Chapter 2736 - Ninth District
Tianming was like an ant in a world of giants. He felt out of place everywhere he went. What was even more laughable was that the specter guards seemed completely nonchalant about kneeling down toward an ant that was heading their way to ask them where they were going, and to collect an entrance fee or a letter of recommendation without batting an eye. The same thing happened to Tianming. Eight gigantic guards knelt around him, all of them as still and tall as mountains.
According to Yin Chen, these specters were antiquiteans, the most common race of specters in Antiquitas Mortis. They had the most numbers and boasted the highest number of top elites. Their ruler was also one of their own, but they claimed descent from antiquitean imperials, which were considered to be of a nobler breed.
The antiquiteans still resembled humans. Their bodies were large and powerful, while their faces were surprisingly humanlike. Their skin, however, was a few shades paler and they had three slits on either side of their necks that made them look a little like sharks. They also had tails, which were important weapons to their kind. They looked like scorpion stingers, but the length of the tail was also covered in armor and hooked spikes. At the very end of the tail was a snake head that seemed alive.
One of the guards stretched out its tail and stopped in front of Tianming. The black snake head spoke, "Outworlder, are you planning to enter the capital?"
"Yes. This is my letter of recommendation." Tianming behaved himself, not daring to offend them.
The giant snake gave it a look and glared at Tianming. "With this, you can only stay here for three months, which is only enough time to explore the area near this gate. If you’re still inside after your time is up and we discover you, we won't bother kicking you out. We'll just swallow you whole, got it?"
"Yes!" Tianming nodded.
"That isn’t enough. If you want to enter, you have to show us some sincerity, you know what I mean? Guarding the gate is hard work for me and my brothers, you know," said another snake head.
"But of course!" Tianming believed that it was best to play nice for now. He was worried that they wouldn’t be happy and took out a hundred thousand soulstones for them.
"Is that all? Do you think we're begging for change?!" the snake head angrily said.
Tianming almost froze.
"Two million! Now!" said the other.
They could tell that Tianming didn't know how things worked around here, so they immediately told him how much they wanted to not waste time.
"Two million? Is this a robbery or what?" Tianming said.
"Well, you're right, it is! What are you going to do about it?" said another snake, smiling.
"If you don't like it, you can always leave. Do you think the capital is somewhere outworlders can simply wander into?"
Tianming had no choice. He paid out two of his three million soulstones just like that. Tianming looked up and made sure to memorize their faces.
"I'm glad you know your place, now fuck off! Next!" One of the snake heads grabbed Tianming with its tongue and tossed him through the gates like a fly. His hair and clothes were completely messed up.
"Take the capital codex with you!" cried another as a book slammed into Tianming's face. It was a book of all the laws in the capital. Just like in Commonsky, an outlander could be killed if they violated the laws.
Tianming took a deep breath and looked ahead at the city of giants. Every single wall was like a heavenly structure.
"Now, where is that divine wonder?"
Just as he was wondering that, the marker on his caelum started guiding him by moving on its own. As he followed his caelum, a thought occurred to him. "Huh, automatic guiding? Does that mean my caelum can be hijacked by someone else? I wonder what the divine wonderians intend to do with the ten-odd stigmas they put on the caeli of elite fighters? Maybe Old Man Voidback will give me the answers when I get the divine wonder."
First, Tianming gave the book a skim. As expected, there was a ban on fighting within the capital, with some exceptions. In the Ninth District, for example, there were specific 'blackout periods' where outworlders were allowed to kill. Apart from that, lifebound beasts were allowed to come out with size limitations. Fortunately, Meow Meow's Regal Chaosfiend form was within the acceptable range. Lan Huang, however, couldn't emerge. As such, Tianming rode Meow Meow and followed his caelum, scattering Yin Chens on the way.
"There’s quite a few foundationeers and a lot of cosmic cartographers here. It's also where the most order fragments are concentrated. It's an opportunity for me to grow. I must make sure to keep a low profile." His heart burned with passion and fighting spirit. There were far too many things he wanted to do, like finding Sixth, Lingfeng, Qingyu, and the Ancient Oldgod Domain. He would take it step by step.
Eventually, he found a map in the capital codex and learned that he had entered through the east gate. "My caelum seems to be bringing me toward the Ninth District...."
Its special status that permitted fights wasn't a coincidence; it was actually the slums of the capital. But Old Man Voidback was precisely leading him toward it. Tianming had never been closer to the imperial-class divine wonder than he was now; there shouldn't be any more surprises waiting for him.
Meow Meow blazed ahead, leaving crackling electricity in its trail. What completely stumped Tianming was that it took two whole months to reach the borders of the Ninth District, even though Meow Meow was rushing the whole way. There wouldn't be any time left to return to the east gate. If he wasn't able to extend his pass, he would have no choice but to leave the Xenoabyss and never return, unless he wished to die. It was a great risk.
"The capital is so insanely huge!" It took him two months just to find a district. Fortunately, he was at least there.
"Make sure... to go... fast fast," Yin Chen warned.
"Is it an ambush?"
"The blackout... period is... about to... start here."
Tianming looked at the bloody world ahead and took a deep breath. "Well, let's get this over with then."