The next day, a crisp morning wind swept through the expansive plaza of the Spirit Hall Palace, carrying away the last residual scents of the week-long victory feast.
The sky was a pale, clear blue, completely devoid of the dark clouds that had plagued the region for so long.
The monumental flying arks of the Central Region floated silently above the courtyard, their grand and massive hulls humming with an immense spiritual pressure that caused the air to vibrate.
"Are you sure you're not going to join us?" Asked Haoran, his hands resting casually inside the wide sleeves of his golden robes.
He looked down at the crimson-haired young woman standing before him, his expression completely calm and unreadable.
"We can easily drop you off wherever you want across the central borders; we're heading directly back to the Central Region anyway, and the arrays on our main ark can compress the distance significantly."
