Exploring the sect was interesting, despite the overall gloomy atmosphere. For once, Robert felt himself like some kind of an adventurer from the past, who ventured into an unknown land and found a long-extinct civilization. Basically, it was partly true as, despite all the xianxia stories he had read to fill the time between the attacks inside the long-destroyed bunker, the reality was somewhere different. For one, apart from the mountain, the biggest space was occupied with fields. The plants there had a remote similarity with familiar agricultural crops, having the same weird mixture of traits taken from divergent sources. However, maybe that was the reason why they still managed to live through the ordeal and the absence of the farmer’s eye to watch over them.
Rob didn’t know if all plants were meant for nutrition as alchemy seemed to be a thing. At least there was a dedicated smithy with half-finished blanks to be turned into cauldrons. This blacksmith’s workshop was quite huge. Made from thick stone, it had all kinds of forges, drills, and other instruments that surprised Robert with their variety and complex approach. Only no traces of coal or any other sources to fuel the flame to keep the facility running indicated that there was other energy used.
Mana? Or is it called Qi?
Enormous wooden storages, a small market further down the road with tens of prepared stalls, a tiny lake in between the trees for potential picnics – the sect had a lot of things to make it look like not the place, where everyone was always meditating, but the real city, just scaled down to fit the floating rock. Robert even found a few-story building, oddly similar to the tavern with long tables, a bar counter, and a row of glass bottles. There were more such places out there. A circular house with a high roof and multiple beds as if it were a hospital, so all patients could be observed at once. Another, even bigger one, with a large empty space as if meant for some kind of official party. Or perhaps for a mass banquet – Robert found many long tables in one of the storages, carefully stockpiled near the wall.
On the other side of the main peak, the resident area was located. Again, breaking his expectations, there was no sign of the caves that were so often described in the books about mighty people, who cultivated their powers. No matter how comfortable the dugout in the rock could be, a proper building was always better. It was more obvious that superhuman beings with an insane lifespan would have the possibility to make one without any effort. Therefore, the rows of cottages were built in straight lines. Surrounded by paved pathways, they looked like they were directly from the old pre-invasion pictures of small towns on Earth. Far from the big megapolises, they created their own local paradise.
Still, Robert couldn’t miss the difference in size and symbols that were used on the buildings, pointing out that at least the ranks were definitely used here. There was nothing like ugly huts, and even the smallest house looked nice… considering an unknown amount of time without proper service. The bigger ones had the appearance of mini-mansions with their own backyard, surrounded by a short fence. Walking inside, Robert found that time was cruel to their inner parts, turning most things into an unrecognizable mess. However, even the short tour was interesting with a few noticeable conclusions. The owners barely held any belongings inside, leaving the rooms mostly empty with only furniture inside. The other one was the planning of the buildings as there were almost no rooms and, in most cases, the floor consisted of a single space.
Did they carry everything on them? Storage rings?
His assumption was confirmed by the nearest skeleton. After checking a few more, Rob became absolutely sure about his theory, which was purely based on literature. Unfortunately, it left him with nothing as the plain rings with hieroglyphs or runes never reacted to him, no matter what he tried. Wearing, rotating, even melting it with devastating layer – there was no reaction at all.
It seems it needs Qi… and I don’t have one. I can’t even send my mana directly, using it solely to fuel my reactor core… Hmm, I need to look into cultivation techniques to see if I can figure out the solution. For now, let’s continue.
Dropping the ring, Robert sighed before going further, slowly exploring the place. He calmly walked over the corpses with poaches, shining weapons, and other potential artifacts, shoving away the idea of immediately trying to loot everything. Despite having had an experience of searching through the bodies of the fallen and, more importantly, following the use of these items, Rob wasn’t fond of the idea. Moreover, if he was right, he had all the time to do it methodically without a need for any rush. Therefore, he stepped over another lightly glowing saber, not sparing it a second glance.
