Chapter 951: Choices P1

Jina paused to allow the crowd some time to process her words before continuing.

"And that is why this incoming trouble is inevitable."

Her next words were directed at everyone.

"And don’t get things twisted in your heads. It isn’t just coming for Lord Aksai or the Seven Stars. It is coming for almost everyone on this island."

Everyone in the hall started feeling some kind of urgency as they started to understand what kind of predicament they were in at this point.

Some of the low-level cultivators from the island administration would have already left to pack their stuff and leave the island if Aksai had excused them. However Jina wasn’t done with them yet.

"The imperial factions that eventually arrive here should still leave the mortals alone when they claim ownership of the island. But we cannot say the same about the low-level Spirit cultivators."

"They may submit and swear allegiance anew by abandoning Lord Aksai."

She slowly shook her head.

"That still doesn’t guarantee their safety."

Finally, her gaze settled on the administrators and cultivators who served directly under Aksai.

"And those known to have served in Emerald Cove Island’s administration under Lord Aksai... I mean you guys..."

Jina paused.

"You will be in an even more difficult position."

Her voice became cold.

"The imperial factions won’t trust their loyalty. Even if they kowtow before them."

The silence that followed was absolute.

By the time Jina finished speaking, everyone in the hall understood the cruel reality.

Leaving Emerald Cove Island wasn’t simply a matter of abandoning their home.

For many of them, it was a matter of choosing whether they wanted to leave while they still had the freedom to do so.

Aksai shook his head slowly as he looked at the faces gathered throughout the hall.

There wasn’t a single optimistic expression among them.

He couldn’t blame them.

This was probably the worst possible time to tell these people to leave the island they had called home for so many years.

The mainland was already in chaos. The situation was already unstable, and nobody could say how long it would take before the fighting finally subsided.

If these people abandoned Emerald Cove Island now, they would simply be jumping from boiling water into a frying pan.

Perhaps the distant and less populated islands scattered throughout the archipelago could serve as temporary refuges.

But for how long?

Nobody knew.

And even if they managed to find somewhere safe, how could they find another home as good as Emerald Cove Island?

The island had provided them with safety, stability, and abundant Spirit resources. Its trade with the mainland had given them a steady supply of cultivation resources that most remote islands could never hope to obtain.

Once they left, all of that would be gone.

How many of them could continue cultivating without those resources?

How many could afford to start over somewhere else?

Aksai understood their concerns.

Unfortunately, understanding them didn’t mean he could solve them.

As a mid-stage Lord, he could probably fare somewhat better than these subordinates of his.

His status as a Lord should have been a plus point for him. But that was precisely the problem.

Because he was a Lord, he was faced with difficult choices. And because of those choices, he had offended the imperial factions far too severely.

Staying with him would only bring his subordinates into greater danger.

Even if the imperial factions didn’t immediately target them, being associated with him would be enough to make their lives difficult.

Aksai had already made his decision.

He couldn’t continue dragging these people along with him.

Besides...

He had his own reasons for leaving them behind.

For years, Emerald Cove Island had been both his territory and his responsibility. Every problem on the island eventually found its way to him. Every threat had to be dealt with. Every subordinate’s safety had to be considered.

He had no intention of abandoning them to their deaths. At least not before giving them some resources that might help them preserve themselves.

But for the first time in a long while, Aksai wanted some freedom himself.

He wanted to walk his own path without constantly worrying about an entire island and everyone living on it.

Before he could take care of others, he needed to find his own footing.

He needed to know where he stood in this increasingly dangerous land.

Only then could he think about what to do for everyone else.

Aksai took a slow breath.

He had already made up his mind.

His gaze eventually moved away from the larger crowd and settled on a particular corner of the hall.

Three women stood there. Dia Naya, Nimiya, and Niviya.

Aksai’s eyes lingered on them for a moment.

The three women had been with him for a very long time.

Longer than most people in this hall.

They had been there when Emerald Cove Island was still far from becoming the place it was today.

Dia Naya and Nimiya had witnessed his rise from an ordinary cultivator to the Island Master Lord Turtle everyone now respected.

As such, Aksai wanted to offer a way out for these three ladies first.

"Dia. Nimiya. Niviya."

He gestured toward them.

"Come forward."

The three women exchanged glances before stepping out of the crowd and approaching him.

Once they stopped before the throne, Aksai looked at each of them in turn.

"You’ve heard everything."

His voice was calm.

"What do you intend to do?"

Dia Naya was the first to respond.

The old woman slowly stepped forward and bowed.

Her body had become frail with age, and even that simple movement seemed to require effort. Yet when she raised her head, the old eyes looking toward Aksai were clear and unwavering.

"Lord Aksai..."

Her voice was weak and hoarse, carrying the unmistakable tone of an old woman who had already lived far beyond her natural lifespan.

"I... I am already far too old to leave this island."

She paused to catch her breath.

"There is no future for me even if I were to go somewhere else."

Her hands trembled slightly as she clasped them together.

"So I... I intend to stay here, no matter what happens."

Dia looked directly at Aksai.

"Please... please allow me to stay."