A World Worth Protecting

1

The Ethereal Fruit was well known in the Federation. It was said to be a strange fruit that, while not equal to the mythical heavenly peaches, contained strong nourishing properties for a cultivator. A normal person who ate the fruit would be blessed with good health and strong immunity, as well as an increase in lifespan.

The effects of ingesting the fruit were mild, to the point that even babies could eat them.

The only thing unfortunate about the fruit was that it couldn’t be preserved and didn’t last long after being picked. It had to be eaten within three days.

The Ethereal Fruits came from an Ethereal Tree, which could also be referred to by its other name… the Great Mahogany Tree!

Of course, there were differences between it and the Great Mahogany Tree of the myths that cycled between eight thousand years in spring and another eight thousand years in autumn. The Ethereal Tree merely possessed the characteristics of a lengthened lifespan.

The Ethereal Tree had been the result of a strange encounter during one of the city lord’s earlier travels. He found a dry tree branch amongst cooling embers that wasn’t yet dead and brought it back to the Ethereal City. Under his careful and tender administration, the branch grew and, ten years prior, transformed into its current thousand-feet spanning form—bearing its first batch of Ethereal Fruits.

Even though the fruits contained extraordinary properties, the time of their ripening wasn’t fixed. Since he had brought the tree back from the verge of death, it had borne fruits three times. That was the fourth…

To City Lord Lin You though, the Ethereal Fruit was of great value, but it was ultimately only a physical thing. Its worth couldn’t compare to the value of a strong social network. That was why the past few times the Ethereal Tree had borne fruit he sent out invitations to invite the Federation’s younger generation of heroes to join him in a feast and share in the harvest.

On the one hand, it was a means of strengthening his relations with the parental generation of the young heroes, and on the other hand, it served to seed future favors with the young ones.

Such a strategy appeared alarmingly simple but was one few could manage to apply in reality. After all, it was a fruit that could prove helpful to a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, and there he was, giving them all away.

One could see the breadth of Lin You’s ambitions and aspirations from his actions. After all, for someone to become a senator in the Federation Senate and a lord of a city, they had to have certain extraordinary qualities in the way they treated others and managed matters.

In comparison, his son Lin Tianhao still had much to learn…

“Hao-er, you’ll host the upcoming Ethereal Fruit Feast.” Inside the Ethereal City Lord Residence, under the Ethereal Tree, Lin You turned around, looked at his son, and spoke calmly.

Lin Tianhao had always looked upon his father with fear and respect. Even though he was reluctant to simply give away the Ethereal Fruits, he nodded solemnly and submitted to his father’s instructions.

A smile slowly appeared on Lin You’s face as he gazed at Lin Tianhao. He knew his own child’s nature. To a certain extent, he was grateful to Wang Baole.

After all, after being admitted to the Upper Academy Island in the Ethereal Dao College, Lin Tianhao had experienced quite a few trials and tribulations. He had matured. Lin You was comforted by the fact.

“Do not feel it a waste. This is a society that runs on favors and obligations. The value of social relations is greater than you can imagine. I no longer need to curry more favors. You’ll be the one dispensing favors and building relations this time.”

“I understand, Father,” Lin Tianhao took a deep breath and replied quietly.

“I’ve made an effort to invite the children of the other senators and city lords, as well as the young heroes from the four Dao Colleges. There will be someone from the Five Generation Sky Clan as well. As for the other two sects and the Trilunaris Corporation, we don’t have frequent exchanges and interactions, so it’s not a big matter if they don’t turn up. But if they do, you’ll be sure to attend to them properly.” Lin You passed down a few tips and reminders. He lifted his head and stared at the Ethereal Tree and its ripened fruits, then as if suddenly reminded of something, he spoke again casually.

“I’ve also invited a few young heroes from the Ethereal Dao College. Wang Baole is one of them”

Lin Tianhao fell silent momentarily when he heard Wang Baole’s name. If it had been in the past, he would have disapproved of the invitation. Even if he didn’t voice his displeasure, he would still be inwardly unhappy. But… after having come head to head with Wang Baole a few times, he had resigned to his fate. At present, he remained silent for a while before nodding his head in obedience.

“The unhappiness between him and myself was the result of my own immaturity and hot-headedness. I’m sorry for the worry it has caused you, Father.”

When he said that, Lin You spun around abruptly and stared at Lin Tianhao for a long time. A smile slowly surfaced on his face. It grew wider and wider until Lin You burst into laughter.

It was a smile that was freeing and filled with joy. In all of Lin Tianhao’s memories, that was the first time he ever saw his father displaying such happiness before him.

