Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 639 Encountering "Choice" (Part 1)
boom!
Sizzle, sizzle.

boom!
The massive stone gate slowly opened amidst the constant sound of electricity flowing through it. After the three of them had all passed through, the Eastern gem at the "Dragon Clan Leader" sculpture detected that there was no one else outside the gate, and then guided the giant gate to close rapidly.

Immediately afterwards, all the dragon-head oil lamps hanging on the walls throughout the underground palace were lit, emitting wave after wave of pungent gasoline smell.

The initial path was very long, but it seemed that the oriental-style stone passage leading deeper into the area did not lead downwards, but rather slightly upwards.

About half an hour later, the narrow passage finally came to an end. When Iokina inserted her arm into the stone wall and opened the pure steel door in front of her, a huge underground room, so bright that it could bring tears to one's eyes and almost blind one, appeared before the three of them.

"Where is this?" Dark asked Iochina behind him.

Iochina responded in as clear as possible, but her voice was already weak:
"This is the 'temporary rest area,' a place where people who enter can temporarily rest. Hundreds of years ago, the famous craftsmen brought into the underground palace by Emperor Crusad underwent inspections and machinery checks here before inspecting and repairing the underground palace. Only after confirming that they were not carrying any dangerous items were they allowed to enter the upper space."

"Then, do we still need to be checked?" Adaloni sneered, looking at Iochina as well.

“We really don’t need it,” Iochina replied.

"The chivalry of Crusaders is dead, so these measures used to guard against raids on the dungeon are naturally useless. Besides, you probably wouldn't be interested in the usual burial goods, like gold, silver, or some ancient coins. If you were to enter the underground area for those things, the fishmen outside would have already pierced your hearts."

"Weren't those merfolk the soldiers buried with Emperor Shangling?" Dark asked, as it seemed that Aiochina's account differed from Adaloni's.

But then, Iochina's explanation cast an even deeper shadow of doubt over him:

"They were indeed soldiers buried with me, but they were not Khitans, but Krusds. In fact, they were all mechanical beings, and like me, they had been blessed by the 'Master of Machines' and briefly possessed some 'humanity'."

"But this lack of 'humanity' will only make them obey Emperor Crusad's orders. The 'greedy ones' deserve to have their hearts pierced; the violent ones deserve to have their livers pierced; only the resolute ones are worthy of fighting them and gaining the opportunity to enter the dungeon."

"So, we defeated those black mermen, so we can be considered steadfast, right?" Adaloni said with a self-deprecating laugh.

“Of course.” Aiochina was clearly clueless about how humans used language. Although she was fluent in Crusad and Flame Empire languages, she did not understand human emotions or the sarcasm they conveyed in their language.

The machines can only handle things in the most correct way at the moment, either by conveying the correct information or by doing the thing with the highest probability of success. There are no lies or concealments in their mouths, only cruel and ridiculous truths.

“You are considered steadfast not only in the eyes of Emperor Crusde, but also in the eyes of the gods. While the empire still had the resources to repair the underground palace, the vast amount of wealth and burial goods stored here gradually decreased year by year. Indeed, someone was stealing them, but the emperor didn't care, the gods didn't care, and naturally, we didn't care either.” Iochina's answer left Dark bewildered.

“If it doesn’t matter, then why keep an ‘intermediate zone’ as an intermediate layer to constrain those craftsmen?” Dark asked.

Iochina strode quickly towards the center of the room using the conveyor belt, pointed to a cage slowly descending above, and explained:
"On the one hand, the Crusad Empire only checks whether the artisans are carrying weapons and destructive tools. The treasures here can be stolen, but the cultural traces of Khitanris cannot be destroyed. This place already has a lot of 'sorrow' from the underworld accumulated here because of its distance from the ground. If people carry weapons, the 'sorrow' will intensify the negative emotions in their hearts."

