Chapter 651 Four Pillars: Land of Origin
In front of the two of them was a massive space far larger than the large corridor Valyr had dropped into. Looking at the entirety of the place, the young man was reminded of the large shopping malls he used to frequent in his childhood.
However, compared to those shopping malls where stores littered every floor, the areas where the stores would normally be in were instead taken over by residential areas that were filled to the brim with personal amenities.
After a while, Valyr then shifted his attention towards the ground of the large space, realizing that both he and Vlrvadh stood on top of an elevated region.
Unsurprisingly, many beings that looked similar to Vlrvadh roamed the paths that seemed to have been etched on the ground. Surrounding these paths were small stalls that had a few wares available for sale, which were being manned by similar-looking beings.
Watching these beings go about their daily lives for a bit, Valyr gradually noticed that only a select few among the beings had nails as long as the ones Vlrvadh had, prompting him to ask the being a question.
"If you don't mind me asking, what's with the long nails?"
After having the screen appear in front of its vision multiple times already, Vlrvadh was not surprised by its appearance anymore, instead looking at the message that was on the screen with great intent.
Then, after staring at the screen for a bit, it proceeded to punch in a few characters on the screen, finally allowing Valyr to obtain the answer he sought. "These long nails are a symbol of valor to our people."
"To us, those with long nails are considered to be the great protectors of the people," sent Vlrvadh in a follow-up message. "Depending on the length of one's nails, one would be able to figure out the level of one's strength, as well as the level of authority they hold."
"Of course, there are also people with short nails that have the same level of strength as those among us who have long nails, though such a thing rarely happens." At these words, Vlrvadh looked at Valyr and moved as if it were shrugging its shoulders.
Reading in between the lines of what Vlrvadh had sent to him, Valyr eventually had an inkling of an idea as to what was going on.
"Do those with long nails have to go through some sort of ritual first?"
"They would have to swear an oath in front of the Sapient One that they would lay down their life for the people." Remaining silent for some time, it took a while before Vlrvadh sent a response. "Only then are they permitted to grow long nails."
"As for the rest, they often cut their nails as short as possible in order to not be mistaken as one of the great protectors. Though, it's mostly so that they don't incur the wrath of the Sapient One."
Feeling as if the two of them had remained rooted in their spot for long enough, Vlrvadh motioned for Valyr to follow it as it headed down the elevated area.
Seeing as it did not even take a glance back at him to see if he was following from behind, the young man hesitated for a bit before eventually following Vlrvadh, letting out a sigh while doing so.
To no surprise, at the very moment Vlrvadh and Valyr had appeared on the grounds of the large space, a great number of the beings stopped what they were doing and stared at the duo with widened eyes.
Looking at these beings from time to time, Valyr quickly noticed that the beings had not widened their eyes in incredulity, but instead in curiosity, as if they wanted to make sure that they did not miss even a single detail.
Then again, there were those who looked at the young man with unkind eyes, most of them having nails that were considerably longer compared to the other beings.
However, whether it was because of Vlrvadh's presence, or the fact that Vlrvadh had nails that were far longer than theirs, those beings stayed put as the two of them headed deeper into the space.
"With how many people there are in this area, does this place have a name?"
Realizing that their walk through the large space wouldn't end for quite some time, Valyr decided to have a bit of banter with the being in front of him, thinking back to the time he designated the entire underground area as the Dimlight District.
"There is." Moving the screen that had appeared in front of it to the side, Vlrvadh faintly nodded as it sent a message back to Valyr. "We call this place the Land of Origin."
At those words, the young man became curious as to why the place had gotten such a name. Fortunately, as if Vlrvadh already knew what he was thinking, the being sent a few more messages.
"The reason why we call it the Land of Origin is because almost everyone you see here has been born in this place," wrote Vlrvadh as an expression of pride briefly appeared on its face.
"All of us were born in this place, as well as grew up in this place. In fact, to many of us, this place is where the rest of our lives unfold, with only a few among us having the privilege the explore the corridors."
With how the two of them had passed the time through conversation, both Vlrvadh and Valyr eventually arrived in front of an entrance that was covered by a curtain that seemed to have fabricated out of multiple cloths.
"Tiaw ereh." Stopping just a few steps away from this entrance, Vlrvadh looked at Valyr and gestured for him to stay where he was as it opened its mouth.
Even though the being did not rely on the system to communicate, the being's expression and movement already told the young man everything he needed to know as he nodded.
Faintly nodding back in response to Valyr's nod, Vlrvadh returned his attention to the entrance in front of it as it soon slammed both of its hands to the ground.
Bang!
"Ho, Tneipas Eno! I evah deraeppa ni tnorf fo uoy htiw a gnieb morf eht ecafrus! I epoh uoy tnarg em ruoy ecneidua!"
As those words echoed throughout the surroundings, many of the passersby stood frozen in shock, their eyes widening in surprise as they waited for the scene to unfold.
"Uoy yam emoc ni." Unfortunately for those watching, the entire situation was short-lived as Vlrvadh slammed both of his hands to the ground again before turning around to look back at Valyr, opening up a screen in the process.n))OvelbIn
"Follow me."