"Sister Layla, how did you meet the Celestial Spirit King?"

Noah was curious. Could it be because of her strength? As a Celestial Spirit wizard capable of opening three gates simultaneously, a feat rarely seen in history, it wouldn't be strange for the Celestial Spirit King to take notice of her.

"How we met... I'll tell you that story later. For now, let's focus on other things. We can ask Cancer tomorrow and see if the Celestial Spirit King has agreed."

Layla finished, and Noah nodded. The flow of time was different. One day in the Celestial Spirit World was equal to three months in the human world, or ninety days. By that calculation, one twenty-four-hour day here was about sixteen minutes there. They would indeed have to wait at least a day to get a result.

And so, Noah was about to start his own training, but he was pulled away by Lucy, who dragged him towards the library. It turned out that Lucy wanted to share the books she had recently read with him and discuss them. Seeing the eager look on her face, Noah had no choice but to postpone his training schedule.

He read with Lucy, then led the Heartfilia family in their training, and then did his own magic research.

The next day, Noah found Layla, who took out the golden key of Cancer.

"Open, Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!"

A magic circle appeared in front of her, and Cancer's figure materialized before them.

"Cancer, did the Celestial Spirit King agree?" Layla asked, but Cancer had his back to her. He turned around, his tone uncharacteristically formal.

"The Celestial Spirit King has agreed. His Majesty invites you, your family, and this boy to visit the Celestial Spirit World."

Layla's face lit up with a happy expression. "The Celestial Spirit King is inviting our whole family and little Noah to the Celestial Spirit World? We'll need to prepare. The flow of time there is different from here; we'll have to make arrangements before we can leave."

"Then you can just summon me again when you are ready to come to the Spirit World. I will go and reply to His Majesty now."

With that, Cancer dissolved into a ball of golden light and departed.

Layla then found Jude and told him about the trip. Jude understood that with the time dilation, even a one-day stay there would mean three months had passed here. Many things had to be arranged in advance. Otherwise, as the head of the company, his sudden three-month absence could cause the company to collapse.

It took a considerable amount of time to arrange the company's affairs. After he had finished with that and the household matters, it was already past noon. Jude found Layla with an excited Lucy, who had been bouncing with anticipation ever since her mother told her they were going to a very beautiful place to play.

"Alright, Lucy, Noah is here. We can get ready to go," Layla said, calming down the practically jumping Lucy.

Noah had just finished packing the items he wanted to bring to the Spirit World. Hearing they were ready, he hurried over.

"You're here, Noah. Everyone's ready. I'll call Cancer now."

Layla took out the key to Cancer and swung her hand. "Open, Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!"

With the appearance of the magic circle, Cancer materialized before them, holding a pile of clothes. He handed the clothes to them. "Everyone, please change into these clothes from the Spirit World. Then you will be able to move about freely there."

Everyone quickly took the clothes and went to the restroom to change. Not long after Noah came out, he saw Layla and Lucy emerge, wearing matching red dresses. The dress made Layla look beautiful, elegant, and mature, while on Lucy, it looked lively and adorable. Jude wore a formal black suit, and Noah wore a set of white casual clothes.

Seeing that everyone had changed, Cancer said, "Everyone, please stand together. We are preparing to depart for the Celestial Spirit World."

Once they were all gathered, Cancer activated his magic. A giant magic circle appeared at their feet. A brilliant golden pillar of light enveloped them, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished.

High in the sky of the Celestial Spirit World, the clouds parted, and a golden pillar of light appeared. Layla's family and Noah began to fall from it, headfirst.

Seeing this, Noah quickly cast his Gravity Magic, causing everyone to float. He reoriented them so they were upright, feet pointing down, and then slowly lowered them to the ground.

Once they were standing firm, they began to take in their surroundings. They were on a circular platform. In front of them was a winding stone path that stretched forward until it was out of sight. On either side of the connection between the platform and the path stood a stone pillar. The top of each pillar had a star pattern, and they extended outwards, connecting in mid-air to form a shape like a crown. The platform was surrounded by numerous other stone pillars, decorated with what looked like sea urchins emitting starlight.

The world around them was filled with twinkling stars. Bubbles of various sizes floated up and then vanished. Planets of different sizes, each with different buildings on them, drifted in the air. Looking left and right, it felt as if they had arrived in a world of blue; most of the scenery was composed of various shades of that color.

Layla and Lucy, mother and daughter, both looked at the breathtaking scenery with sparkling eyes, their heads turning constantly as if they could never see enough.

Lucy made no attempt to hide her curiosity and excitement. She pulled on her mother's hand. "Mama, Mama, this place is so amazing! Everything is sparkling! It's so pretty!"

Layla was not as openly excited as Lucy, but it was clear that she was also very interested and curious. "Mhm, you're right, Lucy. It's very beautiful. Do you like it here?"

"Yes, Mama, I love it here!" Her joy and adoration were palpable in her voice.

Noah and Jude were also looking around in amazement, captivated by the beautiful environment.

Noah took a deep, deliberate breath, immersing himself in the surroundings, trying to understand this place. There was air here, and it was filled with a surge of stellar energy. Such a concentration of stellar energy would be absolutely unbearable for humans; without any protection, one would easily be invaded and assimilated by it. Only Celestial Spirits, who lived on this energy, could live and thrive here freely.

The clothes they were wearing were to prevent that from happening. Noah could feel a faint protective layer around their bodies, filtering out the excess stellar energy and allowing them to move and survive here normally.

~~~

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