Chapter 3108: South Star Fortress

Lord Sea Tide said nothing at all.

Emery hadn’t heard a single word from him throughout the entire exchange—not during the clash with the infected Supreme, nor after the battle had ended. When the last of the infected forces finally withdrew, the silent guardian simply summoned a massive turtle, easily the size of a small ship, and gestured for everyone to climb aboard.

Lord Sea Tide departed shortly afterward, vanishing beneath the waves without a word or explanation.

The following journey went smoothly under the protection of the sea creatures that lingered in his wake.

Emery noticed something curious. The sea beasts that had fought so fiercely recovered from their wounds at an almost unnatural pace. Flesh that had been torn open began knitting back together within hours, injuries that should have required weeks to heal disappearing with remarkable speed.

The dwarves enjoyed no such luck.

Several still carried serious wounds that required constant attention, while Soltz remained unconscious throughout the remainder of the journey. He showed no signs of waking, his condition seemingly unchanged since the incident within the crevice.

The Southern Isles sprawled across more than two hundred islands scattered throughout the vast oceanic region. The giant turtle cut a steady path between several of them along the way, carrying the survivors farther south.

Yet as the day passed, Emery couldn’t shake the growing unease caused by what he saw.

Every island they passed was empty.

Even those that clearly showed signs of former settlements—abandoned houses, weathered docks, overgrown fields, and farmland that had long since returned to wilderness—showed no trace of the people who had once lived there.

No ships sailed between the islands.

No cultivators appeared in the distance.

Not even the faintest signs of ordinary life could be found.

Neither Emery nor the others spoke much about it.

They didn’t need to.

The silence said enough.

Emery spent the journey doing two things at once: steadily recovering from his injuries and quietly reflecting on the battles they had survived. He turned the two Supremes over in his mind again and again, comparing the sensations and fighting styles he had experienced from each.

The Sunveil Supreme had fought like a honed blade—precise, controlled, and merciless. Every movement had carried a clear purpose, leaving almost no room for error.

The Wildwrath Tyrant, on the other hand, had fought like a landslide—brutal, overwhelming, and untamed. Its attacks carried the raw savagery of the wilderness itself, yet that savage power had been wielded with terrifying purpose.

Surviving an exchange with a Supreme figure was already a stroke of fortune for most, much less surviving two.

As Emery replayed those battles in his mind, examining every clash and every moment when he had been forced to the edge, he could feel his own comprehension slowly deepening. Small fragments of understanding began to connect, one after another, quietly settling into place within his mind.

Two more days passed.

Finally, their destination, the South Star Fortress came into view.

A massive island rose from the horizon, its dark cliffs emerging from the surrounding sea like the back of some ancient beast. At its highest point stood a towering fortress wall, stretching across the island in a broad defensive ring. Ancient runes covered the weathered stone, their lines glowing faintly beneath the morning light as if the formations carved into the walls were still quietly functioning.

Great statues of sea serpents coiled around the pillars of each gate, their stone bodies twisting upward in intricate detail. Even from a distance, Emery could sense the remnants of an ancient formation woven through the fortress, suggesting that the walls had once been built to withstand far more than ordinary armies.

Hundreds of houses spread across the lower slopes beneath the fortress proper. Some were built from pale stone, others from dark wood weathered by years of salt and sea wind, while narrow streets wound between them toward the harbor. From a distance, the settlement appeared almost peaceful, like a coastal city waiting for its inhabitants to return.

It looked, at a glance, like a thriving city.

It wasn’t.

Emery’s Divine Sense swept across the island within seconds of their approach, and the truth settled over him almost immediately.

Barely a hundred living figures remained within the entire settlement.

Nearly all of them were Grand Magus.

The sight left Emery strangely unsettled.

Whatever had happened here, this place had not been abandoned willingly.

The giant turtle finally slowed as it approached the harbor, its massive body creating gentle waves that rolled against the stone docks. Barnacles and pale sea moss covered portions of the ancient structure, while several broken boats rested beneath the pier, their hulls tilted awkwardly against the water.

As the turtle eased alongside the dock, two figures were already waiting to greet them.

