Madriaga Island,
It was a small heart-shaped island located just west of the Eastern Region of the Dying Isle Continent. The Whole Island was 9,143 square feet (849.4125 square ters). Around 1/3rd of the island was a rocky mountain that gave it its iconic heart shape. While the remaining part of the Island was mostly cleared of land.
Madriaga Island was one of the six islands that had an entrance to the Tunnel.
Interestingly, just like the Madriaga Island, each of the six entrances to the Tunnel was located on a small island that was not so far from the Mainland.
Each Continent had its own Island with the entrance to the Tunnel.
At the beach, there were seven gigantic teleportation arrays. These teleportation arrays almost never stopped operating. Whether it was during the dayti or the nightti, these teleportation arrays constantly lit up.
Every day, tens of thousands of people co here to enter the Tunnel.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that the people of this island almost never slept.
It would be more accurate to say that this island had no sleeping facilities. There were no hotels for people to stay in. There were so weapon and cultivation pill stores, but that was it.
"We are here!" Aditya and Laura weren't alone. Surrounding them, hundreds of people ca to the Madriaga Island. Everyone had one goal, and that was to enter the Tunnel.
Aditya and Laura both stepped out of the teleportation array along with everyone else while looking around. They had to step out, as the teleportation array was already preparing to teleport another group of people to their desired locations.
"Your First ti?" Laura asked, seeing Aditya looking around. The look on his face said that he was here for the first ti.
Aditya shook his head and replied. "Maybe not. When I was exiled, the guards brought to this island and then took to the Dying Isle Continent. But at that ti, I was unconscious." When Aditya woke up, he found himself lying in an alley; it was next to a slum.
Even his clothes were stolen by other beggars. He was left with his undergarnts.
The Island was packed with People.
There were mainly two roads. Between the roads, there were these small shops.
One road was for the visitors who ca out of the tunnel.
The other road was for the people who wanted to go inside the Tunnel.
There were guards from all the big powers in the Dying Isle Continent working together to maintain law and order.
The political situation of this island was interesting.
All the big powers in the Main Continent forbade any powerhouse from the Six Continents from controlling the Nexus Islands (the islands that have an entrance to the Tunnel). There was once a Sect from the previous era who dared to break this unwritten law and control one of the Nexus Islands. The consequences of that Sect's actions were the total annihilation of that Sect.
Since then, even to this very day, no matter how powerful an Empire or Sect had beco, whether they ruled entire continents or stood at the peak of cultivation, they never dared to claim complete control over any of the Nexus Islands. These islands, which served as the gateway between the Main Continent and the Six Continents, carried too much weight in history and diplomacy for any single force to dominate them outright.
This is also why Aditya never considered controlling any Nexus islands.
Instead, over ti, a widely accepted system was ford. It was a delicate balance of power known as joint stewardship.
Under this system, every local powerhouse, whether a mighty Empire or a small but influential sect, was required to send a fixed number of troops to the islands.
Once all contingents arrived, their soldiers would operate under a neutral command, working together to maintain peace, regulate travel, and enforce the basic laws that governed the passage through the tunnel.
This system was far from perfect, but it was the only model that had lasted for multiple eras, even if powerhouses fell from power or new powerhouses ca into the scene.
It was a fragile peace held together by shared interests and silent warnings.
No one wanted a war over the Nexus Islands. Because everyone knew… if war broke out here, then their faction would cease to exist.
"I thought you had co here in the past."
"There is nothing to see here."
"If anything, this is the worst dating spot to pick."
"Do you know why this is called the Madriaga Island?" Laura suddenly asked with a small smile.
"I have no idea."
"Well, a long, long before this Island beca one of the Nexus Islands, this island was owned by the Prince of a powerful Kingdom."
"Fed up with all the lust and temptation in the capital, he ca here to live with the locals of this Island temporarily."
"This is where he t the woman of this age, but a polar opposite of him."
"Her na was Aya Madriaga."
"Aya….? Huh!" Aditya felt that he had heard this na from his adoptive father before.
'I rember! This is one of the many stories he often told when I first ca to live with him.'
"I know this story! It's the story, the Prince willingly gave up everything just to be with her, but in the end, he was never able to make her fall for him." Laura gave him a strange look.
