Chapter 142: You're supposed to tell me if I'm rich. That's the rule.

The portal disappeared behind me as my friends stepped through the door. Amanda and Roxxy stopped in shock as they viewed the cities in the sky above and even William looked moved.

“This entire platform is one of nine entrances to Gesti Sky.” My grandma’s voice floated into my ears.

We stood on top of an empty dock, and I could see people milling about below us. The platform we were on extended around us for hundreds of meters before abruptly ending.

Beyond it there was only sky.

How are they doing this?

I gazed at the people walking on the air. There were over twenty segments that looked bigger than William’s island. Several others were single buildings that had people walking in and out of them.

“We helped a fair bit. As did other companies.” My grandma spoke. “They’re our biggest customer.”

If my family helped build this, then that meant these towns were regents or regent powered.

She unhooked her hand from my arm and turned towards our group.

“Now then- now then- now then. Let’s all gather together.” My grandma swept the group up into a huddle.

Amanda, Roxxy, William and the birds gathered together. I could see each one of them shooting glances at the sky, not done with sightseeing yet.

Gold and Agni were looking at the swarms of multicoloured birds in the sky.

Agni’s body puffed with flames, challenging the glowing birds.

“This is the area of Gesti Sky that we’ll have access to for this week.” My grandma smiled. “First, we'll be checking into the hotel. After that, you’re free to explore, but you’ll need to hand in your tickets to the Gesti Sky staff and get a stamp first. Any questions?”

A smile touched my lips at her words.

Those were almost the exact instructions I used to get from my parents when we went to amusement parks. Except for the hotel part.

“Why aren’t these people falling?” Roxxy asked.

She pointed up.

Hundreds of people were walking through the air without a care in the world. Some were even throwing objects at each other that resembled frisbees.

“They’re not falling because they’re standing on a path.” My grandma smiled gently. “Once your ticket is stamped, you’ll be given the option to reveal them or keep them hidden. However, they still exist even if you can't see them. People have fun standing in the middle of the sky. It’s quite a rush.”

Her words grabbed my attention. If there were hidden paths here, I might be able to see them.

[Mana Sense].

The world lit up with mana as I activated my skill. I didn’t choose mana communication just in case the feedback was too much.

It was a good call.

Beyond my physical vision was a veil of magic that spread across the sky. A mass of mana churned in the air appearing and disappearing in a swirling storm. It cascaded across my vision, a titan sea of mana through which the floating islands swam. It crackled with power, and there was too much to feel its intent. I felt like if I tried to communicate with them, I would be swept up in the sheer force of their being.

If there were other safety nets and spells, I couldn’t see them beyond the storm.

I couldn’t see the ‘paths’ my grandma mentioned.

“Now then, you’ll find it quite the trek to reach the hotel by foot.” My grandma tapped her shoe against the floor. “I can take us there now if you’re all happy to go. And I promise you’ll be able to explore all you want afterwards.”

All of us nodded.

There was no reason for us to delay.

“Wonderful! Everyone gather, we don’t want to lose anyone.” She was jovial.

My grandma clicked her fingers and the area beneath our feet started to glow.

There were symbols swirling underneath us as my grandma activated them.

The platform was a regent.

I blinked and when I opened my eyes I was inside a hall. The change was instantaneous, and I took a step back in surprise.

I accidentally knocked into Amanda.

“That felt weird.” Roxxy’s voice came out from beside me.

There was a murmur of agreement. William had his hand to his side, an eyebrow raised in confusion. I turned around and saw Amanda pressing her lips together. Both of them looked dizzy.

I hadn’t felt anything.

Gold chirped in confusion from my shoulder, and Agni didn’t look fussed either.

“Really, nothing?” Amanda scratched Agni’s neck. “You’ve got a stronger stomach than me.”

A gentle clapgot our attention. My grandma stood in front of us with a smile on her face and spread her arms out wide.

“Welcome to the Jâl hotel dearies. The finest in Gesti Sky. We offer the best accommodation and amenities.” My grandma smiled. “Just don’t go to any other hotel or they’ll say the same thing about themselves.”

Jâl hotel?

William chuckled.

My eyes roamed about the room, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and lights showering down on me.

There was a long flight of stairs leading to the second floor, and I could see people moving in and out of doors to the side. They were elevators.

Did my family really own this hotel?

A flicker of surprise crossed my heart.

I knew that noble families had more assets than they displayed on the outside, but I’d never considered it applying to me.

“Come- come- come.” My grandma turned to the stairs. “We’ll skip the front desk and I’ll give you the grand tour.”

I filled with happiness at the sight of my grandma’s joy.

“However, we do need to check in.” My grandma smiled. “Here.”

She gestured her hand and four cards appeared in it.

“These are regents that will key into your mana signatures.” My grandma handed each of us a card. “These will only be activatable while you are in the hotel, so please make sure you stay in the building until the process is finished. Once complete you can go anywhere, as long as it’s not another person's room.”

I held the card in my hand and immediately channeled my mana into it. Like most regents, the mana was drawn from my manapool, disappearing into thin air as it powered the regent.

The card itself was plated with gold and silver, a big ‘J’ in the middle of it.

‘All access pass’ was written on it.

We took our time moving up the stairs, my grandma humming happily.

“This is a nice setup.” William moved next to me. “I don’t think a week is going to be enough.”

“It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be.” My voice was quiet.

I hadn’t been able to see an end to the buildings in the sky. I was sure there had to be one, but it probably wasn’t reachable in a single day.

A head of crimson hair appeared at my side, alongside strands of blonde.

Roxxy and Amanda were still getting over their initial shock. They held their key cards tightly in their hands and Amanda was looking around the hotel curiously.

