Chapter 61: The Capital's Shadow

Even at night, the capital still bustled with activity. It exuded an energy far more vibrant than that of other towns.

Wang Yu followed Sieg down the streets of the capital, observing his surroundings with some curiosity.

He recalled the eerie atmosphere of his first night in the city—the sense of something sinister lurking in the shadows of the buildings, silently and maliciously watching him and Avia.

It wasn't until Captain Hugin appeared, wielding that lantern of his, that the oppressive feeling dissipated.

Looking at the lantern that Sieg had given him, Wang Yu noted that it wasn't currently lit.

He took another careful look around. Though the city was lively, with many pedestrians out and about, the darkness of the night stretched over vast areas. However, he didn't feel the same ominous presence he had sensed on that first night.

Asking questions when confused was Wang Yu's habit. He voiced his doubts directly.

"Yes, this is one of your duties as a night watchman. You'll use this lantern to dispel whatever lurks in the shadows. The capital is full of people with all sorts of innate talents, more than we can ever keep track of. Perhaps the son of a commoner has a gift for wizardry, or the daughter of a blacksmith has the potential to become a magician.

"Some of these individuals haven't been discovered yet, but their talents will still manifest—perhaps in their dreams, during moments of heightened emotion, or under the influence of malevolent gods.

"The mental energy of these gifted individuals, and even of the unremarkable masses, flows constantly. "Under normal circumstances, a person's mental energy cannot directly influence the material world. It needs a medium to act upon. But when the total quantity of mental energy in a certain area reaches a certain threshold—thousands, tens of thousands, even millions of units—a qualitative change occurs. The capital is one such place. Its population has reached a critical mass, causing the mental energy here to undergo a transformation."

Sieg pointed to the sky. "Do you know what's up there beyond the heavens?"

"I don't," Wang Yu replied, though his first thought was "the universe." He knew Sieg was referring to something entirely different.

"An ocean. An ocean formed from the vast mental energy emanating from the capital's inhabitants, a sea of human psyche: chaotic, disordered, turbulent, and ugly."

"Is that so?" Wang Yu looked up at the pitch-black night sky. It was cloudless, and the stars sparkled brightly. Who would have thought there would be an invisible ocean up there?

"Mental energy, no matter how powerful, cannot directly affect the physical world—not even this vast and terrifying sea of the human psyche."

"The void..." Wang Yu murmured, anticipating Sieg's next words. He had already connected the dots.

"Exactly. The void. It inherently tends toward chaos and disorder, and continuously seeks to push the material world into disarray. Those with strong mental energy are especially susceptible to its influence. This is what it means to have high void affinity..."

Hearing Sieg’s explanation, Wang Yu narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky again. That immense sea of mental energy—was it akin to a wizard of unimaginable mental power? What of its void affinity?

"This immense sea attracts the void. In turn, the void materializes the 'evil' and 'darkness' within that sea."

The capital was prosperous, but for some of its residents, it was also grim. Strife, persecution, and violence were as prevalent here as anywhere else.

These malicious thoughts, born from the minds of its residents, were projected into the sea of human psyche, further corrupting an already chaotic and disordered amalgamation of mental energy.

Through Sieg's explanations, Wang Yu grasped the terrifying consequences of the void exploiting this spiritual sea.

The beautiful and harmonious aspects within the sea leaned toward order. The void, opposed to such harmony, would strip away these positives bit by bit.

In contrast, the ugly aspects, the brutality and cruelty hidden in human hearts, could be realized through the void even when they were constrained by physical reality.

Evil gods born from the void, or other chaotic entities, would covet these fragments of darkness within the spiritual sea, intending to manifest them in the material world and spread chaos throughout the capital.

Nightmarish scenes of spirits wreaking havoc and lives being obliterated came to Wang Yu's mind as he imagined such a scenario. It was indeed terrifying.

However, Sieg’s keen eyes couldn’t detect any signs of fear or dread on Wang Yu’s face. Instead, Wang Yu merely furrowed his brows—the typical expression of someone deep in thought.

"So, how do you handle this spiritual sea?" Wang Yu asked, puzzled. After all, he hadn't noticed anything of the sort, and it was supposedly looming above the city.

