Shin and Zishen floated around in the sky for a good six hours, watching the Terre Continent tear itself apart from its very core. Over a million years of tectonic plate movement had been fast-forwarded within a few hours, and the entire topography of the world had been altered. Every single lifeform, be it human or otherwise, were affected by the drastic change. It didn’t matter if they were underground, sleeping within the oceans or flying around in the skies, nothing would ever be the same again for all lifeforms.

The earthquakes had triggered numerous casualties, and not a single building managed to escape unscathed. Crops were utterly destroyed, and volcanic eruptions made half of all populated regions uninhabitable. However, even though the entire planet had undergone a massive overhaul, a vast majority of the human population lived through the disaster. Especially those from the Lantis Archipelago.

“Kanari! Are you alright?!” Once the dust had settled, Zishen brought Shin and the other Azure Dragons carrying Suji’s team back to the Lantis Republic, back to Guardian Sword. Although Shin was concerned about the well-being of the general populace, nothing could trump the safety of his loved ones.

A gorgeous woman, donning a breathy purple robe, ran straight to the concerned man who entered through the front gate. Wasting no time at all, Kanari embraced the young man and tapped down on his muscular build. “Shin! Are you alright?!”

“You should answer my question first...” Seeing Kanari still mostly active, Shin heaved a sigh of relief. However, he still couldn’t put down his guard. “How are the rest?” Shin asked with a serious tone.

Though Shin didn’t specify who the rest were, Kanari immediately replied: “None of us sustained any serious injuries. When the Worldquake happened, we all immediately took shelter in the enhanced bunker that the Heigui Clan had made for us.” At that moment, all of the familiar faces that Shin was used to, emerged from the back of Shin’s mansion and brisk-walked to his location.

“That’s a relief,” the young man held his chest with an eased smile.

“Shin! You’re back!” Lady Seph was the next person to greet the fatigued Prince. The blonde healer mirrored Kanari’s actions and gently tapped down on her precious disciple, all while the other orphans watched in earnest. “Are you unhurt?”

“Yeah, Senior Zishen protected me throughout…” Shin reassured his family with a relaxed expression. “What’s the damage to the Lantis Archipelago?” Now that his immediate family was safe, Shin could now spare a little concern for the Lantis Republic. Although the denizens of the Terre Continent were the most affected by the tectonic shifts, it didn’t mean that the Lantis Archipelago would be completely unaffected.

However, Kanari’s voice wasn’t the one to be heard. The silver-haired young man, who had nothing to do with the internal affairs of the Lantis Republic, took the stage: “Thousands of houses had been destroyed. Public services such as the River Train are now suspended, and each one of the Eight Clans is trying to provide shelter for those that became homeless. From what I can tell, casualties are likely limited to only a hundred thousand, as many fled to the oceans once they’d been informed of the worldquake.”

Shin stood silent for a while, shooting Isadore a rather queer look: “Your information gathering skills is as scary as always...”

Isadore was a Himmel Prince and had no business in having such a vast information network within the Lantis Republic. Heck, even Shin, the Prince of the Lantis Republic, would have a hard time gathering such key information in such a short period of tim

“Glad I can help,” Isadore didn’t really care about that, though. He beamed brilliantly as Shin took down the information with furrowed brows.

“Could you ascertain the damage done to the Himmel Empire then?” Shin asked the silver-haired man. This time, Isadore’s smile melted into a bitter frown. After all, the Himmel Empire was his hometown, not to mention he was the Prince slated to become the Guardian Spear of the nation. In Isadore’s heart, the Himmel Empire was far more critical than his host nation, the Lantis Republic.

“I need more time to confirm… My agents are still going around collecting information.” Isadore succinctly said.

“Mmmm, okay.” Shin looked at his bosom friend before adding his two cents. He explained that the Himmel Empire had been split into three equal parts, while the Kori Federation had broken into two. Kanari also listened in ardently as Shin mentioned the Highgarden Duchy, as well as how it had been isolated into its own continent. In the end, like what any good friend would do, Shin tapped on his buddy’s shoulders worryingly. “Isadore, if there’s really a need to, you can take an extended leave of absence to return. Also, just say the word, and I’ll send some forces over to help with the Himmel Empire’s disaster.”

Isadore shook his head: “There’s no need for that. From what I understand, my Master wouldn’t want me to return home anyway.”

The Terre Continent was in a mess now, that was for sure. Both the Himmel Empire and the Kori Federation, both supernations that relied heavily on the bountiful continent, were the two entities that suffered the most. The Lantis Republic, on the other hand, emerged from the worldquake mostly untouched. Yes, some fissures damaged their buildings and random volcanic eruptions decimated a few of their islands. But those damages were salvageable for the most part. Majority of its citizens were safe, and the nine major islands were fully functional. There was no safer place for Isadore be in right now.

