Chapter 364: The Ability to Feel (1/2)
”The Spirits Realm is divided into five layers,” Mr. Hopper introduced on Arthur's back as they walked on top of the stone peaks. ”The highest layer is the Celestial World, where the Divine Spirits are located.”
”Are they powerful?”
”In the Spirits Realm, yes.” Mr. Hopper said as Arthur began climbing a mountain using his chains. ”Odd fellas.” He referred to the chains.
”Are they not as strong in the outside world?”
”They are as strong as Gods, dormant and eternal. Do you think there exists a being that can provide them with enough Spiritual Energy to descend?”
”I see,” Arthur nodded as he grabbed the edge and lifted himself. ”What about the other layers?”
”The rest of the layers are Skyey, Earthen, Infra, and Abyssal World.” Mr. Hopper said. ”We are in the Infra World, where the low-tier spirits are located and where Seekers start their journey.”
”So, every visitor starts here?” Arthur walked toward the giant monument on top of the mountain.
”No, but Seekers start their journey here. For contractors and recurring visitors of the Spirits Realm, they will be in the world of their highest-tier spirit.”
'Gala didn't tell me there were rankings for spirits. She didn't even tell me what's the rank of her spirits. Why is she making me go through so much?'
Arthur inwardly grumbled as he looked at the giant monument of a warrior in front of him. The warrior suddenly raised its sword and slashed at Arthur.
His chains burst forward and blocked the attack of the spirit. They didn't even budge when the sword collided with them, making Arthur realize how overpowered they were.
The monument nodded in response and retracted his sword. A globe of light came out of the monument toward Arthur, who simply shook his head.
”Every spirit we met until now wants to make a contract with you.” Mr. Hopper said with amazement. ”You remind me of a group of people.”
”Loved Ones?”
”Hm?” Mr. Hopper seemed confused. ”No, you remind me of witches. They have high affinity to spirits as well, as they are spiritual beings themselves.”
”The person I'm looking for is a witch,” Arthur said, and Mr. Hopper chirped in surprise.
”If they are Contractors already, then they must be on the higher worlds. You won't find them here!”
”We still need to find the Bookkeeper, right?”
”The Bookkeeper is in the Skyey World, so it would indeed prove difficult. No worries, good gentleman. I shall aid you in your quest to find your friend. In this world, nothing is stronger than friendship.”
”Uh,” Arthur didn't know how to break it up for the spirit that he was on a quest to kill that friend. So, he didn't say anything and simply passed the monument. ”How do we go to the other layers?”
”We need to find a stairway, but there is a test.” Mr. Hopper said. ”There are many stairways, so we should be able to find one if we look around.”
”It shouldn't be a problem since this place is quite friendly,” Arthur said without much thought, but Mr. Hopper made laughing noises that bewildered him.
”Sir, I think you needed to research a bit before coming here. Do you know why a seeker's journey starts at the Infra World even though there's one below it?”
”The Abyssal World?” Arthur turned to look down at the grasshopper. ”Is it dangerous?”
”The Abyssal World is where defiant, corrupted, and wrathful spirits live. Out of the five, the Abyssal World is the largest and the most chaotic.”
”Does that mean spirits of the other four worlds are 'good' spirits?”
”No, not really.” Mr. Hopper said as Arthur sprinted over a bridge. ”Let me tell you a story. I'll keep it short.” The grasshopper began storytelling.
Long ago, the Spirits Realm was closed to all. No contracts were made with 'Living Creatures.' That was how it was since the first appearance of spirits. However, everything changed when the First Seeker appeared.
A human entered the Spirits Realm by opening a portal to it. The Spirits Sovereign welcomed the outsider and asked for their purpose.
”Let's be friends. Help the dimensions to fight against the end.”
The human said to the spirits, who knew no such thing as friendship. The outsider wanted to establish the concept of contracts. The spirits were amused, and the most interested one was the Spirits Sovereign.
The Spirits Sovereign asked for one thing in return: the dearest thing that the human had. When faced with such a choice, the human knew he couldn't lie to the Spirits Sovereign.
Thus, the seeker gave away his ability to feel.