City of Forlorn Water (1) and City of Forlorn Water (2)
I will raise an army from earth to heaven.
That was definitely what Mistia meant.
‘Is that possible?’
Hyun had doubts.
Both the owner and manager of the island are celestials.
Humans on earth seldom meet celestial beings, but the prefecture is well aware of the fact that each country respects all celestial beings.
Carinta Island is also a celestial district.
Hyun wondered if humans on the ground could make plans to invade the land of the heavenly people.
Mystia explained that again.
“There are celestial beings who are instigating the Holy Kingdom behind the scenes. Since they are turning their backs on the forces of heaven, they will not be left behind in their cause.”
“Who are the other celestials?”
“For now, it is assumed to be the power of light… .”
“I’m not sure,” said Mystia, reducing her words.
Even she, who was infiltrating the Knights, did not seem to know all the facts.
“Anyway, as long as I am there, the ruins will not be destroyed. I also came with an army.”
Mistia revealed that she had prepared an army as well.
The ruins of Carinta Island are like a holy place of harmony.
It was the will to never let someone be trampled on.
then asked
“Johwa said that you are in charge of restoring artifacts, is that correct?”
“hmm… yes.”
After a moment of thought, Hyun nodded.
The task of reviving the minions of darkness could be said to be the restoration of artifacts in a different sense.
From Mistia’s explanation, Hyun was able to grasp the general situation.
What trust did she receive? For what reason did she save herself?
It was fortunate that I hadn’t rushed to scroll.
It seems that Louise’s adventure is not yet over.
***
The fog finally lifted.
When the white background made of thick clouds disappeared and the vast ruins reappeared.
At that time, Mystia had also suddenly disappeared along with the fog.
‘There were many things I wanted to ask.’
Hyun put in regret.
It was clear that Mystia was a heavenly person with a fairly high status in the forces of harmony.
There are a lot of things to do in that position. It would be rude to keep holding onto a busy person.
Hyun talked to Louise, who was quietly listening to the conversation.
“I’m glad. There are still more opportunities.”
“Yes… ?”
“It’s not yet time to give up on your men.”
“okay… . I’m glad.”
Louise’s voice, which trembled for a moment, soon softened.
“It was all thanks to you.”
“what?”
“If you hadn’t stepped up when I was about to give up… .”
“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s see if there are spirits that can be felt around us.”
Hyun first identified the location.
Comparing nearby structures and maps, it was not long before the present location was determined.
District 11 still.
The Knights of Masianne must also be staying in the same area, but since one area is so huge, they didn’t seem to come across it easily.
‘Should we go to the next area first?’
As the numbering of the zones increases, the number of ‘passages’ decreases.
It is difficult to find the road leading to the next area, so from the moment you enter area 12, the chances of encountering enemies will be greatly reduced.
‘I’ll just have to run for another 20 minutes.’
According to the map, this is the end of District 11.
If you go a little further, you will reach the passage leading to District 12.
If they couldn’t find the passage, they would most likely circle the same road, or head back to District 10, but Hyun, fully aware of the regularity of the site, had no problem with it.
Pod!
at some point. The color of the lantern was dyed orange.
Proof that you crossed over to District 10 or District 12.
Which of the two is it?
‘It’s a new place!’
It was clear that he had not returned to District 10.
Shoot aaaaa-. The sound of flowing water was welcoming me from everywhere.
Apparently the 12th district of the ruins.
“This place is amazing… .”
Louise murmured, fascinated by the scenery around her.
A cool waterfall was flowing throughout the antique ruins.
A water park built in the world of giants.
If District 12 were to be described in one word, it could be explained like that.
It seemed a little lonely that there were no customers in such a water park.
‘The structure has changed a little.’
Hyun soon realized the difference between District 12 and previous districts.
This wasn’t an out-of-the-way place.
Just looking at the countless bridges placed here and there, one could tell that the structure would be very complex.
Rather than a road, the term “water labyrinth” made up of waterfall walls was more appropriate.
“Can’t you feel anything here?”
Hyun’s question was heard while crossing the road between the huge waterfalls.
Louise answered in a depressed voice.
“yet… . does not exist.”
“okay? If you feel anything strange, tell me.”
“i get it.”
I wandered around the city of water where there was no one.