"People will become impulsive, irritable, and even use weapons to kill each other. Blood will awaken the extraordinary power hidden in the darkness, making the dungeon eventually unable to accept anyone else."

"And on the other hand?" This time it was Adaloni's turn to ask.

“On the other hand,” Iochina paused for a few seconds, seemingly searching her mind for information, a strange green light flashing in her eyes before she answered:

"The confined space amplifies people's inner fears, and only those with strong willpower are allowed to enter the depths of the underground palace for repairs. Rather than going insane or even losing your life, it's better to have a little 'madness' here, and then recover after a few days of treatment in a mental hospital."

"Although humans are a race with exceptional 'intelligence,' they not only cannot look directly at the gods, but even being near them gradually diminishes their spiritual power. Of course, if any organizations attempting to steal the treasures of the underground palace or damage it try to take shortcuts into its depths, this place will become their natural graveyard. Without guidance, no human is allowed to enter or leave this place."

"Then, Ms. Iochina, please take us to the top floor. Even without gods or treasures, we will be content as long as we can leave this place," Dark pleaded as the elevator slowly descended.

“Then, please.” As before, Iocina took the lead and stepped into the elevator, followed by Dark and Adaloni, who entered the more enclosed, cage-like space.

As the elevator slowly rose, the surrounding space briefly plunged into darkness, but then quietly began to emit faint, star-like rays of light from the depths of the darkness.

It seems that outside the cage-like elevator is not a closed, narrow passage, but a vast, empty, and deserted strange space.

Unknown, cloud-like beams of light began to shimmer endlessly at the edge of darkness. Strange points of light shone like stars in space and the universe. Countless planets coalesced into bizarre lines as the elevator ascended, weaving into any shape that the brain could imagine, and even that it could not.

The deep, chaotic sounds of the universe at its very beginning constantly pierced through Dark and Adaloni's eardrums. Moonlight, spilled from the moon, pierced through every crevice, pouring into the cage-like elevator, attempting to occupy every inch of space that belonged to light.

The phosphorescence emitted by the stars, like a lake at night, carries the aura of the Creator and ancient gods, bringing a strange, deathly sensation.

For a moment, Dark and Adaloni were unsure whether they had traveled into the great universe created by the Creator or were hallucinating in the dark underground world.

But when a beam of light, as bright as the sun, shone into the elevator shaft, everything related to the universe vanished, leaving only cold, arched walls made of blue bricks. Throughout the elevator's ascent, Iochina remained silent. Just as she had twice led them deeper into the dungeon, she neither turned back nor greeted Dark and the other, simply walking into the vast, expansive space that resembled "dwarven territory."

However, this time, Iochina only walked for three or four seconds before freezing in place.

With the sound of machinery operating under overload, Iochina's body convulsed violently a few times, billowing black smoke before disintegrating with a bang, leaving behind a pile of mechanical parts.

Even more surprisingly, a few screws rolled down the semi-smooth ground to the center of the space. When Dak looked in that direction, they appeared like charred, inferior meat, emitting a faint wisp of smoke before turning into a pile of black powder.

“This should be the core of the underground palace. Aiochina has completed her mission, and according to the program settings, she should have initiated the self-destruct sequence,” Adaloni speculated with a hint of regret, a sudden pang of sadness at the departure of his old friend flashing through his heart.

But it was soon replaced by a stronger sense of caution and unease.

Dark looked around at the core of the underground palace and realized that it did indeed resemble the layout of a "dwarven territory," seemingly directly transformed from a "core area."

The overall design features a heavy, black and gold mechanical style. The floor is made of smooth glass, and the ceiling is equipped with fixed searchlights that consume [Light] ore to maintain illumination.

At the very center are colossal sculptures of Charles XII and a man dressed in the uniform of the King of Catalonia, while further back are stacks of bizarrely shaped machines whose functions are completely incomprehensible.

After confirming that there was no further danger for the time being, Adaloni led Dark up the long staircase and slowly walked towards the most central area of ​​the room.

