Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 137 part 1!
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Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
However, when he recalled the fluctuating emotions she tried to hide from him when he mentioned Mikhail's name, a feeling of wanting to punch someone repeatedly in his face surged in his Heart.
A few moments later, he let out a sigh and mumbled, his tone filled with complicated emotions.
"Forget it. She's old enough to decide for herself. Plus, it's not as if he's a bad prospect."
After falling silent for a few seconds, he added while his gaze turned absentminded and old memories surfaced in his mind.
"I wonder what you'd think if you were still here, old friend. I guess you'd approve since he's a good kid, wouldn't you? You've always been more patient and understanding than I, after all..."
As his eyes reflected the flowing and ebbing of the Void Energy around his body, his vision turned slightly misty, while a few words escaped his lips once more.
"I miss you, brother..."
The following silence lasted for an unknown while, accompanied by an unstoppable feeling of loneliness surging in the man's Heart.
Others saw his cultivation, status, and unrelenting courage, but only he was aware of how much tears and blood he shed, his own and others', to arrive where he was today, how many loved ones he lost in his long life, the heart-rending choices he had to make, the self-blame gnawing at his Heart and how many times he had come so close to lose everything.
To be fair, Pietr was aware that choosing the path of Immortal Cultivation would involve incredible hardships the further he went.
However, knowing was one thing and experiencing was another, especially when it involved losing the man he had known for most of his life, a man with whom he shared an uncountable number of life and death situations, and someone he considered as dear as a blood-related brother...
His mournful thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he felt a large hand fall gently on his shoulder and a male voice reach his ears, the care in the newly arrived man's tone clear to Pietr.
"Are you thinking about Leith again?"
After nodding his head slightly, a simple thought cleared the mist covering his eyes before he responded softly.
"Seeing that little girl whom I held in my arms when she was merely an adorable baby mermaid only a few thousand years ago grow up to become who she is now, a beautiful and powerful Void Sapling Core Elder, it brought back some old memories. Especially when I realized that she seems interested in that young lad, Mikhail, it felt... Strange, I guess..."
He paused for a few moments, with the other man not interrupting, before Pietr resumed, his smile turning amused.
"Now that I think about it, if he were still here, seeing how successful his daughter has become, he'd probably boast about her until my ears fall off. Honestly, I've always been amazed at how Laraine could bear that annoying guy's constant chattering. Thank the Heavens, Eldoria took more from her than him..."
The two men chuckled together at the joke, the man standing slightly behind Pietr removing his hand and moving to stand beside him, Pietr's lightning-filled blue eyes catching the other man's appearance.
With a rather bulky build, the man's physique reminded him of a hidden dragon, with immense power but perfectly mastered, something relatively rare among human cultivators.
After all, despite having their bodies progressively strengthened to superhuman levels as their cultivation rose, human cultivators tended to rely more on their Spells and much less on their Physique, especially when battling Demon Beasts.
Then again, the man, Maksim Anrepov, also known as the Federation's Supreme Elder, was anything but average or usual.
From his Physique to his Mana and even his Soul, every Aspect of his being had been refined to the maximum, leaving him with no real weakness to exploit.
He was truly the invincible rampart protecting the Federation, someone everyone in the Federation admired, or even worshiped for those more extreme.
Of course, the man was not just a 'brute' but also provided emotional support for many high-level Elders, acting like a brother, a mentor, or even a father to many.
Even a few lucky low-level cultivators benefited from the man's kind advice.
From cultivation to relationship, he could speak about anything with anyone, and with his long life and open-mindedness, many among the Elders overcame traumas and seemingly insurmountable problems, thanks partially to his help and accurate advice.
However, forcing a person to change, no matter how well-intentioned, could never work, as the reality was that change came from within.
While others could guide you onto the path, only you could walk on it.
Pietr's case was exactly that situation, with the two having had a similar conversation a thousand years prior when the younger man's friend and the latter's wife lost their lives.
A thousand years later, the blue-haired man was still haunted by those old shadows.
With his experience, it was easy for Maksim to discover the problem.
Thus, he opted for a more indirect and thus slower approach.
"Leith and Laraine were truly a strange couple. But you could also say that they matched each other perfectly. A fated couple if I've ever seen one."
Nodding his head, a gentle expression appeared on Pietr's face, who replied.
"I can't deny that. Those two were truly extraordinary. Anyone who saw them for the first time would fall under their charms. Although Leith was a bit wilder than Laraine, after the little girl was born, he became much more settled, even choosing to stay in a Major Outer Island's Capital City because it was safer than being constantly on the front line. How ironic..."
Though his face showed little, Maksim could sense the emotional turmoil the other man was experiencing.
Gently patting the younger man's shoulder, Maksim remarked.
"I've told you many times, Pietr. It wasn't your fault, and I'm sure that Leith and Laraine would agree with me if they'd been here with us. After all, we both know that an Emperor-Grade Demon Beast, as long as they're discreet enough, would be extremely hard to discover even for us, especially since none of us expected that vile thing to attack a Major Outer Island's capital city. So, even if that Island was under your jurisdiction, there was no way for you to prevent those events from happening, and blaming yourself won't change that fact."
Shaking his head, Pietr replied.
"I know you're right. I've known it for a thousand years. But my mind doesn't seem to care. Every time I think about them, it tells me that I could have done better, even saved them if I'd been there. The same words repeat again and again in my head, and no matter how I try to use cold logic to refute them, it has no effect. It's... It's exhausting..."
As those last words resounded in the Void, the two then fell silent, with Maksim feeling complicated.
On one hand, he could empathize with the younger man, as losing loved ones was one of the hardest hurdles to overcome for cultivators, and even Mortals in general.
But, on the other hand, he had also learned to accept death as a normal part of the Laws governing the World.
After all, having lived for more than 40,000 years, founded and developed a Tier 5 Force, it was inevitable that the powerful man would encounter death in many forms, with many of his earlier companions falling for diverse reasons, whether from accidents, murders, or simply having their lifespan end.
Thus, he had learned to hold when he could and let go when he had to.
That was also why his cultivation had grown so rapidly for a long time.
Even now, the reason why he had still not broken through to the Mid Sapling Rank was mostly out of his own choice, though compelled by external factors, and not because he was stuck at a bottleneck like others around him.
Seeing that his words did not have the expected effect, Maksim started to ponder for a while longer as the two stood quietly in the Void.
As time passed, Pietr's emotions started settling down, though they did not really disappear, but were actually buried silently inside him, waiting to appear again with the 'right' trigger.
However, having voiced out his inner struggle with the man he considered a father figure, the blue-haired man did feel as if those old and heavy emotions had become a bit lighter and his mind a bit clearer, though he was not sure if it actually came from the conversation or from the 'small' Heart breakthrough he had previously experienced.
'Maybe a bit of both?'
He wondered before his attention was immediately attracted toward Maksim's next words.
"I've been thinking... You're not young anymore, shouldn't you start looking for a wife for yourself? I'm sure having a woman by your side would help you feel much better, and as long as you try hard enough, you can even give a few little brothers and sisters to Eldoria. I'm sure she'll be thrilled by the idea."