Until the sound of the waterfall makes your ears go numb.
Normally, you might have appreciated the spectacular scenery around you.
But now there was no time to enjoy the leisurely atmosphere.
Because Louise was struggling to find the energy of her subordinates as soon as possible.
“Ah, I found it!”
At one point, Louise jumped up and shouted.
It was on the way to pass a bridge right next to a giant waterfall over 100 meters high.
“Really?”
“Yes, it is somewhere around here!”
“What direction?”
“I don’t know about that… A little more research will make it clear!”
There was a time when Louise’s face turned red for a moment.
When he felt that the being connected to his soul was very close.
But it didn’t take long for that face to turn into a tearful one.
Fain! Fain! It was because no matter how much I ran on the surface of the water or searched the inside of the huge waterfall, I couldn’t find anything similar to the ‘door’ at that time.
About 30 minutes passed pointlessly like that… . Louise couldn’t find any of her subordinates.
In a way, it was natural.
The distance where Louise could feel the trembling of her soul was quite far.
It would be difficult to find a specific place hidden in a three-dimensional maze with only those clues.
“where… Where are you!”
I can’t seem to get my hands on it.
Hyun could see that Louise’s despair was growing as time passed.
Yes, two hours had already passed, but during that time, only a few places Louise had explored.
In terms of percentage, it was less than 1 percent of the entire district 12.
One area was as vast as that.
“… … .”
Louise’s voice, which had been growing louder, fell silent again.
He also borrowed the power of Shatin and the other four riches, but they didn’t help much in the actual exploration.
Only the dark person, Louise, can feel the sleeping soul.
This is because there is no bond of soul between subordinates.
“Eight!”
At one point, Louise stabbed the spear as hard as she could to vent her anger on reality.
The turning force of the black wind made a huge hole in the waterfall. Part of the wall behind it was also destroyed.
shoot it
And the traces of the destruction were restored to their original state within seconds.
‘… … .’
At some point, Hyun was out of the fairy tale.
It was because he felt sorry for staring at Louise’s increasingly violent emotions.
Louise covered in drops of water and frowned so much that it looked like she was crying.
No, I might actually be crying.
This guy only grew up, but his personality didn’t change much from before.
“hey.”
Hyun, who couldn’t see it, called her from the side.
Louise’s expression as she slowly turned her head this way looked very pitiful.
“Let’s eat something and look for it again.”
“… … ?”
“You skipped both breakfast and lunch today.”
***
Fire.
In the middle of the waters of the waterfall, a small bonfire was lit.
It wasn’t the primitive method of using logs, but the magic tool that Hyeon was carrying created the sparks.
“This meat… ?”
“It’s called yakitori, and it’s sold in the border city.”
During cooking, there are rare things that temporarily raise stats.
But this is an ordinary dish where no such effect exists.
Even though it didn’t mean much to the user, Hyun ate with Louise.
“This is a chicken… ?”
“Hmm, since it’s fried, it must be closer to chicken or gangjeong.”
“chicken… ? Gangjeong… ?”
“It’s a dish that exists where I live.”
During the meal, the topic was slightly changed.
Louise always loved to hear stories of the world outside the Asrians.
It’s been a while since I’ve told you a little bit about the ‘real world’.
As Hyun’s story was added to the softly burning bonfire, Louise’s heart, which was wet with depression, gradually calmed down.
Louise finally calmed down.
Have I rejuvenated myself a little?
A small smile bloomed on her lips.
“There are eight flavors. I’ll definitely try them all when I go back later.”
“That would be nice.”
“Shatin and the other subordinates… Everyone seems to like it.”
“Hmm?”
Hyun asked in response to Louise’s murmur.
“It’s a golem and a skeleton. Can they have food too?”
“It is possible as long as it is in my soul. When souls overlap, you feel all the senses together.”
“Well, even fairy tales could share a taste.”
Hyun nodded his head, recalling the ‘frenzy locked in pitch black’.
A drink that is said to reveal its true face only to those with demonic energy.
It was also a drink that became more and more delicious in proportion to the size of the Magi it was carrying.
Hyun still remembers that Ain made a fuss about wanting to assimilate himself because he wanted to taste it too.
yes, it was really good
Later, I will assimilate with Louise and try drinking again.
