Chapter 836: The Omphalos (1/2)
GDK 836: The Omphalos
On Elysium, the Land of Chaos was often compared to a hurricane for all its violence and chaos. However, just like a hurricane, it was calm at the center.
The gods in the Land of Chaos also needed to trade commodities and conduct businesses. But most of the Fringe was just too chaotic or unsafe to do so. Even the simplest of trading could hardly be performed.
Thus the Omphalos was born - a city located at the center of the Fringe. It was jointly managed by the most powerful powerhouses in the Fringe - the Five Sovereigns. Every god inside the Omphalos would obey the Five Sovereign’s orders not to fight, kill, or steal.
The gods who could not live on any of the Twelve Dominions for whatever reason can live a very comfortable and worry-free life in the Omphalos provided that they had a large amount of black crystal coins and could make it through the godhunters and criminals in the Fringe. No matter how chaotic and disastrous it gets outside, the Omphalos would stay completely calm and unaffected. All friction and conflict between the Five Sovereigns would be left outside the Omphalos.
Many of the raiders and bandits would bring the goods they looted to the Omphalos to sell them off for in the entire Land of Chaos, that might be the only place where people won’t try to rob and murder each other. After all, no one dared offend the Five Sovereigns. However, that would only be true while they were in the Omphalos. They would be on their own as soon as they stepped outside the Omphalos.
In other words, even if one manages to sell off their valuable goods in the Omphalos, they would still be vulnerable to getting robbed or murdered as soon as they take a step outside.
Inside, only money mattered. Outside, only strength mattered!
The Omphalos was a very unique place in the Chaotic Land for anyone and everyone’s safety was guaranteed. But the temporary safety came at a hefty price - anyone who wished to enter the Omphalos must pay a large sum of black crystal coins in entrance fees. The longer they wished to stay, the more they must pay.
The Five Sovereigns had established this safe zone in the Fringe not just because there was a need for such a place, but also because it would supply them with a constant and tremendous stream of black crystal coins.
Han Shuo and his party traveled straight for the Omphalos. They finally arrived at their destination eight days later.
During those eight days, Han Shuo ran into a dozen or more battles of various scales. Some had just two to three participants while some involved several hundred experts. There were five or six groups who attacked Han Shuo and his party but they were easily butchered by Han Hao and Rose.
Han Shuo understood the Fringe even better during those eight days. In this region where the most heinous criminals from the Twelve Dominions gathered, morality and ethics were basically nonexistent. The strong prey on the weak and life had little to no value.
Many criminals would travel across Elysium just to live in the Fringe. But before they could go any deeper, most of them would be murdered by gods who had been living in the Fringe. After entering the Fringe, gods with relatively weak strength must either submit themselves to a powerhouse or spend vast amounts of black crystal coins living in the Omphalos to keep themselves alive.
Han Shuo felt as though he was a tiger freed from confinement and released to the wild forests. He would annihilate every party he discovered along his journey to the Omphalos. During those eight days, more than two hundred gods perished to Han Shuo and his party. Among those perished were ten highgods!
The Fringe might be a nightmarish land for most people. But to Han Shuo, it is the most wonderful place on Elysium where he could rapidly improve his strength. Han Shuo’s base strength was growing in parallel with the number of demon generals within the Cauldron of Myriad Demon. He could sense a minute but significant transformation to the Cauldron with each highgod soul collected.
While waiting before one of the gates to the Omphalos, Han Shuo noticed that it was just slightly smaller than the Ethereal City. Its vast territory was covered by a light mist. From a distance, he could see that the buildings were rather scattered and high traffic of gods moving around. Most of those gods had cold and savage looks.
There were five checkpoints into the Omphalos, one for each of the Sovereigns. Han Shuo and his party were entering through the checkpoint controlled by Wasir’s men. Those gods had cold and sinister eyes. Their gazes towards those entering were filled with greed, as though they wished to strip everyone of their money.
They did not check the divine tablet of those entering or ask about their purpose of travel - all that they asked was one hundred black crystal coins from each person. And if Han Shuo and his party wanted to stay longer than one day, they must pay one hundred black crystal coins for every extra day. After paying eight hundred black crystal coins, Han Shuo and his party officially stepped into the Omphalos.