CHAPTER 227: FAREWELL, NEW LOCATION

Inside his shop, Noah prepared for the inevitable relocation that would transport them to whatever destination the system had selected for their next adventure.

The countdown timer displayed prominently in his vision, marking the final minutes of their time in Esta. Each passing second brought them closer to departure from the kingdom that had become more than just another business location.

His friends stood gathered outside the shop, just as they had during his previous emergency departure to the demon kingdom. But this time, the circumstances were completely different.

This was a planned farewell with proper goodbyes rather than a sudden disappearance.

Unlike his previous abrupt vanishing that had left them confused and worried, Noah stepped to his shop’s doorway and waved to each of them individually. His gesture carried warmth and gratitude for the relationships that had made Esta feel like home rather than merely another commercial stop.

"Thank you for everything," he called out, his voice carrying across the small distance between them.

Princess Elara, Valeria, Kip, and Alissa waved back with expressions that mixed sadness at his departure with appreciation for the proper farewell he was providing this time.

Then the countdown reached zero, and with it the shop simply vanished.

One moment, the familiar building stood before them, its wooden sign and welcoming entrance marking the centre of their community’s transformation. The next moment, empty space remained where Noah’s store had existed.

Where his shop had been, a perfectly ordinary building materialised—standard Esta architecture that looked like it had always belonged in that location. The magical transition was so seamless that anyone unfamiliar with recent events would never suspect anything unusual had occurred.

Valeria shook her head with a wry smile, her guild captain’s composure cracking slightly at witnessing such impossible magic. "It’s still completely unbelievable how such a thing is possible."

Her warrior’s mind struggled to process transportation magic that operated beyond anything she had ever witnessed. As a newly advanced master-level swordsman, she knew a lot about the powers of master-level and even archmage-level magic.

The ability to move the shop like this was something even an archmage couldn’t do, yet Noah did it at apprentice rank.

Princess Elara nodded, shock evident across her royal features. She hadn’t witnessed Noah’s previous departure to the demon kingdom, making this her first direct observation of his shop relocation.

The casual teleportation of what they’d just seen challenged everything she understood about magical limitations and spatial manipulation.

"Your narrative last time didn’t do it justice," Elara breathed, staring at the unremarkable building that had replaced their friend’s miraculous store. "Seeing it happen... that’s genuinely impossible magic."

After several moments of processing what they’d witnessed, Elara turned toward Valeria with the expression of someone formulating important plans.

"We know that when he returns, he’ll appear in this exact same spot," she said with growing determination. "I need to prepare comprehensive plans with my father. We should transform this location into a proper plaza—this should become the biggest attraction in our entire city."

The royal mind was already envisioning the possibilities: a dedicated space that honored Noah’s contributions while ensuring his future returns would be met with appropriate ceremony and infrastructure.

Valeria nodded in complete agreement.

....

[DIMENSIONAL TRANSPORT COMPLETE]

[Welcome to Aethermoor - The Divided Elven Kingdom]

[Location: Neutral Border Territory]

[Shop Status: Successfully Relocated]

Noah felt the familiar sensation of interdimensional travel fade as reality solidified around his shop. The transition was always disorienting, but he’d grown accustomed to the brief moment of spatial displacement that accompanied each relocation.

Leo bounded to his feet immediately, his enhanced senses already analysing their new environment with the alertness of a predator assessing unfamiliar territory.

Father, this place feels... tense, Leo observed, his voice carrying concern.

Noah nodded, moving toward the shop’s windows to survey their new surroundings. What he saw immediately explained Leo’s unease.

The landscape outside was starkly divided in ways that defied natural geography. To the east, golden sunlight bathed rolling hills and verdant forests in warm radiance. Ancient trees with silver bark reached towards the sky, their leaves shimmering with light that suggested magical cultivation, just like his demonica moonburgh.

To the west, the terrain shifted dramatically into darker territory where shadows lingered despite the daylight hours. Volcanic peaks rose in the distance, their peaks wreathed in smoke that created perpetual twilight over underground cities whose entrances were visible as darker patches carved into mountainsides.

The border between these contrasting realms ran directly through the area where his shop had materialised—a narrow strip of neutral ground that neither side appeared to claim or control.

Lola moved closer to the window, and her expression immediately darkened as she took in the view through the shop’s windows.

"Well, this is problematic," she said with obvious displeasure, her ruby eyes scanning the divided landscape with growing concern.

"You know this place?" Noah raised an eyebrow.

Lola nodded her head solemnly.

Noah turned to look outside. The fact that Lola knew this place meant that they were still in the same world, but in a different kingdom, more specifically, the elven kingdom.

"What exactly are we looking at?" Noah asked, noting the tension in her voice that suggested familiarity with whatever situation they’d been transported into.

Lola moved to stand beside him at the window, her grandmaster-level senses analysing the magical energies that permeated their new environment.

"We’re in Aethermoor," she explained with the tone of someone delivering unwelcome news. "Specifically, we’ve landed in the neutral border territory between the Sunward Territories and the Shadowvale Dominion."

Noah raised an eyebrow at the ominous names. "That sounds like we’re in the middle of a conflict zone."

"Exactly what we are," Lola confirmed with a sigh that spoke to personal knowledge of the situation. "Aethermoor was once a unified elven kingdom, but it’s been split for over a few decades in one of the most bitter civil wars this world has encountered."

Noah frowned before saying. "Can you tell me more about it?"

Lola nodded before narrating her knowledge of the area.