Chapter 196: Too Late, Yet Not Too Late

As Adela’s consciousness faded into complete darkness, the last thing she felt was the warmth of someone’s arms embracing her, giving her the peace she needed to surrender herself completely.

Cassian looked down at the woman in his arms. An unusual warmth lingered in his gaze as he whispered words he rarely allowed himself to say.

"I’m sorry... I should have come sooner."

He tightened his embrace and vanished from the spot in an instant, Adela still cradled in his arms. He did not return to Azure. Instead, he brought her to his personal realm, not far from where he had been weaving the universal spell.

They arrived on a small floating landmass where a magnificent cultivation palace stretched toward the heavens. Towering roofs of black jade seemed to swallow the light itself, supported by colossal pillars carved from spiritual stone, each engraved with ancient runes glowing with a faint silver radiance. Around the temple’s eaves, dense streams of pure qi drifted like heavenly waterfalls, lending the place an otherworldly aura.

Cassian carried Adela inside. Without hesitation, he removed her soaked clothes, dried her body, and gently laid her to rest on the bed in the palace’s master bedroom.

His eyes narrowed as he watched over her recovering form. Then he glanced toward one of the windows. Anyone paying close attention could see the enormous loom stretching across the sky beyond, weaving at a terrifying speed. A quiet sigh escaped his lips.

He sat down at the edge of the bed, closed his eyes, and patiently waited for Adela to wake.

Meanwhile, in Azure...

The breakfast that had been arranged so the king and Lumia could speak peacefully with Thalassa and properly meet her companions ended on a rather awkward note.

King Oreon sat at the head of the carefully prepared table, staring at the empty seat with an unreadable expression. Zakaer sat nearby, calmly eating his breakfast as though oblivious to the suffocating atmosphere. Lumia sat beside him this time, while Thalassa—who had arrived late after dealing with Xana and dragging her back by force—took the seat opposite them, offering the king an apologetic look.

"Where is the human?" the king asked immediately, his voice carrying unmistakable authority.

Thalassa couldn’t admit that she had no idea, so she improvised.

"He’s still asleep, Your Majesty."

Oreon frowned but chose not to press the matter.

"Thalassa, now that you’ve returned, there are several things I believe we need to discuss."

The blue-haired woman nodded and waited for his first question.

"You were there. Is it really as Nereon described? He reached Transcendence, yet even that wasn’t enough to prevent what happened?"

Thalassa avoided his gaze for a moment. She had no intention of revealing the truth, preferring to let Nereon believe everything was proceeding according to his plans. Oreon interpreted her silence as confirmation, and his expression darkened.

"Your Majesty, there is another matter that has concerned me ever since I returned."

Oreon looked puzzled but gestured for her to continue.

"The Turbid Waters..."

At the mention of the name, the king immediately tensed in his seat. He had thought he had put the matter to rest the other day, but now Thalassa herself had brought it up. Before she could continue, he quickly interrupted.

"That matter is complicated, Thalassa. I already told you it’s being handled. I thought that discussion was settled."

"It may be settled for you, Your Majesty, but it isn’t for the people living there. You’ve guided the future of the Seafolk for a long time, and most of your decisions have been the right ones. But you’ve always turned a blind eye to those who opposed your beliefs. What happened in Hydria proves it. I truly believe it’s time to consider another solution."

"I value your opinion, Thalassa. The Serenia family would be proud if they were here."

The blue-haired woman’s eyes closed in pain, her brow tightening at the king’s words, while he continued.

"But this matter..." Oreon hesitated before going on. "It isn’t that simple. Most of Azure’s nobles have always been extremists, and the people of the Turbid Waters have only fueled their fears since Hydria. The aid Lumia requested—and that we agreed to provide—is proof enough of that. After what happened in Hydria, everything became far worse. Had I simply allowed them to leave in the midst of their grief, they would have walked straight into oblivion... or worse, to their deaths. "

"Your Majesty, if I may," Zakaer interjected calmly. "I don’t think you need to make a decision so quickly. Lifting the restrictions now may be too much, but you could begin by listening to them. Dragon territory is vast, and there are many differences among our people. That’s why we established regional representatives. To be honest, part of the reason was because some of them were simply too powerful to ignore. Still, the system has worked remarkably well. Together, we’ve managed to bring at least some measure of reason to everyone."

"Are you suggesting we add someone from the Turbid Waters to the council?" the king asked incredulously, his mocking tone making it sound as though he’d just heard an absurd joke.

"Would it really be so terrible?" Zakaer pressed.

Beside him, Lumia looked at him with admiration shining in her eyes.

Thalassa noticed it this time.

Cassian’s words immediately resurfaced in her mind. She still found them difficult to believe, but little by little everything was beginning to make sense—especially after hearing Zakaer’s proposal.

"They won’t listen to them," King Oreon declared. "If someone from the Turbid Waters were to join the council, the nobles would never take that person seriously."

"Isn’t it a little early to decide that, Your Majesty?" Thalassa replied. "I know the perfect person for the position."

Her voice trembled ever so slightly.

Deep down, she wasn’t entirely certain Mireya was the right choice... but she did know one thing.

Whether they liked it or not, they would have no choice but to take her seriously.

The king fell silent for a moment, his confidence wavering as he genuinely considered the proposal.

The hopeful look in his daughter’s eyes certainly didn’t make rejecting it any easier.

A heavy sigh escaped him.

"Do you truly... truly believe this is the right time to worry about something like this?"

"If we don’t," Thalassa answered firmly, "we’ll have a problem within our own walls before the one outside ever reaches us."

"...Bring that person to me. Tomorrow, I’ll add one more chair to the council. Whether the others accept it or not... that much I cannot guarantee."