Chapter 1145: The Old King in the Sealed Hall
Chapter 1145: The Old King in the Sealed Hall
The Sealed Hall was arranged according to the internal structure of a biological organism. Although the halls were interconnected, each connection point was sealed with a powerful ritual.
However, the current seals were no longer a cohesive whole, and they were disconnected. The old emperor, Caligopatres, could easily break through them with his remaining strength as he walked outward.
Yet, he did not do so. Instead, he carefully observed each ritual and found a way to slip through the gaps in their operation. With the resonance effect, understanding the fundamental layout of the rituals made this task not too difficult. His journey out did not disturb many of the ritual forces.
He strolled along the Walker's Long Hall, which was crafted from a Slo monster's esophagus. In dangerous situations, it would secrete a sticky substance to block the exit. However, as he approached, a mysterious smile played on his lips, and he emitted a peculiar sound. The biological tissue, which had been agitated by his presence, quickly calmed down and returned to its dormant state.
He walked gracefully through the passage and arrived at the Amber Hall at the front. Once he left this hall, he would be free from the Sealed Hall and would only need to deal with the external rituals.
However, he did not rush out. Instead, he glanced around the hall with interest.
There were many visitors in the hall that evening. The Sealed Hall was not only an exhibition venue but also a convenient place for private business discussions, political matters, and even romantic rendezvous. No place was safer.
As a result, about fifty people were trapped inside that night, and three-fifths of them were not from Vijiazia.
Due to the changes in the rituals, the Vijiazia management feared that the confined individuals might escape, so they immediately sealed the venue without notifying those inside.
This decision was swift and reasonable. Finding and evacuating all the people in the venue would take at least half an hour, and by then, it would be too late. It was better to seal it first and then find a way to handle the situation.
The visitors were somewhat uneasy but not overly panicked. They had been informed that the Sealed Hall occasionally conducted safety drills to ensure its security, which usually lasted a few hours and was part of the tour experience. Encountering such a situation unexpectedly gave them a sense of excitement.
Moreover, they were all people of means. If one or two were trapped, they might worry about Vijiazia Central City not adhering to the rules, but with so many of them together, they were confident that Vijiazia would not dare to harm them.
At this moment, Caligopatres emerged. He moved his hand in a graceful, soothing gesture, and the altered tissue in his hand extended to form a bone-like harmonica. He did not hide himself but walked confidently to one side and sat down.
His appearance quickly drew the attention of everyone present. All eyes involuntarily fell on him, drawn by his unique aura.
They felt that he did not belong in such a place, yet the solemn and dignified atmosphere around him was strangely fitting.
Caligopatres picked up the harmonica and began to play a tune. The music was joyful and lively, yet carried a hint of depth, perfectly matching the mood of the people present. It was soothing without being overly exuberant or oppressive.
In the current atmosphere of unease, the music provided a brief respite of joy.
The people present maintained their composure to appear unperturbed by their predicament, but they were not entirely calm. The music brought them a moment of relief, and they began to applaud.
A middle-aged man with a large belly stepped forward, as if addressing an actor before a stage performance. He said, "I have never heard such beautiful music in the theaters of Disegodo. Indeed, this is the most wonderful music I have ever heard. Sir, may I ask your name?"
Caligopatres gently stroked the harmonica and smiled elegantly. "Kapa, just call me Kapa."
His soft, deep voice elicited soft sighs from several ladies, and he maintained his smile. "By the way, Disegodo is full of second-rate actors. Sir, you went to the wrong place. You should visit the Royal Dance and Drama Troupe of Mosawa; perhaps it might elevate your artistic taste a bit."
The middle-aged man looked somewhat embarrassed.
Someone asked with interest, "Is the Royal Dance and Drama Troupe of Mosawa first-rate?"
Kapa replied, "Still second-rate, but a bit better." His gaze swept over the middle-aged man.
"We cannot expect someone who was gnawing on coarse bread filled with sawdust one moment to appreciate a royal feast the next."
