Chapter 640: City of Ruins
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
As it turns out, the tunnel exit was astoundingly atop a 60-metres towering cliff!
Beneath them, was a shockingly enormous valley. The horizons of this valley were vast and clear, untainted by the ever-present fog. Instead, plains of peerless magnificent buildings were erected within!!
These buildings were simply breathtaking, but on closer inspection, were tarnished by the wreckage and destruction of time.
These buildings exhibited similar flair to the large Ndipaya huts outside but infused with an added solemn profundity. Underlying beneath the ravaged ruins of time, was a blatant grievance and helplessness of a thousand years!
The afternoon was concluding, as the gradually west inclining sun shone down from the sky; plating a melted golden shade over these tremendous and glorious ruins.
The city of ruins emanated with doubled splendour and doubled melancholy.
At this moment, Sheyan could finally deduce the true identities of these Ndipaya aborigines. They were actually adherents; citizens of a once majestic and glorious kingdom.
When the kingdom crumbled under bloodshed and insanity, these loyal citizens of the kingdom fled to their sacred ground as they struggled at death’s door. In the end, this unique, natural stronghold of the Kijuju Marshland managed to preserve a remnant of the kingdom.
However, due to a deficiency in written inheritance records, and after countless generations of loyal citizens departed, they had forgotten their glorious culture and advanced skillsets.
They silently existed here, where the only inheritance left was religion. Because only by brainwashing one’s mind with religion and belief, could the most devoted and fearless warriors be created. That was the most crucial factor in maintaining their rule.
At present, with the guardians encroaching in, Sheyan couldn’t care much about sentiments as he followed Mbenga to swiftly climb down the edge of this cliff. This cliff wasn’t very steep. Merely, its rocks had been relatively weakened by wind erosion.
As such, they occasionally lost their footing, were rock fragments would crumble down like a mini-landslide. If not for his ‘+7 West’ saber stabbing deep into the rocks with every step, Sheyan would’ve tumbled down long ago.
When those pursuing guardians arrived and witnessed their targets unexpectedly climbing down, they furiously cursed and snarled. Nevertheless, they had no intentions of pursuing, but successively raise their weapons as they hurled them with matchless ferocity towards the mountain climbers.
Fortunately, Sheyan had already anticipated their move beforehand. He directly loosened his single grip, and allowed himself to freefall for 5-6 metres. Upon noticing a large protruding rock, he instantly jammed the ‘+7 West’ saber viciously into the rocky cliff, right before that rock.
Rock fragments instantly sprayed out and crumbled down, as his ‘+7 West’ saber etched out a long streak of sparks along the rocky cliff. Dust and smoke fumigated out, as this incisive long saber finally caught onto something.
The hostile javelins and pikes soared through the air, but were blocked off by that protruding rock. Clink! Clank! Clink! Clank! Clamorous clashing ensued.
Sheyan no longer tarried. When his body cushioned the impact, he kicked off from the rocky cliff and borrowed the momentum to pull out his saber. Once again, he stabbed his saber deep into the rocky cliff after descending for 5-6 metres.
Although this method dealt severe damages to the weapon’s durability, it was the only last resort Sheyan could take. Besides, he was striving on with merely a single arm, which was really an inconvenient state to be in.
Finally, he landed safely while his pursuers were expectedly unable to give chase. Sheyan then received a notification from his nightmare imprint, when both his feet touched the land of the city of ruins.
[ Warning! Warning! Contestant no.1018 has expired his duration of stay in this world ]
[ Warning! Warning! Contestant no.1018 has entered the innermost core reaches of the Kijuju Marshland in this hidden world. A fee of 10,000 utility points will be deducted for every hour ]
[ Warning! If you have insufficient utility points, your equipment will be forcibly used as mortgage. If still insufficient, you will be forcibly transported out of this hidden world ]
Sheyan inhaled a chilling breath of air.
10,000 utility points every hour! This could no longer be described as burning money, but only a single term – wastage!
As Sheyan surveyed around, he realized that Mbenga had once again disappeared amidst the intense battling.
Right now, upon beholding the ruins up close, did he discover that the stone material employed to construct the unrivalled walls of this magnificent city, was extremely peculiar. The rocks were ashen colored, resembling that of a corpse’s rigid skin after being dead for a full day and night.
Looking once was fine, yet to carefully inspect fully, the awe-inspiring walls extended endlessly; spreading towards distant lands before vanishing gradually within the crumbling fences, overgrown shrubs and vines, and other dilapidated ruins.