“Thank you, Hyun. Thanks to that, my heart has calmed down a little.”
After finishing the meal, Louise rose from her seat.
Louise’s stretched figure looked much more relaxed than before.
“Actually, it’s not like there’s no way to find the men.”
“How?”
“I sympathize.”
shoot-. Louise is a stream of water flowing nearby. And he continued, keeping his eyes on the huge waterfall pouring down behind him.
“It is about breaking the seal of empathy. Then I can see the strings of the soul with my own eyes.”
“If you follow the string of your soul, you will be able to find your subordinates no matter how far away you are.”
Currently, the link between Louise and her subordinates is a very faint link.
It’s just a thin thread that I don’t know if it’s there or not.
However, as soon as the seal of empathy is lifted, the thread turns into a hard chain.
As much as they share all their emotions, they are clearly aware of each other’s existence.
“Yes, if you use that method, you should be able to find my subordinates with certainty… .”
There was just a problem.
Hyun knew why Louise, who had come up with a solution herself, hesitated.
“You mean it could be dangerous?”
“yes… Because I am revealing myself to the world.”
Louise nodded with a sad expression.
So far, only once has she freed herself of empathy. To discover the souls of the fallen men in the land of darkness.
It didn’t matter much at the time.
The sky had no interest in the land of darkness that had been devastated by war.
Thanks to this, there was no one around Louise who could threaten her.
But things are different now.
This is the ruins of Carinta Island.
In the area right next to it, Massianne’s knights are aiming for Louise.
Also, there might be a few more guys threatening Louise’s life somewhere on the island outside the ruins.
Exposing one’s existence in the middle of enemy territory is truly suicidal.
What if the Templars even find a passage to Area 12?
Even before she went to find her subordinates, there was a strong possibility that Louise would be surrounded by the knights.
Again, if the same situation as before happened, I wouldn’t be able to expect help from Mystia this time.
“Yes, the liberation of empathy is really a last resort.”
Louise said that with a wry smile.
This is because they know the aftermath better than anyone else.
Just as the poison of deception called ‘harmony’ has been released in the heavens, the abyss is also teeming with the evil spirits of the heavens.
When they empathize with the dark, their location will be determined in real time.
It was the reason why Louise couldn’t use that method recklessly.
“Let’s look around a bit more for now.”
“That would be nice.”
Hyun agreed with Louise’s opinion.
It was because exploring various places was more likely to find subordinates than circling the same place.
Afterwards, Hyun assimilated with Louise again.
I wandered around the city made of waterfalls.
It was also to find Louise’s subordinates hiding somewhere.
During that time, he did not forget to exchange whispers with Mayday.
“How’s the situation there?”
“It was a complete uproar! NPCs are screaming and running around, what the hell happened… .”
I was able to know the situation in Area 11.
It seemed that the sudden disappearance of himself and Louise caused a commotion among the NPCs.
She, who at first hunted the members of the regressor guild, is now hiding in one place holding her breath.
「Ah, thank you for lending me a subordinate. If it wasn’t for the lich’s concealment skill, I might have already been caught and killed.”
Some liches have the ability to hide demons near them.
Hearing that Mayday was a big help, Hyun nodded to himself.
If you had millions of demonic energy like Louise, you wouldn’t be able to hide your presence with that skill, but Mayday is a user. It was impossible for her to have the amount of magic comparable to Louise.
After reporting her situation, Mayday asked again.
“Where is that?”
“I’m in District 12.”
“Area 12… ? Where is it and how can I get there?”
“If you’re thinking of coming, you’d better stop. There must be paladins all over the area.”
It draws attention and gathers information.
That’s all Mayday can do.
Even if she joins District 12, there is nothing she can do.
Rather, it would be nice if it didn’t get in the way.
“Let’s get the subordinates back later. For now, please continue to report the situation nearby.”
“How long… ?”
“hmm… Until I tell you to stop?」
“… … .”
“Then I’ll call you back later.”
In this way, Hyun was able to continuously obtain information on the situation in District 11.
According to Mayday’s report, the Knights had yet to find a passage to Area 12.
You won’t find it easily.
While there are dozens of passages between Districts 10 and 11, there are only four passages between Districts 11 and 12.
“Hyun, is the story over?”
“huh. just now.”
“I feel it again nearby.”
