Divine Beast Creator
Chapter 863 - 864: Cloud Pavilion

Chapter 863: Chapter 864: Cloud Pavilion

"I’ve always found it odd that the Cloud Pavilion isn’t a secret, so why did you only learn about it now?"

Drudgeon asked as he opened the door, perplexed. Such a thing wasn’t really significant, and given Feng Yuan’s circumstances, he should have easily been aware of its existence.

Feng Yuan took Xiao Ji down from his head as he looked at the opened ancient door and said,

"I didn’t notice it before, and I also didn’t expect that you all would have such a place hidden inside the library."

"What do you mean ’we have things hidden inside the library’? The establishment of the Cloud Pavilion predates the Maomu Grand Library, you know."

Drudgeon said, somewhat exasperated, then looked around and added,

"It’s clear now, let’s go. However, the Cloud Pavilion has been neglected for a long time, and I’m not sure about the current condition inside."

Although the Cloud Pavilion was located in subspace, less affected by the passage of time, there would still be an impact. Lanadi asked, curious,

"Do the Maomu Grand Library and the Cloud Pavilion have some kind of connection?"

"Why would you think that?"

Drudgeon asked, surprised that the other party had actually guessed correctly. Lanadi smiled and replied,

"Because both are buildings intended to house books. It would be too much of a coincidence if they weren’t related."

"I see, no wonder it’s called the Cloud Pavilion."

Admiring the wooden pavilions floating among the clouds, Lanadi exclaimed in amazement. Such quaint and grand buildings from the Dynasty Era were now rare sights. After all, though their exteriors had hardly changed, their inner essence had gradually dissipated through continuous renovations.

The illusion of a starry sky slowly rotated around them, and those pavilions floating above the clouds seemed like the abodes of the immortals. Gladys said, somewhat astonished,

"No wonder you mentioned it was interesting. It truly is fascinating."

Although making buildings float wasn’t impossible, modern ones rarely had the careful craftsmanship of the Cloud Pavilion, not to mention that the positioning of those clouds seemed meticulously planned, being neither obtrusive nor superfluous.

"Right? Although those ancient books are quite interesting too, we’re not here to read today, so there’s no need to bother with them—"

Feng Yuan said proudly, holding Xiao Ji in his arms as he stepped onto the cloud-like path leading to the pavilion, which felt like cotton candy, bouncy and resilient underfoot.

Seeing this, everyone curiously trod on the cloud pathway. Despite looking springy and even bouncing under pressure, it felt as solid as ground when stepped on.

"The Cloud Pavilion was established during the Nanli Dynasty, originally meant to store the royal books of the Nanli Dynasty. But with the fall of the Nanli Dynasty, the care of the Cloud Pavilion was entrusted to Drudgeon."

Feng Yuan explained to the group as he stepped onto the Cloud Pavilion’s wooden walkway. Glancing at the locked windows, he continued,

"Many books inside the Cloud Pavilion are unique, being from the royal collection of that time. However, their significance today is not particularly great, apart from for those archaeologists wanting to study the Nanli Dynasty. Most of the techniques aren’t of much value anymore."

"The cloud clusters and the architectural technique of the Cloud Pavilion itself may also be preserved, but they don’t serve much of a purpose. Whether it’s the highly intricate, failure-prone cloud clusters or the protective structures of the pavilions, they have little reference value."

"It’s not entirely true, though. The defensive capabilities of this wooden building are quite impressive. It could be a good option for our Thousand Stars Tribe’s construction."

As Lanadi lightly brushed a hand over the wooden railing, recalling the orchard that had stood for over a decade, she smiled. That was unfathomable; let alone the far more sophisticated craftsmanship of the Cloud Pavilion. Apart from the sheer difficulty in replication, why ponder something when they hadn’t even fully understood what Feng Yuan had left behind?

"If you want it, I recall the manufacturing techniques are documented inside the Cloud Pavilion. Just ask Drudgeon to make you a copy, although mastering it could be quite challenging."

