In the underground hall nearly ten meters tall, a black wall brick, three meters square and damp with seeping water, suddenly fell away. The soil behind it began rippling like water.
A dozen seconds later, two massive bears passed through the gap in the wall brick one after another, emerging into the space riddled with cracks and damage.
Ebner swiftly reverted to human form, then lifted his right hand and grabbed at the air to his side.
The shattered wall brick flew into his grasp, merging midair into a thin layer of armor that wrapped itself around his body.
After becoming a demigod, and with the Learning Space and the Heart of Omniscience integrated into the incomplete godhood state of the White Tower, Ebner had gained the ability to predefine "structures" and create objects out of nothing.
Of course, creations inside the White Tower could not last in reality unless they were anchored with real material.
Ebner believed this was very likely an embodiment of the White Tower's authority of "Creation"… and as his Sequence advanced, even extraordinary items he created could briefly exist in reality—just like the charms and cards he once exchanged in the Dream Labyrinth Tower.
Once the armor was in place, Ebner summoned pale, jet black, light blue, golden, and crimson fireballs around himself, lighting up half the hall.
This five-fireball mystic art hadn't had a name before, but after becoming a demigod and recalling fragments of his sealed memories, he realized its true name should be "Five Fires Nine Cycles, Great Sun Descends"…
Alright, even though I didn't yet remember that novel back then, when I developed this mystic art I must have subconsciously taken reference from it.
After muttering to himself, Ebner turned to look at Vice Admiral Iceberg, Edwina. She had also returned to human form and donned a fairly common female pirate outfit.
"Mystic Art—Pirate's Garb… just an emergency spell," Edwina explained simply when she noticed Ebner's gaze.
Ebner thought for a moment, then unsealed a cloak from his cards and handed it to her. After all, unlike his armor, spells could fail if too much spirituality was consumed.
Edwina accepted the cloak without ceremony, draping it over herself before joining Ebner in exploring the hall.
Soon, they discovered that aside from the wall they had entered through, two of the other three walls bore murals. Directly across from them, nearly beyond the firelight, stood a pair of bronze doors.
The doors reached the ceiling. The stone blocks and statues on the adjoining walls had crumbled, exposing the dark-brown soil beneath.
On the surface of the doors were countless intricate symbols and strange patterns, radiating a palpable sense of mystery and heaviness.
Doors like these were all too familiar to Ebner. He had seen them behind the throne in the Hall of Honesty, and in the palace within Emperor Roselle's dream relic!
"The door sealing the entrance to the Sea of Chaos?"
Ebner frowned but wasn't certain. He didn't sense the terrifying aura of the Sea of Chaos.
At that moment, Edwina suddenly said, "The door is open!"
Ebner studied it carefully and realized the door was indeed ajar, the symbols and patterns long since drained of power.
So someone already went in long ago? Was it me, before?
At that thought, Ebner relaxed a little. After all, if that were the case, even if danger existed here, he had likely already passed through it once.
Still, instead of rushing straight through, the two of them first explored the hall and focused on the murals.
The mural on the left wall was heavily damaged, but one could still make out the God of Luck standing in a mountainside town, gazing into the distance at the grand architecture frozen in eternal dusk.
That building complex should be the Giant King's Court… Why would the God of Luck be watching the Giant King's Court? And what connection does the Court have with this ruin?
With faint confusion and half-baked guesses, Ebner and Edwina moved to the mural on the other wall.
This one was relatively intact. It depicted a long, dark-red table surrounded by ornate high-backed chairs, somewhat reminiscent of a Tarot Club scene.
Yet the seats were all empty. Only one line of Elvish script remained in the blank space nearby:
"Rose Redemption."
"Rose Redemption?" Edwina carefully translated the name into Loen. She thought for a while, then looked at Ebner, indicating she had never heard of it.
Ebner hesitated but gave a simple explanation: "Rose Redemption was an extremely secretive organization, born in the distant Third Epoch. It was rumored to be closely tied to the birth of the True Creator."
Of course, it was also closely tied to the birth of the Three Gods…
But Ebner didn't say that part aloud.
Edwina nodded thoughtfully, then pointed at the mural. "Perhaps the God of Luck was a member of Rose Redemption."
I've had that guess too… but since the God of Luck most likely held the uniqueness of the Wheel of Fortune, could He really coexist peacefully with Ouroboros?
And from this mural showing empty chairs, I can almost sense a note of 'mockery'… Perhaps 'I' once ridiculed Rose Redemption, that so-called organization claiming to 'redeem themselves while maintaining the world's balance.'
…
In Afternoon Town, Derrick stood by a window, gazing out at the endless gray buildings crowding upward in tiers.
Lightning flickered rarely overhead. From many windows shone candlelight, faint and flickering but never extinguished. Faint voices could even be heard.
This… Derrick swallowed hard. It felt as though Afternoon Town had never fallen, as though its residents still lived in peace.
In that instant, though the candlelight outside seemed warm, Derrick felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss, cold surging endlessly from his heart.
"I spoke the word 'Rose Redemption,' and that brought me into the eerie, bizarre Afternoon Town that Mr. Tower warned about?"
He drew a deep breath, suppressing his urge to explore. That might make returning impossible.
Still, he wasn't overly nervous or panicked. He didn't believe this was a truly dire problem.
As long as it isn't immediate danger, it's not that serious… After all, I have Mr. Fool's protection.
With that thought, Derrick lowered his head slightly, preparing to recite Mr. Fool's honorific name. But just then, the altar in the room—the one dedicated to the three Kings of Angels—began to tremble, as though something was taking shape upon it.
…
In the underground ruins of Bayam, Ebner and Edwina finally passed through the bronze doors into a pitch-black room where even night vision failed.
Another setup of "monsters in the dark"? Similar to the "Courage" trial in the Temple of Trials?
As he made the connection, Ebner was about to warn Edwina to use Mechanical Mind to stabilize her thoughts. But before he could speak, the darkness shrank away from him like a beast fleeing flood and fire, no longer daring to approach.
This… Ebner lowered his head and glanced at the star-shaped black gem embedded in his chest, suddenly realizing why.
(End of this chapter)