Chapter 481: Scales

Chapter 481: Scales

The fall kept slowing down to the point that by the time Sofia and Bookie reached the level of the tallest spires, they were going down slow enough to try to look through the tall windows. The unsettling purple light they produced completely obscured the interior of the gigantic spires, but shifts in the luminosity seemed to hint at things moving on the inside, disturbing the light.

Despite that, the outdoors were completely devoid of any movement or life, and the city was deadly silent.

“Sofia,” Bookie whispered, poking at her sides, “my blessing just activated.”

“Your bless- Wait, you’re right... My mana regeneration just went up too... This purple light is sunlight?” Does Sun’s power extend all the way to the Deep? Maybe it’s only because I have some of her essence with me...

Bookie meekly nodded, “I don’t understand...”

“It might be better not to think about it too much... We’re going to land in that big plaza down below... We’re perfectly lined up with the center of it, which is a bit strange too...”

One thing of note about the city that Sofia only noticed as she got closer, was the presence of a multitude of giant cogs sprouting from the tall buildings and the ground. From afar they looked like just parts of the houses, but up close it was clear that these were immobile mechanical parts, as if the entire city was one big sleeping machine.

Trying to get a proper sense of scale for the city, Sofia observed the doors to the spires near the ground.

Maybe fifty meters tall? Made of the same black stone as the walls.

I might not even be able to open these doors if I tried.

Maybe in demon form...

Pareth appeared as Sofia neared the ground, the speed of the fall had become so slow that going down stairs would have been faster at this point; a few seconds later, their feet lightly touched the paved ground of the city’s central plaza.

The trio was ready to defend themselves, but there was no welcoming committee. Tall shadows kept moving behind the glowing windows, unbothered by the three insects who had landed in the city.

“Should we check the string?” Bookie whispered.

“It might be dangerous, but the other option is trying to enter one of these towers... I will call the name, if anything weird happens we fly away, so be ready to enter the storage ring, alright?”

Pareth and Bookie both nodded in agreement.

“Alright...” Sofia kept her mana ready to activate [Runeforged overlord] at a moment’s notice, then she whispered, “Yvraveteth.”

The red tether appeared as it always did, no longer pointing down but toward one of the plaza’s exits, leading to a large street within the city.

Sofia worriedly looked up at the windows, but the movements behind them were still just as sparse and uncaring.

The group cautiously walked following the tether, the silence of the city disturbed by the footsteps resonating through the oversized streets. Sometimes, the sound of a door opening or closing reminded them that they were not alone in this place, and it made them walk faster.

“At least I still kept the most dangerous name out of my mouth...”

“As you should,” Orator approved, “now, let us conduct our business here, I have led you to Ser’Alhtra for a reason, this Lord shall give you some motivation in your quest,” Orator said before turning around and starting to walk away.

Sofia and Pareth exchanged a glance, and they followed.

“Motivation? Sofia is very motivated, Uncle!” Bookie enthusiastically told Orator as he ran up to him.

“I know, little one, but the mortal mind has its faults. I exist to see the tasks I give be accomplished, so I shall see to it that the initial conditions lead to a satisfying result. That is how I operate,” Orator explained in an unusually relaxed tone.

Sofia called out to the Lord from behind, “Say, Yvraveteth.”

“Yes?” he answered without bothering to turn around.

“Can we know what Aphenoreth is busy with?” she asked, curious about her benefactor’s whereabouts.

He answered with a question of his own, “You have witnessed the true expanse of existence when you invoked the Regulator’s name, have you not?”

“It’s hard to describe... Was everything I saw real?”

“Certainly so. And yet still, what you were exposed to was but a glimpse of all that has been and will be. Our lot is as vast as reality itself, but single entities we still are. This Lord and the Inquisitor, we have grown tired of scattering our will.”

Vast as reality itself...

How ‘vast’ are Gods? They only draw their power from our one world, do they not? Sun is only one sun, right?

Sofia’s internal thoughts led her to another question, “If what you say is true... Then why here? If reality is so vast, why settle here in particular? Why not one of the heroes’ worlds? Or anywhere else?”

“Ahahah, is this truly where your thoughts led, Saintess? Your instincts are sharper than you realize. The reason we stay here is precisely our current destination. Speaking of which, we are here,” Orator announced, turning around to face Sofia and her skeletons, opening his arms to show the scenery behind him. Sofia could perceive a smug smile on his face despite not being able to see it clearly.

Despite the Lord’s words, the place he had stopped was just the middle of another of the giant black city’s ruined streets full of debris.

“W- What are we supposed to be looking at, Uncle?” Bookie asked, completely lost.

Orator’s smile widened, “Look harder, my guests, this here is also the reason a certain ‘admin’ came knocking at our doorstep. Watch closely, reality is not always what it first appears to be.”

Look harder? The admin?!

Sofia followed Orator’s words, and focused her attention on the scenery behind the Lord. At first, nothing happened, but as she concentrated, the black spires of the city around her started to warp. The stone debris on the ground flew back to the broken walls, the large cogs of the city started turning, the purple lights dimmed, and finally, the gargantuan figure of a dead Dragon was revealed, its rotting mangled corpse impaled on the city’s tallest spire.Expplôre uptodate stories at no/vel//bin(.)com