Chapter 611

Chapter 611: Oedipus

The street was desolate with no pedestrians. Lolan Hill walked towards the area that had been previously marked.

The cobblestones underfoot were still damp; last night’s light rain had left its traces not fully dried. Compared to the past few days, today’s air seemed fresher, no longer carrying the scent of burnt and smoke.

Currently, all the shops around were closed, and the city was still under martial law and curfew. It would take careful selection and screening before the residents could gradually be released and return to their daily lives.

Passing through a junction guarded by a few soldiers, Lolan Hill turned to a café by the roadside, whose door was tightly shut.

She didn’t enter immediately but stood in the middle of the street, slightly closing her eyes, loosening herself to perceive her surroundings, searching for everything around her.

After a few seconds, Lolan Hill slowly opened her eyes, looking at the café ahead.

Though she didn’t sense anything unusual, the biggest oddity was that she couldn’t sense anything inside the shop ahead, like a black void, appearing in her perception.

Indeed, there was something wrong. She thought, then a red glow passed, cutting through the internal lock, and she pushed open the door.

The originally locked door suddenly opened, releasing the stifling air.

She stepped inside, first turning around. The hall, front desk, kitchen, warehouse, and lounge were naturally empty. Finally, she opened the storeroom, revealing a room filled with disorganized items.

It seemed like the mess made by a regular shopkeeper. Lolan Hill blinked, scanning it once, then waved her hand, and the floating wind cleared everything away, revealing the original state of the room.

The floor was in a grid pattern. She stomped her foot on it, but no echo came back.

Destroying things wasn’t her forte, Lolan Hill thought, then squatted down, placing her hand on the ground, further perceiving the underground scene.

Unfortunately, her power was over wind and atmosphere, so her perception of the underground wasn’t very effective. If Brunner was here, it would be better. For some reason, Lolan Hill suddenly had this thought. Although they had never communicated in the present world, after centuries of unconscious coexistence, they actually felt a strange familiarity and closeness toward each other.

After a long while, Lolan Hill released her hand, stood up, and took a few steps back.

A sharp blood-red dagger…

A gun materialized in front of her, then was grasped in the young lady’s single hand.

She effortlessly twirled it in her hand, leaving several light trails, as if slicing through tofu. The sharp tip of the gun directly pierced through layers of the ground. Following her projection, it plunged deep underground.

Several red lights shot out from the cracks in the ground, followed by the sound of falling pebbles and sand.

After waiting for a while, once most of it had settled, a hole about two meters wide appeared in front of Lolan Hill.

She leaped down from above, her body slowly sliding down the pit, finally landing on a flat open space hundreds of meters below.

It seemed to be part of some underground passage leading even deeper underground.

Lolan Hill stood up, looked at the sparse and dimly lit gemstones overhead, and slowly walked down the stairs.

The walls around were blank gray stone walls. Every few dozen steps, there was a small platform to turn and transition, making the entire underground passage resemble a zigzagging path.

She wore gray boots stepping on the stairs, clearly hearing the echo of her footsteps in the corridor.

Initially, Lolan Hill was worried she might be detected by enemies, but under her perception, there were no living beings ahead, not even any guards.

And after descending another few hundred meters, a beautifully decorated circular hall finally appeared before Lolan Hill’s eyes. This circular hall resembled a small square, with a diameter about the size of a basketball court. The floor was made of white and chestnut-red bricks, and in the center stood a female statue.

The statue appeared to be a beautiful young woman. She held a crescent-shaped wand in one hand and raised a tiny star in the other, her head slightly tilted upward, gazing intently at that tiny star.

Her upper body was dressed in a classical coat with a small shawl, her lower body in a short skirt. One foot stood firmly, the other slightly lifted, her toe touching the ground, exuding a delicate beauty of youth.

Not far from the statue’s feet was a small plaque, inscribed with elegant flowing script.

“Dorothy Yuan Alranta”

Is this what Dorothy would look like later? Lolan Hill thought to herself, then slowly approached, slightly raising her head to look at the lifelike statue on the pedestal.

This was the first time she saw Dorothy’s appearance, recorded in Lagatis’ diary. At that time, Dorothy was still quite young, only around ten years old, and then as an adult after Lagatis woke up.

Compared to the petite Lagatis, Dorothy grew up normally.

Then, her physical age stopped around 20 years old. In this case, she appeared slightly taller than Lolan Hill.

Circling around the statue and finding no additional discoveries, Lolan Hill turned her gaze to the surroundings. There were five doors and a passage entrance. The passage was the direction she had come from, but the other five doors led to unknown destinations.

It seemed that some special means had been used to reinforce this place. Even her perception ability was limited, unable to sense far beyond.

She approached the left door first, which had a keyhole for insertion.

Although she didn’t have a key, the young lady gripped the doorknob, preparing to pull it. Then, a familiar power surfaced in her mind—the ability of Agatha, Obscuration, which she had seen during her time at the school.

A slight thought crossed her mind, and the power was neutralized. The doorknob changed appearance. The keyhole vanished, transforming into a sliding mechanism on the side.

So, no key was needed? she thought, then slid the door open, revealing its interior.

The first room was an exhibition hall. This hundred-square-meter room was adorned with numerous paintings on the walls, depicting a bustling and prosperous city from various angles.

The houses in the city were covered with tiles of various colors, layered in a harmonious and beautiful manner. In the sky, mages rode various small flying devices, weaving between tall buildings. Occasionally, one could spot the presence of dragons.

At the center of the city stood several towering structures. They varied in height, with the tallest on the north side and the shortest on the south. Surrounding these towers was a floating giant hollow sphere, seemingly designed to simulate the trajectory of celestial movements.

In one painting, a group of newly graduated students joyfully stood in front of the school’s main gate, jumping up and holding their certificates. Time froze at this moment.

Another painting showed a black-haired girl dressed in a black dress, gently touching the bookshelves in the library as she walked through, her expression serene and beautiful. If she wasn’t mistaken, this should be Dorothy.

Finally, at the center of the room and the most prominent position, there was a miniature city model enclosed by glass. It matched the depiction in the paintings, as described on the plaque below.

‘Oz Country · Astral Capital · Alranta’

No less prestigious than the Emanas Academy, the location of the Celestial Secret Rites Academy. For centuries before its destruction, it was a shining star in the southern continent.

(The End of Chapter)