Leveling up the World

Chapter 373: Ruin Tunnels

Seventeen taverns and eight shops, all said the same thing: up to Dallions incident, chainlings had come and gone fairly frequently, sometimes two or even three at a time. Knowing what he knew now, Dallion could assume that by chainlings they meant the cultist he had fought. All that suggested that the area had seen a lot more activity than previously believed. The reason for that, though, still remained unclear.

Its deep under there, Vend said. He had spent a significant time combat splitting, checking the tiles at the square one by one.

Dallion took the kaleidervisto from his holster boot and looked at the spot in question. There was nothing to be seen. Apparently, turning a chainling into a guardian rendered the device inefficient.

Ive no idea how they placed it exactly, but taking it out will be difficult.

Im surprised the city guard didnt find this, Dallion said. Or the overseer. Wasnt she supposed to be able to sense these things?

Thats the whole pointyou cant sense it. I know its there because of the residual effects, but Ive no idea where exactly. It could be two feet beneath the ground, it could be twenty. Well need a dozen city guards only to dig up that thing, and no one would allow that during the festival.

Even with the entire city at stake?

Especially then. It would mean that the Lord mayor cannot secure his city. Even worse, itll mean that the countess doesnt know whats going on in her own county. Admitting that is the same as stepping down or inviting a new war of succession. There are people alive who still remember the last one, and they definitely wont take any rumors calmly.

A chill passed down Dallions spine. His grandfather was heavily involved in the wars of succession. His personal downfall aside, the entire province had been plunged in war lasting years. It was understandable why the topic might be touchy.

So, theres nothing I can do, Dallion thought.

Thats not exactly true, Nil said. True, it seems that the Vermillion keys have been buried throughout the city and so beyond reach, for all practical purposes. However, one big question remains: Why?

Time seemed to stop as Dallion went through all the relevant information. He knew that the Stars plan involved several Vermillions Tears, as well as the world item in some way. The Vermillion keys had been leveled up and buried in various parts of the city. Why, though? There didnt seem to be any banished creatures in the vicinity, so having them there was pointless. Even if these were just hiding spots from which items would be taken to be used later, it didnt make sense that they would be placed so

How deep could it go? Dallion asked all of a sudden. A couple of dozen feet?

Could be. I told you I cant be sure about"

What about a few hundred?

Not impossible, but they would have required a lot of digging, and theres no way that wouldnt have been noticed.

Im so stupid! Weve been thinking this all wrong. The clues were in front of me the entire time, and I didnt bother to look. Weve been here over an hour and we didnt ask the most obvious question. How was the ring put there in the first place?

Without giving Vend a chance to say a word, let alone ask a question, Dallion rushed to the nearest three-story building.

How was the chainling buried? he asked.

The same way things are buried, the building guardian replied. You dig a hole, drop it in, and then cover the hole up.

How long did it take for the person with the item to dig up that hole?

Im not sure. Time runs differently for me. About ten years, Id say. Give or take.

How much would that be in real time?

Approximately three seconds, Nil replied. For a building of this size and nature, ten years would be no more than three seconds.

Dal? Vend joined Dallion in front of the building. Whats going on?

Three seconds, Dallion burst out laughing. They made the hole in three seconds.

Thats impossible. You wont be able to move more than a tile in three seconds. The only way is to enter the area realm, and that would have been felt by the Lord Mayor and many of the other nobles.

Thats not true. Theres an easy way for it to be done. Give me a knife and Ill show you.

Suspicious, Vend took one of the knives from his belt and handed it to Dallion. Dallion took the weapon, then held the blade by the tip with two fingers and let it go. The knife fell steadily until it hit the ground. Profound, Vend said.

Quickly, Dallion picked up the knife, then stood up and let it go again. The result was no different than before. Picking it up again, Dallion then split into a dozen instances, all doing the same exercises, only dropping it on a slightly different spot. After close to half a hundred tries, he finally stopped.

The only way to bury something so deep in three seconds is to find a hole that existed before.

Interesting logic, but theres nothing there. This has been a plaza since I could remember. If there was anything of interest, the overseer would have found it after your fights against the chainling.

Who says she didnt? Dallion stuck the knife in the crack between two pieces of pavement, loosening one tile. Applying enough pressure made the tile pop, revealing a small hole underneath. It seemed no larger than a copper coin, but Dallion suspected that it went down a long way. Whats the most important principle of this world? Dallion asked, looking up at Vend. You only learn the things youre allowed to learn. If there was a huge network of ruins beneath Nerosal, the Lord Mayor and a select group of nobles would know about it, as would the overseer. Respectively, none of them would want the secret to come out.

