"Huh? Someone will join us?" Leyvi was genuinely surprised. The announcement had come out of nowhere.
Everyone else also wore expressions of surprise. It seemed no one besides Anda had been aware of this development.
"Who is it?" Seraphina asked, her voice weary and her face lacking its usual energy. She frowned as she spoke.
Over the past two weeks, she had expended a significant amount of her Qi maneuvering the Celestial Cloud. She had complained repeatedly about being assigned such menial labor, but Anda had calmly reminded her that she had so far only received benefits from the group without making any real contributions.
Seraphina could not retort, because it was the truth. Her cultivation had improved tremendously while cultivating near the Spiritual Vein, and she had received many top-grade spirit stones from Tamina. Furthermore, as she was not a fighter, she had not participated in hunting the demonic beasts around the mine.
Alongside Seraphina, Victor and Viola also took turns piloting the cloud, as they were similarly in roles with fewer combat demands. But unlike Seraphina, they did not voice their complaints. Well, Victor did complain, but only inwardly.
Occasionally, Dastan would volunteer to pilot out of sheer boredom, but he quickly grew tired of it, preferring the tactile control of his own Vehicle Spirit Artifacts. He had a clear preference for controlling metallic things.
Seraphina felt a fresh wave of annoyance at Anda's announcement. More people meant a heavier load for the Celestial Cloud, which would require her to expend even more of her Qi to keep it aloft and moving.
"If I tell you now, the surprise will be ruined," Anda replied, a playful glint in her eyes. "But don't worry, it isn't someone you know. I don't think anyone would care enough to come all this way just to find you."
"You! Hmph! Nobody is looking for you either, you panda!" Seraphina retorted without thinking, her exasperation getting the better of her.
Anda's lips curved into a triumphant smile as she slid her hand around Leyvi's arm, hugging it possessively. "What are you talking about, Seraphina? My beloved husband found me on his own. He loves me so much that he could find me anywhere in this world."
She then tilted her head, her expression shifting to one of mock pity. "On the other hand, what about you? Probably only mosquitoes ever found you. Sigh... poor girl..." She did not hold back in her mockery.
Seraphina was stunned into silence. She realized her mistake too late, and a sharp pang of envy twisted in her heart as she thought about how Anda had managed to secure a husband like Leyvi.
"I... I have someone who found me," she stammered, grasping for a retort. "You! You found me!" That was the only reply she could muster.
"Ah, so you do remember that I saved your life. I thought you had forgotten already. People should be more grateful to their savior, you know?" Anda chuckled, her victory complete.
Seraphina fell silent, a wave of depression washing over her. She never could win against Anda. For a moment, she even wondered why she harbored such hatred for the woman who had, in fact, saved her life.
The rest of the group simply watched this familiar scene play out. The ongoing rivalry between Anda and Seraphina had become a common occurrence. Even though Seraphina lost every single time, they had to applaud her persistent efforts to go up against an opponent she could never hope to defeat.
Meanwhile, Dastan observed the exchange with a distinct feeling of awkwardness. The entire interaction, the dynamic between Anda and Seraphina, felt eerily similar to the scenes from when he had first met Leyvi.
"This prince used to be like her, huh?" Dastan muttered quietly to himself. He could not help but feel a profound sense of secondhand embarrassment from how pathetic Seraphina appeared. The sight made him wonder how much he had changed since those early days, what kind of person he had become, and how others might view him now.
After that, the group separated to explore the vicinity while waiting for the supposed newcomer. However, the rocky terrain offered little of interest, and as it was the middle of the night, they soon returned to their gathering spot. Bodo used this chance to sleep at a distance. He did not dare to sleep near the others, especially on the Celestial Cloud, for fear of accidentally beating someone up in his sleep.
Half a day later, just as the sun began to rise, Anda stepped out of the modified carriage and announced, "Alright, they are almost here."
Except for Bodo, who was still sleeping soundly on a rock a hundred meters away, the others had been meditating inside their personal accommodations. They stopped their cultivation, stepped out, and stored their belongings. Dastan and Tamina emerged from the Crown War Tank with Tantan, Viola from a beautiful mini house, Victor from a fake boulder, Cempaka from a simple hemisphere room, and Seraphina from a luxurious portable house.
