For the time being, she would have to wait until she finally met these puzzling, concerning individuals for herself. Come what may, though, she was confident in being able to carve out an irreplaceable spot in his retinue–and possibly even in his heart.
With renewed vigour and confidence, Ninna led the way for Theodore, discussing their imminent follow-up plans. Right then, however, she suddenly halted her steps, a slightly saddened, yet hopeful and loving expression flickering across her face for a moment. Naturally, she couldn't hide such a change from him–not that she ever intended to do so.
"Goodbye, Grandfather. I'm eternally grateful for your love and care up until today."
Muttering to herself so silently that even Theodore had to strain his senses to barely perceive what she was saying, she bowed ever so slightly towards the empty air, and closed her eyes in pained reminiscence.
Just now, her instincts had conveyed to her that her grandfather was looking favourably upon these most recent developments, yet both of them were aware that they could not allow the connection between the two of them to persist on. Theodore, whose side she had joined, represented the orthodox ruling class of the Heavenly Court, whilst the Ur Family could–at best–be classified as a rebel faction.
Because of this, her grandfather had cut their link entirely. No longer could she sense his emotional state instinctively, and he could not receive any information about her whatsoever either. Likely, he would also refuse to observe any area that she appeared in, directly going against the orders from above...
And what that signified, she was all too clear on. In all likelihood, he would be heavily reprimanded, if not executed. So from this moment on, until she emerged from the Heavenly Succession at Theodore's side, with him being the new Heavenly Emperor... her grandfather would be on the run.
'But he's long prepared many ways out for himself. I just hope that they can last him until all of this ends...'
Sighing to herself, her exaggerated, flirtatious demeanour mostly faded, yet she still held on to the powerful lifeline that she had found with newly strengthened resolve. Seeing the concerned look in his eyes, she roughly summarized what had just occurred, leaving out anything that she was unable to share, and sent it to him via the network that she had been added to earlier.
"... stay strong, and go make him proud."
After a few moments of contemplative silence, a slight but rare, genuine smile graced his lips. Devoid of the excessively playful attitude from before, he squeezed her hand supportively.
Theodore Winter had always been one to treat those on his side well, but ever since he had fused with John, the new Theodore was even more so a man of extremes. His enemies were simply not worth any of his consideration or mercy–that much hadn't changed–whilst his allies transformed from useful assets into his cherished treasures.
"I will!"
With slightly reddened eyes, Ninna resolutely nodded, sensing the sincerity with which she was being treated. Although they had only just met, and despite having felt little more than an initial crush for him earlier... her feelings began to increasingly intensify.
"So, what now? What are your plans?"
A bit flustered, she hastily chose to steer the conversation towards a new topic before she could transform into too much of a lovestruck fool. Matters of the heart had never been her forte, and amongst Named Family descendants, she could pretty much be considered an innocent, pure maiden–in sharp contrast to some of her earlier actions and words.
"Well, for starters, I would like to establish a Teleportation Array nearby. Most of my Subordinates have only just subdued surrounding forces and a few matters require me to deal with them personally. Especially some latent dangers."
Sensing her embarrassment, he chose not to expose her and instead focused on the more pressing issues at hand. With the Tetrachroma Palace practically dealt with for the time being, he not only had lots of Attribute Point donors to harvest, but also two initially unanticipated situations to deal with post-haste.
Under Ninna's guidance, he soon found an optimal spot to set up the formation that he had in mind. As he busied himself with that, ensuring that he wouldn't negatively affect the Foundational Element essence-gathering Array all around, Ninna finally got an opportunity to rest and properly inspect the changes that had taken place after she had become Theodore's Follower.
Despite being one cultivation stage higher than him, the bonuses from Coattail Ascension still significantly benefitted her. Her regular Standard Attributes were not all too impressive–at least when compared to Theodore's–and she usually relied on considerably reinforcing herself to power up to a level where she could rival him in his fully enhanced form.
The increases that she now experienced were even more astonishing than a few cultivation realm breakthroughs–especially when it came to her Energy reserves, which grew to a stupefying degree. In all honesty, if Theodore didn't pull out any more of his tricks, then in her current state, she might well and truly be a bit stronger than him–but not by much.
'Fascinating! I didn't even consider it possible for someone to achieve such ridiculous Standard Attributes. It's no wonder that he made it to the very top of the Cultivation Leaderboard last time!'
Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she marvelled at his unprecedented achievement. She realized that, relying on Coattail Ascension, his personal might would enable him to create a fighting force unlike any other. But especially in the higher cultivation stages, mere Standard Attributes would turn increasingly meaningless–although they would always have at least some importance. Therefore, it would be ideal to recruit as many promising Subordinates as possible, and not just a bunch of inept waste.
'I'm sure he's already considered that, though.'
Deciding to properly inspect the current status of his forces for now, she patiently waited for his Teleportation Array to take form, then she sidled up to him with a smile. Grabbing his hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she nonetheless felt her cheeks heat up.
"Where are we going first?"