Most of the nobles banished to this city must have been aware, as was the copyette. That had been the real reason that the Star wanted him deadnot because of anything he said or because he feared his strength, but because he knew everything about the city upon which Nerosal had been built and how much of it existed buried beneath the surface.

Was there a fountain here? Dallion asked. Or a well of some sort?

Not in my time.

Do we have enough to warn the countess now? Or the mayor at least?

Not until evening. But I know a way of telling the overseer. If youre right, shell act. We might get in a bit of trouble, but shell look into it.

That was a potential compromise. Dallion still had second thoughts. Part of him questioned whether the overseer could be trusted. According to Nil, her only role was to protect the city, a role that she had done exceedingly well. However, she remained a chainling. If offered the prospect of freedom, would she remain loyal or become part of the scheme?

You warn the overseer, Dallion said. Ill look into this whole thing with the ruins.

Weve discussed this. Im not letting you do anything alone. Youve filled your stupid quota for the year.

Someone has to warn the overseer, and after my mess up, that person isnt me. Dallion hesitated for a few moments. You can always join me once Im done.

That seemed to convince Vend. The elite knew the importance of the situation. Nothing indicated how soon the Stars plan would come into effect, but the more they delayed, the less chance they had to get in front of things.

How will you get there? I doubt anyone will reveal such a secret, just like that.

They dont have to. Ill just find out which part of the citys sanitation system has never received a repair request. Someone at the guild will know. Ill ask.

Strictly speaking, Dallion wasnt lying. He was going to ask Nil, who was an echo of captain Adzorg. In terms of knowledge, it was the same thing.

Ill let the overseer know. Meanwhile, dont do anything too reckless. If youre caught, youll be in serious trouble, and Im not talking ten days in a prison item. If the ruins really exist, the secret must have been kept for generations. And you dont get to keep such a secret by being nice to those who uncovered it.

The implication was clear: if he came across any guards, Dallion might lose more than his freedom. Still, he nodded. At this point, the euphoria had filled his very being, urging him to see this through.

Ill join you as fast as I could, Vend said, then rushed off in the direction of the arena.

Im not sure that was the right choice, Nil said. He could have been of help. Moons know, youll need all the help you can get down there.

You think so? If you ask me, hes the one doing the dangerous part. I wouldnt want to be the one to tell the overseer. As Vend said, theres no telling how shell react. Besides, everyones focus will be above ground. All I need to do is get the Vermillion keys. The fact that the cultists had to use such methods to get the ring down there means that they dont have any other means of access. As long as I dont draw any attention, Ill be fine.

The old echo wasnt at all convinced by Dallions reasoning, but he let it pass.

Nerosals sanitation system was nothing like what would pass as a sewer system back on earth. It was less a comprehensive sewer system, rather than multiple sets of tunnels in the important areas. Dallions initial guess was that since only nobilityand not even all of themenjoyed privileges such as plumbing and running water, it would be those sections of the city that had sanitation tunnels. As it turned out, that wasnt always the case: each area close to a water source had its own set of tunnels, providing water to several wells in that part of the city. The mayors palace, naturally, had its own, although it had been maintained diligently for the last twenty years, at least. According to Nil, the noble areas were the ones constantly requesting repairs. To them it was the same whether there was a single crack or the entire thing was about to collapse: they could afford to have it pristine, so they didnt hesitate to hire awakened every few weeks to check and fix what they owned. There was no way they would do that if there was anything to hide.

Im sad to say that your plan is flawed, dear boy. If something were secret, I wouldnt know about it at all.

I have faith in you. Dallion smiled. He strongly suspected that Nils original knew far more than he was sharing. Can you think of any place without sanitation tunnels at which nobles gathered a lot?

The guard forts. I wouldnt say the visits often, but every now and again, someone from the Lord Mayors office goes there on an official visit.

Thats one possibility.

Theatres and the arena during festival time, also. Other than that, I cant think of

The arena! Dallion said.

Back on Earth, the coliseum in Rome had a means to be filled with water, suggesting a massive and complicated water and draining system. While there was no guarantee that things in this world would copy achievements on Earth, the arena was the second place at which Dallion had seen a chainling.

Can there be any sort of tunnels beneath it?

Its a large building, Nil said. I expect its possible. As you know, its not one of the places I like to visit. On the bright side, youd have no problem going there. Youre a rising star at the tournament, after all. Are you sure you want to gamble with your hunch? Theres no guarantee youll find anything.

Dallion was fully aware, however, he also had the feeling he was right.

I guess Ill meet back up with Vend sooner than expected.

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