“really?”
At Louise’s words, Hyun looked around.
He was crossing a stepping stone made of huge cubes.
Quaaaaaa!
And around it was a torrent of incredible speed.
A roar that shakes the eardrums. If it wasn’t for the ‘Spirit Conversation’, it would have been difficult to even hear Louise’s voice right next to her.
“It seems to be somewhere in the water, but… . Wouldn’t it be better to look for it later?”
“huh… You’d better look around and come back from somewhere else.”
I feel like I’m going to get sucked in just by dipping my feet in that current.
Hyun and Louise decided to move on to the next place without disagreement.
***
slap, slap.
A plain that seemed to be coated with about 1cm of water.
Concentric circles spread out with each step.
Hyun was walking in the quietest place in the twelfth district.
An hour and a half had passed since I contacted Mayday.
Even then, Louise’s harvest was zero.
“… … .”
The number of conversations with each other has also drastically decreased.
“I feel it,” or “Here comes later.” That was all of the lines that came out of Louise’s mouth.
In total, eight times that Louise had said she had a feeling, but not once did it come to fruition.
The reason is simple.
Because Louise only felt ‘existence’, but couldn’t figure out ‘direction’.
If you think about it, the reason why he collected the five riches was not to find the place with Louise’s power, but to follow the place the NPCs were aiming for.
After that, no real results were achieved, so it was natural for Louise to become depressed as time passed.
then at some point.
“ah… .”
Louise let out a strange sigh and raised her head.
The head of Hyun, who was assimilating, also went up.
“found.”
“what… ?”
Louise shouted with a voice full of conviction unlike before.
“I found it, over there!”
Hyeon was surprised for a moment at the sight of Louise raising her finger.
Did you just say you found it?
But so far she has never mentioned a specific direction.
“Really? You figured out the direction?!」
“Yes, I can definitely feel it this time. Even the direction!」
Papababang!
The wind burst continuously, and a stream of water rose at Hyun’s feet.
Louise was running through the deep surface of the water.
shoot it
After crossing the waterway, the waterfall appeared again in front of my eyes.
It was a small waterfall, only about 3 meters high.
‘here is… ?’
behind the waterfall.
There was a long hallway that went on endlessly.
It was the first place without water after crossing over to Area 12.
Hyun asked Louise, who ran frantically.
“Where are you going?!”
“To the end of this hallway! My subordinate is sleeping there!”
Hyun’s mind flashed when he heard such an answer from Louise.
“wait… !”
Even if you tell me, Louise won’t follow.
Hyun had no choice but to pull out the control priority and stop walking.
“Wait a minute!”
「Why, why does it suddenly stop!」
In response to Louise’s shout, Hyun quietly took out a map and showed it.
A mimetic diagram showing all the locations of the ‘passages’ in each zone.
“The direction you are going, the passage to District 13.”
“How is that? If there are my subordinates, shouldn’t we go somewhere!」
“I stopped you because there was a problem. Now look.”
Hyeon reminded Louise of something she had forgotten.
“There is only one passage connecting the 12th and 13th districts, right? But it’s a one-way street! Once you pass, there is no way back.”
At those words, Louise tilted her head as if something was wrong.
“Hyun, are you stupid? What if it is a one-way street, don’t we have prayers?”
“Of course it might be.”
I think it’s faster to find out directly than logically.
Hyun canceled his assimilation with Louise in the middle of the hallway.
That moment.
“ah… ? has disappeared.”
Louise panicked and started looking around.
“The feeling is gone! Where did you go, I’m sure you were nearby until just now… !”
‘also.’
From her reaction, Hyun was able to be sure that his guess was correct.
“Look at me once.”
Hyun returned to the corridor he had passed through with Louise.
I got out of the last waterfall gate I passed through, and I looked up.
The reason why he hesitated at Louise’s sudden action was because he witnessed something while running and felt déjà vu.
No, it wasn’t déjà vu.
The decoration above the waterfall gate. Looking down at him is a statue with a creepy face… .
A statue of a ghost seen in the dungeon of Ufia Island.
He was shedding bloody tears here too.
‘It must be the same guy I saw then, right?’
The strong memories of Ufia Island still remained.
The end of the dungeon that existed inside the cave was full of items that would come out of a horror movie.
