regardless, Orion didn't want to escalate the situation. He planned to gradually introduce her to Paradise, starting with the tree nymphs, allowing her to gain some familiarity before
revealing more.
Orion quickly activated the One-Winged Sky Art and used it on Nadia, lifting them both into the air before she could respond.
"What's going on? What is this?!" Nadia exclaimed in shock as she soared above the city, which stretched far beyond the horizon.
A sudden chill ran through her body as she looked down from above. Realizing she had fallen into a trap, her fear turned into anger.
"Let me go! I knew this was a trap!! You bastard! I'll kill you!! I'll slaughter you!!" Nadia screamed, her voice filled with fury, even as her expression betrayed her fear.
Nadia wasn't afraid for herself but for her sisters in the Bastion of the Wailing Gnarled. She remembered that another one of these mysterious individuals was still in their territory, unmonitored.
She cursed herself for ever believing that such a 'Paradise,' where races lived in harmony with
tree nymphs enjoying the highest privileges, could exist.
Orion frowned as he listened to her words. 'So aggressive,' he thought.
While the tree nymphs could get angry like anyone else, it was never to this extent. Orion
hoped they wouldn't remain so hostile, especially since he didn't want Grace to be influenced
by such behaviour.
Realizing she couldn't free herself from the strange restraint holding her in place, Nadia stopped struggling but kept her fierce gaze locked on him.
They soon arrived near the magnificent castle in the city's centre. They descended before a grand golden archway adorned with beautifully carved rubies and gemstones and intricately sculpted sculptures of mythical beasts and sea creatures Nadia had never seen before. Without hesitation, Orion pushed open the door and stepped through, with Nadia floating
beside him.
A flash of blinding sunlight briefly met Nadia's eyes before they found themselves on the
other side.
"Where are we?" Nadia asked, bewildered. Her eyes were wide with astonishment at the vast forest before them.
Unlike their previous location, Nadia felt a strange familiarity with the greenery, though she remained doubtful.
As her gaze shifted to the side, her expression turned to shock as she noticed the edge of the land. Beyond it lay a cloud-filled plain. It took a moment for her to realize that they weren't plains but actual clouds held back by a powerful barrier.
Suddenly, the realization hit her; they were no longer on the ground.
They were high up in the sky.
'How is this possible? Can travelling between different territories be this easy?' Nadia
wondered, struggling to understand how they had moved so effortlessly from the seabed to
the land and now to the sky. She soon noticed she could move freely, but that was the least of
her concerns.
"Welcome to Paradise, Miss Nadia," Orion said with a smile.
"I'd appreciate it if you promised not to scream as I lead you to your sisters," he added.
Nadia focused on him, hesitating briefly before nodding. "Alright, I won't." Orion nodded in approval and swiftly activated the One-Winged Sky Art again, soaring into
the air with Nadia.