Walking around the mountain peak, Robert found the garden. This one looked different from the fields, stocked with even more crazy variants of plants. Some of them seemed to be alive, reacting to Rob’s presence with motions and weird sounds. The purpose of being special alchemical reagents was too obvious to ponder about, so he just made a few circles around before continuing further. The next section was dedicated to the higher-ups. The previous mansions paled in comparison to these tall towers, each having at least four floors with clear layers to show their pagoda-like appearance. The biggest building looked like a real palace, taking a huge chunk of space.
This was the moment when Robert realized that he missed another noticeable moment, thinking about it as if it was just a decoration. Most of the buildings were surrounded by stone formations. Spread unevenly, in a truly chaotic manner, they differed in sizes, but each had a barely visible mark engraved on its surface. The bigger the stone was, the more symbols were made on it. Some boulders had almost like short stories written on them. These formations often were a part of the walls themselves, having additions in the form of multicolor tiny flags. Specifically, it was the palace that showed the existence of such a thing to him, being guarded by the largest magical protection. And it was working perfectly fine, halting Robert’s curiosity about the inner territory.
The first thing he felt was a slow increase in gravity, but after a few steps, this warning jumped in strength dramatically. However, despite the tenfold rise, Robert failed to see how it could stop him, sensing just pressure from the presence of this intangible force. Yes, mighty and maybe even crushingly powerful, but not on the level where his metal body couldn’t handle it. He could even dare to think that a hundredfold jump would have a similar effect on him, or, precisely speaking, absolutely none.
Perhaps it’s arrogant to think like that, but I am not that boy from the bunker anymore… I don’t wield the same destructive power as the mechanical army under my direct control, but my toughness is nothing to complain about… Wait, why are there no signs on the ground?
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Looking at the absence of the footprints, Robert willed his weight to increase. Surprisingly, there was barely any difference on the surface as if gravity was an illusion and not real.
Or maybe this pressure is not a physical thing at all…
Pondering the topic, while walking inside the palace, Rob made a single conclusion that could also explain why only this formation reacted to his presence, while others failed even to notice the intruder. He was sure that there was a safety system everywhere he went – it was too obvious as there were no locks around. Therefore, he thought that the basic formations couldn’t track him at all, which wasn’t that strange. Robert was basically a living steel, far from an ordinary man. So, if the formations were focused on finding living energy or amount of Qi, they saw nothing. Just an empty spot in the shape of a human. However, the palace might have more capabilities to concentrate on as there was one other thing that he still had – a soul.
This fact could explain why he felt the pressure on his body. Robert’s parts of the being were long ago merged, becoming one by the will of Wepwakor. His soul was his body, and vice versa, inseparable and united. On the other hand, if he was correct in this assumption, there was little chance for him to get a working cultivation technique. Rob couldn’t imagine how his energy-fueled body could get any Qi, while he had no means to feel it and had not even a single particle of this east version of mana. Deciding to confirm it, he directed his attention toward the mountain's peak, where another remarkable pagoda was located.
The climbing took a lot of time, mainly because Robert wasn’t in any rush. Yes, he had the looming problem of two mighty beings during the “divorce” with troubles about the correct “division of property”. However, as far as he could see, there was no time limit. In fact, Robert for the first time in a long period had no dangers around. There was no need to hide his identity or try to adjust to a peaceful society. No need to search for possible threats to react in time just not to die. No ticking bomb in the form of a crazy Demonologist, the working portal to Hell, or the urgent task to collect experience points to live through another stage of the Tower. No grand goal or granted mission that he had to achieve, risking his life. Just Robert alone with himself and silent tranquility around. That was surprisingly refreshing. Almost as if Rob managed to throw away all his worries into a trash bin, slowing his pace almost to a lazy stroll.
Therefore, by the moment he reached the peak, the light started to dim. Rob never noticed the local sun. It looked like the sky itself started to lower its brightness, signaling the end of the day. Still, it was enough to see the huge pagoda that was standing without the walls but had a round set of stairs in the center, leading upward. Being the highest point around, it gave a view of the whole island, floating amidst the clouds. Even from his tour around he knew this fact, but now it was confirmed definitively – this realm was tiny.
