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Appearing in mid-air was a massive city "suspended" in the void.
The city was high on all sides and low in the middle, with buildings extending in circles towards the end of the deep pit, giving the overall impression of an inverted mausoleum.
The buildings within it were of various styles, but all equally strange. Some were towering, pale stone pillars with huge stone houses carved out at the top. Others were rectangular prisms without windows, their doors on the roof. Some were built underground, with a tombstone erected at the entrance, while others were constructed from white bones, appearing quite chaotic.
The closer to the central pit, the better the buildings were preserved. The closer to the top, the more buildings had collapsed, filled with the decay and ruin brought by time.
Hobert's first reaction was that it was the "City of the Dead," Calderon, but a Calderon that had undergone some kind of mutation.
Then he glanced at the official Beyonders beside him. Apart from Ted and two Sequence 5s, most were "low-sequence" Beyonders.
If left unattended, even Ted could die here.
Hobert pondered for a moment and said to them, "Don't leave my side. Let me think of a way."
Then he pretended to think, trying to enter the "Nation of Disorder." Fortunately, it was possible to enter the "Nation of Disorder" from here.
However, even using the "Creator's" "True Sight," he couldn't see where the boundary between the Underworld and the real world was. He could only see the Underworld gradually eroding Port Monteson, with more and more of the real world being swallowed by the Underworld.
Hobert used the "Nation of Disorder" to enhance his own spirituality and also sensed that the Underworld, or rather, the Calderon above, had undergone some mutation.
Moreover, his spirituality realized that the "Creator" could transfer Ted and the others to the real world, but could only send their physical bodies out. Their spiritual bodies would still remain here, tantamount to killing them.
This made Hobert frown: The power of the "Nation of Disorder" couldn't penetrate the mutated Underworld?
Then he suddenly thought: In the deepest part of Calderon, there seemed to be a tributary of the "River of Eternal Darkness." It was very likely that the "River of Eternal Darkness" was blocking the power of the "Nation of Disorder."
Sitting on the "Iron Throne," Hobert sighed: In other words, purely using force wouldn't be able to stop the current mutation.
So he first returned to the real world and glanced at the Beyonders behind him. Many "low-sequence" Beyonders were already freezing, their lips turning purple.
With a wave of his hand, Hobert "tampered" with their state, turning them into a state of Zombies and wraiths. This way, they would temporarily no longer be harmed by the surrounding environment.
But if the "tampering" lasted too long, they might really turn into Zombies or wraiths in this environment.
The official Beyonders all breathed a sigh of relief. Although their faces were pale and their expressions were stiff at this time, making them look more like corpses, at least they didn't have to resist the surrounding aura of the dead.
"Fortunately, this port is not a Calderon in the strict sense," Hobert said with a smile.
If everyone had immediately fallen into that "City of the Dead," these Beyonders would have died in an instant.
Hobert glanced outside and found that the buildings of Port Monteson were gradually becoming dim, as if they were gradually losing their own colors.
In the gray buildings, streaks of pale white lights suddenly appeared, indicating that the city was gradually being assimilated by the Underworld.
"Now we are facing such a problem," Hobert briefly described the problems they were currently encountering, but of course, information about the Sephirot could not be revealed to them.
Hobert wanted to get everyone to help him think about this problem: "My idea is that the Spirit World suddenly descending on the real world must have a reason.
"Next, while we look for clues, help me think about what this reason might be?"
For a time, everyone was eager to try, not expecting to be able to participate in such a high-level event and serve as the Duke's advisor.
Hobert led everyone out of the building with the teleportation array and came to the streets outside.
When they first entered the street, there was nothing, but soon, there were shadows on the street, moving back and forth with dull eyes, as if imitating the residents of the city.
Gradually, they became more and more solid, one by one, rotting humans or monsters with only skeletons left.
They were no longer so dull either, suddenly stopping their wandering and looking at Hobert and the dozen or so people.
Hobert stretched out his palm, revealing the mark Mr. Azik had given him.
This seemed to be a proof of identity. The surrounding undead all bowed to Hobert, which greatly surprised Ted and the others, suddenly giving them the illusion that they were important figures in the world of the dead.
Hobert and the others walked forward, and the undead in front also bowed one after another, while the undead behind them stood up one after another.
At this time, Ted behind him suddenly said, "Duke, besides us looking for clues and reasons ourselves, do we have other ways to obtain information?"
