Chapter 341: Support Arrives, A False Alarm
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 341: Support Arrives, A False Alarm
At that moment, the massive elevator groaned to life. Perhaps due to the sheer number of people on board, the rumbling was particularly loud.
They gradually descended deep into the earth. The light grew sparse until everything turned pitch black. The only things visible were the inscriptions etched into the platform beneath their feet and the runes on the tracks flashing past as they sped upward. In the darkness of the shaft, these inscriptions were the only sources of light, streaking past their eyes like meteors flying in reverse while the group descended at a steady pace.
Once the initial excitement of the new experience faded, the crowd fell silent, leaving only the sound of mechanical friction.
Soon, their expressions grew taut, and their eyes filled with vigilance. This was the instinctive reaction of the City Guard when facing the unknown. Even the students from the Transcendent Academy were caught up in the atmosphere, bracing themselves and preparing for the possibility of an ambush mid-descent.
The elevator had been running for quite a while and had yet to reach the bottom. Heaven only knew what kind of gruesome death awaited them if they were attacked and fell from this height. Even if these Outsiders didn't fear death, it didn't mean they didn't fear pain.
Finally, the elevator platform emerged from the lightless tunnel, and the view before them suddenly opened up.
The first thing to catch everyone's eye was, naturally, the Ley Line that connected the floor and the ceiling of the entire Underground District. It emitted a soft, cool light that illuminated the subterranean space, revealing the miracle beneath Ninglan New City in its entirety.
In that instant, many let out involuntary gasps of admiration. Most of the people here were seeing such a sight for the first time, and they couldn't help their wonder.
They descended slowly from the ceiling. Even Tan Han, seeing this scene again, couldn't help but sigh in awe inwardly.
However, she did not lose her basic sense of vigilance.
Although she believed that with Xiao Han in the Underground District, nothing too catastrophic would happen, they were Outsiders after all. There were limits to their strength, and things they were powerless to change.
The crowd gazed at the vastness of the Underground District. While the architectural style retained elements from the surface, the execution was entirely different. Unlike Ninglan New City above, the boundaries of the cavern walls were visible here. Buildings were staggered at varying heights, filled with an almost absurdist futuristic flair. To the Underground District, the glowing Ley Line was less like a sun and more like a giant desk lamp supporting the world. Massive man-made facilities were built around the Ley Line, creating a unique sense of harmonious beauty.
Looking at such a city, they found it hard to associate it with a place in need of "support." Everything here seemed perfectly normal, devoid of the flames of war or conflict.
After a period of dazed silence, the group began to snap out of it, reminding one another not to let their guard down.
But when they finally reached the ground and the elevator came to a complete, stable halt, they saw a group of people in nearly identical uniforms waiting for them in the open area directly ahead.
These people were, naturally, the key figures of the Beyonder Research Base, dressed in the uniforms of scholars or researchers. Even the base's high-ranking officials were senior researchers or scholars with their own achievements. If not for this meeting, I wouldn't have known that many of the people I had interacted with before held such high status in the base.
As the elevator platform opened, the people inside began to file out. The groups from both the Dream and Reality realms suddenly fanned out like a decompressed file, filling the corridor in front of the elevator.
"We are extremely grateful for your swift arrival to support the Underground District. We represent the Underground District Beyonder Research Base to welcome you. I wonder..."
At this point, someone from our side stepped forward and began exchanging enthusiastic pleasantries, drawing the attention of the newcomers.
They hadn't expected a formal reception; they had assumed they would be diving straight into a fierce battle against Dream Demons the moment they stepped off.
The City Guard was relatively composed, but as soldiers meant to be on the front lines, the people from the base weren't sure who to talk to first. After all, these soldiers were responsible for confirming the safety of the area immediately. Neither Ninglan Qiuyu nor Ninglan Qiuyue was on this level yet.
However, at that moment, the Outsiders' eyes widened as they spotted a familiar figure among the crowd.
The Transcendent Academy students who dared to be in the first wave were naturally those extremely confident in their own strength. Many of them were individuals who had met or seen me during the previous Dream Exchange Competition.
Even if they hadn't participated in the competition, the live broadcasts and replays had ensured that the vast majority of people remembered a certain name and image.
The sudden silence and awkwardness left the welcoming official unsure of how to continue.
