Chapter 1 The Lower City

The bottom of the elevator shaft wasn't a neatly shaped, sealed space. In fact, as the shaft descended, the surrounding walls gradually expanded outwards. The giant stones, steel, and pipes that made up the walls gradually merged into the architecture of the lower city. This was a transitional structure that had evolved over millennia. Hao Ren felt like he was unconsciously entering a district as he descended.

The Lower City.

The deepest part of Twilight Capital, the foundation of the doomsday shelter. Hao Ren's first impression was dimness, followed by age and disarray.

It still retained many features from two thousand years ago. Huge stone buildings and cast-iron pillars inlaid with runes were everywhere. Humans two thousand years ago didn't have the ability to build such magnificent stone cities, so the original city-states of Midgard were built with the help of the Norse gods (later seen in various legends of miracles). Precisely because of this, these ancient buildings could bear the heavy responsibility of being the cornerstone of Twilight Capital.

Ancient buildings stood close together, as if the lower city was a vast and complex maze with no order. Wherever you looked, you could only see layers of buildings and platform structures from different eras. The entire city weighed heavily overhead, so the greatest feeling you had while walking among these buildings was oppression—followed by the fear that the entire city would suddenly collapse.

Hao Ren looked up. He saw Twilight Capital like a bloated nest, the crisscrossing city structure intertwined above him, extending into the depths of endless darkness. Between the city structures, he could see disorganized lights, but these lights couldn't dispel even a trace of the dark oppression. He widened his eyes and tried to distinguish, finally seeing a line of white at the end of the dark abyss. He guessed it might be a bit of "skylight" from the upper city, but he soon realized he was mistaken: it was just a cloud of mist. Because the city was piled so high, thick clouds had formed between the buildings.

If you were native to Twilight Capital, you would know that it was the condenser area of the large boiler. Another "ethnic group" that had degenerated in the harsh environment lived there. They were called the "Vanir." The platforms they lived on were constantly raining, and the rainwater falling from the condenser cloud layer contained some slightly toxic substances, so the skin of the residents on the platforms glowed slightly.

"This place is even more dilapidated than I imagined..." Vivian couldn't help but mutter, looking at the scene before her.

"This is the district from two thousand years ago," Wendell shook his head. "The further down you go, the older and more dilapidated it is. But by the power of the ancient sages, these things are still solid and durable even if they are old. At least for now... the city won't collapse under the pressure."

Hao Ren cautiously observed the surrounding situation. He originally thought that he would encounter a certain degree of city defense force here, but found that the surroundings were quiet: the battle on the upper platforms seemed to be another world's affair. He felt that this was a bit abnormal.

No matter how dilapidated the lower city was, it was also the residence of the ancient sages. Even if Lily and the others were making a big fuss above, all the city guards wouldn't be attracted to the upper levels, right? At least some soldiers should be left here.

Wendell obviously also felt that something was wrong. He looked warily at the dark stone houses around him: "A Twilight squad should be stationed here all year round. They would never leave their posts no matter what."

In the depths of the dark and cluttered city streets, a few figures flickered. Hao Ren saw that they were a few ragged civilians who were hurrying on their way. Two of them glanced this way, but their numb expressions didn't change at all. They quickly left.

The entire lower city was so "peaceful" that it gave people goosebumps.

To figure out what was going on, Hao Ren and Vivian, led by Wendell, cautiously moved towards the Twilight Guard's outpost here. The garrison was a separate square building a hundred meters away from the elevator, slightly higher in terrain, with no shelter around it. Usually, two soldiers would always be stationed in front of this building, and the searchlights on the top of the building would remain on, constantly scanning around the elevator entrance—but now this outpost was completely shrouded in silence, with no soldiers moving around, and even the searchlights were off.

"There are signs of life inside," Vivian sniffed. "The smell of living blood. The people are alive, but they seem to be controlled."

The situation became more and more bizarre. Hao Ren became more vigilant and walked in front, but nothing happened until he reached the entrance of the outpost. Vivian followed behind him, surrounded by a cloud of black mist with a bloody smell. Bats were hidden in the cloud of mist, ready to attack at any time.

"Bang—"

Hao Ren kicked open the outpost door and flashed in with a long spear: "Don't move!"

In the outpost, there were several chairs. Six soldiers in Twilight Guard uniforms sat stiffly in the chairs. They tried to turn their eyes, looking at the plasma long spear in Hao Ren's hand with horrified and pleading eyes, but they couldn't move even a finger: they seemed to be controlled by some kind of spell.

A mysterious person in a linen robe stood across the table. This was a young woman with pale skin, a thin figure, and a strange headdress that looked like woven thorns. The woman bowed slightly to Hao Ren: "Hello, strange travelers—by the way, am I allowed to move?"

Hao Ren was stunned: "Who are you?"

"I am a servant of the ancient sages," the young woman's voice was very soft. It was hard to believe that she was a strong person who could control six soldiers with one hand. She smiled slightly and looked at Wendell. "This old gentleman might know us."

"You are a Caretaker?" Wendell exclaimed in surprise. "How could a Caretaker leave the sanctuary?!"

"Only one reason can change the Caretaker's oath, and that is the order of the ancient sages," the young woman called "Caretaker" continued softly. "In the world above, you should be the only one who can hear the voice of the ancient sages—so you probably guessed why I am here."

Wendell immediately thought of the great voice that suddenly entered his mind in the upper city.

"Are you here to pick us up?" Wendell's face showed excitement. "How are the ancient sages doing?"

"Many things are not convenient to discuss in detail here," the young woman bowed slightly, turned and walked towards the door. "Please follow me, strange travelers."

The mysterious young woman led the crowd away from the square and quickly turned into a hidden path. As he followed her through those complex and narrow buildings, Hao Ren curiously asked Wendell: "Who exactly is this person?"

He could see that Wendell recognized the other party's identity, so he judged that this woman should be a reliable guide who was inclined towards the Seekers of Light, but he didn't know much about the organizational structure of Twilight Capital.

Wendell glanced at the woman leading the way in front, and nodded slightly: "This is a member of the Caretakers. They are responsible for taking care of the ancient sages. Only they in the entire Twilight Capital can often come into contact with the ancient sages. If we want to meet the ancient sages, we must go through these people—but I didn't expect the Caretakers to take the initiative to pick us up. They never leave the throne hall."

Vivian came to the woman's side: "What's your name?"

"Angelica," the young woman said her name.

"Angelica, huh... You seem to have a little bit of Vanir blood," Vivian looked at the other party curiously. "It seems... the situation of your ancient sage is not very good?"

"...You'll know when you get there," Angelica lowered her eyelids, not answering the question directly. "I don't know your origins, and I don't know why you want to see the ancient sages. I'm just following orders."

Hao Ren still had a question he couldn't figure out: "Hey, speaking of which, since the ancient sages want to see us, why did the city guards stop us? It would have been better if you had ordered the guards above to let us through earlier—we still have a group of people making a fuss with them over there."

Angelica paused slightly: "Seeing the situation at that outpost just now, do you think we can command the Twilight Guard?"

Hao Ren suddenly realized.

"Many people used to be able to hear the voice of the ancient sages, but now, even among the Caretakers, only a very small number still possess this talent, and the ancient sages have hardly said a word since five hundred years ago," Angelica's voice was very soft, and it was almost impossible to hear any emotions. "In this case, the Iron Throne has become a symbolic symbol—supreme, but unable to issue orders."