Chapter 125: Highcrest City, Skyvault Tower!

Highcrest City.

The absolute heart of the province, and one of the brightest jewels human civilization had managed to preserve in the wasteland.

Through the airship windows, the entire city lay beneath an enormous pale blue energy barrier. Light flowed constantly across its surface, and runes flickered in and out at irregular intervals, each pulse carrying enough energy to make the air itself seem heavy.

This was the legendary Skyveil Defense System, said to be capable of withstanding a full power strike from a Rank Seven beast emperor.

Beyond it stretched a forest of steel.

Buildings hundreds of meters tall crowded together across the skyline, while suspended rail lines threaded between them at different heights. Trains flashed from tower to tower, and aircraft moved through the open air in dense streams, as busy as swarms of insects.

Yet even surrounded by all of that, one structure dominated everything else.

At the very center of Highcrest City stood a black tower nearly two thousand meters tall. It rose straight through the clouds, its narrow silhouette resembling a colossal blade driven into the sky.

Skyvault Tower.

The seat of power in Highcrest City.

Even from this distance, Joren could feel the pressure hanging around it.

Norcrest still needed massive walls simply to keep the wilderness out. Highcrest City was different. This place actually looked like a fortress built for the future, a city where advanced technology and martial civilization had grown together until they became almost impossible to separate.

Sable came over to the window, unmistakable pride showing on his face.

"Well? Impressive, is it not?"

He looked down at the city below.

"This is what humanity is truly capable of."

"Norcrest is decent enough, but compared with the provincial capital, it really is still countryside."

Joren nodded.

There was nothing to argue with.

In only the last few minutes, [Worldheart Awareness] had already picked up several powerful presences moving somewhere below the airship.

Some were clearly Rank Five.

At least one had gone beyond that.

Rank Six.

The density of powerful Awakened Warriors here was almost ridiculous.

A sharp alarm suddenly sounded through the communications system.

Two black fighters burst out of the clouds and took position on either side of Highcrest 001.

The airship already carried the golden shield emblem of Highcrest City, but routine inspection was apparently routine for a reason.

A cold voice came through the channel.

"You have entered Highcrest City Class One controlled airspace. Prepare for identity verification."

Sable barely reacted. He simply lifted his wineglass and swirled it once.

Pale blue light spread from both fighters and passed over the airship.

The scan did not stop at the hull. It penetrated directly into the cabin, capturing the face of every passenger inside.

A few moments later, the voice returned with noticeably more respect.

"Inspector Sable. Apologies for the interruption."

"Your route will be opened immediately."

As far as the pilots were concerned, Sable was obviously the most important person aboard.

The other three were unfamiliar faces.

The fighters retracted their weapons at once, rolled neatly to either side, then moved ahead of Highcrest 001 and settled into escort formation.

Red restriction lights along the designated route changed to green one after another.

Even the distant air harbor control tower cleared a private arrival lane for them.

Sable ended the communication and glanced toward Joren.

He did not need to say anything.

His expression already said it all.

See?

This is status.

He took a slow sip of wine before speaking.

"When your strength is high enough and your position is important enough, you stop following the rules. The rules start following you."

Sable expected at least some reaction.

Joren was seventeen, full of Vital Force, and had come from a small city like Norcrest. Most young people would have seen something like this and immediately started imagining what it would feel like to wield that kind of authority themselves.

Joren only glanced at the escort fighters outside, then looked away again as though nothing especially interesting had happened.

Highcrest 001 continued descending.

It ignored the crowded public air harbor entirely and headed straight into the city center, where it came to a slow hover above the rooftop landing platform of a skyscraper.

Highcrest Cloudtop International Hotel.

The most prestigious and luxurious hotel in the entire city.

Its slogan was equally extravagant.

Only those who stood above the clouds deserved to stay here.

A long red carpet had already been laid across the massive landing platform.

When the cabin doors opened, two rows of attractive attendants in immaculate uniforms bowed in unison.

"Welcome to Cloudtop."

This time, even Joren had to admit Sable had a point.

The presentation was impressive.

Sable stepped out first, but the authority he usually carried disappeared the moment Joren approached the door behind him. He immediately moved aside like an attentive steward and even raised one hand as though preparing to support Joren down a step that required absolutely no assistance.

"Careful, Joren."

The hotel manager waiting nearby almost lost control of his expression.

Sable was a Highcrest City inspector.

A Rank Five expert.

Even in a city overflowing with powerful officials and wealthy families, he ranked among the hundred or so people no one wanted to offend casually.

Normally, he carried himself as though the world should make way for him.

Today he was practically holding the door for someone.

What exactly had happened to him?

The manager did not dare let his curiosity show for long. He hurried forward with the polished smile of a man who had spent years dealing with people far richer and more powerful than himself.

"Inspector Sable, you should have told us you were coming. We would have cleared the area and prepared a proper reception."

He was a portly man in his forties, well dressed, quick eyed, and smiling with the particular sharpness of a seasoned businessman.

Sable waved him off and immediately recovered his usual official bearing.

"I brought several important guests for the annual review meeting."

"Open the Cloudtop Palace suite on the top floor, and arrange another two presidential suites."

The manager’s smile froze.

Sweat appeared across his forehead almost immediately.

"Inspector... that may be difficult."

Sable frowned.

"What problem could there be?"

The manager pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead.

"You know what the city is like during the annual review meeting."

"Commanders and Frontier Marshals from the satellite cities are already here, and this year we also have important visitors from several other provinces."

"The hotel has been completely full for days."

His voice dropped a little.

"There are only three Cloudtop Palace suites in the entire building, and all of them were reserved long ago."

"The presidential suites are gone as well."

"Even the ordinary business rooms were booked half a month in advance."

Sable’s face darkened immediately.

Full?

No rooms?

What kind of joke was this?

He had spent the entire trip boasting to Joren about Highcrest City, promising that once they arrived, everything from food to accommodation would be handled at the highest possible standard.

Joren was supposed to see what life at the very top looked like.

Instead, they had barely landed and Sable apparently could not even find him somewhere to sleep.

This was more than embarrassing.

He had been trying to prove that keeping him around was useful. If he could not handle something this simple, what exactly was he bringing to the table?

Manester saw his expression changing and tugged lightly at his sleeve.

After spending so long in Norcrest, he had never cared much about these displays. Every year he came to Highcrest City for the review meeting, he stayed wherever arrangements happened to place him.

"Sable, forget it."

"We are only here for two nights. As long as the place is clean, it is fine."

Kyo nodded beside him.

That only made things worse.

Forget it?

Absolutely not.

If Joren ended up staying in some miserable room after all of Sable’s promises, then what did that make Sable?

Useless?

He threw out one hand.

"No."

"Manester, leave this to me."

"We are getting a room today, and it is going to be the best one available."

Sable turned back to the manager and pulled a black gold card from inside his coat.

"I only need one top suite. I am not asking you to empty the whole hotel."

"Charge me double."

His voice hardened.

"If double is not enough, make it four times the price."