Village Head's Debauchery

It is rare for a Grade One Runaway City to possess a Garden of their own, making it invaluable among other Grade One Runaway Cities. Unfortunately, this has led to the downfall of many, turning the Garden's existence into a tightly kept secret. Even when shared, it is only with other Runaway Cities with whom they have a rigid, secure trade contract.

"Oh? What kind of information did the Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City secure?" Orion asked, intrigued by this new piece of information.

The Migrating Deer Archipelago Runaway City!

He was certain that the High Dryads were beings similar to the tree nymphs, capable of utilizing nature energy. Of course, he was aware he could be wrong, having already

encountered the 'Drakmin' -the half-minotaur, half-dragon race-but he was confident his thoughts weren't far off the mark.

"Unfortunately, I'm not aware of what this secret is. It happened during the reign of the second Supreme Leader before me, Empress Althea. According to the records, one of Empress Althea's sixth husbands, whom she deeply loved, died securing this information for them. To repay her fairly, they constructed a Garden for the Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City."

"It was only after her reign that the Garden was fully constructed. It was said that although it didn't bring back her husband, it saved the Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City by making us self-reliant and allowing us to concentrate on forming trade deals in other areas," Eleanora responded, shaking her head with a defeated expression.

She was disappointed in her inability to provide the necessary information and hoped to use this opportunity to form a better relationship with the Supreme Leader of Paradise.

Orion nodded, assimilating the new piece of information. "Okay, let's continue then," he said.

Eleanora nodded thoughtfully and placed the key near the centre of the round rune stone. A faint mist immediately emerged and encircled it, revealing a keyhole at the centre of the stone. Without hesitation, she inserted the key and stepped back.

Suddenly, the round rune stone began to disintegrate, falling onto the ground in piles of broken rocks. The rocks then reformed, taking the shape of a stone entity. The entity held the stony key, which had merged with its hand, tightly in its grasp. It stood to the side of the now-opened entrance, unmoving.

"This is the Guardian of the Garden; we call him the 'Stony Watchman.' According to the records, he was made to withstand attacks up to the level of an Ascendant-ranked god's chosen. He can also prevent anyone who the wielder of the Garden's Key has ordered to wait outside. Anyone attempting to forcefully enter will be met with a swift attack with the force of an Ascendant, making him the perfect defence mechanism in case someone tries to break into the Garden," Eleanora explained with a smile, anticipating the question Orion was about to ask as she noticed his gaze focused on the stony entity.

If any other figure had ordered her to take them to the Garden, she would have swiftly commanded the Stony Watchman to attack, buying herself time to enter the Garden and protect herself until the gods' chosens or Sy'ra arrived to capture the intruder. However, she couldn't dare try such actions in the presence of the Supreme Leader of Paradise.

Orion nodded, his eyes shimmering under his mask as he stared at the vigilant Stony Watchman. He wondered if Seraphina and the Healers' Association could recreate something like this. As he pondered this, Orion couldn't help but sigh lightly.

Seraphina might one day ask him to create another association dedicated to researching such things, as their tasks had already expanded beyond the responsibilities of the Healers' Association. Nonetheless, he felt satisfied that they had established an authority for themselves, slightly below that of the key leaders.

Eleanora led the way forward, stepping through the gate. Orion followed behind her.

Suddenly, the Stony Watchman reformed back into a brick wall, stepping onto a stony cobblestone pathway stretching out about 1.5 meters in length before him. At its edge were many vibrant flowers, vines, and other plants Orion had never seen, each growing with an otherworldly light. Even in the distance, he could see other plants grown using combined hydroponic and aeroponic methods, positioned vertically to maximize their yield.

It was easy for Orion to tell that they utilized some magical methods alongside several scientific techniques to grow their crops. Considering they were currently within a massive mechanical moving fortress, he didn't find such a revelation terrifying. Instead, it heightened his curiosity about the secrets held within the forge palace, the core of a Runaway City.

Orion knew Anara and others would be interested in this, so he kept it in mind to inform her about his discoveries later.

As they went deeper, they soon encountered a steady stream of water from what appeared to be an irrigation system flowing between the extraordinary plants. Succubi, Ogres, and Incubi -men, women, and even children-tended to the plants.

However, at this moment, they had all paused their activities and were bowing respectfully in their direction.

"This is the first terrace layer where we plant the medicinal and exotic plants before they are harvested and sold to the highest bidder or utilized by our healers," Eleanora said, leading the way forward as she stepped onto the soil.

"How many layers are there?" Orion questioned, his voice filled with curiosity. As he looked around, he could see another high-rise terraced layer.

"There are only three layers. The second is where we keep our edible crops and flowering plants. The third is where the Gardeners sleep and go about their daily lives," Eleanora responded, leading Orion through numerous fountains and streams of water.

Hearing her words, Orion raised his brows in surprise. "They live here?" he said. Fortunately, his mask hid his expression.

Eleanora nodded. "Considering the delicate nature of the Garden, it wouldn't be wise for us to hire people who could come and go as they please. Instead, the viable solution to control its confidentiality is to have people tend to it at all times, monitored by individuals trained to avoid discussing the outside world."

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