Large sails- belonging to the golden finch, made of glittering crystal sheets that reflects the light from the heavens that pass through the dome-shaped invisible energy barriers above it, in all directions and supported by a few wooden mast that sparkles like gold and just like the mayflower; all lies on top of a vast deck made of shiny golden wood like the mast.
Unlie the mayflower; the deck made from shiny golden wood of otherworldly quality- spotless, sparkling and having on it people of different colors, wears, gender, some in group, some being couples and some alone; has at its center where most of this people are going, a very large deckhouse with frame made of golden wood and that has five layers above the deck.
Not bad, i am definitely buying one. At the entrance of the deck, more than a hundred meter to the lit up deckhouse that has several silhouette on its walls and windows of crystal glass that also radiate a golden light coming from inside; is the paused figure of Skylar holding a white cat and standing beside a feminine figure who wore a black lace evening glove on her hands holding a black umbrella over her face covered by a black face net and wearing a black strapless gown that has its neckline trimmed with lace and has a slit on one side that starts from the waist to the ankle below.
After Skylar brief pause, taking in the view foreign to him, he resume his walk behind the others, and the quiet feminine figure beside him doing the same.
From the deckhouse came another person- middle aged, wearing a golden armour and suave. He arrived gentlemanly before everyone, bow with a hand on his chest and said courteously, "The two madams. My lord would like you to honor him with your exalted presence in the gallery."
Exalted presence really. Hearing this Skylar smiled and held out the sleeping white cat to her owner beside him. "Here, have your cat. I have cured its leg."
"Ye... Lor..." Kind of stammering and inaudible, the figure took the cat from Skylar, especially very carefully like she wants to collect something very delicate and fragile.
The cat now in her arms, she somehow regained her original composure, and bowed to Skylar "My lord, i will repay this favor."
What favor, its something i want to do. At her words Skylar who is checking her out chuckled.
Meanwhile, Lingyue who was also addressed frowned imperceptibly when she heard the man in golden armor.
After a brief thoughtful moment, she sighed. "Sir Rutherford please tell Lord Golden King i have a guest, i wouldn't be able to join him today, maybe next time."
"Okay, ma." Sir Rutherford bowed, and on his face there wasn't a sign of objection, and it seems like he expected her refusal.
Coming to the female figure beside Skylar, before she could also express her refusal, sir Rutherford beat her to it. "Empress, i have a separate message from lady Aries. She said 'come here now'."
Yes
Good for her.
At sir Rutherford's words and action, some of the other member of the group watching them showed subtle different expressions but have on their faces a common repressed smile of happiness.
Empress who heard the last message had a conflicted look on her. She didn't respond immediately, she remained rooted to the spot with thoughts racing in her mind.
Just go already bitch. Karo glared.
You can just go and come back after you find a strong excuse to free yourself. Starboy with both hands on his flatcap that covered his head expressed his exasperation.
To another side, Ari expressed her impatience and annoyance with her body language and posture, while Henjue beside her with her head cast down mumbles something like a voodoo curse.
Not taking long, Empress made up her mind, she turned towards Skylar who has his hood on. "My lord, would you like i give you a tour of the ship."
When everyone heard empress words; Fuck you bitch. Koko gestured with her fingers, Lingyue who has her back to Skylar and the empress frowned imperceptibly, sir Rutherford who watch expressionessly turned to look at Old soldier who for some reason is counting the stars, Ari body language took a sharp turn, One leaf like everything has never been his business with Starboy who has a grin on his face left the group behind and walk towards the deckhouse.
"No." Skylar curtly replied like he felt offended, not even looking at her direction. I will buy my own ship very soon, why should i ruin the surprise that will come with it.
"In that case, i will join you shortly my lord. Please excuse me." Empress whose motherly and caressing voice seems to hide a crack and whose haughty aura seems to hide a tinge expression of disappointment bowed and left, and following behind her is sir Rutherford who also bowed towards Skylar with more reverence than he has showed so far.
...
"Idris, why do you think people did not oggle Empress and your leader."
"Big bro, you surely don't know about the current trend."
"Tell me."
"We have to start from when the game lunched... Big bro is your look in the game the same as real life?"
"Hmm... That's true. I look completely different. Is it because of the simulation programming..."
"Yes and no, big bro. But what people have come to realize is the more you utilize energy especially the coating we players do, the more your appearance becomes more beautiful... Our leader at first, when the game lunched was an average beauty. But because her energy intelligence has been increasing steadily, she has reached this level of beauty. I even believe she will soon go another level when she can do four coating..."
"So, you are basically saying energy intelligence stat is directly proportional to appearance."
