Chapter 430: A Different Civilization

Chapter 430: A Different Civilization

The Black Hole World was not too vast, but it sure seemed so. Layers of city were stacked on top of each other, each stretching endlessly. No matter how high or low Jack’s perception spread, all he found was more layers.

At the same time, the city itself seemed like it was built underground. Rectangular tunnels stretched in all directions. Illumination came in the form of large electrical lamps hanging from the thirty-foot-high ceiling, while all walls were painted in bright colors—perhaps to brighten the mood of their sunlight-deprived occupants?

As Jack, Mia, and Elder Vermont walked through the city, people stopped to greet them. Most were smiling; they waved or bowed respectfully to the Elder while shooting curious glances at Jack. They were dressed in simple, colorful clothes, and though they ranged from the F to the rare D-Grade, Jack noticed no obvious difference in their statuses.

According to the buildings and lifestyles he saw, this was a society forced by overpopulation to maximize its space efficiency. The technological level was pretty advanced—similar to Earth.

“There are eighty-three layers to our world,” Elder Vermont explained proudly, touring Jack through the present layer. “Each hosts millions or billions of people, and they cover an area from twelve to twenty-one thousand square miles!”

“So at minimum twelve thousand square miles...” Jack muttered, whistling. “That’s a lot.”

Vermont gave him an odd stare. “Not twelve thousand. Twelve. The smallest layer has a surface area of twelve square miles.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard him,” Mia piped in, giggling.

Jack shook his head. “And what’s under this entire tower?” he asked. “The black hole?”

“What tower?”

“You have eighty-three layers stacked like a tower.”

“Oh, no no no. Not a tower. More like...a planet.”

Jack raised his brows. A memory popped into his mind—Trial Planet, a hollow planet made up of nine layers. Could this place be similar?

Mia was all too happy to explain. “At the core of our world lies the Vortex—a dark whirlpool through which we are connected to the outer universe. Our world is built in concentric spheres around it, each covering an increasingly large area and each exactly half a mile tall. This is the twenty-first layer—if you go down twenty-one times, you’ll reach the Vortex.”

Most tunnels were around ten feet tall, but there were many levels of tunnels in each layer. This was really a goliath of a city.

As much as Jack tried to remain sad, he was intrigued. “And if I rise to the top?” he asked.

“Nothing. The end of our spacetime. The end of the world.”

Jack paused to look up. His gaze drilled through a dozen layers, not quite reaching the end. “There can’t be nothing,” he argued.

Mia shrugged. “You can go check whenever.”

“We would like to bring you to our council first,” Elder Vermont hurried to add. “You remained in Mia’s home so far, since she was the one who found you, but that would be improper now that you’ve awoken. The other Elders and I eagerly await to hear about the outside world.”

He was not lying. The passion in his voice, the hope, was impossible to mistake. If what they said before was true, these people had been trapped here for a billion years, millions of generations. The outside world was a dream passed down through their lineage, the fervent hope of them all, the only thing keeping them alive. Now, with him as their first ever visitor from outside, the excitement of the Elders was indescribable.

Perhaps, after a billion years of imprisonment, it would be their generation that would finally escape.

Facing the Elder’s invitation, however, Jack could only shake his head. “Your strongest cultivator is at the peak D-Grade?”

“Late D-Grade, actually. Grand Elder Pasan,” Vermont replied proudly.

“Then, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re better off staying here. The universe is no place for the weak. I recently found that out the hard way.”

Jack regretted his words the moment he spoke them. Elder Vermont almost physically melted—his wrinkled eyes deepened, wallowing in sadness, and his body seemed more fragile than a pile of dust in the wind.

The leading woman’s face brightened. “I am called Pasan, the current leader of the Black Hole people.”

The other eleven Elders also introduced themselves.

“Would you like some tea? Or anything to eat, perhaps?” Pasan asked.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Jack replied, sitting down on a chair Mia had brought him.

Pasan nodded. “I believe you know our situation. We have been trapped here for a billion years with no way to access the outside world. You are the first visitor we ever get...if you could explain some things, we would be in your debt.”

“What would you like to know?”

She smiled. “Everything!”

Jack tried to laugh, but the sound only came out as half-dead panting. He spoke regardless. He hid nothing. Everything he knew about the current state of the universe, every piece of history and insight, he told them, all the way from the Immortal Crusade to the present. Pasan and the other Elders occasionally interrupted him to ask questions, but they mostly listened.

While explaining everything, Jack included parts of his own story. Intuitively, he felt safe here. He voiced some of his grievances, framing everything in the current darkness of his mind. Of course, he mentioned nothing about Eric—he was far from ready to discuss that issue.

By the time he was done, two hours had passed. He was startled. Speaking like this hadn’t really lightened his mood, but it had made his mind slightly less dark. Apparently, talking to good listeners was therapeutic. Who would have known?

The Elders sat in silence for a while, not hurrying to respond. They digested the information. Finally, it was Pasan who spoke again.

“You sound like you’ve been through a lot,” she said.

“More than I would like,” Jack replied honestly.

“Mm. It’s fine. You don’t have to show your heart to us—just know that this is a safe place.”

Jack raised his gaze, meeting her smiling, deep eyes. Had she seen through the darkness in his heart? Then again, he hadn’t tried to hide it.

Old people had their ways to judge people.

Unfortunately, his mind remained a mess. Speaking about the world had helped him put his thoughts in order, but he desperately needed to take some time alone and work through his feelings—as much as he dreaded it.

“Thank you,” he replied. “I would like some time now, if it’s not a problem. If there is anything you would like me to clarify, I can do so at our next meeting.”

“Of course!” Pasan agreed. “Thank you for everything you told us. We will also take some time to consider things. For now, we have already arranged a house for you to live in. Mia, would you be so kind as to lead Jack over?”

“Sure thing!” Mia responded. “Thank you, Grand Elder.”

Jack said his goodbyes and followed Mia out of the room. She led him deeper into this layer—towards a sizable house not too far away from the Elder Council.

“What’s your deal?” Jack asked, eyeing Mia. “You’re not an Elder, are you?”

“Nope. Just an ordinary girl,” she replied with a wink. “Here in the Black Hole world, we all have similar statuses, and there are no barriers between us either. As for why I was allowed in the Elder Council... Well, I’ve just volunteered to take care of you. I’m nobody special.”

She winked. Jack would have smiled if he wasn’t mourning. The pain bubbled up from inside him, and he urgently needed to be left alone so he could let it all out. “Thank you, Mia. Here is fine. I can travel the rest of the way myself,” he said, using his powers to instantly teleport inside his house. Though space was weird here, a short-range teleportation was still within his abilities.

Jack sat on his bed. For the first time in a while, he did not care about the state of the world or any other matters. He did not think.

For a while, he just sat there being sad.