Chapter 178: Unexpected Visitor (2)
The convoy finally crossed the last ridge that separated the Russian heartlands from the Wind Clan’s dominion.
It was late. The night sky had fallen into a blanket of stars—clearer than anywhere else in Europe—and the twin moons cast a pale glow on the rugged, ancient terrain that stretched out before them.
As Lauren and her entourage approached their destination, even the tired silence in the car was replaced with stunned awe.
Before them, nestled in the cradle of distant mountain peaks and surrounded by whispering forests, stood the stronghold of the Wind Clan.
It was no city—at least, not in the traditional sense. It lacked the buzz of economic activity, the flash of merchant lights, or the modern density of tech-run hubs. But what it had... was presence.
The entire region was built with an artistry that belonged to the sky itself.
Tiered structures of smooth, silver-green stone flowed across the landscape like wind-carved cliffs. Towering spires pierced the heavens, their tops wreathed in gentle streams of rotating wind mana.
Suspended bridges hung between them like ribbons of silk, swaying ever so slightly in the eternal breeze that never seemed to stop here.
Wide roads were etched with glowing runes that pulsed rhythmically beneath the wheels of the arriving mana-cars. Even the very air felt different—lighter, clearer, charged with mana and decades of refinement.
As they passed under the arching stone gateway—a beautifully engraved arch bearing the sigil of the Aeolus bloodline—they entered a world that seemed part fortress, part monastery, and part high court of old.
The buildings here didn’t scream wealth. They whispered of legacy.