Reincarnated Lord: I can upgrade everything! - Chapter 429

Chapter 429: Powerful Houses Approaches
Weeks passed in a flurry of preparation, and soon the countdown to Nineveh’s grand celebration was no longer measured in months or even weeks, but in mere fleeting days.

The city in the sky, once a distant rumour, now buzzed with life as carriages and banners from far-flung dominions and powerful houses approached its gleaming gates.

Among the first to ascend the transport platforms—massive disk-shaped channels of glowing stone that levitated guests up the sheer heights of the floating city—was House Adamos. Their entourage, clad in robes and armour bearing their sigil, was granted immediate passage, their ornate carriage drawn by obsidian-scaled destriers.

Beneath the resplendent mountain on which Nineveh rested was a bustling township. Inns, teahouses, and exotic eateries catered to travelers who wished to marvel at the city above.

Cascading from three sides of the mountain were shimmering torrents of azure water, tumbling into vast crescent-shaped lakes that surrounded the town. These waterfalls shimmered under the sunlight like falling starlight—so mesmerizing that visitors often stood in silent awe, forgetting the world around them.

None suspected the truth behind the beauty: that Duke Asher had created these bodies of water with foresight, preparing the land to resist corruption when the Abyss would rise—when the very earth would turn black beneath their feet, and rivers would rot. Only isolated sources untouchable by corruption would be useable and then, they would be treasures.

In one such carriage, Count Eric Adamos sat stiffly, his eyes locked on the impossible sight above.

Nineveh, shining white with outstanding structures and cloud-wreathed spires, loomed like a divine fortress.

His heart beat heavily with a mixture of wonder and unease.

How had Asher done this?

The question twisted in his mind like a vine of envy.

He looked to his son seated across from him. Mary… The name echoed like a desperate hope. If his son could secure her hand, House Adamos would be tied to this miracle city. And if war broke out… they would not be on the losing side.

Just then, a ripple of awe surged through the crowd gathered below.

“What’s that?!” came a hushed cry, followed by dozens of others pointing skyward.

Descending with regal grace from the clouds was a sky-carriage—sleek and black-gold, borne aloft by two eagle-dragons, their mighty wings rippling the air. The creatures, known across the realm as the rare and proud air mounts of House Intis, made the very sky feel small as they beat their wings with slow, effortless power.

As the carriage landed on a wide platform carved from glimmering stone, the soldiers of Nineveh’s guard raised their spears—but their commander, a weathered man in bronze-gilded black armour, raised a hand.

“Lower your arms,” he ordered calmly. His voice rang out with authority. “His Lordship has declared that today, not a drop of blood shall be spilled—not even that of our foes. Unless, of course, they force our hand.”

The words carried across the square, silencing murmurs and setting jaws firm.

And then, a voice—silken and smooth, with the kind of beauty that caused hearts to pause—floated down from the sky-carriage.

“Duke Asher is indeed a man of honour and confidence. It seems my journey here was not in vain.”

All eyes turned as the curtain to the carriage was drawn aside.

Standing poised at its edge was a vision. A young woman of devastating beauty stepped forward, her long golden hair cascading like rivers of sunlight. Her expression was serene, her smile soft—but there was something in her gaze that was captivating.

Behind her sat another, lovely in her own right, her golden hair pinned intricately in place by a violet crystal comb. Ruth Nethaneel might have been the jewel of any court—if not for her sister.

For before them stood Sylvia Nethaneel—now Sylvia Zaur, consort to King Reuel Zaur of Intis. The woman long declared the most beautiful in the Eternal Immortal Empire.

The guard commander, ever composed, bowed and gestured.

“Right this way, My Lady.”

With a soft, mysterious smile, Sylvia turned back into the carriage just as it was lifted skyward, carried gently toward the soaring platform above.

The winds curled beneath them as they ascended, the peaks of Nineveh growing nearer with every passing breath.

From a distance, the towering white walls of the city pierced the clouds like the edge of a divine blade. The faint glint of sunlight bouncing off its marble towers gave the illusion of a celestial realm in the sky.

“This place…” Ruth murmured as she leaned toward the window, her voice barely above a whisper, “…is even more resplendent than our home.”

Her eyes shimmered, reflecting the brilliance of the mountaintop city.

Sylvia blinked slowly, her golden lashes fluttering. “He’s becoming as powerful as our elder brother.” There was a pause before her voice dropped to something almost reverent. “I hear his eyes burn like twin suns. They glow in the dark, Ruth. They actually glow.”

Ruth chuckled, her expression warm yet tinged with an unspoken melancholy. “Unfortunately for you, he already has a woman. And you’ve been wed—bound—to his enemy no less.”

Sylvia’s lips curled upward at the corners, her voice silk laced with mischief. “I want to see the woman who made him look past my charm.” She raised a sculpted eyebrow, the golden light of the sky dancing in her eyes. “Could there truly be a woman better than me?”

“I hear tales…” Ruth said thoughtfully, “of a fairy… a being of unmatched grace and beauty.”

Sylvia leaned back, amused. “Then it makes sense. Only such a creature could lure a man like Asher away from me. It’s been years since I last saw him… I wonder what the young baron has become.”

Her gaze softened, lost in thought—but in her chest, a flicker of anticipation stirred, impossible to hide. Across from her, Ruth’s face remained calm, but her eyes held the same glint. After all, what noblewoman wouldn’t be curious about a rising lord, young, brilliant, and already reshaping the realm?

As the carriage finally crossed into Nineveh’s airspace, the two sisters gasped, speechless.

Here, above the clouds, lay a city unlike any other.

Suspended bridges made of coloured stone arced over rivers of living light. Gardens bloomed with flowers that shimmered as if kissed by stars, and white marble towers climbed higher than seemed possible, wrapped in elegant vines and carved with glowing runes. Floating obelisks turned slowly in the air, releasing subtle pulses of magic that kept the skies calm and the winds warm.

Their eyes, wide with wonder, did not blink for a long while.

“I want to stop,” Sylvia said abruptly, her voice catching with delight.

“Me too,” Ruth agreed at once, a rare spark of excitement in her tone.

They signaled to the guards. Rather than fly directly to the city gates, they wished to experience Nineveh the way its people might.

Soon, their carriage descended to the waterway at the city’s base, where a line of sea chariots—sleek vessels that rode the magical rivers flowing through Nineveh—waited like swans made of crystal.

Hand in hand, the sisters stepped from the sky carriage, eager to glide through the river of wonders, hearts beating faster as they neared the realm of the man who had once knelt before them and now no longer did.