Chapter 399 - 396: Beauty and the Unknown

Chapter 399: Chapter 396: Beauty and the Unknown

On a plateau in the Fallen World Caslopa, a powerful Magic Creature leaned against a massive boulder.

It had the appearance of a three-to-four-meter-tall, upright, brown insectoid monster. Its head resembled that of a mole cricket, but instead of compound eyes, it had fleshy, lidded ones. It was a bipedal creature.

It had two pairs of arms and two pairs of legs. Although some exoskeletal plating was visible on its hands, its joints were extremely flexible, and its fingers were quite nimble.

It was draped in a strange, gray-brown woven material that looked like neither fabric nor straw, and it was unclear if this served as its clothing.

The area was steeped in dimness. As for a light source, the beautiful blue and green world hanging in the sky above was the most conspicuous.

No wind stirred, and even on this arid plateau, the ubiquitous stench of rot could be smelled.

In the time it took for the Insect Man to begin dozing off, faint sounds began to arrive—some from the distance, and some from the sky.

Soon, small dots appeared in its line of sight, and before long, they drew closer at an incredible speed.

The dozing Insect Man, a being of Magic Power, stood up straight. The Magic Power in its body flowed out, sweeping across the area before it.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

The ground quaked gently, sending countless bits of dust and debris flying as several massive rocks slowly protruded from the earth.

In less than half a minute, a vast, clean area had been formed, populated by numerous rocks of all sizes that served as crude stone stools and tables.

Some of these rocks were only one or two square meters, while others were dozens of square meters in size. Their heights also varied, ranging from one meter to several dozen meters.

This was clearly a freshly arranged meeting venue.

After another short while, the figures that were once distant had already drawn near the venue.

There was a massive giant covered in withered vines, strange birds flying through the air, slender beast-like creatures, and even beings that strongly resembled fish...

In total, dozens of creatures arrived, almost none of them alike. Each one radiated powerful fluctuations of Magic Power, causing the surrounding space to exhibit a sort of gravitational distortion.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

As the ground trembled faintly, a colossal figure approached. A Cyclops dozens of meters tall, shouldering a massive black rock pillar, was the first to stride into the venue.

CLANG~

The great pillar was set upon the ground, striking the hard rock layer with a metallic clang.

"Yakrodoth, just as I expected, you’re the first one here."

The giant spoke in the Magic Language, then sat down on a boulder that matched its massive frame.

"As the one who called this meeting, it is only natural that I arrive early."

The mole-cricket-like Insect Man nodded toward the giant. The two seemed to have a good relationship, speaking to each other in a relaxed manner.

BUZZ... BUZZ...

A strange, ear-itching sound drew near, like the buzzing of mosquitoes on Earth, only incomparably more cacophonous, shrill, and voluminous.

The giant entwined with withered vines subconsciously reached for his black pillar, but restrained himself.

"You actually invited those things from the Rot Realm?"

A hint of displeased confusion could be heard in his words.

The mole-cricket-like Insect Man glanced at the sky.

"I did not invite them; they came on their own. But since they are here, please show some restraint, my friend."

"Hmph! As long as they know what’s good for them!"

Meanwhile, another creature approached the venue—an upright, beast-like being with skin like leather armor and a single horn on its head. It seemed to move slowly but was in fact extremely fast. It walked right up and sat beside the two who were speaking.

Its figure was a bit smaller than the mole-cricket-like Insect Man, roughly the size of an average human.

"I hope so too. If those annoying, buzzing creatures dare to displease me, I won’t hold back on your account, Yakrodoth!"

As it spoke, its single horn flashed with a faint halo of light.

"Heheheh... Long time no see, old friends!"

As the Magic Creatures continued to arrive, some spoke while others sat in silence. It was clear that the Magic Creature named Yakrodoth commanded considerable influence, as no one made any unnecessary moves.

The convergence of these immense beings of Magic Power stirred an oppressive wind across the plateau. A heavy feeling permeated the surrounding space, causing ash and dust to roll away from the meeting grounds.

The Insect Man walked to the massive boulder he had been leaning against earlier and leaped lightly on top of it. Every rock in the venue was now occupied by a different creature; not a single stone was left vacant.

All eyes were on it.

"Everyone, your presence here proves that you still possess reason. Regardless of anything else, this fact alone is gratifying! It means we have not yet sunk into oblivion along with our world!"

The Insect Man did not waste time with pleasantries and went straight to the point. One of its arms lifted, the gray-brown woven garment stretching as it pointed toward the sky.

"This is the unknown world that is now colliding with Kaslopa! So beautiful, and so mysterious!"

Every being present subconsciously looked to the sky, their Magic Power stirring with an irrepressible agitation. The solid rocks of the venue began to develop fine cracks.

And this was with them keeping their Magic Power from erupting; the cracks were caused merely by the turbulence of their emotions.