Feng Yuan mentioned offhand. The courtly artisan techniques of the Dynasty Era were never simple, which was a major reason why he referred to them as being of little use.

"No need, we haven’t fully understood what you left behind yet."

Lanadi said, laughing. Honestly, she was quite surprised upon meeting Feng Yuan. The young man possessed such profound rune and formation skills.

"You don’t mean that, do you? The things I left behind? If you’re talking about that greenhouse, isn’t it quite simple?"

Feng Yuan replied, puzzled, while Dou Yanlan gave Feng Yuan an exasperated glance.

"That thing is definitely not simple; at least I can’t see through your methods."

Although Dou Yanlan had followed the entire process, she still couldn’t understand how Feng Yuan managed to combine those effects. She could only say that he was really proficient in this field. Even though they were relatively common formations and runes, in his hands, they were played with flair.

"Want to take a picture together?"

Feng Yuan picked a good spot and waved his phone, saying, Xiao Ji instantly transformed into an eagle, preened his feathers excitedly, and called out. Lanadi looked around and said,

"Right here? But it does seem like the right spot."

It was then they noticed the location Feng Yuan chose perfectly showcased the essence of the Cloud Pavilion. Drudgeon hid to one side, shook his ears, and watched the group. Perhaps it was because he had visited too many times; he didn’t find anything special about the Cloud Pavilion.

"Why are you squeezing in next to me?"

Lanadi pushed Gladys, who had squeezed next to her, and Gladys said with a smile,

"I’m in the shot on the right~"

When Gladys nudged her, Lanadi bumped right into Feng Yuan’s shoulder. Lanadi stealthily glanced at Feng Yuan with her peripheral vision and, regrettably, found that he seemed not to have any reaction at all. Drudgeon, holding the phone afar, directed everyone. After a noisy moment and the sound of the camera shutter, a photo proving their presence at the Cloud Pavilion was captured.

"There’s a surprise if you jump down from here~"

Feng Yuan leaned against the railing, boasting, and Drudgeon glanced at Feng Yuan and said,

"Isn’t that just the fall prevention device?"

"How annoying, why do you have to spoil it? Isn’t it better to keep the suspense?"

Feng Yuan poked Drudgeon’s head, laughing, and Drudgeon shook his ears, clearly annoyed, and said,

"That device has been misused; I can’t guarantee it’ll work now."

"Misused?"

Feng Yuan was somewhat surprised. With a flick of his tail, Drudgeon looked around and said,

"Yes, when it was open before, people often used that device to leave the attic through the windows."

"Speaking of which, the founding of Maomu Grand Library was because you opened the Cloud Pavilion, right?"

Feng Yuan remembered something and said, Drudgeon nodded and said,

"That’s right. At the time, some people just wanted to understand the knowledge of the Nanli Dynasty. Later, more and more people gathered here and even formed some sort of society. I’m not too clear on the details of what happened afterward, especially since the war started again. After I sealed the Cloud Pavilion, I was unaware of subsequent events."

"Later, when I returned, there was a grand library built at the location of the original Cloud Pavilion."

Although Drudgeon guessed it was the handy work of those people, he couldn’t be sure since he had no authority over time-related matters and couldn’t access these records. He just thought it was too coincidental to be true.

"Come on, come on~ Xiao Ji, you try first~"

Xiao Ji looked at Feng Yuan with some confusion, not quite understanding why he was asked to try. They were on a platform at the top of an attic in the Cloud Pavilion. Feng Yuan looked over the railing down below and said,

"From this height, a careless fall could result in injury, but as for you~"

Feng Yuan said, petting Xiao Ji’s head,

"You can fly anytime, right? Even if the device fails, you won’t have a problem, will you?"

After pondering for a moment and seemingly finding Feng Yuan’s reasoning somewhat sound, Xiao Ji nodded and jumped right off the railing. A cloud instantly caught Xiao Ji and left him floating there.

"Eh? It won’t sink down?"

Feng Yuan looked at the cloud that kept floating in surprise, and Drudgeon shook his ears and said,

"It must be damaged."