Chapter 110- My Name
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A humongous train was flying in the air, speeding forward with many bluish fire-like shinsu on its acting as its wheels. The Hell Train was currently traveling through a dark region.
Many tall, sharp, and rocky mountains could be seen jutting upward below the train, giving off a dangerous impression as each of them stood far dangerously from the ground.
Under the mountains, there was no ground. Instead, there was a sea of red-colored water. The water was so thick in red that it felt that it was not water but blood instead.
Even after a close inspection of the region, one would never find anyone inhabiting it, not even a Shinheuh or anything.
Considering the tall yet small space on each mountain and the vast red water, this region was certainly not the greatest, so it wasn't unfounded if people found it unappealing to inhabit.
However, even for some small aquatic creatures to not exist in the region?
This was certainly odd as such creatures didn't need the necessity of humanoid beings to live nor any preference that humanoid creatures might have.
With the lack of any living creatures, inhospitable rocky mountains, and the daunting vast area of red water, this area gave off an extremely dangerous and unsetting feeling.
On the Hell Train, the cold temperature had become more unbearable as more crystals of ice appeared practically everywhere on every section of the train, turning it into a hell of ice.
On a part of the train, a beautiful woman sat calmly as she looked at the window, observing the desolate region below.
The icy white environment complemented her long white hair, making her even more beautiful. She wore a comfy fur white coat that stretched to her knees, covering her in warmth against the arctic cold temperature.
She enjoyed a glass of tea from time to time as continued to see the outside. Her figure and demeanor created an irresistible, picturesque view that could entrance anyone who happened to be lucky to witness it.
Adori was currently having a day off from her routine.
This wasn't because she was tired or anything, but it was because it was important to see it, the 43rd floor, or what was more renowned as the Floor of Death, the place of the unliving.
Due to the extreme cold, Adori had to wear a thick coat if she wanted to feel remotely comfortable on this floor. Not that she minded it, she was more of a practical person in heart.
Nowadays, Adori had taken a liking to drink tea. An enjoyment she knew that she had picked up from Liu Guanyi. After all, he had always been drinking tea in his free time, and it spread to his teammates since he always offered them the same.
To be honest, Adori never had any preference whether they were food or drinks. To her, anything was the same as long as it was beneficial to her body, this was the lesson she had learned the hard way to survive in her childhood.
However, teas were different somehow. It gave off a calming sensation that cooled her down, making her thoughts less volatile, more collected, and organized.
Not only it was delectable in the tongue, but it was also beneficial to the mind. It was no wonder that Liu Guanyi liked it, tea was just a perfect complement to his calm demeanor.
Unfortunately, Adori's skill in tea serving was still far worse compared to Liu Guanyi. She knew this very well since she had tasted various teas made by Liu Guanyi and compared them to her own.
Adori found that those made by him somehow had richer and clearer taste even with the exact same ingredients, something that she had attributed to the art of tea serving.
Adori wanted to enjoy Liu Guanyi's tea at the moment, but since he was still not coming out of the Rice Pot, it was unfortunate that she couldn't enjoy it.
As she was just thinking about it, she felt that something moved toward her at an extremely fast pace. Without even glancing at the moving object, she could sense what it was, or more correctly, who it was.
Well, speak of the devil. "Liu, you are back." Adori spoke with a charming smile.
"Well, I have finally made some progress in my training with the guardian. Also, the Hell Train is almost reaching the end of its journey so I want to check it out." Said Liu Guanyi as he responded with his own smile.
Liu Guanyi took his seat on the opposite side of Adori and quickly served a tea for himself. He turned his head to look at the outside of the window.
"It's really unbelievable, isn't it? For a single being to single-handedly create such a destruction to an entire floor." Said Liu Guanyi with a hint of amazement and... respect.
With his enhanced eyesight, he could see a hundred times better and clearer than people in his ranks, so he could see very well just how devastated the Floor of Death truly was.
"Indeed, to kill the guardian itself is to kill the entirety of the floor. Without a guardian to manage the shinsu on this floor, any living being will die as shinsu won't be able to give the necessary sustenance to live."
"Even inside the train, I can feel just how thin the shinsu outside." Stated Adori calmly.
"Red Tower, Enryu, a mysterious irregular with unknown purposes and omnipotent powers. Killing the floor guardian and leaving with a cryptic prophecy that haunted the Zahard Empire."
"That incident completely shocked and frightened the whole tower. Never that they thought the invincible and omnipotent guardians could be killed." Said Adori with a solemn voice.
"True, that incident spread fear to the ruling parties, however instead of changing their ways and preventing the prophecy from its roots, they chose to handle it the hard way even after knowing the capability of the Red Tower."
"Now, they apparently have completely forgotten about it and continue their cruel and oppressive reign in the tower." Said Liu Guanyi calmly.
"They are completely drunk on their immortality and power to realize that all of them are absolutely useless against the mysterious irregular."
"They aren't as strong as they appear to be and are foolish, which means that there's a chance for someone powerful and smart enough to take advantage of it."
"Isn't that right, princess Adori?" Liu Guanyi spoke with a grin.
Adori smiled. "You are eager, aren't you?"
"But you are right, even I can say that what the Zahard Empire did to solve the aftermath of the incident was foolish. Killing a floor guardian is an impossible task, even to the king himself and his companions."
"After all, they obtained their immortality from them." Said Adori calmly.
Their powers are much weaker than the guardians, let alone the Red Tower. The last thing they should do is to solve it with force." Adori shook her head. If that was the best solution they could think of, Zahard and the ten great families' leaders were hopeless.
They were silent for a moment as they slowly savored their calming tea.
Adori let out a sigh and looked Liu Guanyi in the eye. "We have traveled together for quite a while, haven't we?"
"Well, quite a long time. A bit more than sixteen years to be exact." Liu Guanyi answered casually.
"We are in the same boat and our positions are actually equal, a princess of Zahard is nothing special, after all." Said Adori.
"Oh?" Liu Guanyi seemed surprisingly amused at this.
"So, why don't we drop the formalities? After all, nobody in this team truly cares about my status anyway. You can just call me without any honorifics, Adori, just like how I always call you." Adori spoke softly.
"Then, as you wish… Adori. Let's continue to climb this tower together." Liu Guanyi smiled at her request and offered his hand.
"Yeah, let's hope for the best, Liu." Adori grabbed his hand and shook his hand as her lips curled into an beautiful blossoming smile.
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The cogs of machination continue to roll continuously. With Liu Guanyi's influence, Adori Zahard grows apart from what she's in the canon. She's no longer loyal to the Zahard family without fault and stands on her own principle.