"Aren't you worried? It's like a primed explosive spell trap, one that might detonate at any moment."

"Well, everyone seems to be doing just fine. Besides, isn’t it our job to deal with this?"

Clearly, Wang Yu wasn’t particularly troubled. Since the capital was functioning well, it was evident that the kingdom of Aleisterre had methods to curb this problem.

There was no reason for a small fry like him to fret. Even if the sky were to fall, someone taller would bear the weight first.

"Looks like I really can't scare you. Fine, it's related to what I'm about to show you."

The two walked a little while longer. Sieg led Wang Yu through several streets before turning into an alleyway.

They quickly reached a deep end, where a wall blocked their path.

Sieg stepped forward and placed his hand on the wall. Familiar spatial ripples spread through the air as the surface of the wall shimmered like water. The professor stepped through the shimmering wall, and Wang Yu followed.

On the other side, Wang Yu found himself in a corridor that wasn't particularly spacious. However, its walls had been constructed with finely laid bricks, giving it a solid and secure appearance.

There was no sense of spatial distortion here, aside from the entrance that Sieg and Wang Yu had stepped through.

"This is the Root Network. If the Gap is a set of hidden pathways outside of reality connecting the capital, then this is a network coiled within reality itself, encircling the city. This passage is hidden between the buildings of the capital. What you saw as an empty wall ended up being a branch of the Root Network on the other side. The main trunk splits into countless branches, and these roots almost surround every place in the capital. Apart from utilizing the Gap, the root system is also something you need to familiarize yourself with.

"Of course, the place I'm taking you to today has little to do with the Root Network. We're just using it for convenient travel."

Wang Yu remained silent. He followed behind Sieg as he casually observed his surroundings.

Indeed, as Sieg had mentioned, the passage was long and filled with forks.

They walked for some time without stopping or encountering any dead ends. It was hard to imagine how such a large-scale passage could be hidden within the massive structures of the capital.

The residents of the capital—were they aware that soldiers might be marching down the other side of their walls?

The supernatural powers and advanced infrastructure that the kingdoms of this world wielded were, in some aspects, not inferior to the powerful nations of Earth.

The passage had no light sources. Wang Yu used his inner eye to see; he didn't know what Sieg was doing.

After turning a corner, the path widened and began to slope downwards. As the space expanded, what had once seemed like a passage now felt more like a hall. A giant entrance appeared within Wang Yu's field of vision.

A steep staircase extended downward from the center of this hall, leading to the unknown depths beneath the capital. They extended down so far that Wang Yu's ripples couldn't sense what lay at the bottom.

As he stood at the top of the stairs, Wang Yu sensed something familiar—an eerie feeling, like the one he had experienced when he first arrived in the capital, that strange feeling of being watched, and the chaos. This uncanny energy seemed to spill forth from this underground entrance, subtle yet tangible.

"Where are we?" Wang Yu murmured.

"The entrance to the capital's shadow."

"The capital's shadow?" Wang Yu murmured. He didn't understand what it meant, and shook his head.

"If there’s anything that can resist the influence of the void and reverse its overwhelming power, it would surely be a rare curio."

"A rare curio? Indeed..." Wang Yu thought about it for a moment. It was possible that a curio might transcend reality and the void, and hence possess the potential to counteract the terrifying vast sea of mental energy.

"The Mirror of the Stars is a rare curio owned by the royal family. It inverts all that it reflects. The royal family chose to seal this sea of mental energy beneath the ground, trapping it in an endless abyss."

Wang Yu's eyes widened. "Hold on. If this curio really works the way you describe, why implement it this way? Why not just separate out the malicious forces, or relocate the mental energy elsewhere? Surely there's no need to leave the mental energy underneath the capital?"

Wang Yu still didn't fully understand. With control over such a potent curio, why not move the harmful mental energy elsewhere? Why keep it beneath the capital? This seemed like unnecessary trouble—but surely there was a reason it had to be done this way.

"Wang Yu, we can't control curios as precisely as you might think. These items transcend both reality and the void—how could we truly master them? All we can do is use them, and imprecisely at that. We're more like thieves or acolytes than true masters. As for why they didn’t move this sea of mental energy, it's simple. This sea has its own unique value, a value so great that the royal family is willing to take risks to maintain it."