The people around him laughed, and the middle-aged man's face turned even redder.
"Then, in your opinion, which ones are first-rate?" someone in the crowd asked curiously.
Kapa said, "You should look for them at the Palace of Thyat or Angshant."
These two places were the capital of the Ayorean Strait Alliance and the political center of the Paranoy Faith Region, respectively.
Someone asked in confusion, "You mean the politicians keep a dance and drama troupe?"
Kapa replied, "No, I mean they themselves are excellent performers."
The person said earnestly, "Oh, Mr. Kapa, I admit they are professionally trained, but their voices and personal artistic cultivation are far from those of the musicians and singers on stage."
Kapa said, "Yes, that's why the Disegodo Theatre has never been an opera house; it's merely a place for stage plays."
Hearing this, many people felt awkward, but some smiled knowingly.
"Kapa?"
A man who looked like a traditional Yonorian nobleman stepped forward and bowed slightly with a standard gesture. "I am Larol Ak Tolay from Flerdor. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Ak Tolay, are you a descendant of the Ak blacksmith?"
Tolay said with some surprise, "You know my ancestor?" He raised his head and said with a tone of pride, "Yes, my ancestor was indeed just a blacksmith, but he served under King Largar III and was granted the land of Ak for his military achievements. Even in the new era, we still retain this land."
"Hmm, that's something to be proud of," Kapa nodded. "The blacksmith from Ak was a bastard, but his mother was Vitoresha from Ivalin, who later married King Lotheric I of Abion, making him a brother to the later King of Veloren."
"Is that so?" Tolay himself didn't know this news and felt both doubtful and surprised.
"Yes," Kapa's eyes showed a nostalgic look. "That beautiful lady... she was very charming, and some mistakes were forgivable in her presence."
Speaking of this, everyone became interested and gathered around the man named Kapa to chat.
They soon discovered that this man was knowledgeable, with a powerful and modulated voice, clear logic, and great charisma. Listening to him speak was a pleasure, as it felt like gaining knowledge and nourishment, making people want to get closer to him, even to... follow him.
Especially when they found out that he was well-versed in court affairs from many years ago, particularly the quirks and private lives of legendary and prominent figures. They loved hearing these stories, feeling their knowledge expanding.
Gradually, everyone gathered around him, clapping continuously, temporarily forgetting about their confinement. However, no one noticed that when the harmonica started playing, an invisible ripple had spread from the room and continued to resonate throughout the Amber Hall.
Even though the harmonica stopped playing, the sound kept resonating and echoing with Kapa's speech and guidance, causing fine cracks to appear on the amber walls.
Inside those cracks, the strange mutated organisms seemed to be disturbed, slowly starting to move their limbs.
In the White Rock Long Hall, the management received increasingly frequent alerts from the Esoteric Rite Group in the Sealed Hall.
Since Alura's backup consciousness had not yet fully covered the area, they could not detect what exactly was wrong inside the Sealed Hall, nor could they actively regulate the ritual. All they could do was wait.
No one blamed Len; if something went wrong later, he would be the primary responsible person, and there was no need to further agitate him. Moreover, his proposed solution was timely. If they had held the voting meeting earlier and made the decision sooner, they could have intervened by now.
Besides, no one could have predicted the current changes. After all, the San xing ju hui occurs once every three hundred years. Three hundred years ago, this place was still the territory of the Primordial People, and the entire city had not even been built. They had no idea what effects it might have.
The only detailed simulation data came from Alura, but while she did not falsify anything, she provided a data set that deviated the most from the actual conditions.
She had chosen the lowest value within an acceptable range, leading to a severe underestimation of the danger. Now, all they could do was have the esoteric rite experts maintain the outer rituals as best as possible and wait for the consciousness to fully cover the area before handling the situation.
Len, however, remained calm, knowing that even if there were issues with the ritual, it wouldn't collapse that quickly. Besides, there was another layer of ritual outside the Sealed Hall.
He glanced at his watch; in just five minutes, Alura would be fully restored, and everything would be corrected soon.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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