Chapter 440 - 438: Thrilling Dandelion

Luca Russell smiled warmly at Faye Yardley and her group. "Just follow us in a bit," he said. "I’ve already reserved a spot, and it’s plenty spacious for five people. Just remember, once you’re seated, you can’t get up and move around. Please make sure to fasten your seatbelts."

"Thank you."

The carriage quickly brought them to the boarding area for the Evernight City tour. A fair number of people were in line, but the queue was moving quickly.

Before long, it was Faye Yardley’s group’s turn.

Luca Russell presented a card, and a Smoke Person quickly led them down a separate corridor. After a blur of light and shadow, they found themselves standing before a giant flower bud.

Once the card was scanned, the flower bud bloomed open with a SWISH.

"Hey, why is it a dandelion this time? What happened to the lady slipper orchid I reserved?"

Diana Quinn was clearly displeased.

The Smoke Person explained with a smile, "Ma’am, the flower that blooms is chosen randomly based on the size of your party. Besides, the dandelion is excellent. It flies higher, faster, and is more thrilling."

As soon as she heard "more thrilling," Diana Quinn grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get on!"

Faye Yardley and her two companions followed Diana Quinn into the dandelion pod.

They were all on the same dandelion, but each was seated in a separate, smaller floret. The five florets clustered together to form a complete dandelion head.

There was a seat inside, and Faye Yardley sat down, reflexively fastening her seatbelt.

In the center of the cluster was a table, currently empty. It wasn’t clear what it was for.

Each seat was encased in a transparent material. ’So even if something appears on the table, can you even reach it?’ Faye wondered.

To her left was Lucy White, to her right was Cole Kensington, across from her was Diana Quinn, and diagonally across sat Luca Russell.

Once everyone was seated, the dandelion slowly lifted into the air.

All around them, a multitude of different flowers began to rise into the sky, one after another.

As they ascended, the flowers began to glow, becoming brighter and brighter.

Faye Yardley watched the other flowers. The light they gave off matched the color of their petals. ’So to everyone else,’ she thought, ’do we just look like a white and brown dandelion?’

As more and more flowers took to the sky, they gradually converged, forming an aerial ribbon of blossoms.

Faye Yardley had assumed the Evernight City tour took place at night. It was still only afternoon, but apparently, there was no need to wait for darkness to fall.

Looking around, the number of flowers and their brightness kept increasing, making it harder and harder to see what was happening outside.

After the flowers rose into the sky, countless leaves of all shapes and sizes began to ascend as well.

After the flowers and leaves came the stems.

"Hello, hello! Can you all hear me?"

Diana Quinn’s voice echoed inside Faye’s personal pod. Faye hummed in acknowledgment.

"We’re still going up, higher and higher! Look, we’re definitely in the fastest group!"

Her voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement.

Faye Yardley, however, had a bad feeling. Back when she’d met Diana at the Clown’s Amusement Park, her excitement had always been a prelude to terror.

Sure enough, moments later, their dandelion stopped its ascent. Instead, it began to dart left and right, up and down among the other flowers, its movements utterly erratic.

It even slammed directly into other flowers several times, producing sharp, cracking sounds of impact and a dizzying jolt.

Accompanied by Diana Quinn’s peals of laughter, Faye Yardley truly felt like this was a parade of horrors.

"Faster, faster! Go faster!"

Lucy White’s voice was also full of excitement and curiosity. "We’re gonna crash! We’re gonna crash! Quick, dodge down and to the left!"

BAM!

After the impact, the world spun for Faye Yardley. Before she could recover, there was another BAM! as they collided with a different flower.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK...

Faye Yardley was certain the canopy of her little pod was about to shatter.

She sighed softly. ’What’s coming is coming. Worrying is pointless. Might as well enjoy the thrill.’

Amidst the dizzying chaos, all Faye Yardley could do was steady her nerves and brace herself so she wouldn’t be thrown from her seat.

Suddenly, the dandelion stilled. It began to drift gently on the wind, merging back into the grand procession of flowers and leaves, becoming a stable part of the parade once more.

Faye Yardley looked at the protective canopy over her seat. It was covered in a spiderweb of cracks and looked like it would disintegrate at the slightest touch.

She glanced over at the others; their canopies weren’t in much better shape.

However, food and drinks had begun to appear on the large, round table in the center.

Luca Russell’s voice rang out. "I can’t believe it’s already dinnertime. Let’s all have something to eat. The view from up here is one of a kind, a great place for a meal."

"Darn it, mealtime already? What a buzzkill," Diana Quinn pouted.

The food had appeared, but the question was, how were they supposed to eat it?

Just as Faye Yardley had that thought, their seats began to move toward the central table. The individual canopies over their seats lowered with a slow, stuttering, KA-KA-KA sound, as if they were lagging.

Then, a larger canopy rose up, enveloping all of them together.

Faye Yardley was at a loss for words. ’Well... that’s slick,’ she thought.

Cutlery materialized, and Faye Yardley didn’t stand on ceremony. She poured herself a drink, raised her glass, and said, "Thank you both for your hospitality."

Luca Russell smiled. "Don’t mention it. You’re Diana’s friend, so it’s our pleasure."

"What’s there to be polite about? Eat up and enjoy! And remember to come to our wedding."

"When is it?"

Diana Quinn rolled her eyes. "Soon. Our wedding is on November 1st. Just come to the City Lord’s Manor in Lumina. You two little ones should come as well."

"Alright. We’ll definitely be there," Faye Yardley agreed without hesitation.

’Today is October 26th, so that really is soon,’ Faye thought. ’Looks like I’ll have to make a trip back in the middle of things to attend a wedding.’

It had to be said, the food in Nightfall Citadel was truly captivating.

High in the sky, feeling the gentle breeze through the protective shield while eating the local delicacies—it felt as if all one’s troubles could just melt away.

Outside, the myriad of colorful flowers glowed with a light that was no longer piercing, but soft and gentle.

All the flowers, leaves, and stems floated along in the same direction, circling the city.

’Just how big is Nightfall Citadel down below?’ she wondered.

Leaning over to look, all she could see was a boundless expanse.

As the delicious meal settled in her stomach, a wonderful system notification chimed in her mind.

[Agility +1]

"About your wedding..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the entire dandelion suddenly shot upward at an unbelievable speed. With a SWOOSH, it rocketed to the very front of the floral parade.

And it wasn’t just theirs. Many such "unstable elements" throughout the floral ribbon were now leaping forward, completely indifferent to whether other flowers or leaves were in their landing path. They simply smashed down wherever they were headed.

Maybe it was because they had a special reservation, but their dandelion was far sturdier than the roses, lilies, and sunflowers. In terms of sheer hardness, at least, it was in another league, landing every one of its smashes with perfect accuracy.