Passing through a relatively short corridor, the view immediately opened up.
A gradually expanding space came into view right in front.
Upon entering, Angel discovered that this underground structure was actually smaller than he had imagined, at least smaller than the halls he had seen in the underground aqueducts of Nightmare Abyss City.
Although the area was small, the spatial structure was multi-layered, hollowed out, allowing one to see at least four levels from the bottom hall, each with rooms, some of which had their doors open, revealing lively interiors. Those colorful garments were definitely not from the past era and should be the living quarters of the Hero Squad.
Setting aside the homely atmosphere of the upper rooms, looking at this underground structure alone, it felt like a chapel of a small town.
The reason for thinking this was because Angel noticed rows of leftover nails on the broken marble floor. These nails were rusty on the outside but not corroded, as they were made from dense copper, an Extraordinary Material.
This kind of standardized nail was specifically used for fastening long rows of seats.
Based on the arrangement of these nails, the past hall certainly had rows of long benches.
Coupled with the obviously elevated podium at the front, just imagining it, one could envision a speaker standing there, addressing the seated audience, possibly speaking about doctrines or perhaps secretive brainwashing words.
This was almost exactly like the churches Angel had seen before.
Just much smaller in scale.
But, if this really was a church, why would it be built underground?
As Angel pondered, he voiced his assumptions and doubts aloud.
He mainly wanted to hear the Black Earl’s opinion, after all, the Black Earl had lived the longest here and must have seen countless religions, maybe he had come across a similar place.
However, the Black Earl couldn’t provide an answer either.
"It indeed looks like a gathering place for a sect, but after so many years, it’s hard to conclude. Perhaps, this place was just a venue for exchanges, like how you Alchemists hold alchemical exchange meetings in every Extraordinary City, always making them so secretive, afraid others would find out the location." As the Earl spoke, his tone began to change, expressing a disdainful contempt for these alchemical exchange meetings. It seemed there must be an untold story there.
Angel: "What the Lord Earl said might be possible, but if it were like an alchemical exchange meeting, the attendees should be more or less equal. But judging by the nail arrangement and the deliberately elevated podium, it doesn’t seem like a normal exchange meeting. If forced to view it as an exchange, it could only be a relationship between teacher and students."
So, could this be an underground classroom?
This conjecture was even more preposterous than the underground chapel.
It seemed that the Black Earl also found the exchange meeting theory unreliable, but he did not change his tune, instead questioning, "What proper church would be built underground?"
"None," Angel replied without hesitation. "In fact, it’s hard for sect people to gain a foothold in the Extraordinary City."
Religion thrives in ordinary cities mostly due to the greed of royal power and the need for spiritual solace by ordinary people facing hardships. But in places where Transcendents live, let alone Extraordinary Cities, you can hardly see any religious church presence even in Wizard Markets.
Because wizards who pursue truth would only believe in themselves, in the knowledge in their brains, or even in the power in their hands, but would never believe in those illusory deities. If there were wizards who genuinely believed, they must be bewitched, and they wouldn’t believe in gods fabricated by ordinary people, but in Abyssal Demon Gods, Druna Outer Gods, Wild Gods, or Lofte the Evil God.
These so-called deities, except for the evil gods of Lofte World, all covet the Wizards’ Realm. To gain greater benefits, they often use baits to entice some weak-minded wizards, which is a common occurrence.
Yet, even for these godly followers, at most, in Extraordinary Cities, they can only engage in minor activities or create small organizations the City Lord pretends not to see. Anything bigger than that isn’t possible. As for openly leaving behind churches, such instances are few and far between.
However, the above situation only applies to the current era.
Whether exceptions occurred in the times when Naraku City still existed is uncertain.
"Secretive, underground structures, seemingly chapel-like... Did I guess right? Is this a gathering place for Demon God believers or the headquarters of the Garden Labyrinth villains?!" Kaier’s voice suddenly rang out, laced with excitement.
Angel: "Maybe you guessed right, but to be sure, we still need evidence."
"However, confirming the situation here is only a secondary task. Our main goal remains to find if there’s an entrance leading to the underground aqueduct." Pausing, Angel turned to the others, "Everyone, let’s split up and search. Mark any suspicious areas, and we’ll check them together later."
Having said that, Angel turned to the Black Earl again, "Lord, can you temporarily lift Vay’s seal?"
Vay, originally looking a bit dispirited, suddenly brightened his eyes upon hearing Angel’s words, casting a disbelieving glance at Angel.
This famous Transcendental Wizard actually pleaded for him?! Did Angel see the fragility in his heart in such a short journey, the restless soul unwilling to remain lonely, wanting to soothe his wounded mind?
Vay’s eyes gleamed with light, his heart fluttered, but his understanding was obviously skewed. Even as a nose, the Black Earl saw through more than he did.
The Black Earl directly asked, "What do you need him for?"
Angel: "To have Vay inquire with the logistics of that Hero Squad we met earlier, especially that Endless Old Man, about the original appearance of this place, what significant changes they made, and if there are any symbolic patterns or textures, and a series of such questions."
Although confirming if this is a Demon God chapel isn’t the primary task, knowing related information could potentially help find the entrance from minor details.
The Black Earl pondered a moment, understanding Angel’s intention.
Among those present, Dox had spiritual perception, Angel understood Magical Energy Arrays, and Kaier loved exploring ruins, so it was left to the introverted Vay to inquire about these trivial questions.
"I understand," the Black Earl replied without further comment, directly lifting the seal on Vay’s mouth, then flew out from his pocket, signaling Vay to seek out the group from earlier alone.
Vay, still in his delightful reverie, gave Angel a grateful glance before advancing, reluctantly turning back every few steps into the passage.
The Black Earl flew up with the stone slab: "I’ll take a look around first, contact through the Mind Ribbon if you find anything."
With that, a Mind Ribbon connecting everyone quietly established.
The Black Earl’s goal was clear, flying straight to the top, seemingly making some discovery.
Angel then looked at Dox, "Shall we go together?"
Dox hesitated for a moment, "Why?"
Angel: "There isn’t much space here to begin with, splitting into three groups is enough. Besides, your inspiration is strong; perhaps there might be clues on the way. If you miss anything, I’m here."
Dox: "...The second sentence is the actual reason, right."
Dox couldn’t care less now, as his intuition still hadn’t surfaced.
However, since Angel offered to accompany him, going together was acceptable, giving him a chance to both earn favor and study why his inspiration diverged whenever it involved Angel.