"Thank you for coming down to support us. To be honest, if no one had come, being down here alone would have been quite exhausting," I said, stepping forward. "Don't just stand here. People from the other levels need to get off."
I looked at the multi-layered elevator. It was designed to transport multiple levels of people downward at once. Currently, the second-floor platform was still suspended above; the first-floor platform had to be cleared before the next one could descend.
Such a height was nothing to the Outsiders. Some of the more impatient ones, like those from the Beast Academy, simply leaped down and landed easily.
But when one of them looked up coolly, he saw someone who immediately made him feel a crushing pressure. Unpleasant memories from that exchange competition flooded his mind, and he instinctively broke out in goosebumps.
It wasn't just him; many others from the Transcendent Academy felt the same way, muttering to themselves about why they were seeing this "madman" here. After reacting, they looked at their companions and saw the same shock reflected in their eyes.
But more than anything, they were curious as to why she was here.
Following my words, many people began to move, and the staff in charge of the elevator started their operations.
I didn't need to worry about what came next. With so many people arriving, they naturally needed to be settled, but where they would stay wasn't my concern.
I stood where I was, watching Tan Han and the others walk toward me. Among the crowd of Outsiders, hers was the familiar figure I recognized instantly.
As for the others, I merely gave a nod of acknowledgment at most; after all, I wasn't particularly close to them.
"Xiao Han, I didn't expect you to be here. It's a relief you didn't leave earlier," Tan Han said with a look of fortune. If they had taken Xiao Han with them when they left previously, the situation in the Underground District might have been much more difficult.
"Yeah. I didn't expect so many of you to come down," I replied, adjusting my scholar's robes as I looked at her.
By now, quite a few people had spontaneously gathered around us. Many seemed to be acquaintances, such as Archie from the Holy Angel Academy, Yvette from the Sea Clan, Aiko from the Dwarf Academy, and even some from the Elf Academy—though the only one I could put a name to was Lin Qinlin.
Many of these people were aware of my strength or understood the situation. Even if things hadn't been entirely pleasant during the exchange competition, they at least respected my power.
Furthermore, since I had arrived in the Underground District before them, I knew more about the situation, which naturally drew them to me.
I exchanged a few brief words with them, but as expected, their questions were mostly about why I was here and wanting to get straight to the point regarding the current state of affairs.
"It's a bit of a coincidence. I've already wiped out quite a few Dream Demons. Right now, those disgusting creatures are hiding in the shadows, and they could launch an unknown surprise attack at any moment."
"So... the situation in the Underground District isn't as dire as we imagined?"
"Pretty much. However, the situation was indeed critical at the start. The sudden attack by the Dream Demons caused the entire Beyonder Research Base to grind to a halt, which is why the distress signal was sent. Later, those Dream Demons cut off our connection to the surface, making detailed communication impossible. During that time, I happened to take care of some of the Dream Demon trouble."
After my brief explanation, they gained a general understanding of the situation. It could be said that the whole thing was a false alarm.
But that didn't mean they could stop caring.
I continued to explain some basic common sense regarding the Beyonder Research Base to them. Since they were newcomers, they desperately needed this information.
"So... Sister Xiao Han, this uniform... have you managed to snag a position in the Beyonder Research Base?"
"In a way. I'm temporarily working there as a scholar. It's usually quite relaxed," I shrugged, explaining my situation.
I looked at Aiko. This cute little loli from the Dwarf Academy was quite the chatterbox; most of what I had just said was in response to her endless questions.
But what I said was also exactly what the others wanted to know.
"A scholar?"
The group looked at me as I said this with such nonchalance, and naturally, they didn't believe it. They didn't believe I was just a scholar here. What did scholars even do here? They were all first-year students who had only recently come into contact with the Transcendent; they weren't even qualified to be scholars, right?
However, the matter was laughed off and passed over because the next group to descend contained more familiar faces.
Ninglan Qiuyue, and her brother, Ninglan Qiuyu.
With just one glance, I saw the shadow of a Dream Demon on him. As I thought... I hadn't paid much attention last time, or perhaps he hadn't let the Dream Demon accompany him so closely back then.
But is he really that bold?
I recalled that Ninglan Qiuyue should have told him that there was someone here who could see the traces of Dream Demons.