Hobert was slightly stunned: "That's a good idea."
He had only been thinking about not asking the "Pale Empress" for help, but that didn't mean he couldn't get information from her!
"You guys wait a moment." Hobert made a praying gesture, actually entering the "Nation of Disorder" to briefly describe his situation to Audrey, to see if she had any channels to get some information?
… …
The capital of the Balam Empire, Cevas.
Audrey was waiting in a side hall of the palace, with Beverly and Raymond behind her.
She had just questioned the "Pale Empress": "Does the Beyonder event that happened in our country mean a formal declaration of war by the Balam Empire?
"You are also countries that signed the treaty. Now your actions are a sneak attack! We will file a protest with the League of Nations and condemn your behavior in the international community."
This question hit the current weak spot of the Balam Empire. The current empire values its image in the international community very much.
It's like a person who is used to being inferior suddenly realizing that someone is paying attention to him, then he will definitely care about his image.
Of course, the "Pale Empress" didn't take such questioning to heart at all, but the ministers present cared very much.
The "Pale Empress" was similar to Hobert, only concerned with the general direction of strategy, and had long since stopped asking about such routine management affairs. These affairs were basically taken care of by the ministers.
So Prime Minister Santos said that they did not know the specific situation and asked Audrey to wait a moment in the side hall. He promised to give Audrey a satisfactory answer.
Audrey was considering how to bring this matter to the current negotiations and put herself on the moral high ground when a majestic figure sitting in a thicket of swords suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Immediately afterwards, the scene in front of her turned into Hobert's figure. He briefly described the problems he was currently encountering and asked Audrey to inquire about information as much as possible.
Audrey thought for a moment, first came up with a plan, and then asked the waiter outside to invite Prime Minister Santos here.
Four or five minutes later, Santos came to the side hall: "We believe that this incident has nothing to do with us. We can provide the League of Nations with relevant evidence.
"But if you need our help, as neighbors, we will of course lend a helping hand, but the question is what kind of reward can you give."
Audrey shook her head, looking disappointed: "Is this the sense of responsibility of a great power?"
Santos smiled and said: "We have already issued a statement, severing all ties with the 'Underworld Faction,' and will not be responsible for any actions.
"This is documented and verifiable. I can bring the relevant documents."
Audrey seemed to understand something: "Doesn't the 'Underworld Faction' support your Empress?"
"Those lunatics even live in the Underworld!" Santos spread his hands and explained: "I haven't seen anyone from the 'Underworld Faction' for a long time."
Audrey observed Santos's expression and body language while using her abilities to follow up on this topic: "Okay, I have been successfully persuaded by you, because I also suspect that this may be the work of the 'Underworld Faction.'
"But I need to report this matter to the Duchy government. It's not enough for just me to believe you. You still have to provide some evidence."
"What evidence is there to provide?" Santos was unaware that he was providing Audrey with information: "The purpose of the 'Underworld Faction' is to merge the Underworld with the real world. They believe that in this way, Beyonders of the 'Death' pathway can become the masters of this world.
"So they have been researching the 'City of the Dead.'"
Audrey appropriately showed her desire for knowledge: "I am very curious about their research results."
"I am also very curious." Santos said under Audrey's subtle guidance: "I heard that they have been trying to become residents of the 'City of the Dead' while maintaining their sanity.
"I also heard that they explored a very powerful force in the 'City of the Dead,' but I don't know what that force is."
Audrey nodded and talked about another question: "In order to give the Duchy government enough reference, please tell me, if we ask for your help, how would you help us?
"You should be clear that they also need to assess your help and then make a decision."
"That's for sure." Santos turned his head and signaled his guards to close the door before whispering: "For us, this matter is not very difficult to solve, because our angels can freely walk around the periphery of Calderon City in a short period of time.
"If something unusual happens there, they can also use their abilities to help us find the people from the 'Underworld Faction' and obtain more information. This way, we can know how to stop the Underworld's encroachment on the real world."
Audrey nodded thoughtfully, "I will report this to my superiors."
"Hopefully, you can also discuss the issue of compensation while you're at it," Santos said with a smile. "We're not greedy, we only hope to obtain a portion of your Star Highlands territory."
"I think our compensation will be to demand reparations from you," Audrey's expression suddenly changed. "You and the 'Underworld Faction are both Beyonder forces of the Numinous Episcopate."