“However… If the Black Masks are going to attack the Himmel Empire after this… I’ll take you up on that offer.” Isadore turned serious, his face hiding a burning hatred that was only matched by the flames of hell.

“Oh, you know that the worldquake was triggered by the Allfather?” Shin was genuinely surprised. Even he couldn’t have guessed that it was the Allfather’s doing if not for Zishen recognising the Terrestrial Dragon’s spiritual energy.

“No, but I can roughly guess… There’s no human or Spirit Beast on the planet that’s capable of performing such a feat… Also, who stands the most to gain if the Terre Continent is split into pieces? Who could possibly cause the deaths of millions and billions in property damage without hesitation? Connecting all of those dots, and there’s only one possible culprit for the worldquake.”

“You’re more perceptive than you let on...” Shin chuckled. However, he quickly reverted back to his serious face. “That’s right, it’s the Allfather. He’d somehow managed to unbind the bindings on the continental plates laid down by the Terrestrial Dragon.”

“You mean the Ancient Dragon that was equal to your Celestial Dragon?” Isadore raised both his brows. Although the Twin Dragons were legends that had been forgotten by time, one could argue that they had far more impact on the world than any Spirit Immortal. No, they were for sure much more powerful than any human that had ever lived. “How did he do that?”

“I don’t know how he’d done it, but it’s the truth. Judging from how the Allfather acts, I would presume that he must have some follow-up plan once the Terre Continent had been split. So… Be prepared for war.”

“... Understood.” Isadore nodded and instantly walked towards a black-suited man, presumably to notify the Himmel Ancestor of Shin’s thesis. Now, Shin was left alone with Kanari and a heap of Guardian Sword’s top operatives. They were all wearing concerned expressions as if they were attending a loved one’s funeral. And that was to be expected. Many of Shin’s closest friend’s were from the Himmel Empire and those that weren’t could instantly take a boat to visit their family.

Kanari was the first to break the ice. Holding onto Shin’s hands, the beauty said: “Shin… I’m worried about my parents...”

“I know… If you want to, I can ask a few of the Azure Dragons to escort you back to the Highgarden Duchy.”

“Thanks! But there’s no need. Aunt Thea will guide me back.” Kanari pointed to the muscular woman, who could easily give any Spirit Venerate a run for their money.

“Mmmm, just to be safe, take two Azure Dragons to be your mounts. If there’s any trouble, they’ll notify Senior Zishen right away.” Shin gave Kanari a warm bear hug before whispering into her ears. “Be safe. I’ll take care of Errol while you’re gone.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” Without batting an eye, Kanari landed a soft peck on Shin’s cheeks before flying off into the horizon with her bodyguard in tow. She’d only remained on Celestial Island to wait for Shin’s return and to inform him of her safety. Otherwise, the moment the Worldquake had decimated the Terre Continent, Kanari would have flown straight back instantly.

Kanari wasn’t the only one that wanted a “Pardon us, Shin...” Suji and the majority of the Himmel Empire delegation stepped forward. They were all fidgety as well. “We would also like to check on our family. Is it possible that...”

“Say no more,” Shin stopped them and snapped his fingers. Almost instantly, the same Azure Dragons that had ferried Suji and the rest back to Guardian Sword headquarters flew back into the vicinity.

“I’m sorry to spring this onto you when you’d just finished flying us back, but could you help my friends out a bit?” Shin apologetically asked the Azure Dragons.

“No, it’s our honour to serve the Prince!” All of the Dragons universally roared.

“Thank you. I’ll be sure to compensate all of you handsomely when you return.” Shin bowed to the Dragons before turning back to Suji and the rest. “Please, go visit your families. Make sure that they’re safe. Also, I won’t forgive you if you don’t return in one piece.”

“... I won’t forget this debt.” Suji succinctly said. Originally a man of few words, Suji only shot Shin an intense gaze before jumping onto one of the Azure Dragons and flying off into the sunset.

“Elrin, do you want to return?” Shin turned to the only person who had yet to talk.

The white-haired woman smiled wryly before shaking her head. “There’s no need. It'd be better if I remained here for a while first. My father isn’t that weak to die to some random Worldquake.”

“I-I see...”

Truthfully, Shin wanted to check on many of his acquaintances back in the Himmel Empire as well. He had friends back in the Capital and mentors that he was indebted to. However, as the Prince of the Lantis Republic, Shin couldn’t just waltz into the Himmel Empire and tend to their every need.

‘First… Let us stabilise the Lantis Republic… Then, I’ll worry about the Allfather and the rest of the Terre Continent...’