A man and a woman, both Grand Magus, stood near the end of the pier. They wore identical deep sea-green uniforms embroidered with the silver-blue sigil of the Pardera Kingdom.

Bragnir led the group ashore first, his heavy boots striking the damp stone as he approached the pair.

The two Grand Magus straightened immediately.

"Welcome to South Star Fortress."

The woman stepped forward with a warm but visibly tired smile. "I’m Warden Chairney, and this is Warden Haru."

Emery’s eyes lingered on them for a moment.

He had heard that title before.

During his time in the capital of Pardera, Emery had learned that the kingdom’s Wardens were far more than ordinary military officials. They belonged to the kingdom’s special forces, an elite organization entrusted with authority that extended well beyond that of conventional commanders.

The fact that two Wardens were personally waiting to receive them meant that some form of military structure still remained within the isles.

Chairney reached for the small crystal hanging from a cord around her neck and raised it between them.

"Standard procedure. Forgive the intrusion, but we need to confirm that none of you are carrying an infection."

Spirit energy flowed from her fingertips into the crystal.

A pale light spread across its surface before sweeping over the group, passing through their bodies like an invisible current. Emery remained still as the artifact examined his spiritual energy, bloodline, and soul for traces of foreign corruption.

Haru, however, showed considerably less warmth.

"There are thirty-four of you?" he said, his sharp gaze moving across the survivors. "State your identities and explain how you managed to reach us."

Bragnir stepped forward and explained that there had originally been forty-six of them when they left Kharzun Hold. He then clarified that the group standing before the Wardens represented only a small portion of the survivors. More than three thousand additional dwarves remained safely inside their inner domains and spatial artifacts, where they had been kept hidden throughout the journey.

Haru’s response was stern.

"Do not let them out until every one of you has been cleared."

His words immediately created a subtle unease among the group.

Chairney quickly stepped in, her expression apologetic as she glanced toward the uneasy survivors.

"Forgive him. It has been a while since we’ve welcomed new survivors."

"How long is a while?" Emery asked.

Chairney paused.

For a moment, she seemed to consider whether the answer was worth saying aloud.

"Four... Almost five years ago..."

Silence settled over the group.

Emery’s expression became solemn.

Five years.

If this was truly the first group of survivors to reach South Star Fortress in nearly half a decade, then the situation in Tartarus was far worse than even his darkest assumptions had accounted for.

Minutes later, the crystal around Chairney’s neck began to chimed.

She glanced down at it, and some of the tension in her face finally disappeared.

"All clear."

A small smile appeared.

"Interesting, though. Your parasite resistance markers are considerably higher than average."

Several dwarves exchanged glances at one another. After everything they had endured, hearing those words brought a faint sense of relief. At least none of them had unknowingly carried the Scourge into the fortress.

Haru, however, had already shifted his attention.

His sharp gaze settled directly on Emery.

"Everyone’s identity checks out."

He paused.

"You don’t."

Emery blinked.

Caught off guard, he looked toward the Warden.

"Who are you?" Haru’s eyes narrowed.

Emery hesitated.

Technically, he was a registered Grand Master Alchemist of Skyroot Palace. That identity should have been more than enough to settle the matter.

Yet somehow, this man had already seen through it.

Before Emery could answer, Bragnir stepped forward.

The dwarf launched into an earnest explanation, recounting everything Emery had done for them—the battles he had fought, the lives he had saved, the dangers he had faced, and the sacrifices he had made to bring them this far.

Yet Emery couldn’t help noticing the uncertainty beneath it.

Bragnir could explain what Emery had done.

He could not explain who Emery truly was.

That was something even the dwarf himself still did not fully understand.

Emery quietly weighed his options.

There was no reason to reveal more than necessary, especially in a place where he knew almost nothing about the current situation.

After a moment, he looked toward the two Wardens.

"I’d like to speak with whoever is in charge here."

Haru’s stance shifted instantly, his hand drifting toward the weapon at his hip as Chairney tensed beside him. The atmosphere around the gate tightened, and several dwarves instinctively shifted their footing, ready for the possibility that their arrival was about to turn into another confrontation.

Before the moment could escalate any further, a quiet voice suddenly rippled through the air from somewhere beyond the gate.

"Let them enter."