Reaching the top and looking around, Rob wondered if there were more such islands somewhere behind the thick clouds. The existence of the deactivated portal was a hint about it, but it seemed even if it was true, the connection was long cut. Maybe the reason was a massive death that wiped out the whole sect, and the fear of the same fate. The latter wasn’t so surprising after all. The very same pagoda where he enjoyed the view of the sect was the second biggest place of skeleton concentration. Sitting on the mats, the dead seemed to be during their meditation when something awful struck, killing them at once right on the spot.
And I still don’t feel anything… I bet this place must have the highest concentration of Qi if there is such a thing. Too many cultivators in quite luxurious robes were gathered here… when those rags were in better shape.
Breathing in and out, Robert attempted to feel at least something. Unfortunately, not only was Qi unavailable to him, but also the smell or the temperature of the air failed to touch any of his senses. It was just a mechanical move without any meaning, reminding him how detached he became at this point so that there was absolutely no need to gather even mana from his surroundings. His body was so self-sustaining, mighty, and efficient that it was sickening. This power came with a huge price. The funniest thing was that Robert never aimed for it, just trying to survive, adapting to new challenges because of need. Nothing else.
Get over it, Rob… You can’t change it… at least for now. You never know what opportunities the future may bring, so for now focus on the other things. More importantly, you have one more place to explore.
Returning his gaze to the huge pagodas he noticed from the beginning, Robert once again started his unhurried walk. Soon the darkness enveloped the place, making the pathway barely visible. Raising his head, Rob tried to find even a single star, but there was nothing. Just a bluish blackness above him that spread to the horizon. It noticeably decreased the beauty of the night sky, making it look like one above the megalopolis with its blinding lights. Still, the scenery of the mountain and abandoned medieval city from the east made up for it, raising his mood.
No matter what, I am alive!
This though breathed a new potion of energy into Robert, increasing his pace. Soon he was standing in front of the huge building with open doors. Consisting of a single space, it had multiple large wooden boards. Attached to the walls, while occupying them all, they were currently empty. However, just from the place's name, Robert could guess it was a different situation back when the sect was living. Wandering for several minutes and not noticing anything worth studying, he left the Mission Hall.
The next stop was the Alchemy Pavilion, but Rob left after a short exploration, despite the promising name. The place was bare without any plants prepared for use, having instead multiple stoves and cauldrons without familiar laboratory equipment. He was sure that the Tower’s System was more creative in this regard, inventing more types of machinery to help the alchemists brew the potions. Cultivators, on the other hand, seemed to rely solely on their Qi-magic. Not discouraged, Robert continued his tour, proceeding with the two biggest pagodas in the sect left until the last. He could bet that there was more, hidden outside of onlooking eyes, but for now, he could be satisfied with a basic overlooking of the dead realm.
The first pagoda went by the name “Pavillion of Techniques” according to an elegant sign above the entrance. Tall, with many flags and even faded golden paint, the pagoda was the most decorated building in proximity. And it was guarded even stronger than the palace of a local sect leader as Robert’s attempt to step in was met with powerful pressure that tried to hit him in the guts. Failing to make a noticeable effect at once to scare him off, the inbuilt automatic defense simply increased its might. Pouring even more Qi into it, the formation created such pressure on Rob that he had to back off, sensing how his reactor core started to crack under it, struggling to contain boiling energy inside.
Okay, later then… What is the last one?... Ascension Tower. Hmm. Its doors are wide open as if inviting me. Let’s not disappoint it then.
Once again measuring the thick tower with his eyes, Robert noted the absence of any windows on its huge frame. Even the stone that was used to build the thing looked different – much darker and stronger as this pagoda had no signs of aging, standing in a pristine state, albeit slightly dirty. It seemed to be made to contain something dangerous, pushing its toughness above everything else. That caused a wave of curiosity to rise inside him. Fortunately, Robert had nothing else to do, stepping inside without a hint of hesitation. A moment he did it, the gates behind him closed, cutting him off from the outside world.
So, what do we have here? A combat trial?