"Yes, exactly big bro. The more someone intelligence stat increase the more good looking someone becomes, even men are not exemptions."
"I see, that's why i look drastically different from what i look like in real life... But you have not answered my question."
"About that, big bro. Its because every female top expert is very beautiful and we have like one top expert for every one thousand players. So seeing people as beautiful as empress is not a rare thing for players. Most players have even grown tired of seeing them, there is no way they are going to oggle at this stage of the game."
"I see..."
"Actually big bro, there is another reason... There is this faction you will surely encounter when you reach the safe zone, they call themselves the Cult of Nature... It will be fun if i don't spoil it for you, what do you think?"
Standing beside Skylar at the ship gunwale on the ship bow as he watch the display down below is Starboy, who he is simultaneously conversing with.
On the open field below the bow of the ship, as Skylar watch is the numerous tent that are arranged orderly in blocks. To the left of the blocks of tent is moonlight courtyard base of four tents hanging at a far corner, and to its right where the location seems to be a depression are nine large tents- way larger than any among the numerous tents, surrounding a tent about seven times larger than them.
Also from all this tents occasionally are people going out and coming from them, their natural view as Skylar viewed them and like the view of the tents, ant-like due to the aerial view and distance.
I guess i am right. Its the spartan camp. At the sight of Snow Clara who exit the super large tent at the center of the depression, Skylar smiled and nodded.
"My lord..."
At Lingyue's voice coming from behind him, Skylar turned around and answered her. "Okay, let's go."
Leaving Starboy behind at the gunwale, Skylar followed Lingyue to one of two pergola on the ship bow facing each other, with the other one sheltering the others and their burdens.
Taking a seat beside Lingyue on a bench of golden wood Skylar crossed his arms and legs and reclined languidly on the bench. His view and Lingyue's as they both sit side by side on the bench under the pergola, is the others watching them from the other pergola. And at this point Starboy as joined the others.
"Lingyue, you already know about my situation." Staring at the roof of the other pergola, Skylar inquired.
"My lord..."
"Just call me Sky." Skylar interjected, still staring at the pergola's roof.
"Yes... Sky." She said and paused, and her eyes looking at something in the air before her, lightens up. She continued while scanning what she is looking at. "The information you need for now are the ones related to the tower... After you register at the tower, they will provide you with the information you need going forward and at that time after your player interface has been upgraded, i am assuming you will register as a player..., getting information from other players will be easy... There is a data transfer function on every player interface..."
At this point, the sails of the ship lightens up, illuminating the deck. Men in golden armors at strategic positions on the deck pulled at a rope each, and in turn a large flag that has a picture of a golden crown on it rose above the sail.
(Deep humming..., minimal vibration)
Moments later, the ship steadily rose higher into the air after its energy shield has been boosted, it turned slowly a hundred and eighty degrees and slowly gaining speed as seen from below it, it head for the horizon where the gigantic bluish-white earthly star sits imposingly, and towards a safe zone- its next stop.
...
Under the pergola;
"Lingyue, how many are you in your faction."
Lingyue, her figure due to the earlier vibration snuggling close to Skylar who has his hand across her shoulder and on the bench as she rest on it, frowned imperceptibly momentarily before she answered Skylar.
"Currently we are ninety five."
Instinctively, she snuggled closer nestling her head on Skylar's chest, a strand of her long silky black hair tangling with a loosened fibre of Skylar's pilling cloak. "There was a time we were a lot more than that... The demands of this simulation has been too much recently... Retaining players is no longer an easy thing to do. If you have a talented player in your faction, you won't know when one of those big faction will go and buy their contract behind your back. Its like they design the simulation for only rich people..."
"Wait!" Skylar interjected calmly. He pulled her by the shoulder closer to him, making her head rest properly on his broad chest.
"What do you mean by contracts and buying contracts?" Iike a seductive whisper he asked, while he brushed her fine silky hair with his hand, undoing the earlier tangle.
"My lord, will you join a faction after you register." Instead of answering, she crooned. she raised slightly her intoxicated black eyes in an attempt to catch Skylar's green eyes hidden under the hood. Though she didn't see it, her eyes returning caught a gap in his cloak which revealed a section of his bronze chest, rock solid, with a white tattoo that seems to reflect the illumination from the bluish-white earthly star that managed to reach it.
Skylar, before he answered her and after a thoughtful moment, set his eyes on the scene above the pergolia he faced and beyond the ship's energy barrier, a scene of a golden star cloaked by a blue lightning stream.
"Maybe." He answered her pulling her closer, and her feminine scent wafting stronger for some reason bombards his nostrils that is now closer to her whorl and her large boobs wrapped tightly under her white tunic deforms as they press harder on his side.