Chapter 37: Entering a Dungeon

Just as he had expected, the architecture of the place was indeed different. The palace was situated atop an artificial hill of sorts, created by piling a material similar to granite. So, it was hard, heavy, and exuded an imposing appearance.

'From the ground level, the palace is situated at a height of 200 metres. That's freaking high.' Compass Carburettor took in the imposing grandeur of the place. Normally, a height of 200 metres wasn't anything surprising.

Any random hill was as tall as that. But, most hills were like naturally forming mounds. They weren't like the palace that peaked out sharply from the well-paved ground. The sheer difference in the rapid inclination brought about an imposing effect, unleashing a formless pressure in the minds of the people.

A single glance was all it took for Compass Carburettor to understand the significance of the structure. Technically speaking, it was easier to defend and hard to break into. It also allowed for those in the palace to use the altitude to their advantage and survey the state of the city any time they wished.

But psychologically speaking, the palace was on a natural pedestal of sorts. Whenever the citizens had to look at the palace, they had to look up. And this created a sort of psychological bias in their minds, resulting in greater value to every command declared by the Queen.

The citizens would be more prone to follow her commands and execute them without complaints. It was because, whether they wished to or not, thanks to gazing at it every day, the status of the palace was high up in their mind. So involuntarily, they turned into loyal citizens. A simple structure and its geological placement were capable of achieving this.

Monuments on Earth were created exactly to cater to this fact. Everything was to psychologically influence the minds of the people subtly.

There were four entrances to the palace; a long flight of stairs traversed the 200 metres to reach each entrance. Compass Carburettor accompanied Fealta and Caithy, descending through the northern entrance.

Their goal was the Ellipster Dungeon, a dungeon located a kilometre north of the palace. Based on the information he had gathered, it seemed that every dungeon was named based on the city it was situated at.

"Why is that the case?" He wondered.

"Our cities were established around the dungeons. That's why both of them have the same name." Fealta spoke curtly. "Most of the time, every dungeon is located far from each other. But in rare cases, there is more than one dungeon in the same place. Such cities usually become the capital city of a kingdom."

"Ellipster is the same," Caithy said, shooting a glance at Fealta, motioning with her eye to not talk unnecessarily, "The second dungeon is located within the palace. A dungeon is a precious resource hub where we can harvest numerous products. Our entire economy depends on them."

Nodding, Compass Carburettor looked around, noticing that the houses too seemed to have followed the palace in design to a certain extent. Every house was situated at least a metre or two above the ground level. A flight of stairs led from the ground and into the entrance.

The walls were a series of coiling columns, climbing from the ground up like vines. They had a strange sense of aesthetic to them that the more he looked at them, the more they were pleasing to the eye, for some reason. 'Am I getting used to them? Already?'

As for the style of housing, the walls were made from a material resembling granite, thick, even for the regular houses of the citizens. Upon noticing a pattern in the place, Compass Carburettor asked, "Is everyone in the capital wealthy?"

"To a certain extent, yes." Fealta nodded, "Most of the families living in the capital belong to a line of people birthing Warriors and Puppeteers. As for the rest, they are part of the engineers. And throughout history, all Warriors and Puppeteers have been treated with considerable salaries. So, their families are well off."

"And," Caithy said with a shrug, "There's also pedigree. Those hailing from a prominent family of Warriors or Puppeteers are given higher priority in awakening to Darlac. And, everyone living in the capital is the kingdom's past, present or future strength."

'Interesting,' Compass Carburettor thought, watching horse-driven carriages pass by. There were also vehicles resembling a bike plying the roads. But, they were fewer in number. But every time a bike passed by them, Caithy snorted, sporting an expression of disdain.

After a short twenty minutes of walk, the trio arrived before an altar of sorts, one that was shaped like a cube, atop which stood a cylindrical column, spanning a radius of 30 metres, and a height of 20 metres. As for the cube, its side spanned a length of 60 metres.

There seemed to be an entrance on one side, an arched doorway with massive double doors. A barricade of sorts had been erected at the entrance, preventing anyone from trespassing. The guards stationed there checked the identification proofs of everyone that wished to enter. And they all looked strong.

When Compass Carburettor approached them, one of the guards motioned for him to stop, asking for his identity proof. But upon glancing at Fealta and Caithy, he motioned towards the entrance, "Please proceed."

'Are they someone famous in this kingdom?' Compass Carburettor thought, wondering about the two servants that accompanied him. But considering the fact that the Queen had only sent the two of them to accompany him, it was enough proof that they were strong, strong enough for her to trust him in their hands.

There was a chamber within, the insides of the cube. And, another door stood in his way. The guards stationed at the place motioned them to proceed through the tiny door at the side, saluting once they saw the two servants accompanying him.

Pushing the door open, Compass Carburettor entered the place, standing rooted to the spot as his eyes widened in shock, gazing at the spectacular scenery before him, "I'll be damned."