Under a dusky sky tinged with a hint of blood, the land was covered with sores and wounds.
Gigantic fissures that seemed to lead to the Abyss crisscrossed the ground. Compared to them, even Huai Shi, as large as he now was, seemed no more than an insignificant speck of dust.
These crisscrossing chasms had utterly dissected an enormous mountain.
It was as if kindergarteners, drunk on vodka, had been let loose to slice a cake—haphazardly and without any geographical common sense.
On that fragmented mountain peak directly in front of Huai Shi stood the Capital City spoken of by the Lizard Monk.
But the problem was—aside from the heavily guarded Capital City, there were also fortresses on other mountains, clearly featuring a style starkly different from that of the Capital, yet equally chilling.
It was as if they were...standing in opposition to each other.
Huai Shi could even see brown bloodstains, the remnants of dried spatters, on their walls.
From afar, a putrid stench wafted from the deep valley. The smell was so potent it made one wonder how many corpses had to rot to produce it, making Huai Shi feel even more uncomfortable.
"That too is the Capital City."
The monk's serpentine eyes filled with an indescribable hatred. "The Capital of the faithless, the nest of Heretics, the gathering place of devils on earth... One day, those sinners will all be destroyed under the thunderous wrath of God!"
"...Your God is quite creative," Huai Shi muttered as he climbed onto a mound, looking ahead almost with a laugh.
Those several Capitals were all constructed right on the edges of the Abyss' fissures, relying on the terrain to forge their fortresses, and then stood heavily guarded in opposition to one another.
So, these fissures marked the borders between nations now, didn't they?
But what kind of genius decided to move so many Capital Cities to the borders and turn them into military fortresses? The Emperor is supposed to guard the nation's gates, but not like this, surely?
It's like they're itching to launch a royal expedition every morning before they even hit the restroom.
What for?
Utterly ridiculous.
Since their establishment, who knows how many years had passed.
Out of the six cities, one had already completely decayed, collapsed into ruins, while the other five maintained their hostility toward each other, ready for battle.
Standing tens of kilometers away, Huai Shi could already smell various odors wafting from there.
The scent of beasts.
One could only guess how many Explorers were currently within those cities, waiting for the Eternal War to begin.
"How many of them have god-mode cheats enabled?" Huai Shi asked.
"About five are known to be out in the open."
Fu Yi glanced at the mini-map. "One is up here on our side, three are on the left, and another is straight across..."
Must be nice to have admin privileges.
As Huai Shi sucked on a lemon, he glanced at the fervent monk. "Let's go, lead the way... Didn't you say His Majesty the King wants to see me?"
"Please follow me."
The monk lifted the Incense Burner and walked towards the solitary city atop the high mountain.
The entire Capital City was actually filled with a strange odor.
Standing before that narrow city gate, looking up at the towering walls above, one could feel a bewildering confusion emanating from the nearly absurd Gothic style.
With everything in such a state of disrepair, how has your Great Lizard Country not yet perished?
Cold high walls and sharply angled spires cast gloomy and sharp shadows over numb faces.
Every pair of eyes that could still open was bloodshot, and as they stared at Huai Shi, there was an uncomfortable mix of frenzy and joy.
As Huai Shi entered the city, no one feared that the beasts on the road might devour them; instead, they fell to the ground, eager to beg for the Great Spirits' Blessing.
The sound of coughing, groaning, and distant screams.
And the smell of decay.
With so few pedestrians, the city almost seemed desolate, but the bizarre noises from behind the walls were easily a hundredfold more than those on the streets.
It was as if more dying people were unwillingly making their presence known.
Fear, unrest, pain, and despair.
Inexplicable fanaticism.
Prayers.
Those clear, muddled, hoarse, or shrill voices merged into one, chanting the divine scriptures in unison amidst the somber and oppressing ring of bells.
As he walked up the steep, heaven-ascending steps, Huai Shi felt the putrid smell growing stronger.
This sensation was exceptionally strange, as if he were stepping further into the decaying corpse of a Giant Beast.
The scent of decay was everywhere.
"This is disgusting," whispered Fu Yi. "Is it like this at the Border with Hell too?"
"Bullshit! Hell has amusement parks, and they're awesome, you know? Not a single person who's partied at the Ancient Evil Spirit Castle hasn't given us a thumbs-up!"
Huai Shi felt it was his duty as the Prince of Paradise to defend the honor of his workplace at this moment. But Fu Yi didn't buy it at all.