"This is the fake version." Laura was lucky enough to know the true love story.
"How are you so sure?" Aditya couldn't help but ask.
"Well, the natives of this island were forced to leave this island and move to a nearby island, which is currently controlled by your Empire."
"Around a few decades back, I visited that island and beca friends with one of the locals who shared this story with ." Unfortunately, her mortal friend had long died. This is the bitter price of being immortal.
For you, life goes on regardless of what happens.
"Then why is the other version of this story so popular?" Almost every child in the Istarin Empire knows about this story. In the end, Aya never loved the Prince.
"Maybe heartbreaking stories leave more of a longer-lasting impact on the listener than happy stories." Aditya felt speechless hearing this. But once he thought deeper, her words did make sense. How many stories with a good ending are rembered by history? It's always the sad and heartbreaking ones that are rembered and sympathized with.
"Yes, at first, regardless of what the Prince did, all he got was rejection. It was like the girl nad Aya wasn't even interested in the concept called Love or dating."
"According to legends, Aya wasn't shy but an introvert who loved her space too much. She very rarely looked or showed interest in n on the island, including the Prince. It was like she had created this comfortable bubble around herself, which she was very comfortable in. She didn't want to change, nor did she want to allow any new person into her comfortable space."
"Perphaps, this is one of the things that attracted the Prince more towards Aya."
"He was so madly in love with her that not a single hour passed where he didn't think of her."
"In the end, after months and years of trying, he managed to get into her comfort zone."
"Both of them eventually got married. And once she died of old age, the Prince changed the shape and size of the island to what we see today."
"And the na of the Island was changed to Madriaga Island, which was her last na."
"And here I was expecting sothing more dramatic twist."
"Well, the story is special for many reasons. We girls are impressed by the Prince's willingness to change. He went from being a man who was on track to beco just like his father, who was a monster that only cared about sleeping around with won and destroying innocent families through his actions, to being a man who dedicated his everything to only one woman."
"I really hope that one day, I will find my Prince." Laura stared at the Rocky Mountains and murmured in a low tone. Clearly, this story left a deep mark on her heart as well.
'I am Sorry, Laura, but I cannot beco your Prince.' Aditya could see that she had feelings for him. But he pretended not to notice them. And also, Laura very rarely revealed her feelings for him. She wasn't apparent as Alia.
It was impossible for him to leave others just to beco her Prince.
Sotis, reality is often very different from what we hope for.
While talking, both of them arrived in front of the Tunnel's Entrance.
Everyone had to pay a small fee to enter the Tunnel. The fee was very tiny and was barely anything.
After paying, the Guards told them to stand in line and wait for their turn to get inside.
Of course, for VIPs, there were special privileges. There was no need for them to wait in lines.
Since Aditya and Laura were making this trip in secret, they had changed their appearance.
Aditya looked like a young man with brown skin. He looked like an ordinary man.
Together with Laura, they looked like a couple who wanted to go to the Tunnel or maybe visit the Main Continent.
They arrived in front of a massive portal. The portal was so big that it felt like an entire Mansion could fit inside and still have room for more.
Standing in front of the portal, both of them felt small and insignificant.
The portal was glowing with a neon purple light and blue lightning flickering out of it.
The Mana radiating from the portal was 1.5 tis denser than normal Mana found in the six continents.
"Once we step inside, lots of things are gonna change." Aditya looked at Laura and said.
"You an, I will change?" She asked with a small smile.
Aditya did not reply. But his silence was the unsaid 'Yes'.
"How do you feel about it?" Aditya asked her. Throughout all of this, he never really asked how she personally feels about all of this.
"I don't know! A part of feels confused."
"For as long as I can rember, I have felt this emptiness. A part of feels scared of the unknown."
"A part of feels excited and also confused."
"One thing is sure, the ti we return, I won't be the sa Laura." And she hoped this change would be a positive change, not a negative one
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Really, thank you very much to all those who sent support with valuable golden tickets and gifts. I hope we can keep it up!!!
The number 143 has a special aning.
To be honest, a lot has suddenly changed in my life over the last two months. So of these changes have been positive, while others have been negative, such as not providing updates as frequently as I did for his novel.
Hopefully, Aditya will not only win in the novel but also the creator of this character will win in real life.
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