Chapter 61: The Ruins
Chapter 61: The Ruins
"The City Guard?"
Karl spoke up, his voice filled with curiosity.
"Go ahead and tell us."
The others showed no interest, clearly aware of what had transpired.
"There's not much to say," Jacqueline shrugged, her voice desolate. "The source of the Shadow Energy outbreak in Pit Two is an ancient city buried underground, known as the City of Forgotten Souls. The City Guard doesn't want this information to get out, so they've captured all the survivors nearby, including the Whisperers of the Wind."
"The City of Forgotten Souls?" Karl furrowed his brows. "What is that?"
"The City of Forgotten Souls..." An elderly man with graying hair in the crowd chimed in, speaking slowly. "According to rumors, in the times before the Crimson Moon shattered and the Moon Goddess fell, there were many sacred cities on the land of this world."
"Only those with devout faith and exceptional talent were qualified to enter and receive blessings from the deities."
His voice carried a strange tone, with a natural air of recitation, easily immersing listeners in the tale of ancient legends.
"Until the Celestial Convergence..."
"That's when the deities fell, and the sacred cities were buried underground, becoming what we now call the Cities of Forgotten Souls."
"His name is Mund, a learned scholar," Jacqueline explained. "He was a bard in his youth and always spoke in a mystical manner."
"To be honest, I don't know much about the City of Forgotten Souls either, but Hal from the City Guard seems to value it greatly."
"So..." Karl pointed forward. "Are we risking our lives to clear the path so that the City Guard can enter the City of Forgotten Souls?"
"That's right."
A blonde-haired man nodded, placing one hand on his chest and bowing slightly.
"I'm Dunlop from the Shadow Alliance, pleased to meet you."
"It's said that the City of Forgotten Souls holds the secrets of the deities, and Commander Hal probably wants to seize divine authority."
The aged bard, Mund, shook his head and reached out to touch the stone wall beside him, his expression complex.
"The fact that this path exists means someone has walked it before, but their remains have merged with the rocks."
"Blasphemers shall face divine retribution!"
"I'm not interested in what's inside the City of Forgotten Souls," Karl stroked his chin. "I just want to know how we can leave."
The atmosphere in the room turned silent.
Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
"Leave?"
Jacqueline sighed. "There are at least two official knights and dozens of fully armed knight attendants outside, and there's only one way out."
"Unless you can unite with the people from other mine shafts, there might be a slim chance."
There were multiple secret passages leading to the City of Forgotten Souls, but they were disconnected and communication was impossible.
Even if they could communicate, without the guidance of a knight, the chances of success were still slim.
The odds of failure remained high.
The people in the room looked resigned, having either accepted their fate or attempted resistance only to be met with despair.
"Ah!"
A scream came from the front.
Jacqueline's expression changed, and she took a step forward.
It wasn't out of kindness, but because she was next in line to scout ahead, and she needed to understand the situation.
Karl turned to Xiaonan.
He could leave anytime he wanted, as long as he found an uninhabited place to hide in the Fragment of the Divine Domain.
If necessary, he could stay away for several months before returning.
By then, whatever the City Guard was planning would likely be over.
But what about Xiaonan and the others? Could he bring them into the Fragment of the Divine Domain? That was impossible!
Aside from the fact that Karl had never tried bringing living beings inside, he wasn't even sure if it was possible. Even if he could, he wouldn't do it.
The Fragment of the Divine Domain was his biggest secret, and he would never let anyone else know about it.
"Uncle."
Xiaonan's face turned pale.
"What should we do?"
Indeed, what should they do?
...
Every night, the group was given a short break.
It wasn't out of kindness from the City Guard, but because the Shadow Energy was too dense in the area, making scouting dangerous.
Since they were taking a break, Karl decided to use the opportunity to rest and recharge.
"Swoosh!"
Karl stood up.
"Uncle," Xiaonan, drowsy, heard the movement and struggled to open her eyes.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to take a look ahead," Karl said. "Rest up."
"Oh."
Xiaonan nodded and closed her eyes to sleep.
Scouting wasn't easy; he had to stay alert for any potential dangers, and he was already exhausted.
No one paid attention to Karl.
Everyone was taking the opportunity to rest.
"Tap..."
In the pitch-black tunnel, only Karl's footsteps echoed.
"Hiss..."
A strange sound came from ahead, as if something was approaching.
"Snap!"
Karl snapped his fingers.
Light Spell! A blinding light suddenly appeared, illuminating the entire area. The creatures in the darkness were clearly not adapted to such intense light and retreated.
"Hmm..."
Karl frowned, then took a step forward.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Since they had to scout again tomorrow, Karl decided to check the road conditions ahead. Perhaps he could find a hidden passage for them to hide.
If possible, he didn't plan to abandon Xiaonan and the others.
The creatures' fear of the light surprised Karl.
As he continued, all the creatures within the illuminated area frantically avoided the light and didn't dare to attack.
This made his exploration much easier.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound made Karl stop in his tracks.
Under his feet was a broken piece of a human tibia, snapped by his step.
"A tibia?"
Frowning slightly, he continued forward.
As he ventured deeper, more and more bones appeared on the ground, even intact skeletons.
This was illogical! Various strange creatures roamed the tunnels, and even if there were human remains, they would have been devoured by them. Moreover, it had been several hundred years since anyone had come here, and any bones should have decayed by now.
But today...
"No strange creatures? The bones are still here?"
Karl looked ahead, his expression turning solemn. An ominous premonition rose in his heart.
Continue!
The light from the Light Spell hovered above, illuminating the surroundings like daylight.
At some point, the sounds of strange creatures crawling and climbing had disappeared from his ears.
Only the increasing number of bones remained.
There was hardly any space to step on.
As he turned a corner, the view ahead suddenly opened up, and the scene that greeted him made Karl's breath catch. He almost couldn't maintain the Light Spell.
Before him was a square the size of several sports fields.
The square was littered with corpses.
Countless bones were running, roaring, and brandishing weapons, as if a battle scene had been frozen in time.
It was as if,
A group of people were fighting, and suddenly, their lives were taken away by some force, freezing time. The bones remained, preserving their final movements before death.
Weapons were everywhere!
The killing intent soared!
The silence was terrifying!
...
Karl's eyes narrowed, and an extremely dangerous yet yearning emotion emanated from the Fragment of the Divine Domain.
The direction...
The battlefield ahead.
The city shrouded in dark energy!
The City of Forgotten Souls!
This was the first time Karl had sensed an emotional fluctuation from the Fragment of the Divine Domain—monotonous yet distinct.
Fear and yearning.
Karl's eyes flickered, and he slowly took a step back.
He didn't know what the Fragment yearned for, nor did he want to know. He only knew that the existence that made it feel danger was not something he could currently approach.
"Crack!"
His foot stepped on another bone.
The sound wasn't loud.
But it was like an invisible ripple that quietly emerged on the battlefield, turning all the bones it touched into dust.
"Huff..."
Bone ash scattered, covering the entire battlefield.
"Ding!"
In the midst of the silence, the sound of something falling was particularly noticeable.
Instinctively, Karl turned to look, and among the bone ash, a round ring was rolling back and forth on the ground.
(End of Chapter)
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