A Gatekeeper & The Celestial Sovereign - Chapter 36

“What the actual @#&%?” Mao Lu audibly gasped.

Obsidian raised his dark eyebrows in surprise, “Is everything okay?”

Mao Lu forced a smile, awkwardly laughing, “haha it’s all fine. I just noticed something weird happening in my Realm and it took me by surprise momentarily.”

“Oh, what happened?” Obsidian asked curiously, he wondered what could have shaken this very calm and controlled young man.

“Really, it’s nothing important, no reason for you to even care about it, really!!!” Mao Lu said forcefully.

Obsidian was even more surprised and curious now, but if Mao Lu didn’t want to discuss it, it would be rude to force him to speak.

So, Obsidian just nodded understandingly towards Mao Lu.

Mao Lu inwardly sighed in relief that Obsidian didn’t continue to ask, yet he still felt a bit panicky.

Why were his friends at his home? Did they plan to come by? When? Oh, could it be….

Mao Lu remembered Tanaka saying he wanted to have a housewarming party. It had completely slipped Mao Lu’s mind. Knowing his friends, they could easily have organised this type of surprise event.

Any other time Mao Lu would have been extremely grateful and happy that they did this, but right now he wasn’t.

How could he explain who Chàng Bo was?

In abject horror he watched Tanaka arguing with Fei Bing Bing.

Mao Lu quickly realised that his friends thought Chàng Bo was his boyfriend and that he’d been…. sleeping with him!

“How the hell did they come to that conclusion?!”

Mao Lu didn’t know how he felt about this. On the one hand it was good that they came up with this excuse for him, it wasn’t like Mao Lu could just introduce Chàng Bo as a Practitioner from another Realm that was temporarily living with him. Them thinking Chàng Bo was his boyfriend was a lot more convenient.

But on the other hand, Mao Lu felt very uncomfortable. Just the thought of Chàng Bo being his boyfriend gave him a very peculiar feeling on the inside.

Also why did Tanaka think he was easy enough to just jump into a man’s arms that quickly? Why did Tanaka have that opinion of him?!

Worst of all, his friends were saying all these things in front of Chàng Bo. Mao Lu was glad Chàng Bo couldn’t understand or else this entire situation would become ten times more awkward…

…..

“As a matter of fact, I can understand you.” Chàng Bo said in perfect Chinese.

Mao Lu felt like his soul just left him, he wanted to scream.

“Gates I thought he couldn’t speak any of my Realm’s languages.”

“He appears to be a fast learner.” Gates mentally replied.

“Ah I see…” Mao Lu thought weakly.

Mao Lu was only observing yet he felt like burying himself in a hole. This was so very embarrassing.

How the hell was he going to explain his friends’ misunderstanding to Chàng Bo?

“Mao Lu you have immense talent. Perhaps the highest potential I’ve seen in a very long time. Your control over Time essence is extremely natural, as if you were made to be a Gatekeeper.”

Whilst Mao Lu had been internally panicking, Obsidian was speaking to him.

“Yet even with your great potential you still need guidance. If you had a mentor to help you along the path of Time, then you would be able to reach your unlimited potential properly. I have never had a disciple before, but I feel like you should be the first, I want to teach you and bestow onto you my knowledge and experience. Would you like to take me on as your Master and become my only disciple?”

Obsidian needed to poach Mao Lu before Argenti did.

“Before you answer you must know that I am one of the oldest Gatekeepers, more than 10 billion years old. Even Argenti, The Gatekeeper ranked first, wouldn’t be able to guide you as well as I could. I have done much research on Time and I am the most experienced on this path. Out of all the other five Time Gatekeepers I am the most qualified to teach you.”

Mao Lu was quiet. He was surprised, he’d been focusing so much on the situation back on Realm 145 that he hadn’t heard the conversation that lead up to this.

“Obsidian wants me to be his disciple?” he realised.

“Well obviously, that’s what he just asked you” Gates telepathically commented in an annoyed tone.

Mao Lu ignored Gates.

Obsidian felt increasingly uneasy at Mao Lu’s silence. Anyone else would have jumped at the opportunity to be his disciple, yet Mao Lu had been too quiet for too long. Was he going to say no?

Before Mao Lu could answer Obsidian quickly said, “You don’t have to answer now, you can tell me your answer whenever you’re ready. Think about it first okay.”

“I-”

“Really think about it, you can give me your answer the next time you come to the Flame Star Fortress or if you’re ever in Realm 2.”