Not avoiding her physical intimacy despite knowing that staying like this would invoke a little bit of a scene at their first destination, Theodore stared at her for a while before responding.
"To what was formerly Krysmidonia. A Harmony fragment is making some trouble for my people over there. Also... prepare yourself. You're about to meet two of my lovers and that stalker of mine."
Not giving her any time to actually steel herself, with an amused grin, he dragged her into the already-activated Array. A second or two later, they appeared in the Voidfaring Vessel that his Subordinates had taken to travel to Krysmidonia.
All of the ships that they were currently utilizing had been outfitted with many Arrays of his own making, including ones capable of teleportation. Whilst a large amount of Energy was required to transport people over such extreme distances, especially through the Lesser True Void, the Array on the receiving end didn't actually have to supply any of it. It more so served the purpose of a set of target coordinates.
"Thanks for your hard work, everyone."
Noticing a few of the guards recovering nearby, Theodore gave them a reassuring, friendly nod. He quickly inspected them to see that, fortunately, the damage to their souls had mostly healed by this point.
Departing before they could do more than rejoice a little and send confused, slightly gossipy glances in Ninna's direction, he led the Ur Family heiress towards a few very familiar presences out there in the Lesser True Void.
There, tightly and securely shackled via a by now significantly reinforced, not-too-shabby Lesser Void Guarding Array, was a Universe-type world that had long since stopped its futile struggles, allowing the four women tirelessly keeping an eye on it to regularly rest.
For the past many days, they had settled into a peculiar rhythm, where only one of them would actively watch over Harmony, whilst the other three would use this time to recuperate as much as they could. In this manner, they would rotate, allowing them to hold on until Theodore arrived.
Being the one who was currently on duty, Navya immediately noticed him, shooting to her feet in extreme elation. Her eyes sparkled with unprecedented pride and joy, and within seconds, she had charged right in front of him.
"My Lord, you're finally here! Come, come! Have a look at our present! We've already gift-wrapped it for you. Do you like it?"
Rather than a ghastly Spirit race lady, right now, Navya felt more like an obedient puppy presenting a mouse that she had caught to her master. She was missing a tail wagging behind her in excitement and cute dog ears, though.
"I very much do. Good girl."
With a pleased smirk, he decided to entertain and tease her for a bit, as he could tell that she had suffered quite the setback to restrain this delectable meal for him. Reaching out with his free left hand, he gently patted her on the head, her silky smooth hair feeling slightly cold but pleasant to the touch.
"Ehehe~"
Instinctively closing her eyes to bask in the sensation, Navya felt more happy than ever before in her life, her smile wide and bright enough to rival a sun. But moments later, she realized what was happening, and her heartbeat accelerated so rapidly that her entire body was heating up, a deep red blush spreading not only all the way to the tip of her ears, but down to her collarbone as well.
Staring at her Lord in shock, shyness, embarrassment, delight, desire, and a plethora of other emotions mixed together, all rushing to her head at the same time. Then, suddenly, her eyes rolled back and she fainted, safely caught by him before she could drift away into the void.
"... I guess that was a bit too much for her. She's really way too similar to a dog–all bark but no bite."
Recalling the few times when Navya had chatted with his lovers, 'jokingly' asking to be allowed to approach him in an intimate manner, he couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. If a mere head pat could take her down, then did she truly think that she could handle anything more substantial?
'But to be fair, she's severely injured–even her soul is. She's not given herself enough time to heal whatsoever, grinding herself down until just now, carrying the burden for the others. It's no wonder that in such a state, strong stimulation could overwhelm her.'
His smile turning a bit more doting and appreciative, he expended an insignificant amount of Energy to create a secure, reinforced area here in the Lesser True Void, then he pulled out a comfortable bed and tucked her in. Controlling it all via basic Energy manipulation, he carried that 'bubble' with him, allowing his adorable Retainer to finally get some well-deserved rest.
"So, who is she?"
Hearing Ninna's question and seeing the curious glint in her eyes, he recalled how he had originally introduced her to his newest ally.
"Navya Aatma. She's the obsessive stalker that I've told you about."
Not all too surprised by this revelation, as it was much in line with what she had already guessed, Ninna nodded, then she glanced at the three other women slowly awakening from their recovery state.
'Oh? One of them is from the Imperial Han Family? I didn't think it was possible for them to be sane!'
Her eyes widening in astonishment, Ninna took a few more glances at the incredibly gorgeous, noble, golden dragon-horned lady in front of her. Although she couldn't sense any hint of threat from her, she was nonetheless a curious, never before seen find.
All of a sudden, however, a feeling of strong enmity being directed at her forced her to divert her attention to another person. She looked maybe at most 17 years old–not that apparent physical age meant much when dealing with a fellow cultivator–and gave the feeling of a cheerful, lovely, energetic girl with a hint of a mischievous streak. Aside from the various moon-related details found on her clothing, she felt like a pure lotus flower that had only just begun to bloom.
Above all, though, she was currently staring daggers at Ninna, the accusation in her gaze as clear as day: 'Stay away from my man, you homewrecker!'