[Vol. 8] Chapter 309: The Path of the Origin of Creation
“Hmm… To be exact, the tower floors so far seem to be imitating the Lower Dimension.”
The girl looked toward the center of the seventh floor’s foundation. There stood a massive magic furnace, glowing like a giant magical beacon. In this place, where the light was dazzling but still not too harsh compared to the outside, she finally gave her judgment.
“Look! From the first floor going upward. Fire, Ice, Wind, Stone, Metal, Darkness, and Light. These seven floors of the tower perfectly match the seven basic elements that made up the Lower Dimension during the Origin of Creation. It’s hard to say this is just coincidence.”
“If this tower really is the foundation of some kind of mysterious ritual, then what kind of magic would require using the world itself as its base to operate?”
“This…”
Hearing the clear reasoning from the Daughter of Truth, everyone looked at each other.
Even though each of them was a powerful figure in the outside world, when it came to the true secrets of the world’s foundation, they were like children, knowing nothing. Only Alex, who was closest to Nitila, couldn’t help but ask.
“So, Your Highness… what do you think the Austre Empire built this tower for?”
The mermaid girl glanced at Violet, exchanged looks with her, then turned back to Alex, answering his question with another question.
“Uncle Alex, when you were outside, did you see how many floors this tower has in total?”
The merman guard holding a steel trident froze for a moment, then quickly replied without much thought.
“I didn’t count the exact number of floors, but there should be at least more than ten. From where we are now, it seems we’re around the middle.”
“…That’s it.”
Nitila nodded slightly.
“According to the Origin of Creation Theory, the first and second days of the Primordial Light split sky and earth, laying the foundation of the world. But once again, this ‘heaven and earth’ does not mean the sky and land that we see with our eyes. Instead, it refers to something more mysterious, the Upper Dimension and the Lower Dimension that ordinary people can’t touch.”
“In that sense, constructing heaven and earth is the foundation of creation. It’s one of the very first steps that must be completed.”
At this point, even those who lacked knowledge could finally understand. Some of them turned pale.
“Your Highness… you mean…”
“Yes. Since the tower has more than ten floors, if the first seven represent the Lower Dimension, then it’s not hard to guess what the later ones stand for. That would be… the domain that only belongs to gods, the true realm of creation itself.”
The princess shook her head, driving away her scattered thoughts. The brief worry in her eyes quickly turned into determination. Looking around at everyone, she spoke firmly.
“Everyone, this mission has gone far beyond what I expected. The dangers in the upper floors are likely to be much greater than what we planned. Even for you, there’s a real chance of facing death. I don’t intend to force anyone to risk their lives. If you’re worried, you may stay here and guard this floor, then adapt depending on our situation above. That would be much safer.”
“This is not a test, but my sincere words. Don’t hesitate, no matter what choice you make, it won’t affect how I view your people in the future. You can rest assured of that.”
“……”
Among the ten or so people present, the two girls were of course not scared by this level of mystery. Alex, as the royal guard of the Mingjiao tribe, would certainly follow the princess through life and death. So, it was clear that Nitila’s earlier words were mainly directed at the top experts from the other Sea Tribes who had come as support.
Sensing the serious tone in the girl’s words, the powerful warriors from different races of the alliance looked at each other in silence. Their eyes showed both thought and hesitation. But in the end, not a single one chose to step back.
An old man, who held a coral staff and carried a large white shell on his back, seemed to be the oldest among them. He shook his head and spoke:
“Lady Daughter of Truth, you are treating us like outsiders by saying that. From the moment we decided to follow you to this faraway Imperial Capital, we were already prepared to give our lives here. We old folks may sometimes fuss about small things, but we also understand this: when the nest is destroyed, no egg can remain safe.”
“The Empire is full of ambition, and that so-called World Sustainer uses cruel methods. I’ve even heard that not long ago they caused a great disaster in the Western Holy Empire, killing more than a million people. Whatever this group is planning, if they succeed, we who are already their enemies will meet a terrible fate.”
“So if we’re doomed anyway, why not fight with all we have? We can die, but as the hope of the Sea Tribes, you must not fall. That is something all of us agree on.”
The elder of the merfolk seemed to have very high prestige. As soon as he spoke, the others quickly voiced their support.
“Yes, Your Highness, we are not the kind of people who cling to life in fear of death!”
“That’s right. Whatever it is, we’ll just smash our way through!”
“…Alright.”
Although this was, in a way, the answer she had expected, the princess still couldn’t help but feel moved when she heard such strong support.
She turned to glance at the priestess, only to see her smiling softly and nodding, as if she didn’t care much about the danger to come. Though the woman hadn’t spoken a single word, for some reason Nitila felt much calmer in her heart.
“Then… everyone, be very careful.”
………………………………………
Meanwhile—
At the same time that Violet and the others were entering deeper into the Imperial Palace to explore the mysterious tower, inside the Princess Palace of the Imperial Capital—
In the depths of the palace, a shadowy figure moved like a swift bird, leaping over high walls. He skillfully avoided many guards and maids along the way, heading quickly in a certain direction.
He was tall and slim, his face covered by a black cloth. He wore plain, simple clothes with no signs of identity, but at his waist hung a sword. Although his appearance seemed suspicious, he was clearly very familiar with the paths inside the palace. Combined with his excellent movement skills, he was able to move freely through the heavily guarded Princess Palace, without a single person noticing his presence.
Twisting and turning through corridors, he soon reached the deepest part of the palace. His goal, it seemed, was not the princess who was rumored to still be sick and resting here, but rather a sealed side hall nearby.
For some reason, no guards were stationed outside this side hall. The doors were tightly shut. The mysterious man stood in front of it, glanced around carefully, and then, without hesitation, drew his sword and slashed!
“Whoosh!”
The strike was as fast as lightning, swift as the wind. Even though he deliberately suppressed both sound and power, the sword still cut straight through the high-level magic lock in an instant. Losing its core, the glowing runes flowing across the door quickly dimmed and faded away, vanishing without a trace.