That is where the most important thing in the entire underground palace is buried: the coffin of Emperor Shangling.

According to the funeral customs of Crusaders, emperors and important members of the royal family were generally buried directly in the sarcophagus of St. Ivan the Great Cathedral after their death, so that they could be directly revered by their people and protected by God.

According to the style of the Flame Empire, the emperor's coffin must be buried deep enough underground, not only to be kept hidden from the public, but also to prevent anyone from knowing its exact location, in order to avoid the covetousness of those with ulterior motives.

This underground palace seems to blend the styles of two cultures. As Dak and Adaloni gradually approached the location of the coffin, they discovered that one of the stone coffins was higher than the platform, as if it had been placed directly on the ground.

The other coffin, made of steel machinery and sturdi enough, was set like a jewel within the platform at the very top. Standing nearby, one could feel that it was below the ground.

Just as Adaloni was about to approach the two very different coffins to investigate, a strange rustling sound came from the coffin that was above the ground.

"There's some noise, be careful," Dark warned, pulling out his "Replica - Mad Bear" pistol as a precaution.

Immediately afterwards, the stone coffin was pushed open by a strange force emitting smoke and dust. Countless insects resembling a combination of cockroaches and ants, along with a yellowish, rotten liquid like stomach acid and thick, black engine oil, poured out of the stone coffin, much like an insect swarm that broke out in the deep forest during the Second Era.

However, these insects seemed to simply want to escape from this place, rather than attack the two people who entered. Although they "spread out" on the ground, they obediently bypassed the two people's shoes and rushed away into the distance of this vast space.

“This is the mechanical entity’s defense mechanism, called a ‘mechanical worm.’ It often attaches itself to the body of a mechanical entity or a pre-mechanical entity, escaping when the entity is near death to seek its master in a higher dimension. Generally, when this happens, it means that the body has lost the protection of its mechanical master,” Dark explained.

"This is information Wright told me; he heard that people had seen these insects when he was in the German Empire."

Looking in the direction where the swarm of insects disappeared, Adaloni indeed saw these insects, as they reached the edge and end of the space, strangely crawling upwards along a non-existent wall.

Soon, the insects split open at the end of the wall, revealing their internal and external states, as if their internal organs had turned inside out without the body breaking open, appearing together with the surface of their bodies.

This bizarre state did not last long. Just a second later, the insects' bodies twisted violently and then disappeared into the air.

Soon, a fair hand emerged from the cracks in the stone coffin. After touching it haphazardly a few times, the hand seemed to find a foothold. With another hand pushing open the coffin lid, a sleepy-eyed, swaying boy dressed in the traditional clothing of the Flame Empire stood before the two.

"A living person?" For the first time, Dark felt a fear from the depths of his soul. He struggled to move his legs, which seemed to be bound with lead, and took a half step back, asking Adaloni in an almost inaudible voice:

"Is it that 'lucky' little emperor?"

“No.” Adaloni shook his head, his expression extremely serious, yet with a hint of respect.

He didn't panic. Instead, he straightened up, looked at the boy who was slowly opening his eyes, and said in a deep voice:
"He is not the emperor. The emperor is long dead, leaving behind only withered flesh and skin without internal organs. This is a god."

"Oh, looks like we've run into an old acquaintance, Long Yuan. No, I'll still call you by your Crusader name, 'Adaroni,' after all, this is his territory. That's right, I am the god Adaroni has been searching for, a transmigrator who predates Light Socrates, and an 'Orderer' from the early days when the theories of upper-class professions were not yet mature." The young man shook his fiery red Flame Empire's traditional attire—the Flame Robe—and walked up to the two of them, looking directly at Dark and Adaroni, speaking in a long, slightly ethereal voice befitting a god:

“My Flame Empire is named Ye Mingyuan, and the Western Continent is named Klett. Of course, you can also call me by my title of Order God. I am currently the 51st Order God, ‘The Chosen One’.”