"I will temporarily refrain from making any statements about you distancing yourselves from the 'Underworld Faction,' but I'm not so sure about the attitude of the Church of the Evernight Goddess."
"I need to remind you that the God of Combat has already fallen."
"If I were you, I wouldn't be so impolite to the Southern Balam Kingdom, which has close cooperation with the Church of the Evernight Goddess."
Santos opened his mouth, not only marveling at how quickly the special envoy's face could change, but also because Audrey's words once again struck a nerve with Santos and the other ministers, or rather, the "Pale Empress's" concerns.
Previously, the Church of the Evernight Goddess allowed so many Beyonders of adjacent pathways to operate in the Southern Continent because their main enemy was the Church of the God of Combat.
The reason why the Balam Empire has been working so hard to integrate into the international social system of the Northern Continent after the war is to find opportunities to use the power of other Churches to restrain the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
This has been their core strategy for some time, but they didn't expect Audrey to reveal it so bluntly.
"Alright, please leave now. I will give you a reply later," Audrey sent off the somewhat surprised Santos and conveyed the information she had learned to Hobert through the "Mystical Switchboard System."
… …
Port Montenson.
After hearing Audrey's information, Hobert roughly understood the ins and outs of the matter.
He looked up again at the city of Calderón above him. As long as they were demigod-level Beyonders, they could operate on the edge of this city, so theoretically, the "Pale Empress" should be able to delve deeper into the city.
But if she went too deep, she would be more easily eroded by the "River of Eternal Darkness."
Now that he knew the cause, it was easy to handle. Hobert didn't even need to borrow sealed artifacts from Bernadette. He could walk unhindered there by using the "0-73" Death Domain.
Even without the "Death Domain," with the protection of the "Nation of Disorder's" power, he could even enter the very center of the "City of the Dead."
But it was meaningless for him to go there, and he suddenly thought of a better way.
Hobert smiled and said to Ted and the others, "'Many hands make light work.' Ted's reminder just now gave me another key piece of information. Now, I will find you a safe place first, and then I will go explore on my own."
Ted was a little embarrassed to be praised, and the others were happy for Ted, seeing that they were not so useless after all.
As they spoke, many heavy coffins near the core of the "City of the Dead" suddenly floated out. When they reached the middle of Calderón City and Port Montenson, the coffins made some noises like machines that had not been maintained for a long time, "creak, creak."
The coffin lids slowly opened, and phoenixs with some pale, illusory feathers flew out from inside.
The undead of Port Montenson also underwent changes. The undead wandering on the streets gradually transformed from ordinary humans into giants with a large vertical pupil on their faces, looking somewhat simple and honest; Sanguine, over two meters tall, handsome, and somewhat arrogant; and elves, who didn't look very easy to mess with, tall and sturdy.
The wandering monsters also changed from some common extraordinary monsters into huge magic wolves, demons with goat horns and wings, and werewolves whose eyes still flashed with madness.
These monsters no longer saluted Hobert, who had a special mark, and occasionally sized up the group, wondering why they were so small.
The anomalies in the "City of the Dead" seemed to be getting worse and worse.
At this time, an phoenix suddenly landed on a building on the Port Montenson side, and many illusory bricks and tiles were shattered and fell to the ground.
The phoenix with pale, illusory feathers opened its mouth and spat out a mouthful of white flames, and the surrounding undead creatures avoided it!
The white flames spread out in front of Hobert and the others, forming a not-very-high wall of fire.
Ted and the others were on high alert, ready to protect themselves when the Archduke dealt with the phoenix.
Hobert raised his hand to signal them not to be nervous. The "Tampering" of an Archangel was not so easily seen through. At this time, in the eyes of the undead creatures, they were no different from normal undead.
The phoenix turned its head to look at Hobert and asked in an ancient language that Hobert could understand in a hoarse voice, "Whose subordinates are you?"
This was the "Language of the Undead," which all creatures with souls could understand.
Hobert had a flash of inspiration: "'God of the Dead,' Salinger."
The phoenix was slightly stunned: "That feathered serpent is dead too?"
Hobert said solemnly: "Yes."
The phoenix said nothing more, and with a slight flap of its wings, the pale white wall of fire in front of Hobert and the others disappeared: "Pay attention to everything around you, I have a bad feeling."