Mao Lu actually wanted to ask what becoming a disciple would entail, but before he could say anything, again Obsidian interrupted him and said, “Oh look, it seems the meeting will be soon. Let’s head to the hall together.”

“…” Mao Lu guessed he would have to ask about the disciple matter another time.

“Oh, the meeting is now. Then let’s go.” Mao Lu agreed.

Inwardly he prayed “Please, please, please can nothing weird happen back home before I get back.”

_________

CHAOYANG- MAO LU’S HOME

Tanaka was the first to break the awkward silence.

“You could speak Chinese! Then why didn’t you do that in the first place?”

The small Tanaka was half of Chàng Bo’s height, yet he still squared up next to him as he shouted these words.

“I only learnt the language recently, I wasn’t confident. My Chinese isn’t good. ” Chàng Bo said awkwardly, he pronounced the words a bit strangely. He was still trying to grasp the language and the pronunciation.

“Oh.” Tanaka deflated a bit. It was a valid reason.

Chàng Bo’s eyes drifted to the food on the kitchen counter. There were so many trays of delicious smelling things that he’d never seen before.

He walked up to a container filled with dumplings, he grabbed one and bit it tentatively.

“Ohhh Yum” he exclaimed as he ate it, quickly swallowing it down his throat.

As he gulped it down his bare muscled chest rippled a bit.

Fei Bing Bing gulped and quickly looked away.

“So, who are you? What’s your name? And what’s your connection to Mao Lu?” Zhao Detong asked. It was all well and good that they assumed this guy was connected to Mao Lu romantically, but they didn’t know that for sure.

“My name is Chàng Bo.” He answered as he ate another dumpling. “Due to some circumstances I can’t go home right now, Mao Lu offered to let me stay at his place in the meantime.”

As Chàng Bo spoke his Chinese grew better and better with each sentence.

“So, you’re not Mao Lu’s boyfriend?” Bing Bing asked tentatively.

Chàng Bo tilted his head to the side…. Boyfriend…it seemed this word was synonymous to lover. “His lover, so they assumed I was courting Mao Lu. So, Gatekeeper Lu is the type to like the same sex, it isn’t uncommon.”

Aloud he replied, “No I’m not.”

“What then what about the sweat, huh what were you just doing?!” Tanaka interrogated.

“I was exercising in the square space area.”

“You mean the courtyard, so you weren’t doing anything with Mao Lu?” Bing Bing asked excitedly. This meant she was right, and Tanaka was wrong.

“No, we weren’t exercising together if that’s what you mean.”

“Wait so then where was Mao Lu. What has Mao Lu been doing all week that he couldn’t reply to any of our messages?” Tanaka asked nervously. He really didn’t want to be wrong, not after all he’d said to Bing Bing, that really would be a huge slap in the face.

“He was ill this week and was resting in his room.” Chàng Bo lied. He could tell that these mortals knew nothing, and if Mao Lu hadn’t told them anything then he shouldn’t either.

“Mao Lu felt better today, and he had to go to a meeting, so he left earlier.”

“Is-Is that so.” Tanaka looked like a deflated balloon as he said this. All his previous bravado had gone up in smoke. On the other hand, Fei Bing Bing was so happy she could explode.

She began to obnoxiously sing, “I guess I was right, and Tanaka was wrong.”

Tanaka gritted his teeth, harrumphed and ignored Bing Bing.

Fang Kai burst into laughter, “This is hilarious.”

Zhao Detong looked at his phone and dialled Mao Lu.

Mao Lu should have seen their messages if he was feeling better now. Why hadn’t he responded?

Detong’s mobile rang but Mao Lu didn’t pick up.

Chàng Bo’s eyes lit up a bit. That was the same device he’d seen Mao Lu using before. Hadn’t he called it a smartphone.

The way it was ringing was similar to the ringing Chàng Bo had heard coming from Mao Lu’s room recently.

“That device. I believe he left it in his room.” Chàng pointed.

“Huh you mean he left it here!” Detong exclaimed.

“Yes, in his room. In the west building.”

Hearing this, Zhao Detong walked out of the main building and to the west building.

As he walked towards its memories of playing video games with Mao Lu, and reading manhua, manga and American cartoons flashed through his head.

The west building had always belonged Mao Lu since he was a child.

When he opened the sliding doors, he saw the nicely furnished bedroom. And on an oak bedside table, Mao Lu’s phone was indeed laying there, connected to a charger.

When Zhao Detong pressed the screen, he saw all the missed calls and messages. It looked like Mao Lu hadn’t even bothered to check it before he rushed to this so-called meeting.