Wang Yu nodded. He had indeed taken things for granted. Not every rare curio was as easy to control as the Phantasmal Knights' Banner or the Endless Pages. The Mirror of the Stars' manipulation could very well have an unknown cost.

"The Mirror of the Stars has caused the reflection of the void-infused sea of mental energy to merge once more with reality. The capital's shadow is actually a very special area, where the boundaries between reality and the void are indistinct... Though chaotic, it possesses unique value.

Every kingdom has its own trump card and ultimate weapon. One of Aleisterre's trump cards is the capital's shadow, where reality and the void intersect. When the Mirror of the Stars ceases to function, this space, which the royal family has manipulated and altered for hundreds of years, will be inverted. The royal family’s ultimate weapon, the 'Corpse of the End,' will manifest then..."

Sieg paused for a moment, then smiled. "You might have heard a few meaningless words, or even nonsense, when I described the ultimate weapon. It's part of the confidentiality agreement you signed. You don't have enough clearance to understand these details just yet, so just keep what you know in mind. The special ops team is particularly privileged, so you'll have access to all but the most classified information."

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow. He hadn't heard any meaningless words—it seemed the contract had no effect on him. This wasn't a bad thing, so he didn’t comment.

"Well then, welcome to the place where you'll be working for quite a while—the capital's shadow." The Professor stopped his explanation. Their steps continued without pause.

At the end of the stairs, a vast, dark underground space lay before Wang Yu and Sieg.

The ceiling was formed from stone and earth, with no obvious sources of lighting. Some scattered glowing objects acted as dim points of light, resembling distant stars on a moonless night.

Ahead, a dimly lit underground city appeared within Wang Yu's field of vision.

An intricate and complicated series of buildings emerged from various protrusions and depressions in the underground space. They were scattered like a beehive, with various walkways and tunnels interweaving through the chaotic labyrinth of buildings.

In the dim light, crowds of people moved through this exceedingly complex, almost maze-like space. They navigated with ease, as if they were used to this slightly disordered environment. They had become a part of this space.

Chaotic, thriving, and complex, yet with its own beauty—this underground space was no less prosperous or refined than the capital aboveground. It had its own set of rules, which gave it a unique form.

"This is the capital's shadow, a place of chaos. The royal family has chosen to maintain just a tenuous grasp on it, allowing it to develop freely and maximizing the use of its special spatial properties. Can you feel it?"

"Mm..." Wang Yu looked at his palm. There, the space shimmered in waves—a signature of his latent ability, his ripples.

He could already feel the uniqueness of this liminal realm in which the void mixed with reality, and the chaos hidden within the space.

The void's influence on his ripples didn't just extend their range and power. It also caused his ripples to manifest visibly as the void merged with reality.

"This isn’t a good thing." Wang Yu furrowed his brows. The fact that his ripples remained hidden were important to him. If they were to become visible in this realm...

"Wang Yu, I do have to remind you—be cautious with your ability. Don't leave it on all the time. It's best not to use it unless it's necessary. For instance, I can sense the subtle fluctuations in the void from your ability. If you're not careful, someone else may detect it as well. It's not very obvious in the outside world, but here, you'll need to be more cautious."

Before Wang Yu could finish his thoughts, Sieg had interrupted him.

Wang Yu paused, shocked. His ripples, his latent void ability, could actually be detected by others? Had he simply never encountered anyone capable of noticing it?

He felt a bit disappointed. He had considered this ability one of his core advantages, but it wasn't as special as he believed it to be.

No, that wasn't quite right. He frowned. When enhanced by the void, his ripples could indeed spread further, but they didn't depend on the void. The distance would simply be severely limited otherwise. In that case...

Wang Yu moved closer to Sieg and released his ripples again. This time, when he didn't interface with the void, the ripples only extended about two meters around him.

"Professor, can you still sense the void fluctuations?"

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"No, I don't sense anything... Ah, I see." Sieg blinked and nodded in understanding.

Wang Yu smiled. He loved working with smart people.

What role the void truly played in his ability remained unclear, and he didn't have the time to figure it out now. For now, he would have to focus on this chaotic underground city, the capital's shadow. He was both curious and eager to learn about what was in store for him...