Although they only took a few steps, Elder Sister Lan had already taken Ye Fan to the footsteps of a grand palace. Grand buildings floating on clouds revolved in the airspace above the main palace and the grounds were bustling as Immortal puppets, Divine beasts, and other occupants roamed. Ye Fan even saw an Immortal Phoenix cry out as it dived into a courtyard attached to one of the pavilions floating above. Ye Fan was completely in awe.
Seeing Ye Fan's expression, Elder Sister Lan smiled. It was refreshing to share this feeling with someone else. Her Uncle Master rarely brought anyone into his small world so she hadn't had the opportunity to be the local guide before. Tapping Ye Fan's nape lightly with two fingers, Elder Sister Lan reminded him.
"Your Master is waiting; we shouldn't delay. Come. I'll give you a quick tour on the way."
Elder Sister Lan walked through the grand gates of the palace at a slow pace so Ye Fan could follow. Ye Fan nodded once and followed on her right side. With this, Elder Sister Lan began her tour of the grand palace.
"In the sky above us are the many buildings, I myself haven't been to many of them but they're divided into two groups. First, facilities. Facilities include places such as dedicated refining areas for smithing, fields for growing immortal herbs, and training grounds for sparring. They're grouped to the left."
Ye Fan nodded slowly and held a focused expression as he took in the information.
The facilities were varied in size. They ranged from tall closed pavilions to just plain courtyards. Each served their own purpose and so their shapes and sizes changed accordingly. Not that it would matter since the internal area was its own separate space and the external appearance wouldn't affect it.
As Ye Fan was looking at the different facilities hanging in the air, he almost bumped into a mechanical puppet that was holding a box of medicinal herbs but was quickly stopped by Elder Sister Lan. Ye Fan was a bit dazed but quickly thanked Elder Sister Lan.
"Little Fan, you have to watch out. These puppets don't have consciousness so you have to be careful."
After informing Ye Fan and giving him a quick check, Elder Sister Lan was satisfied and continued her tour.
"Anyways, the set of buildings that are on the right are residences. They're mostly for the many Divine Beasts that reside here but also include many other powerful Immortals of many different races that your Master has acknowledged. There are also some empty residences that are dedicated to guests, although they're rarely used. The inside of the residences is truly a marvel. Your Master is truly amazing! The inside of each has a formation that the guest can use to change at will. Food, furniture, room arrangement, anything. You don't even need to use any energy everything is powered by the Central Palace!"
Ye Fan interjected Elder Sister Lan's guide with a question.
"Elder Sister Lan, why are most of the residences dedicated to Divine Beasts?"
Elder Sister Lan lightly pinched one of Ye Fan's cheeks. She was mildly surprised at Ye Fan's question but answered him enthusiastically.
"You're so smart, Little Fan! Although Uncle Master does have many Divine Beasts, it is not to the extent that they outnumber the many Immortals. The Divine Beasts get their own smaller residences while many Immortals can live in one large pavilion. As for any privacy concerns, that isn't a problem. All the rooms are their own separate space."
In contrast with the buildings that floated to the left of the palace's front, the ones on the right were less varied. There were 5 large residential buildings with innumerable rooms and about a hundred small courtyards that floated to the right of the Central Palace. Ye Fan wasn't able to admire it anymore as they had made it to the interior of the Central Palace. The lobby was a large hall with many hallways branching off the sides and an imposing set of doors was at the end.
Elder Sister Lan took a right into one of the many hallways and continued talking.
"That door you saw is the meeting room. We won't be going there; it's only for really important gatherings. I've never been inside it nor have I seen the doors open. Instead, we're going to your Master's office which should be… I think we take a left here…? This seems familiar, hopefully… Let me check at this kiosk."
The enthusiastic girl pulled out a jade token from her spatial artifact and put it onto a groove on a stone pillar. The token started to suffuse a soft green glow. Elder Sister Lan muttered something under her breath as she held the jade token. Her expression became one of realization and she returned the jade token to the spatial artifact. She continued walking down the hallway speaking as she walked.
"All right! So, I was correct. We just have to head down this hallway, take the third hallway on the left, take the fourth hallway on the right, and then Your Master will be waiting in his office at the very end. Back to the tour. The Central Palace is a truly magnificent work! This is what provides the resources for everything! All the mechanical puppets come here for refueling. Of course, this is done underground. You'll rarely find mechanical puppets walking around on the surface. There are two levels underground. The first is the power station. There you'll find Spirit Stone piles as well as Spirit Gathering Formations that condense spirit energy from Heaven and Earth Qi. Second, is the vault. There you'll find all the treasures such as Immortal Artifacts, Divine Artifacts, Immortal Pills, Cultivation Techniques, Secret Skills - Here we are!"
Elder Sister Lan stopped before a plain-looking wooden door that was about 9 feet in height. It didn't look much different from the other doors that lined the hallways except for its placement at the end. Elder Sister Lan nudged Ye Fan forward and said her farewell.
"See you later, Little Fan! Make sure to put in a good word for me with your Master! Remember!"
Ye Fan waved at his tour guide until she turned her back. Turning his attention to the door, he tried to grasp the door handle, but it was just out of reach. Ye Fan turned around to look for Elder Sister Lan, but she had already turned the corner and was out of sight. As Ye Fan was about to pull over a chair to grab the door handle, the door opened and a cold, but familiar voice came from the office.
"Come in, disciple."