“Lu, honestly” Detong laughed, “What kind of job are you doing that you even forgot your phone?”

_________

FLAMING STAR FORTRESS

Mao Lu sighed in relief when he eavesdropped on Chàng Bo’s responses to their questions. He would definitely have to thank him later.

At the moment Mao Lu and Obsidian were flying.

They were in a long corridor; all the walls were made of white burning flames. Gates carried Mao Lu through the air, allowing him to travel side by side with Obsidian.

After flying for a while in this seemingly never-ending corridor, Obsidian turned, and some white flames opened up like a portal before them.

In this portal opening, Mao Lu could see a Grand Hall. It had a similar layout to a UN conference room, except it was as large as a stadium, was more circular and there were 400 seats.

Gold, silver, and platinum curtains, flowers, and wallpaper decorated the grand Hall. In the centre of the glass floor an image of a silver flower, that was shaped like a lotus yet also looked like a rose, decorated it.

Mao Lu wondered what the silver flower signified; he’d seen it countless times since he’d become a Gatekeeper.

“What does this flower mean to the Gatekeepers?” He wondered.

The Hall was currently empty.

“Ah seems we are a bit early, but I’m sure everyone will be here soon. We should take our seats first.” Obsidian pointed out.

“Ah yes.”

Mao Lu noticed that there were four types of chairs. Two were golden and burned with golden flames- they looked like thrones. 98 were sapphire blue and burned with blue flames, 100 were silver and burned with silver flames, and 200 were bronze and burned with bronze coloured flames.

Each one had a number on it, the numbers weren’t in any order, they were almost random.

One bronze chair was numbered 48 yet the one next to it was numbered 100.

“The seats are numbered based on rankings; however, the colour represents the Realm type. Bronze means mortal realm, silver Immortal Realm, Blue Celestial Realm, and Gold for the Deity realms.” Obsidian explained as he sat down on the Gold flame Throne that had “2” branded across it.

“I see, so then since I’m ranked last, I sit in the bronze seat with number 400 on it.”

“Yes.”

Mao Lu found the bronze flaming seat with “400” across it. The seat was very comfortable and fit to his form. The flames wrapped around him snuggly.

“Then why is my Realm numbered 145, what does that number signify?” Mao Lu asked.

“The general number of the Realm represents in what order it was created. Your Realm was the 145th Realm to be created by One. My Realm is number two because One made it second, and coincidentally I am currently ranked 2nd.”

Mao Lu nodded and was just about to ask about what the silver flower on the floor symbolised, when two holes opened up in the walls and figures dressed in all kinds of coloured robes and outfits came in.

Many were not humanoid and looked like species Mao Lu could never have imagined.

One person’s head was like a giant bulb; and looked like something between a jellyfish and a light bulb, another Gatekeeper looked like a floating Rubik cube, another looked like a small wasp.

They were all different in shape and size, there were others that looked human but there were just as many that didn’t.

They all took their seats, chattering quietly to each other.

A woman with green skin and leaves for hair, sat next to Mao Lu in the bronze chair ranked 260. She nodded at Mao Lu; Mao Lu politely nodded back.

On the left side a man with scales across his face, with webbed hands, sat on the left of Mao Lu.

Mao Lu nodded politely to him, but the Man only glanced at the 400 number across Mao Lu’s seat, and rolled his eyes. Ignoring him.

“What a jack-ass” Mao Lu thought.

“You are at the lowest ranking; most Gatekeepers see rankings as equal to the amount of respect you should be given. As the lowest ranked some believe you are weak and not worth any respect.” Gates mentally informed Mao Lu.

So that meant he was going to be disrespected by some Gatekeepers until his ranking improved, so archaic and dumb.

He looked around and noticed that whilst everyone wore different outfits, there was a similarity to all of them. Almost half the room had Creation essences across the fabric of their garments and the other half had Destruction essences across their garments.

Mao Lu noticed only three other Gatekeepers, excluding Obsidian, had outfits with Time essences swimming across the fabric.

All those with Time essences were relatively high ranked, sitting in seats ranked from five upwards. Mao Lu was the only one ranked beyond the single digits.

At that moment a loud boom sounded out as a woman with hair as white as moonlight appeared in the centre of the hall. Her white robes had Time essences swimming across the fabric, her eyes burned like white stars in their sockets.

The moment she appeared everyone stood up. Mao Lu quickly copied them.

“I see that everyone is here.” Her voice was clear and easily echoed across the hall. “Then let us begin this meeting..” She said as she sat down next to Obsidian on the seat numbered “1”.