“Good, Hao-er, you’ve grown up!” Lin You laughed out loud as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He walked up and patted Lin Tianhao on the shoulder. When he turned and left, it was with immense comfort and pleasure.

Lin Tianhao stood in the same spot as he watched the retreating back of his father. After a long while, he shook his head and smiled bitterly. He muttered.

“It’s not entirely true that I’ve grown up. It’s that Wang Baole… is someone I can’t afford to offend.”

The Ethereal Fruit Feast was set to be held three days later at the Ethereal City’s City Lord residences.

The invitations were sent out and soon received by every one of the political forces in the Federation. It was as Lin You had foreseen. There would not be anyone coming from the two main sects. The Trilunaris Corporation had also replied with a non-attendance.

Only the Five Generation Sky Clan, who maintained a cordial relationship with Lin You privately, readily accepted the invitation.

That was something that had been within Lin You’s expectations. His network of relations was concentrated mainly in the Senate and four Dao Colleges. The children of the sixteen senators had accepted his invitation and would all be attending. That was the same for the four Dao Colleges. The respective youths would be heading towards the Ethereal City in their cruisers.

Zhuo Yifan, Wang Baole, Zhao Yameng, and a few other Federation seedlings as well as all reputable disciples from the Upper Academy Island, were in the list of invitees.

The thought of turning down the invitation had not occurred to Wang Baole. In fact, he was extremely pleased for having received it.

<em>This Senator Lin is indeed an impressive figure who recognizes my brilliance. It’s just unfortunate that his son isn’t of the same caliber. </em>Wang Baole slapped his stomach happily. He thought it a great thing, being able to get a free meal, especially since the Ethereal Fruit was such an extraordinary fruit. Wang Baole did some research and decided that the fruit would be more useful for his parents.

After having made a decision, Wang Baole contacted Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng. They decided they would journey together to the Ethereal Fruit Feast.

Three days passed quickly, and as the day of the Ethereal Fruit Feast arrived, Ethereal City bustled with noise. Every resident of the Ethereal City knew about the Ethereal Fruit Feast. They watched as luxurious cruiser after cruiser sped across the heavens and headed for the city lord’s residences.

The cruisers were just… too lavish!

One cruiser was built out of black gold and shaped like a scimitar. It exuded an aura that was both lethal and futuristic all at once, as if it was something that existed outside of that time. It wasn’t only fast, but it also struck awe in those who saw it.

Such a cruiser wouldn’t be something that came out of a factory line production. It was a customized cruiser that could only be crafted by a great artisan. Be it in price or capabilities, it vastly surpassed the cruisers that were available on the market.

The cruiser was only the tip of the iceberg. There was another even more opulent-looking cruiser—a giant head made out of metal, with long fearsome-looking teeth and a horn growing out of its forehead. It dashed across the sky, appearing less like a cruiser and more like a beast.

The fearsome aura it exuded, its speed, as well as the structure of the cruiser, was a frightening and awe-inducing sight to all who saw it.

Cruisers of a similar breed came from all four corners of the sky, rousing waves of shocked gasps from the residents of the Ethereal City that day.

“My god, I’ve seen the leaf-shaped cruiser on the Spirit Intranet before! It’s so expensive that it costs as much as a mansion in the Federation capital! The money I earn from a life of working will probably only get me one door on that cruiser!”

“Did you guys see that… that’s a flying race car made from Spirit Stones?”

“I have to give it up to the person…”

Amidst the rise and fall of the city residents’ cries of surprise and awe, luxurious cruisers, oddly shaped and each one of them priceless, gathered at the Ethereal City Lord Residence. As they landed, out walked young men and women, all of them were dressed in expensive attire, in high spirits, and giving off an air of nobility that made them stand apart from the typical commoner.

They were the children of the other Federation senators, and it was clear that they knew Lin Tianhao, as they started chatting happily when they met.

“Young Master Lin, many thanks for the invitation.”

“Haha, Brother Sun, have you changed your cruiser again? I saw this on the Trilunaris Corporation’s announcement a while back. There are only ten such cruisers in the entire Federation. I can’t believe you actually managed to get one.”

“Not just one. I bought them all.”

Laughter rose in the air. They appeared to converse nonchalantly about one another’s cruisers, engaging in casual banter, but in reality, every one of them was secretly measuring the others up.

The extravagance of their cruisers gradually gave the Ethereal Fruit Feast a different flavor. It had become a bragging contest.

In the bustling and lively Ethereal City Lord Residence, as Lin Tianhao received the guests and engaged in cordial conversation, the invitees from the Five Generation Sky Clan finally arrived. The cruiser they traveled on caught everyone’s attention as soon as it appeared.

It was…

A miniature battleship… capable of traversing outer space!

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