I only spared him a glance and didn't linger, so as not to startle the snake.
"Ninglan Qiuyu is down."
At that moment, many Transcendent Academy students and City Guard soldiers felt as if they had found their pillar of support, waiting for his next command.
Just as I looked away, Ninglan Qiuyu's gaze swept over to us. Since the Outsiders were clustered here, it naturally drew his attention, but it was only for a moment.
He recognized me instantly. Though he looked a bit surprised, his gaze didn't linger for long.
After confirming the area was safe, he began communicating with the people from the base. Since they had come down with the intent to provide support, the first step was naturally to understand the situation, then formulate a plan and map out a strategy.
This wasn't something I needed to worry about. The world wouldn't stop turning without any one person, and I wasn't cut out to be a savior who had to have a hand in everything.
After a brief chat, they prepared to leave.
I, on the other hand, prepared to head back to the Beyonder Research Base. There were still many things to do there. Whether those three Dream Demons could be squeezed for more information was still up for debate. The idle scholars in the base were all looking forward to whether I would start a project or subject related to Dream Demons. Those guys hadn't even fully figured out the existence of Nightmares, yet they wanted to study Dream Demons, which were a higher life form. They were certainly aiming high.
But it didn't matter. Letting them test some of the characteristics of Nightmares wasn't a bad idea; they were more professional than me at that kind of process anyway.
Besides, I had more important things to do back at the base. As I demonstrated more of my strength, the level of permission I obtained in the base grew higher. This was one of the benefits the people at the base provided me in exchange for facing the Dream Demon threat. This meant I could touch the true core of the Beyonder Research Base—the deeper development and application of Inscription Arts!
This was equivalent to using their way of understanding the Inscription system to explain the application of Rune Rituals. While it might not necessarily give me direct benefits, it could fill my Memory Bookshelf Spellbook, serving as a foundation to help me understand other things through analogy in the future.
Returning to the base, I could clearly feel the atmosphere shift from the previous tension to a sense of relief following the arrival of support from the surface. It seemed the scholars and technical staff had truly been terrified by those Dream Demons.
While I was in the vault where experimental records and data were piled up, flipping through the results, I also picked up some news from the people passing by. The number of City Guard soldiers who had come down to support was too large, and the Underground District didn't have enough spare accommodation to house them all for now. Therefore, the City Guard was temporarily withdrawing from the Underground District but remained on standby at the surface entrance.
After all, upon learning that the plea for help from the Underground District was ultimately just a few Dream Demons causing trouble—a false alarm—they couldn't afford to waste so much manpower here.
I heard that after the City Guard returned to the surface, they would begin preparing a grand ceremony for the inauguration of the new City Lord. Before that, they had to clean up the aftermath of the resistance war, such as the bloodstains and corpses. The new City Lord would give an inaugural speech at the ceremony and review the recent events in Ninglan New City. After such a major event that affected so many people, an explanation had to be given to the citizens.
The Underground District would continue to be assisted by the Outsiders. Combined with the returned Ground Patrol, it would be enough to ensure they weren't defenseless against the Dream Demons.
Of course, any Outsiders who were unwilling to stay in the Underground District could also follow the City Guard back to the surface.
Furthermore, I heard that after Ninglan Qiuyu arrived in the Underground District, he immediately spoke with the person in charge of the Beyonder Research Base about military supplies related to the Beast Tide, but he encountered quite a bit of trouble.
I checked the time; it was getting late, and I really should be heading back.
Just as I put down the materials and walked out, I ran into an acquaintance in the base again.
"Hmm? Tan Han, I didn't expect to see you here." Seeing her appearing here so leisurely, and not looking like she was searching for me, I spoke up.
Tan Han had others with her as well.
"Yeah, since there's nothing much to do right now, I thought I'd come here for a tour to see how the Transcendent systems of other worlds develop."
"Is that so? It's good to see more of the world while you have the free time. From what I know, the Inscription system and gear machinery of this world are indeed very impressive. They share some similarities with the introductory levels of Mechanical Alchemy in Alchemical Arts. Their Inscription etching techniques are also quite interesting. But if you want a tour, I actually recommend the History Museum on the surface more. The old curator there is very enthusiastic and will explain many things to you."