"First Foundation!?"
Admiral stared with wide eyes at Selene.
"Yeah... I still haven't chosen a Dao Art to assimilate."
"For real?"
Astonished, Admiral held his forehead in astonishment, losing himself to his thoughts.
'This girl! I thought the power struggle between the Immortal Seeds would be resolved, but this was not what I expected. What was Lord Immortal Adamant thinking?'
'Hmm... in terms of numbers and status, Edifice, my Junior Brother and I are equal to Lord Immortal Monolith's Immortal Seeds and sole Heir, but that does not mean our strengths are equal.'
'This Selene was supposed to be our tie breaker, but I did not expect her to be of such a low rank...'
A myriad thoughts flashed in his mind.
Although their prospects against the other Immortal Seeds might not have been so prosperous, they were not at a total loss.
Should Selene take the final step into the Second Foundation, the scale would tilt in their favour.
Edifice was also lost in thought.
She should've stepped in before Selene called out her rank. The Monolith's Seeds were not their only competition; Blade's Seeds were also not their friends.
In fact, Adamant's Seeds were at a clear disadvantage against the others; their total battle strength and status were the lowest.
Edifice's political influence and general involvement with the Mortal Settlement were quite high.
Wishing to break away from this encounter, Edifice made up the excuse to drag Selene somewhere else.
"I see... I will not hold you here for too long, friend Edifice, Friend Selene. I hope I can meet you again on such friendly terms."
"Yes, give the Second Heir my best wishes, and I hope you have a fine night yourself."
Waving them off, Admiral continued down the road in their opposite direction.
Walking to the high ground, Admiral faces the Great River and loses himself in the immense size and violence of the rushing waters.
'Oh, Lord Adamant, what do you intend to do with this junior? You did not even raise her as an Heir, you brought her into this competition under such cruel prospects.'
'...'
Looking toward the five pillars, Admiral couldn't help but reflect on Immortalhood and this competition.
He had a set of his ideals, he wished to look down upon the world, but not out of selfish intent or malevolence.
This competition could be his stepping stone to the Immortal realm, but he could not rely solely on himself.
Even with the support of his junior brother and temporarily partnered friends, Edifice and Selene, he would have to contend against them soon. There can only be one true Heir of the fourth Plateau.
'The pale starlight cradles the land with faint, fleeting hope.'
'Those who embrace it are merely content.'
'Those who lack it are overwhelmed by strife.'
'If Night wishes to rule beyond the sky, it has to face the denizens of the world.'
'If people wish to embrace the sky, to chase the starlight, they have to face Night itself.'
'Yet, people can't help but turn against each other. They band together against a common enemy, then strike down who they once called friend.'
'Is this ambition? Or is this malevolence?'
'Even now, we are merely the 'friends' of these Immortals.'
'It is truly hard to find true friendship.'
'The only choice is to stand alone...'
With solemnity in the air, he turned around and left the area.
'That fourth Plateau will be mine.'
...
The roads of this region were particularly desolate.
Unlike the bustling marketplace, this district was tame and orderly.
The occasional person would simply pass warm greetings, no gazes were stabbing at the back of their necks, nor did they have to listen to unending chattering around them.
Selene followed Edifice without question, but she had no idea where they were going.
"Where are you taking me?"
"There are people I wish to meet with, something I need to retrieve. It would do you good to meet them, too."
"..."
Sighing, Selene reluctantly agreed.
They walked down the streets until they arrived at a library.
There were three stories, each dedicated to a certain topic: ordinary topics, historical and political topics, and cultivation topics.
In the air was the natural scent of old paper, and a cosy warmth. There were no lavish decorations, nor did it seem very popular.
Walking to the second floor, the aesthetics of the people changed.
The bottom floor had ordinary-looking people in common robes; the second floor had a natural air of authority.
Sat in the corner of the second floor, a pair of young teenagers were wholly indulged in their books.
Edifice walked over and gently called their names.
One could see the glints of youth and happiness in their eyes, not only when reading, but also when they looked up at Edifice.
"Big Sister!"
"Sister Edifice!"
These two didn't seem like normal people. Their robes were intricate and very formal. They had ornaments in their hair and hanging from their ears.
"I hope you two have been fine, hmm?"
"Yeah, we've been able to finish documenting trade routes down south, through those wild mountains and valleys."
"Those books you lent us really helped! We are so grateful."
Edifice shared a warm conversation with them. Selene stood to the side and merely watched.
"Now, did you guys manage to get what I had asked for?"
One of the youths nodded and reached into their robe, pulling out a small book of notes and another book of a fictitious story.
"We've mapped out the geography of the surrounding lands west of the Great River, the bank upstream and downstream, and annotated the areas of abundant Qi."
"Mystical beasts are more frequent on the bank upstream. Reports have noted that Spirits, while few, have been sighted further upstream, northwest of the craggy regions of the Great River."
They continued to point out certain areas they found peculiar, observations of a beast group's movements, and the collective of reports about artificial tampering.
Delighted, Edifice thanked the two youths for their efforts. Selene was surprised by the abrupt change in the attitudes of the youth.
"Sister Edifice, who are these two youths?"
Edifice turned around and gestured from left to right.
"These are the second Mortal Settlement Lord's eldest son and daughter. They are geniuses for their age, running trade routes with other Settlements and our subsidiary Mortal Settlements."
The two youths eyed Selene and questioned her.
"Sister, who is this?"
"Little Miss is also dressed like you... Could she be?"
Edifice turned around again to gesture to Selene.
"This is my junior Sister, and Immortal Seed of Master Immortal Adamant, Selene. I hope you get to know her well."
Lightly shocked, the two youths regained their composure to politely bow and greet Selene. She returned the greetings, however, she was deep in thought.
'These youths must be Edifice's political backing. The children of one of the Mortal Settlement Lords, I was not expecting her to have such connections.'
'Is she connected to the Settlement Lord himself? If so, she must have a lot of political power already.'
'Why does she need that book that she received from them? Why did they give her that fictitious book as well...?'
Edifice was still conversing between the two youths when Selene raised her questione she turned her head attentively.
"What is so important about that book?"
"This one? It's the third volume of a series I am reading, Tear-Stained Ink Scatters Across Paper-"
"No, not that one... The information about the lands and Qi, what purpose do you have with that one?"
"Oh. There are rumours that I am looking into. A State Cultivator has supposedly left behind an inheritance. Not only could there be Dao Art scriptures, but a Mystical Weapon could be left behind too!"