Read Novel Full Chapter 389: AIZ
Chapter 389: AIZ
"Welcome to Aiz," Lilian said to Jordan.
"The capital galaxy of the super cluster. My home."
A forced smile curved her lips, polite but brittle, as though the word "home" tasted bitter on her tongue.
She stood at the edge of the grand arrival platform, the galaxy sprawling before them in breathtaking splendor.
Towering spires of translucent crystal rose into an endless violet sky, their surfaces alive with shifting constellations of captured starlight.
Nebulae swirled overhead like living tapestries, casting soft, ethereal glows that danced across every surface.
"You have quite the sad look on your face for someone that calls it her home," Jordan observed quietly.
"Why don’t you see it as your home anymore?"
Lilian’s eyes widened in surprise.
She raised her guard instinctively, shoulders tensing beneath her flowing robes.
"Can you read my thoughts?" The question came sharp, laced with sudden wariness.
Everyone, including Nick stared at Jordan in silence.
A ripple of intrigue passed through the group.
Some faces showed open curiosity, while others carried outright worry, hands twitching toward weapons or personal wards as the possibility of mental intrusion lingered in the air like a chill draft.
"No such thing," Jordan explained calmly.
"I can’t read your thoughts. I can only see through deceptions and lies. Consider it a special ability of mine."
His starry eyes met hers steadily, the constellations within them swirling with quiet certainty, offering no threat, only truth.
"Oh," Lilian said softly. A faint flush touched her cheeks.
"Sorry for thinking otherwise and misunderstanding."
"It’s alright," Jordan replied.
"You have a valid reason to be cautious."
He turned his attention to the scenery around him, taking in the impossible beauty with measured appreciation.
The ground beneath their feet shimmered faintly, as though walking on compressed starlight.
Distant bridges of pure energy arced between floating districts, and the air itself felt alive, cool, fresh, carrying the subtle scent of ionized ozone and blooming cosmic flora.
"Impressive, huh?" Lilian asked.
A faint, more genuine smile finally touched her lips as she watched his reaction.
"Indeed," Jordan muttered. "Space that’s tangible."
"Yeah," Lilian explained, stepping closer beside him.
"That’s what makes this galaxy special.
The space itself acts paradoxically, tangible and intangible at the same time. You can walk on it, touch it, even shape it with enough power... yet it remains open, boundless, allowing ships and travelers to pass through without resistance. A living paradox."
Jordan nodded slowly to her words.
He continued walking behind the group, boots sinking slightly into the shimmering surface with each step, the sensation both solid and strangely dreamlike.
"You all can take a break now," Nick announced, turning to face them.
His voice carried the weight of command, cutting through the quiet awe of the surroundings.
"Soon we will have a proper training session for every able fighter. I want to best know the soldiers I can rely on."
He paused, letting the words settle, his reptilian eyes sweeping across the gathered faces.
"As governor, the first thing I want to ensure is the military might of this province," he continued.
"Everyone within this province will come to know of it soon. Consider yourselves among the first to find out."
"And you," Nick said, turning his gaze back to Jordan.
"Feel free to apply if you wish. Of course, that is after your loyalty and trustworthiness have been tested. You will see me this evening to confirm that."
Jordan gave a single, measured nod, nothing more.
Nick’s tongue clicked sharply in anger, "Tsk."
The sound was low, barely restrained, his jaw tightening as he turned away.
"Lilian," Nick addressed her next, his tone shifting to crisp orders.
"The former governor is being escorted to the supreme galaxy to face trial under the sovereign council. You should lead the escort team and represent me during the trial. Afterward, you shall return and try the governor’s children, auditing them for any form of corruption and abuse of power."
Lilian stared at Nick in disbelief.
Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came.
She closed her mouth again, the weight of the command pressing visibly on her shoulders.
Her hands clenched at her sides, knuckles whitening, the forced smile from earlier vanishing entirely.
The violet glow of Aiz reflected in her eyes, but the light seemed dimmer now, shadowed by something deeper, shock, betrayal, and the dawning realization of just how thoroughly the balance of power had shifted beneath her feet.
The grand capital galaxy stretched endlessly around them, beautiful and indifferent, as the silence stretched taut with unspoken tension.
"Yes, Governor," Lilian said defeated.
Her voice came out quiet, almost hollow, the words tasting like ash on her tongue.
In the end, she couldn’t act out of line, it was only going to make things worse.
She knew the delicate balance of power too well; one wrong move, one flash of open rebellion, and the consequences would ripple far beyond herself.
Her shoulders sagged ever so slightly, the elegant lines of her posture fracturing under the invisible weight pressing down on her.
Jordan stared at the look of defeat etched across Lilian’s face.
Her eyes, usually sharp and unreadable, now carried a dull sheen of resignation.
The faint violet glow of Aiz reflected in them, but the light seemed distant, as though filtered through layers of grief and suppressed anger.
He wasn’t naive.
He knew all too well that this was a deliberate action by Nick, a calculated strike meant to strip away her remaining influence, to remind her exactly who held the reins now.
But it was of no concern to him.
He decided to mind his business. Whatever tangled web of politics, family, and ambition existed here, it wasn’t his war.
Not yet.
He kept his starry gaze steady, expression unreadable, letting the moment pass without comment.
With the instructions given, Nick left the group.
He strode away without a backward glance, his footsteps crisp against the shimmering, tangible space of the platform.
The faint rustle of his robes echoed briefly before fading into the hum of the capital galaxy.
He moved with the confidence of someone already accustomed to command, though the tightness around his mouth betrayed the mounting pressure of the workload he knew awaited him.
Jordan turned his attention back to Lilian.
She stood still for several long seconds, fighting the sadness threatening to overwhelm her.
Her chest rose and fell in slow, deliberate breaths, fingers flexing at her sides as though physically grasping for control.
The soft cosmic wind stirred strands of her dark hair, and for a moment, the grand beauty of Aiz seemed to mock her, endless spires of starlight and nebulae swirling above, indifferent to the quiet fracture happening below.
Taking a deep breath, Lilian reined in her emotions.
The mask slipped back into place with practiced ease: shoulders squaring, chin lifting, eyes sharpening once more.
She turned to her team and to Jordan with a nod that brooked no argument.
"Follow me," she said, voice steady again, though the faint tremor beneath it was audible only to those listening closely.
She led her team toward their quarters, the path winding through floating walkways of condensed starlight.
Jordan followed in silence, boots sinking slightly into the paradoxical ground, solid beneath him, yet somehow open to the void beyond.
The supervision center awaited him: a towering structure of translucent crystal and pulsing energy, where he would be watched, tested, and judged before any true trust could be extended.