Ilya heard his words.
The wariness in his tone wasn't masked at all, laid bare between the lines.
She didn't answer immediately, just gave him a look, perhaps wanting to re-evaluate this person.
"If you don't want to be involved, I won't hold it against you. This isn't your problem to begin with," she said plainly. "And I'll still pay you for guiding me here to find the card."
"After we return, that is."
Lucien frowned. That wasn't what he expected to hear.
Then again, none of this really had anything to do with him.
He discovered the treasure out of curiosity, and now since the situation seemed to be rather out of hand.
He preferred to be far away from it.
"So be it, I will be awaiting the payment. "
He turned away without replying, walking toward the side of the boat.
The wind pushed hard against him, tugging at his clothes, his hair sweeping to the side as it fluttered in the gusts.
"I'll let you name the price," he said, voice flat. "As for the rest, I'll be taking my leave."
"Understood..." Ilya gave him one last glance, then turned on her heels and headed back into the boat's cabin.
Her voice came faintly behind her. "Once we get to the city, I'll pay you right away. You can be on your way after that."
But words and intentions rarely went as planned.
Not long after.
The skies darkened.
Storm clouds rolled in thick and fast, twisting above like a living tide of shadow.
Within minutes, the rain poured down in sheets, a solid curtain of water blanketing the world below.
The drops pattered against the boat's defensive barrier, sliding off the invisible shield and streaming down the sides.
Because of the wind pressure, Ilya was forced to reduce their speed.
The weather in this world wasn't gentle, storms here weren't just loud and wet.
They were brutal. Violent. Unrelenting.
A hundred times worse than anything a normal world might know.
Even immortals had to tread carefully in weather like this. A casual thunder strike can instantly kill a qi refining cultivator in an instant if not careful.
Stepping back outside, Ilya raised her gaze to the sky and narrowed her eyes. "We're about halfway there," she said, her tone even but low, "but it looks like we'll have to slow down for a while."
"Extending the time by another half."
Lucien didn't respond.
He sat cross-legged near the side of the ship, eyes closed, letting the wind roar past as he meditated in silence.
Ilya moved toward the edge of the deck, one hand lightly gripping the railing.
She leaned forward a little, glancing down at the shadowed expanse below, watching the stormy world rush by around the flying ship.
"The heavens never stop raging," she muttered to herself.
Lucien heard her, but said nothing.
It was an old truth, one repeated too often to still carry weight, but it did. The heavens had long despised the human race.
Everyone knew the reason.
Humans had refused to stay in their place. They took the fires of rebellion and change, carved a path skyward, and forced open the world to birth the cultivation road.
But that path came at a cost.
It required tearing through the heavens themselves, and in response, the heavens struck back.
That wrath never ended. Storms, curses, mutated taboos. Immortals and mortals alike, all caught in the aftermath.
And yet, the human race never stopped in their relentless pursuit of immortality.
The two guards stood silently atop the ship's mast.
Though the sails weren't in use, powered flight needed no wind, the masts remained. Perhaps design wise?
Time trickled by slowly.
Each person carried on with their own matters, quietly and without fuss.
Despite the chaos roaring beyond the protective field, the space inside remained still. Calm, even.
But the peace wouldn't last for long.
Suddenly.
One of the two guards stepped down to Ilya's side, his movements swift but silent.
His masked face turned toward the darkness stretching across the side, eyes narrowing beneath the mask.
"Danger," he murmured.
The word barely left his lips when both guards moved instantly.
Lucien straightened up from the floor, his earlier posture vanishing.
Ilya clutched the jade box tightly to her chest and stepped back, retreating behind them as the two guards moved forward to take control of the scene.
Swoosh…
The wind howled through the gaps in the boat, carrying the cold sting of rain that didn't let up.
Outside, the land was a shadowy abyss, blurred by sheets of rain and the deep pull of the dim sky.
Then.
A sharp flash cracked across the sky.
Thunder rolled a beat behind it as the flicker of lightning revealed the world in a silver split-second.
They saw it.
"Enemy incoming! Miss, stay on the boat!" one of the guards called sharply, already noting the dark silhouette approaching from the sky.
Without waiting for further instructions, he stepped into the air.
One hand lifted, fingers forming a swift spell sign, and then he swung his arm forward with force.
In that moment, under the cover of storm and gloom, a massive fireball erupted, at least a dozen meters wide, roaring into existence like a furious meteor.
Raindrops hissed and vaporized on contact, the sheer heat creating a shockwave that made the boat shudder slightly.
Then came the blast.
Boom!
The sky lit up in a flare of orange and gold, the fireball blossoming into a cocoon of molten light.
The air shimmered, humid and scorching, as heat mingled with the moisture in the atmosphere.
Boom!
The boat rocked again, though not violently. Ilya braced herself with a hand against the railing, steadying her feet, while Lucien had quietly returned to her side without a word.
But the danger wasn't over.
From within the flames and smoke, a figure emerged, walking calmly, undeterred by the explosion.
This one wasn't like the guards.
He wore a loose black robe rather than a cloak, the fabric swaying slightly with each step.
His face was obscured beneath a demonic mask, charcoal-black, with a faint, eerie smile etched across it.
Hands clasped behind his back, he burst forward like a wild beast, moving in a blur toward the boat.
Though it looked like he was simply running through the air, his speed rivaled that of the boat itself, which at its peak was equivalent to an early-stage Foundation Building cultivator.
That alone told Lucien and Ilya all they needed to know.
The enemy was strong.
Not giving an inch, the guard shot out from the boat again, feet landing on the air as he rushed to intercept.
Their clash began instantly, close-quarters, brutal, and fast.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The enemy responded with equal ferocity.
The two of them exchanged blows in mid-air, each strike sending ripples through the sky.
Sparks burst from their fists like metal grinding against metal, and every collision reverberated through the clouds.
Ilya watched with wide eyes, the intensity of the battle holding her in place.
She could barely process how they were keeping up with the boat while still fighting with that level of force.
Just one of those hits could shatter her bones.
The thought made her clutch the jade box even tighter.
Lucien stood at her side, tensed. Still, his eyes remained locked on the battle ahead.
'So this… this is what Foundation Building experts can do…' he thought to himself, a quiet breath caught in his throat.
He swallowed it down, jaw clenched in awe.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
From time to time, the masked figure would shift his assault toward the boat, slamming an attack against its protective barrier.
Each impact sent tremors through the floorboards, the vessel rocking beneath them as Ilya and Lucien grabbed hold of anything they could.
Meanwhile, the second guard remained stationed within the boat, eyes sharp, maintaining a layered defense in case another threat appeared.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Ilya's expression turned grim.
Her gaze flicked toward the shimmering barrier surrounding them, it was dimming rapidly.
"The barrier wouldn't last long! What do we do now?"
She drew the jade box tighter against her chest, knuckles white, breath shallow.
The second guard noticed instantly, stepping forward to shield her with his body.
"it seems we need to escape."