Seeing that the other party was about to leave, Hobert quickly asked: "Your Excellency, why were we… awakened?"
He didn't know if his wording was correct, but it seemed that the "City of the Dead" had awakened some ancient souls.
The phoenix said as it took off: "Because our progenitor is about to be resurrected, rejoice! His kingdom will return!"
Hobert's eyes narrowed: The ancient Death is about to be resurrected! What kind of research did those guys from the "Underworld Faction" do here?
Without delay, Hobert immediately led Ted and the others into the nearby city hall.
At this time, inside the spacious city hall, a pale white ghost fire illuminated the surroundings, making it particularly eerie.
Several illusory shadows hid in the corners, as if they were going to settle down here.
Hobert took out a piece of "Order Crystal" and handed it to Ted, and told him how to use the barrier formed by the "Power of Order."
"Your state may change a bit later, don't panic, that's a chain reaction caused by me looking for members of the 'Underworld Faction,'" Hobert instructed. "Wait here, don't go anywhere. No matter what happens, don't open the barrier!"
Although this would consume a lot of Spirituality, Ted, as a "Earl of the Fallen," should be able to last for most of an hour.
Ted summoned a barrier, and everyone watched Hobert leave. Soon, their bodies emitted brilliant rainbow-like colors, which looked very unusual in this world dominated by pale white.
Because of Hobert's instructions, everyone didn't panic, and even joked that they seemed to have become much more sacred.
Originally, everyone just thought that they were just waiting here, but soon a naive little girl ran in from outside, opening her arms towards them: "Daddy, hug me."
"Lena!" An official Beyonder rushed over in disbelief: "Is it really you?"
"That's not your daughter!" Ted quickly used the ability to "distort" space to twist the official Beyonder back behind him: "Everyone pay attention! Without the Duke's protection! The mutated Underworld will notice us! But, no matter what, don't leave this barrier."
The official Beyonder was first suddenly drained of his strength, and sat down on the ground with a thud, crying while saying: "Daddy misses you so much."
Ted took a deep breath: "This is death…"
"Child, are you a demigod now?" A lady in her forties with a classical dress walked in from outside, with several similarities between her eyebrows and Ted.
Ted's breathing also suddenly became rapid, but in the end, he stabilized his state and tried to calmly say: "Mother, you… you haven't aged at all, just like when I buried you."
The lady asked with a kind expression: "You look much more mature, you must have experienced a lot of difficulties these years."
"Yes." Ted suddenly smiled with tears in his eyes: "Ada is already thirteen years old this year, and a few days ago he said he dreamed of grandma."
The lady's expression instantly became serious: "You, have you prepared the Beyonder characteristics for him?"
"Mother, the curse has been lifted."
"Ah, it's been lifted, that's great, that's great. Your father's spirit body was corrupted because of the curse. I searched for him in the Underworld for a long, long time, but I couldn't find him."
Ted suddenly broke down and cried like the official Beyonder just now, covering his face.
However, he still remembered his mission and kept injecting Spirituality into the "Order Crystal."
Without the protection of the Archangel, even with the barrier composed of the "Order Crystal," the spirit bodies of these official Beyonders were very small in front of the "City of the Dead."
… …
After Hobert left the city hall, he stretched out his hand and took out the "0-80" Book of Law from the "Nation of Disorder," which was the Uniqueness of the "Justiciar" pathway, the former "Trunsoest Brass Book."
He injected Spirituality into the "Book of Law." As the owner of the "Nation of Disorder," the owner of this Sealed Artifact, without needing to speak, the Brass Book understood Hobert's intention.
It opened on its own, and a line of quicksilver-colored text appeared on the new page: Here is the Underworld, any non-undead creatures, their colors are different from this pale white world.
Colorful light also radiated from Hobert's body, but he casually gifted this color to a giant undead.
However, under the 'rules' of the 'Brass Book,' his previous 'tampering' with his own state was still ineffective. The surrounding undead creatures all looked at him, sensing that he was not a creature of this world.
Immediately afterward, a second line of mercury-colored text appeared on that page of the 'Brass Book': The great 'Creator,' as the owner of the 'Nation of Disorder,' possesses noble integrity and is a unique existence, capable of escaping the constraints of many rules.
Hobert was slightly stunned: Sealed Artifacts actually flatter! It's just that the 'Brass Book' has a higher level and isn't as shameless as the magic mirror Arrodes!
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