“On this floor we have the first pool.” My grandma pointed. “It’s our only outdoor one.”

The area she was pointing at was clear to see, an open door leading straight into a body of water.

There was nothing underneath it. It was just the pool water. It hovered above the air, enclosed inside four walls that were there for decoration.

If I swam to the bottom and looked down, I would be staring at the ground below.

“How high up are we?” I peeked at the edge of the hotel.

I could see the world below me, but most of it was covered by thin clouds and mist.

“The estimated average height is thirteen thousand feet.” My grandma replied. “Some are higher and others lower, but don’t worry, you can’t fall.”

They had to have spells that made it feel like we were still on the ground. Otherwise, the winds alone would be buffeting the buildings into oblivion.

We moved quickly through the hotel, my grandma pointing out the various features.

There were two restaurants, a spa room, a sauna, a gym, and several cultivation rooms. Unfortunately, they were only for the basic elements and not metal. There was also a publically accessible balcony with a garden outside of it.

When we reached the higher floors my grandma slowed down, and she pointed out our rooms.

“These five have been reserved for you. I’ll be staying on the floor above if you need me at any time.” She smiled. “You may decide among yourselves which room goes to who.”

The key cards we had been given would take another few minutes to activate, but once they did, we would place them on the door of the rooms to lock them onto our mana signatures.

Only we would be able to get into the room we chose. Well, the staff would be able to as well.

“Now then, I’ve got some things to organise while I’m here. I’ll trust you all not to party too hard in the few minutes I’m gone.” My grandma stepped back.

She waved goodbye and disappeared, leaving us with the five rooms to choose from.

“Dibs.”

Roxxy opened the door, letting out a whistle as she looked inside.

I followed her in and paused as I took it in.

There was a bed, a kitchen, bathroom, and an entire room with a giant tub that looked like a jacuzzi. Several cushioned chairs lined up along a large table, and the back wall was a giant window that led into a sizable balcony.

A luscious red rug was spread out across the floor, typing it all together.

“Did I mention I love your grandma?” Roxxy zipped from feature to feature.

She jumped onto the bed and bounced on impact.

“I declare this mine!” Roxxy slammed her palm onto the bed.

“The other rooms are all the same.” William walked in. “I am happy to concede this one to you.”

“You’re a gentleman and a scholar.” Roxxy beamed.

I looked through the other rooms. William was right. Each one was mostly the same, although they had different furniture styles.

The last of the rooms went to me, Gold hopping onto a nearby table. He was carefully trying not to scratch anything, but I could see the material had been hardened.

“Agni loved this place.” A voice called out from behind me.

A bright ball of red flapped across my vision and joined Gold, chirping up a storm.

“And you?” I turned around to face Amanda.

She stepped past me and sank down onto the sofa. She let out a sigh of contentment and her body relaxed.

“I could get used to this.” Amanda smiled. “And that view was something else. It took my mind off things for a second.”

She tapped her fingers against the sofa and looked towards the window-wall.

“Do you think we can see the ground? I’m pretty sure we’re in the west right now, and I heard most of that place is mountains.”

“Let’s find out.” I strode forward.

The door to the balcony opened up, and the light breeze touched my face. There were plants out here, and I saw a couple of birds flying through the air.

Maybe they’d be new friends for Gold and Agni.

My eyes scanned the sky around me. I wasn’t sure where we were in relation to the original platform, but there were quite a few hotels surrounding us. Each one distant enough to maintain privacy, but close enough to appear as a district.

In the distance I could see more buildings and towns, some looking like balloons floating in the sky.

It felt strange.

On the one hand, this was a sight I would never have been able to see on earth.

However, it was also a testament to the power of the Gesti household. I’d been curious about what it meant to be called an immortal household, but now I wasn’t sure I could comprehend the scope of it.

No wonder Fermez had said they didn’t know I existed.

“It’s pretty.” Amanda stepped beside me. “I want to try flying here.”

She looked over her shoulder toward Agni. The birds were happily stomping around the room, hopping and gliding as they explored.

“Maybe later.” She giggled. “This place is huge. I think your grandma had them bring up some pamphlets before we got here.”

Amanda raised her hand and I saw several leaflets in them. I took one and saw a snow-white bird on the cover, winking at me and giving me a thumbs up with its wing.

‘Come to the Gesti ice-cream aviary and get the best dessert in the west.’

“Ice-cream aviary?” I turned the pamphlet over. “What does that even mean?”

“Let’s find out.” Amanda put her hands behind her back. “I think William and Roxxy would be pretty excited about it.”

“Dang right we would be. Except I missed out on what ‘it’ is.” Roxxy’s voice called out to us. “How about you, Gerial?”

Gerial?

I swirled around and spotted Roxxy and William making their way into the room. Then a third person strode through behind them.

“Hey Andross, your friend made it!” Roxxy called out to me excitedly.

I tilted my head in confusion.

A complete stranger stood beside her.

He was tall, muscular, and had almond brown eyes that looked down on me with a hint of mischief.

“I have no—”

My words cut off as I felt a tug in my heart. my mark was reacting to the boy’s presence.

It was Gerial.

“I thought I’d surprise you.” He walked up and gave me a handshake. “Thanks for inviting me.”

Even his body felt stronger.

“Anytime.” I looked at the boy in front of me. “You have no idea how surprised I am.”

He was a completely different person.

William wouldn’t have felt the connection I did, but he looked calm. Gerial must have had another way to verify his identity.

“So, what’s first?” Roxxy’s eyes gleamed.

“I believe I have a suitable answer.” William stepped forward.

He held up a pamphlet and I saw a familiar snow-white bird on it.

“Did you guys know they have an ice-cream aviary?”