Although he had made up his mind to leave, Simon decided to thoroughly explore the Soul Sanctum one last time.
The terrain here was much more complex than in the game, with many hidden areas, the largest of which was the living quarters of the Sanctuary members.
Inside, there were some documents like diaries, and from the turbulent mental journey of the record-keepers, one could glimpse the Sanctuary's long and bloody history.
It had to be said that immortality was a huge temptation; how much conscience had fallen before death.
Another interesting item was a type of statue that could store Soul Energy, automatically absorbing free Soul Energy for replenishment, ready for use at any time, comparable to a gas station or charging pile.
In the game, the Path of Pain in the hidden White Palace had energy storage statues shaped like the Hollow Knight, with infinite energy.
Simon was a little curious whether it was due to a different manufacturing process or a special environment; the latter seemed more likely.
After some searching, he also saw many strange things.
In one laboratory, there was a petrified corpse, its skull exposed, but it was not difficult to see that it had originally been a snail.
These were members of the Shaman tribe; they had a long and un-traceable history of using Soul Energy.
Every Shaman was a master of spells, and each of them was exceptionally talented, capable of creating their own spells.
There should have been a spell here, but it seemed the Little Knight had already taken it.
Speaking of which, there was also a Snail Shaman in the Forgotten Crossroads; he should be the last surviving member of the Shaman tribe, and Simon could visit him if he had the chance.
There were also many monuments in the Soul Sanctum; the inscriptions on them seemed to commemorate the bugs who died for soul experiments, or perhaps outstanding researchers.
One was particularly interesting.
"Record of Senda (C) Let us mourn those who gave their lives for exploration.
It is their achievements that allow us to evolve.
No plague of thought will conquer us again."
This indicated that the research direction of the Soul Sanctum was indeed to resist The Radiance's infection, but alas, fate played a trick.
On the path to achieving great goals, one must not only be wary of opponents but also maintain a clear mind.
Simon warned himself that the path to killing The Radiance was long and difficult, and he was not yet qualified to participate in the final battle, so he must not be arrogant.
...
After the visit, Simon left the Soul Sanctum.
Now there were three relatively reliable routes to leave the City of Tears: one was to take the large elevator near the City Storerooms to the Crossroads, another was to take the secret passage near the main gate to the Fungal Wastes, and the third was the most ideal scenario, which was to take a Stag Beetle from the City Storerooms or King's Station to the Queen's Gardens Stag Station.
After some consideration, Simon decided to check the Stag Station at the City Storerooms.
If this station was back in operation, he would ask the last Stag Beetle of Hallownest if he could go to the Queen's Gardens; if it wasn't operating, he would take the secret passage near the main gate.
Simon actually hoped the station could go directly to the Gardens, because a large part of his map was missing; all the terrain leading to the Queen's Gardens was incomplete, many were just sketches because it was so remote, yet the map inside the Queen's Gardens was very complete.
Maintenance Grubs were spread throughout Hallownest, but not in the uncivilized areas.
He arrived at the City Storerooms.
It was very dim here, with goods piled up like mountains.
A musty smell assaulted his nose, and Simon stopped breathing, relying on Soul Energy to sustain himself.
After killing a few sentries, he followed the signposts to the Stag Station.
It was operating! What good news! It seemed the Little Knight had been here.
Simon eagerly rang the bell to summon the Stag Beetle.
After a while, a rumbling sound of footsteps echoed from the deep tracks, sounding like a thousand soldiers and horses.
A huge shadow appeared, growing larger and larger.
Simon rested his hands on the platform railing, watching a massive multi-legged beetle rush out of the tracks and brake sharply in front of the platform.
The beetle indeed had two long horns, one on its head and one on its chest and back, but they were not deer-antler shaped, but rather similar to rhinoceros horns.
Seats were strapped to its broad abdomen and back, for passengers to sit comfortably, looking a bit dusty.
The Stag Beetle was very old, with a long white beard.
He saw Simon and said happily, "Another passenger! In these difficult times, it's truly good to see you bugs; I feel like I'm reliving my youth!"
Simon asked, "Excuse me, can you go to the Queen's Gardens?"
The Stag Beetle paused, then shook his head, saying apologetically, "Oh, I no longer remember the way there.
Ordinary bugs rarely go there, after all, it's the old Queen's heavily guarded resting place."
Simon was helpless; though disappointed, he still politely said goodbye.
...
"Let's take the second route," Simon recalled the game map, remembering it seemed closer.
The main gate of the City of Tears was sealed, preventing entry or exit, but there were always unwilling bugs who wanted to break the siege, so the secret passage naturally appeared.
Simon pondered the map, compared it to his surroundings, found the right direction, and moved towards the main gate.
He walked in the rain, but the raindrops were blocked by the Soul shield on Simon's body, silently sliding off.
The main gate was a heavy stone slab, bound with iron chains, indestructible, and the secret passage was at the ceiling just inside the gate, already opened, extending upwards.
Simon floated into the secret passage, and after a section of passage with City of Tears-style decorations, he saw the walls turn into rock strata and soil, with many yellow-spotted fungi growing wildly on them.
The secret passage turned from vertical to horizontal, apparently dug above the main gate.
This path was not easy, with many red thorns; no one would want to be pricked by these, as they were pain thorns, poisonous, and would cause intense suffering.
He walked all the way to the end, where there was a hole in the ground.
Simon leaped in, falling to the ground; the main gate was already behind him.
He could see a majestic statue outside the gate, which was a mechanism; after inserting the City Crest, the gate would open once.
There was much to say about this statue, but ultimately it was a not-so-happy tragedy, so he would not elaborate.
Simon admired it for a while before leaving.
Outside the City of Tears was a huge acid lake, and a mechanical bridge spanned the acid lake, providing a means of walking.
This mechanical bridge also needed to be manually opened; the mechanisms were at the center of the lake and at the main gate.
To reach the mechanisms, one had to jump from the platform above, which was covered with pain thorns.
As expected, it was the Little Knight who opened the bridge.
This should have caused some trouble for many players.
As for Simon, whether there was a bridge or not didn't matter; he could fly.
A pungent smell drifted over the acid lake.
Simon hurried across the bridge to the other side, where a sign read:
"The Pilgrim's Way ends here.
The open heart of Hallownest lies before you.
Go forth and share in its glory."
It was another story witnessing the passage of time; the City of Tears' gate was locked, Hallownest was in decline, and perhaps the pilgrims of the past were all gone.
Simon continued onward, beginning to delve into the Fungal Wastes.
It was wild here, but not dark; the fungal spores emitted a yellow phosphorescence, illuminating the area brightly.
Fungi were everywhere, and the terrain was very strange.
The air here was filled with a sour smell, and Simon really didn't want to stay long, but this area on his map was very incomplete, without much reference value, so he could only wander blindly on his own.
"Let's begin, my dear lost journey!" he chuckled, walking with firm steps on the damp ground of the Fungal Wastes.
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