Chapter 814: The First Born’s Condition
Some of this world’s ancient legends were lost despite the elders of the tribes’ best efforts to keep a record of their history and culture. Just as people forgot the truth about the Dorasilian pyramids, the world above the zenith, and the real reason for the end of the Sun Dynasty, they also forgot everything about Dorasil, the end-day city.
Below is the myth that was lost in history:
Buried under Dorasil, the city of the King of the Sun is a dark-faced city. This city is a mirror image of Dorasil in hell, called Silador. Layers of rock and steel, and a thick protective shield shroud the city in the shadow. Blood and spirits of the ancient sages permeate the shield, keeping everything that sleeps in Silador, the end-day city, forever in sleep. In this sacred place, hidden from the world, huge buildings without doors and windows are everywhere. The huge stones were extracted from the darkest and hottest underground world, containing the war power of the Goddess, surrounded by the powerful, never-ending lightning that continuously recharges the end-day city. The primordial cave called the Throat of Toka is right in the center of the city.
Toka, the king of giants, is a stooped old man who carries the world on his back, according to the legends of the locals. He was ordered to look after the garden of the Goddess, but his bad temper had destroyed the garden. As a punishment, the Goddess ordered Toka to carry the newly created world on his back, never allowed him to lie down and rest, nor get the world off his back. But Toka’s temper was untamable. He only agreed to carry the world on his back because he feared the Goddess, but this terrible king of the giants had been looking for opportunities to get rid of the burden on his back. The goddess knew it. She ordered the ancient human sages to build a city deep underground, named it Silador, and planted seventy-seven god nails made of Thunderstone in Silador to suppress the nerves of Toka so that this bad-tempered king of the giants would remain sleep and the world could enjoy peace and stability.
Now they were standing in the end-day city of Silador. The giant stone columns shrouded with powerful electric light were the legendary ‘seventy-seven god nails,’ and the big hollow in the center of the city was the Throat of Toka. The tentacles that extended out from the hollow were the nerves of the King of the Giants mentioned in the mythology. Sadly, no one knew about this legend.
Only if Hao Ren and his team could learn the legend, they might be able to deduce more information out of it. Unfortunately, this ancient story was lost following a plague in the tribe thousands of years ago. No one knew the myth of the underground city now. Noe, these explorers here could only stare at this majestic place, wide-eyed, wondering at the electro-optical show.
The sighting of the tentacles did not surprise Hao Ren. He even breathed a sigh of relief. He had long known that the First Born was the foundation of this world; the sighting of the tentacles only meant that he had gotten some progress. He looked around and saw a ramp that could lead down to the weird city below.
He led the team down the ramp. Gezer clenched his sword and followed closely from behind. Before catching up with the team, Bonia looked back at the hollow surrounded by lightning and tentacles. A chill ran up her spine. She swallowed hard and whispered a prayer before darting up behind Vivian. At least, she felt secure when Vivian was around.
The MDT was floating in the air and analyzing the energy response of the megaliths. “The stones resonate with each other. These things work together. The whole city is like a computer, and the energy seems to come from the tentacles.”
Hao Ren thought for a moment. “The First Born provides energy to the city, and the city uses electric shock to irritate the tentacles?”
“It’s not an irritation, it’s a lullaby,” a holographic projection appeared above the MDT. The hologram showed a three-dimensional model of the city where circles of blue waves were around the hollow. The waves presented the electric lightning that the seventy-seven megaliths discharged. The blue, dancing lightning suppressed the electrical signals in the tentacles. “These things suppress the activity of the First Born,” the MDT said.
“With these stones alone?” Hao Ren’s jaw dropped. He knew the size of the First Born on this planet; this was an adult. The three little tentacle-monsters on the planet Holletta seemed like child’s play in comparison. “Were the ancient people capable of this?”
“There must be something else. At a glance, these tentacles seem to be suppressed and cooperating actively.” The MDT pointed at the huge stone columns. “These things alone wouldn’t be able to keep the big guy in place.”
The team came down to the city near to the stone column where powerful lightning was dancing around. The buzzing current was producing a creepy atmosphere, as the smell of ionized air filled the space. However, Hao Ren noticed that something was regulating the current as it hopped at the height of more than ten meters above ground, there was worry that it would strike down low suddenly.
Nangong Wuyue form-shifted into a water snake form, and created a sizeable semi-circular shield to divert any possible stray current to the ground. Just in case. She looked up at the dark stone columns in the surroundings. “I don’t know why; I feel someone is watching us.”
“Me too,” Hao Ren said with a frown. “Like there are eyes everywhere.”
Lily kept her eyes open. She wanted to try her psychic eyes if she could see ghosts. But she could see none. Those were not ordinary ghosts as she knew it. She wagged her tail and said, “There’s nothing… but I don’t like this place either. Static is everywhere. See how my tail looks now?”
Hao Ren took a glance at her tail; it had swelled twice its original size. The fault of the ionized air.
They walked past a large slate, which blocked the path into the hollow in the center. The slate had ancient engraved text on it that read: The Throat of Toka.
“It should be related to the giant who carries the world,” Gezer said. “But everything about this city is lost. I have never heard a story about them.”
Bonia stared at the bright arcs, wide-eyed. The beautiful sights captured her curiosity. She seemed to see shadows flying in the air amid the dancing electric lights. The little saintess looked with great interest, and her ears flickered slightly. “Goddess, they are singing ~~.”
Vivian was startled. “Singing? Who?”
Bonia pointed with a finger. “Everywhere, people are singing into the hollow.”
Hao Ren did not take the little girl’s words lightly, but could not find the ‘people’ that Bonia saw. He found the situation here as similar to the ghost town of Domir. “I am afraid she is the only one who could see the things.”
“Take note of what they are singing and saying,” Vivian told Bonia, “but don’t follow them. They should be ancient souls. They are not necessarily malicious, but you shouldn’t go to the place they are going.”
Bonia seemed to understand as she was nodding. “All right.”
They came to the edge of the Throat of Toka, where tentacles almost completely covered the ground. Those root-like tentacles, which reached out to the lightning stone columns, had also electric light flowing on the skin. Hao Ren carefully came to the edge of the hollow and peered down; all he saw were little red spots in the endless darkness. He figured it could be lava or organs of the First Born.
The MDT analyzed it. The tentacles remained active, yet no nervous signals of the First Born. The stone columns had suppressed everything down here, and the tentacles were sleeping as if they were dead.
Hao Ren dropped a few probes into the hollow as he would usually do. He then waited.
The probes sent back some data. After running its analysis, the MDT whistled. “Hey, mate! I think I can answer your question now. I know where the ecosystem of this planet gets energy from.”
It immediately had Hao Ren’s attention. “From where?”
“The First Born is consuming the planet.”