Ain asked to sleep with him, saying that he had been having nightmares ever since he saw the statue.
Of course, the request was not met, but the prefecture agreed that the statue’s appearance was really impressive.
Is it a coincidence that I came across a statue with such a unique face again?
‘That dungeon also ended on the 13th floor.’
Hyun thought of the oracle again after a long time.
<Next, where the priestess is going, what you want is also asleep.>
An oracle given by deception when it asked for clues to chaos.
Now I can come and interpret it like this.
<Where the minions of darkness sleep, the minions of chaos also sleep.>
In the first place, darkness and chaos were mixed in the ruins.
‘The 13th district is probably the realm of chaos.’
It was weird from the start.
There were an even number of passageways in every section of the site.
Why is there only one passage in District 13?
Now it seemed clear why.
‘The road of no return. It must mean death.’
According to Hyun’s guess, the next area is neither the symmetrical world nor the real world, but the nether world.
From Louise’s point of view, it was a place that she could not go to and should never have gone to.
Hyeon, who grasped the whole situation, smiled bitterly and explained his guess to Louise.
“It’s not the energy of your subordinates that you feel inside.”
The feeling you just had is probably an illusion. It’s a phenomenon that happened because of fairy tales.
The job of a supporter is probably associated with chaos.
It was clear that Louise felt a similar existence to Shiina, an attendant of chaos.
“is it?”
In the end, doesn’t that mean that there is nothing to find on your own?
Louise slumped down on a nearby flat marble.
He seemed quite shocked that the clue he had just found was wrong.
It took a while before her mouth, which had been sitting silently, opened again.
“Was it impossible to save my men in the first place?”
“impossible… ?”
“Isn’t that so, there were only five souls I found. Hundreds, maybe thousands of souls may lie asleep… !”
“… … .”
“I’ve been hiding all day and haven’t found anything!”
‘An impossible quest?’
<Main Quest: End of Hibernation>
-Those who served the darkness are asleep nearby.
-You will definitely need their help for the future steps of darkness.
-Help Louise to awaken her minions.
While Louise fell silent, Hyeon meticulously intertwined the quest window again.
certainly.
Yes, the main quest said that Louise’s subordinates had to be ‘must’ wake up.
‘The quest message has never been wrong.’
For a moment, Hyun recalled memories from his time in Asura.
Among the hundreds and thousands of types, there has never been an impossible quest.
I’ve never been asked to do a deterrence mission, even if I can’t do it right away or the reward is a trap.
‘This also means clearing is possible!’
Name is the main quest.
There was only difficulty, but it was not an impossible mission.
But after hours of hard work, nothing came of it.
If more time passes and someday the Knights enter District 12, this main quest will end in failure.
That’s right, the attempts so far are not the correct solution to the quest.
The answer is probably the method Louise mentioned.
“Louis. Would you like to liberate empathy?”
Louise’s eyes widened at Hyun’s words.
You wouldn’t know the meaning of that statement.
So, did you just do it out of pity for yourself?
“I don’t need consolation. I am no longer a child Because I don’t force myself.”
“… … .”
“… Or are you serious?”
Louise’s reflection.
Hyun nodded again.
“I feel like that’s the only answer.”
“If the seal of empathy is broken, you won’t be able to hide like you are now. Are you saying that you know that?”
“I know better than you what is dangerous.”
Ha, Hyun answered with a laugh.
“I’m sure though. This is the correct answer.”
None of the main quests were easy.
Yeah, if you think about it again, this is the only way.
Because I was so frightened by the Knights of Masianne, I could only think of avoiding them.
Danger to Louise?
I don’t know how big it will come, but there’s no guarantee that it won’t break through head-on.
“You decide in the end.”
It had been a long time since Louise kept her lips firmly shut.
Her eyes were full of determination.
Louise witnessed the disappearance of her subordinates right beside her and was frustrated by the fact that she could not save them with her own power.
She had only one choice to make.
“Are you ready?”
nod
“Then let’s begin.”
Whii, a light wind wrapped around Louise’s body, and once again the demonic energy was mixed with the wind.
In this place full of heavenly beings, the empathy of darkness is released once again.
yet.
Louise’s eyes, which were closed and opened, trembled.
In her field of vision, there were countless strings of souls connected to her.
