Death... and me

"That's surprising," Kentucky answered. "I didn't expect the Minokawas to live in the middle of some islands. I thought they'd live in some mountain range or something like that."

"Hahaha!" Jeskli-go couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard that. "Well, you've got the wrong idea here. Yes, we do live in the middle of a bunch of islands. However, they're way higher than the islands you find in the middle of the ocean."

Only then did Kentucky remember his father's own floating island, the one with the feather. "Seems like you guys like those islands a lot."

"Exactly," Jeskli-go confirmed Kentucky's words. "I don't even know how many there are right now since it has been a long time since I counted. Anyways, the day you see them, you'll know you have arrived there, especially due to the different passage of time that occurs there."

"Different passage of time..." Well, the name of the floating islands already told him a lot. Kentucky still remembered that natural formation that changed the flow of time back in the Mortal Realm. It wasn't surprising for something like that to exist in the Realm of Gods.

However, it was at that moment that Kentucky remembered something else. 'Wait! The Floating Islands of Time?! Are you kidding me?!'

Yes, the Floating Islands of Time. Or, to be more specific, the other place in the Realm of Gods that also had a Foundation Fragment! Rean and Roan would eventually have to go there to retrieve it. It's just that Kentucky had never thought it was also the lair of the Minokawas.

Jeskli-go noticed the change in Kentucky's expression but wasn't surprised. "Well, not everyone can see a place where time flows differently. There's no need to worry, though. We live in a part of the island where it doesn't affect us that much."

Kentucky immediately decided to ask more questions. He couldn't let Jeskli leave now. "Why would a place with a difference in time help the Minokawas' cultivation?"

"That you'll have to see for yourself," Jeskli answered. "Now then, I've been here for too long already. If it wasn't a personal request from the Dragon Race, I wouldn't have left my Divine Tree Nest at all."

"Wait! You need to tell me more about the islands!" Kentucky still insisted.

Unfortunately for him, Jeskli-go was not in the mood to talk. "Just ask some of the Dragon Race's higher members. You're connected to those twins, aren't you? It shouldn't be that hard. Anyways, I'm out." Jeskli-go then opened a fissure in space and entered. However, before it closed, he sent Kentucky a Divine Sense message. 'Keep your bloodline hidden until the Elemental Space Realm, at least. Only then could you say that you have some power to defend yourself.' With that, the fissure disappeared, leaving only Kentucky alone at the summit of the mountain.

'That can't do. I need to go back and talk to Rean and Roan about this.' Kentucky quickly came down from the mountain and reached its base.

Naturally, that's where Celis was waiting for him. "Oh, you're back. So, how is it? Are we going to the Minokawa Race Territory, or are we staying?"

Kentucky faintly smiled and used his Divine Sense to explain everything to Celis. It went without saying that Celis was also surprised by that coincidence. 'The Floating Islands of Time? That's the Minokawa Race's home? Really?'

Kentucky nodded in response. 'Let's go back to the sect and talk.'

Without wasting time, Kentucky and Celis flew back to the System Sect, where Rean and Roan were doing their own things.

Rean noticed Kentucky and Celis's approach due to their connection and immediately asked the same thing. "Oh, you're back. Did you return to gather your things and leave for the Minokawa Race?"

Kentucky shook his head, saying, "I thought about doing that. It seems like all of them are like me, lazy. Those who like to cultivate and train are quite rare. However, I decided to stay. What would happen to you guys if I wasn't around to help, huh?"

At the same time he said those words, he used his Divine Sense to tell Rean about the Floating Islands of Time. 'And that's basically what I got from Jeskli-go. The Minokawa Race's home just so happens to be the same place where you need to retrieve the Universe Foundation's Fragment.'

Rean would be lying if he said it didn't surprise him. 'This fucking Destiny shit from the system. It feels like even the fact we found your egg back in the Mortal Realm was already connected to our main objective.'

Obviously, Rean contacted Roan through their Soul Connection, who decided to enter the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm. 'Come inside. We can talk more there with Sister Orb.'

After some time, they were in a place where no one would be able to eavesdrop. Kentucky, of course, was the first one to complain. "Sister Orb, your system got me involved in this Universe shit before I was even born. Don't you have anything to say?"

[Me? I don't know anything. However, all of you know the twins have Destiny Attraction because of it, so why are you that surprised?]

"Are you saying you already expected it in the past?" Roan asked.

[Hmm... I won't say I didn't consider that possibility. However, it was quite far-fetched, so I never mentioned it. Only now did I see that it might have really been the case.]

Sister Orb continued. [But it's a good thing, don't you think? I mean, Kentucky is a Minokawa, so you have the perfect excuse to visit his homeland in the future. We can go there, take the fragment, and get out without anyone saying anything.]

"I feel like I'm some kind of tool," Kentucky couldn't help but feel bad about it.

Nevertheless, Rean found it strange. "A bunch of floating islands where time runs differently... Kentucky doesn't seem to be from a race that would benefit from such a thing, so why?"

Roan shook his head in response, saying, "It's not the time."