756 Cloud Tower (1/2)

Cloud Tower, the city of silk and black gold.

It had been raised from the sea hundreds of years ago because of turmoil within the Originator, and now it occupied the main sea route between the East and the West. It could be said that it had the trade routes by the throat.

It existed only as a cash cow. As long as the waterways kept operating, the money would keep flowing without end.

Ye Qingxuan had heard tales of its extravagance and prosperity from traveler's notes and from the mouths' of merchants and smugglers.

It was said that half of the huge city was built on the sea. Those civilians and untouchables without property or identity had to live on the sea. Their houses made out of sampans, and wooden boats were like barnacles clinging to the rocks and the city walls.

With land so scarce in this sea, every inch of soil was worth as much gold. Every vacant inch of soil was filled as soon as possible, and every foot of space would be used up.

In the end, the whole city had become a three-dimensional labyrinth.

Behind the thick walls, the builders had done things very skillfully. Behind a very thinly constructed layer, they had stuffed in the lowest class, slaves. Then they had put in a layer of wood, and behind another thinly constructed layer, they put the civilians. And then there were those with property, the officials, the wealthy, powerful merchants. In this way, it went constantly upward, layer after layer, until above the nine layers the sunlight illuminated a tall tower, the highest place in the city.

To the poets, the seat of the castellan of the city used up all the extravagance of the mortal world. Every brick and every tile was made by the hands of a craftsman. Even the roof tiles were decorated with black gold and jade.

The whole city was like a tall building created by a skilled hand, and the castellan's seat was the crystallized magnificence at the top. Below it, the dark city never slept. For the 360 days out of the year, the lights were not extinguished, and crowds of people walked back and forth along wooden ladders and rails, consuming both goods and wealth.

Gold, silver, and jade were continuously transported through the deepest part of the maze. Nowadays no one knew how much wealth was hidden within the city.

There were all kinds of rumors, some beautiful, some solemn, some strange, and some dark, but in all of them, Cloud Tower had a mysterious attraction, like a mirage, inviting curiosity.

But Ye Qingxuan had never thought that when he came here it would be so desolate.

The Mountain of Nomadism sailed through the quiet waters. Everywhere it passed, the deteriorated, rotting houses on the sea were lifeless. Through the fog, they could occasionally see one or two hidden shadows moving through the layers, but when they got closer they could find no trace of them.

It was like they were avoiding them on purpose.

The fleets that in the past had come and gone had all vanished. They did not see anyone until they sailed through the gates of Cloud Tower. Although it was normal that after the Great Wall of the East was cut off there would be some desolation, this extreme level of desolation was unexpected.

”There's something wrong with this d*mn place, Your Highness.” At the helm, Egor scratched his bald head. ”It's eerie.”

Ye Qingxuan was amused. ”Leviathan's Lightless Sea didn't scare you, and now just a little bit of desolation and you're like this?”

”This is different.” Egor gathered his thoughts, and after ruminating for a while said, ”The Lightless Sea was made by a monster. I'm not afraid of monsters. If I can fight them I'll live, if I can't fight them I'll run, and if I can't run I'll die. But this is different. This is man-made. I fear humans much more than monsters.”

Ye Qingxuan was surprised, and couldn't help but laugh. Although Egor's philosophy of survival was rough and simple, he did have some flashes of insight.

”Relax, no matter what's going on here, I can protect you.” He patted Egor's shoulder and walked to the front of the bridge. He stared out in front of the Mountain of Nomadism.

They were under the city of Cloud Tower now, and in front of them was the main gate—a 10,000-ton watergate.

Cloud Tower's main gate was divided into two layers, isolated by two sluice gates at both ends of the city gate. It was said that the water level inside the city was completely different from outside, and that the elevation difference was like a steep cliff.

If he didn't have a whole set of hubs to coordinate its movement, it would be difficult for Ye Qingxuan to break through the outer gate.

But now that the ship had arrived at the wall, there was no response from Cloud Tower. Ye Qingxuan sensed that on top of the wall, there was enough room to let dozens of horse-drawn carriages run parallel to each other, but there was not a single person up there.

In the space behind the city gate, it was so quiet that it did not seem like a city.

Now, all of Cloud Tower was like a double-layered iron coffin, sealing in corpses and their stench. The city revealed nothing, but getting closer made them uneasy.

It was like the city had died.

Amidst their perplexion, a roar burst out.

As the sluice gates shook violently, numerous green rust stains and barnacles shook off from the iron wall, and the sound of surging currents gathered together into the harsh sound of countless boulders smashing together. White foam seethed beneath the water, like a dead octopus spurting out its decomposing fluids.

Eventually, the path to the center of the city slowly became open.

But even now no one appeared before them.

Not even a signal light was lit.

”This...” Egor looked hesitantly at Ye Qingxuan.

”I'll go, you all stay here.” Ye Qingxuan took a jacket from one of the crewmembers and put it on. ”If something happens, don't worry about me, retreat straightaway to a safe distance,” he ordered the captain. ”I authorize you to use Hephaestus when necessary.”

Egor wanted to say something but stopped, guessing that there was no use in urging him again. He just sighed and called over two crew members.

”Please let them go with you.” Egor looked at Ye Qingxuan. ”As a Prince, it's unthinkable for you to go out on an inspection tour without a couple of attendants. Even if they just carry your bags for you.”

More people were better than fewer, and moreover, and if something went wrong, he could throw them in front of the blade and buy himself some time.

Ye Qingxuan looked at the pair of knights who had started dressing. He did not refuse. Soon, he stepped onto the gangplank and jumped onto one of the sampans. As he faced the dark city, the sampan slowly entered into the depths of the city gate.

On the bridge, Egor smoked his cigarette furiously, looking at the cold edge of the city, and his face twitched involuntarily.

”This d*mn place… It's too freaking evil.”

…

In reality, Ye Qingxuan did not sail through the darkness for very long.

When his sampan stopped at the dock, he saw a figure that had been waiting there, a slender-limbed, white-haired girl with familiar eyebrows...