The Insect Man observed the reaction of every attendee, paying particular attention to the ones emitting the mosquito-like buzzing, who were shrouded in black mist or shadow.

"Yes, just from its beauty, one can easily imagine what a desirable world it must be. The Kaslopa of legend, blessed by the Medland Law, is no more. Our world has long been dead... Here, there is only peril at every turn, only unbearable corruption."

These words seemed to stir their desires, but the Insect Man narrowed its eyes, and its tone shifted.

"However, in the distant memories passed down to me, beautiful things are often very dangerous!"

"Kaslopa has long since fallen. Our ancestors, like us, have given up searching for the cause of our once-sacred world’s descent. For countless ages, our world has sunk ever deeper, long ago severing any possibility of contact with other worlds."

The Insect Man once again looked up at the sky, the blue and green reflecting in its eyes.

"But why did Kaslopa collide with this world? Why? Was it because of us, or..."

It stretched out a hand and pointed to the sky.

"We are constantly sinking through the endless Void. What lies below? What awaits Kaslopa? I doubt any of us ever imagined it would be this!"

Throughout this, the Insect Man once again observed the reactions of those around it. After a brief silence, it continued.

"Those creatures in the west... they’ve already gone mad. The points of contact that have appeared have driven them to rush recklessly to the other side..."

The Magic Creatures present naturally understood what it was referring to. In fact, quite a few among them were also eager to make a move.

"I believe that if the Power of the World weren’t creating a barrier that makes passage so difficult, some of you present might have already crossed over, correct?"

As it said this, the Insect Man’s gaze—along with the gazes of many other beings—focused on the figures within the black mist. Those few showed no reaction, as if in tacit agreement.

The giant thought for a moment before breaking the silence.

"I’ve been near one of the points of contact. I could feel the life force there. Those fractured points seem to be one-way only—in but not out. At least, I haven’t seen anything return."

A sharp, buzzing voice suddenly rang out from the black mist at the edge of the gathering.

"Perhaps it’s simply too wonderful over there for them to want to return. Besides, what kind of sense do those creatures in the west have anyway?"

The beings present gradually began to murmur amongst themselves, voicing all sorts of ideas. In summary, however, it all boiled down to the same thing: curiosity about the Otherworld.

CLAP. CLAP.

It was the Insect Man again. It clapped its four palms together, creating a light breeze that quieted the crowd.

"It is not as if nothing from the Otherworld has fallen into our world."

With that, it dragged something out from behind the massive boulder it stood on—a strange object that none of the beings present had ever seen before.

Parts of the object had a smooth, glossy surface that reflected its surroundings. Other parts were covered in dense, fine lines. The center seemed exceptionally fragmented, as if it contained many tiny components within.

The Insect Man’s hand gently touched the object.

"This is an object from the Otherworld, fallen from the darkness beyond the high heavens. It is a thing constructed with clever mechanisms. It has no aura of Magic Power, no Magic Pattern Technique."

"But no matter how closely I examine it, I cannot see to the very foundation of its construction. It is as if an infinite amount of fine material forms its cornerstone, with even the tiniest parts arranged in an orderly fashion, containing some kind of principle that I cannot comprehend..."

The Insect Man gently took out a piece of a broken integrated circuit, which had something like a CPU core on it.

"This is a truly terrifying thing... I cannot imagine what it looked like when it was intact, nor what its function was... For this kind of creation, I can find no answers even by searching through all my ancient memories... There has never been anything like it, nothing recorded, ever!"

These words made every being present tense up. Many of them would not have thought so deeply on their own; even if they had seen the wreckage, they would have at most been momentarily curious.

But now, prompted by the Insect Man, they were forced to ponder it deeply alongside him, because even those who had disputes with him had to acknowledge Yakrodoth’s wisdom.

"Indeed, Kaslopa is too vast and too dangerous. From the moment of our birth, this perilous Fallen World has prevented us from straying too far from our familiar territories. The monstrosities in the chaos, the corrupted sprites—they are all irrational. Unknown regions often harbor deeper, slumbering crises, and there are few opportunities to meet other rational beings."

"To suddenly see such an Otherworld, it is natural to be completely captivated. But since we were born here and have been suppressed in this decline for so long, what is the harm in waiting a little while longer?"

...

After a long while, the beings at the venue dispersed one by one, leaving only a dozen or so who were more familiar with one another.

The giant spoke pensively.

"The fractured points of contact are not enough for us to cross over. Those who can restrain themselves now may not be able to do so when the time comes. Yakrodoth, I’m afraid not many will be able to hold to your way of thinking."

"We don’t need them to hold on forever. We just need to wait long enough for the monstrosities from the desolate, corrupted lands and the slumbering crises to awaken and cross over first..."

The Insect Man’s eyes gazed into the distance, his voice devoid of any emotional inflection.