Leyvi, Valenia, Ava, Lilian, and Barbara also exited the modified carriage right after Anda. Since Barbara would become a part of the Leyan Family in the future, Anda had naturally invited her to stay in the carriage with them, allowing their bond as sisters to develop early. Ava watched this with a mixture of resignation and quiet acceptance of her best friend's new path.
Leyvi immediately spread his spiritual sense outwards, eager to see who the newcomers were. He had asked Anda again the night before, but she had insisted on keeping it a surprise.
A few minutes later, his senses detected another Celestial Cloud approaching, carrying two figures, a man and a woman, heading straight for them.
Seeing the man, Leyvi's expression shifted to one of surprise, which then blossomed into a bright, knowing smile a few seconds later.
No wonder she had insisted on keeping it a surprise. A certain lady would be overjoyed, he thought.
When the celestial cloud was still a few kilometers away, the others finally detected the two figures riding atop it with their spiritual sense.
"Brother!" Barbara suddenly exclaimed the moment she recognized the man. Tears immediately welled in her eyes and began to stream down her cheeks, falling onto her white dress like rain.
She had never expected that the newcomer Anda spoke of would be her brother. She had assumed he was still living safely within the fortress he had discovered. Although she possessed a celestial cloud and could have used it to contact Senior Lapin and inquire about her brother, she was not as bold as Anda. She would never dare to disturb a King Level Demonic Beast so casually.
Only Anda dared to treat a being of such power as her personal messenger and errand boy. Therefore, as long as Senior Lapin did not bring her any bad news, she had always chosen to believe her brother was safe and well.
It was not only Barbara who was surprised by this revelation. On the approaching cloud, Barcas also shouted his sister's name loudly the instant he saw her standing among the group.
"Kekeke! What did I say?" Lapin's cheerful voice rang out from the celestial cloud. "Do you want to join this group now? I told you to trust me. I am the most honorable and gentlemanly Celestial Cloud Rabbit out there. Do you like this surprise?"
"Thank you, Senior Lapin. Please forgive me for ever harboring suspicions about you," Barcas said, his voice thick with emotion. He knelt and bowed deeply on the cloud, his heart filled with profound gratitude. "I was always worried about my sister, and now I can finally be at peace."
After departing from the fortress, Barcas and Livana had traveled for some time before a lone cloud drifted purposefully toward them. Barcas recognized it instantly as the same source of energy he had always sensed following him from a distance.
After much convincing from the cloud itself, he and Livana agreed to board it, reasoning that traveling high in the sky was far safer for their journey. However, instead of heading toward the colossal tree, they were taken to a secluded sky island.
There, a man with distinct rabbit features, who introduced himself as the cloud's owner, instructed them to remain on the island for a while. He explained that when the time was right, he would personally bring them to a specific group. Naturally, this entire situation made Barcas deeply suspicious, and he and Livana maintained their guard the entire time. Thankfully, everything had turned out for the best, culminating in this joyful reunion with his twin sister.
"Kekeke! Don't worry about it," Lapin replied, his voice cheerful. "This is my new hobby. Now, go and see your sister."
The moment the celestial cloud touched down, Barbara and Barcas rushed toward each other and embraced tightly, their relief and happiness pouring out. The atmosphere was genuinely heartwarming. Leyvi and the others gathered around, offering their sincere congratulations to the reunited twins.
"Kekeke! What a beautiful scene!" Lapin exclaimed, his long ears twitching with delight.
He and Anda had been planning this reunion for some time, coordinating like the best of partners. When Lapin had encountered difficulty convincing Barcas and Livana to trust him, he had even relied on Anda's expert manipulation techniques to help smooth the path.
Lapin was not entirely sure if it was due to his Celestial Cloud Rabbit bloodline or something else, but ever since he had successfully reunited Anda and Leyvi, the act had brought him a profound sense of happiness, as if he had finally discovered his true calling.
Connecting people gave him a deep sense of purpose and joy.