Furthermore, Sheyan also noticed that right at the bottom of this cliff, where he presently stood, were clusters of white bones. A minority of these were human skeletons, while the majority appeared like humongous fish; as though individuals would normally throw residues of food down here.
As he spectated the scenery, Sheyan could deduce all the sequence of events, the sporadic fragments hidden in history.
In the recent few decades, a misfortune should have befallen the entire inner reaches of the Kijuju Marshland. Probably, a certain equilibrium of ecology that existed for millenniums had been broken or even lost control.
Over time, the Ndipaya inhabitants of the inner reaches could no longer withstand abominable creatures like the Lickers and mutated Arachnidacrabs...
Villages were abandoned one after another, and ultimately, even their greatest consecrated core village was pathetically abandoned....
Under such circumstances, the remaining few individuals, nobles with the qualifications to enter the grand temple hall, could only sorrowfully retreat back to their last line of defence – taking refuge within the maze of tunnels.
Most likely, the tunnel was designed in that manner as a final line of defence to preserve remnants of their temple. By relying on this favourable topography to resist those mutated abominations, both sides plunged into a state of stalemate.
Furthermore, those Ndipaya Guardians still had to eat and drink. Thus, Sheyan reckoned the architects of the ancient Ndipaya kingdom had factored in that point as well.
Amidst the spider network of tunnels, there should be one or a few that would lead deep underground; a place directly in contact with underground rivers. As such, the unceasing flows of the river would supply them with adequate food and drink....
Of course, Sheyan’s conjecture had lots of misgivings. For example, how did the ecological equilibrium of thousands of years get broken? What sort of mysterious role did Mbenga have to play in this act?
Nevertheless, Sheyan believed that though the details were somewhat inconsistent, his own deduction should still roughly exhibit the general state of affairs. Sheyan definitely wouldn’t frequently commit errors of going in a terribly wrong direction right from the start.
Following that, Sheyan fixated his attention on the city’s center.
There was an astonishingly massive altar there. Atop the altar, he could vaguely observe traces of heaped things.
Sheyan’s eyes flickered. "If I’m not wrong, that must be where they ignited a bonfire, a radiance that can envelop the entire city. Therefore, that should be the massive bonfire Bernard Fokke detailed in his journal log."
Thus, Sheyan was exceedingly near to his destination.
However, as the saying goes, in a 100 li journey, only at the 90 li mark can the journey be considered half complete.
Sheyan understood this logic clearly – the closer he gets to his destination, likewise the nearer he gets to the truth, that would be the most treacherous part. Bracing his mental state, he advanced forward…...
***********************************
Remnants of the sun gradually hid behind dark clouds, casting a combusting golden periphery around the dark clouds. A gentle afterglow remained to cascade onto the scenic city of ruins.
The chilliness of night had started emerging, as though the sun was retreating helplessly in defeat to the darkness.
A lofty sarcophagus stood before Sheyan, where the thousand years erosion of time and wind had foiled its intended shape.
Clear vestiges of cracks could be seen, yet strangely, its surroundings were totally barren. The lid of this sarcophagus had already been lifted into a tiny slit, where the visible queer black aura within was emitting gentle ‘chi-chi’ whispers; pervading into the atmosphere, nobody could fathom if it was a deadly poison, a trap of the bodily fumigation of a thousand years of decomposing sour stench.
Borrowing this free time, Sheyan lowered his head to observe; a purplish shade polluted a trivial abrasion at his waist and was spreading deeper into his skin.
This was a superficial wound inflicted by a random trap earlier. Even though the mechanism’s arrows had gone through a thousand years of sunlight, wind and rain, it still carried an effective toxin. At present, Sheyan could feel that side of his waist turning numb.
With a flick of his wrist, Sheyan retrieved a random knife from his storage. He then quietly sliced out a ‘十’ on his wound, allowing the blood to rapidly drain out. His wound throbbed painfully, alongside a sliver of numbing itch. Sheyan had found out the arrow tips were smeared with metallic toxins, such as lead, phosphorus and others. It wasn’t those neurotoxins that certain creatures secrete, or the rotting flesh kind of botulinum.
Therefore, though this injury wasn’t fatal to his life, it was increasingly tough to expel. It wasn’t similar to venom from creatures, that could be alleviated with instant effects from the appropriate antidote.
After injected a medicine dosage, Sheyan shut his eyes for a brief rest. After observing the miasma dispersing from that sarcophagus, he sauntered towards it. Then, he strenuously pushed off the lid of the sarcophagus. After ignoring the decomposed skeletal remains, he retrieved a diamond, a block of gold, and half a bag of golden sand; of which Sheyan immediately sold off for utility points.
After all, he was in desperate need of utility points!