Giant "Evening Bell"

As she drew closer to Amber City's Inner City, Li Wen felt the unnatural silence and desolation more keenly.

Li Wen reached the end of the stone bridge, where a towering city wall stood before her. Amber City had no enemies to defend against; if it had to have any, they could only be the Exiles in the Outer City. Thus, the wall existed to keep those Exiles out.

Unfortunately, far too much time had passed. The wall had long since been left unguarded, and its stone gates stood open, welcoming anyone inside.

Li Wen walked through, as though entering an enormous graveyard.

Every kind of building in Amber City shared the same black style. It was difficult to find even a trace that humans had once lived here; everywhere was empty. According to the Strategy Group's intelligence, there were at least three places she absolutely could not approach: the bell tower, the Council Hall, and the Witch Disciplinary Center.

The buildings of those three locations were distinctive enough, and none of them lay in the same direction as the Amber Temple at the center of the Inner City, so she was unlikely to encounter them.

Li Wen did not know the way and could barely tell directions in here, but according to the guide, as long as she followed the road she had entered by, she could reach the temple while avoiding most dangers.

Though that sounded somewhat strange, since it was information produced by the Strategy Group, it should have been ninety percent reliable.

So Li Wen continued straight down the road. Sure enough, she did not encounter anything unusual along the way. From afar, she spotted a pyramid-like building. That was the Council Hall, where the city's nobles and Twilight Believers discussed political affairs.

The nobles of Amber City were said to be descendants of the Elders. They had completed Amber City's initial construction and had also made up the Twilight Witch's earliest followers.

After walking for who knew how long, Li Wen felt that she should have reached the temple by now. Yet there was no building ahead that looked like a temple, only a towering structure.

It looked almost exactly like the spire at the entrance, only larger and entirely dark black. It did not resemble a temple at all.

Li Wen keenly sensed that something was wrong.

"Come here. This way."

A voice rang directly inside Li Wen's mind. After hearing it, she could not even resist and walked straight toward the tower.

At the top of the towering structure sat a giant.

"That's right, little one. Here."

Li Wen suddenly felt her entire body relax as she regained control of herself.

She looked up at the giant. It wore a tattered cloak and was gaunt all over, completely unlike the giants in Li Wen's imagination. Giants were a species from the mythic age, and their traces were nearly impossible to find in the modern world. Mountain Trolls and the Highland Race were more common, and they were said to be descendants of giants.

Still, it did not seem strange for such an extinct being to appear in this city forgotten by the river of time.

"I am the keeper of this bell tower. You may call me 'Evening Bell.'" The giant spoke in Common Terra, its voice droning and making Li Wen's ears ache.

The bell tower?

Li Wen's feelings became rather complicated. The bell tower was one of Amber City's three major forbidden zones according to the Strategy Group's intelligence. Either she had taken a wrong turn, or the guide was wrong.

There was also the possibility that this giant had used some method to bring her here without her realizing it.

But hadn't they said the Elders would not pay attention to intruders? Li Wen felt cheated.

"I merely wandered in here by mistake. I have no other intentions." Li Wen carefully considered her words before speaking cautiously.

Who knew what state this giant Elder was in? It would be ridiculous if she offended it and it barred her from entering Amber City again.

Giant Evening Bell spoke, its voice like rolling thunder.

"I do not care about your purpose, nor will I stop you from walking through this city. But I have matters that require you to complete them, so I allowed you to live and brought you before me."

Li Wen's heart skipped a beat.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I was the one who let you survive."

Was it talking about the Scorching Orb? Li Wen suddenly understood. She had wondered how she had run into such low odds. So an Elder had been interfering behind the scenes.

Even though she had not needed an Elder's help at all.

"Though the truth may be difficult to accept, that is the situation. Without me, you would have died then." Giant Evening Bell seemingly did not understand Li Wen's special nature as a player. That was understandable; Amber City had been cut off from the outside world for a very, very long time.

"That Fire Mage—did you kill him too?" Li Wen suddenly asked.

"I only needed one survivor." Evening Bell admitted it readily.

In other words, from the moment they entered Amber City, they had already been under the Elders' surveillance.

"You said you needed me to do something. It wouldn't happen to be related to the Amber Temple, would it?" Li Wen asked probingly.

"Relax, little one. This has nothing to do with the Amber Temple or The Final Codex." The giant chuckled deeply, like a kindly old man. "I know why you came. Ah, the perfect Twilight Lineage, the symbol of eternity and the end... Since our master ascended higher, or passed away, the Twilight Pillar has remained vacant. Whether humans, elves, or demon gods, none have failed to crave the Twilight Lineage. Naturally, you are no exception, are you?"

"Don't you crave it?"

Li Wen did not answer directly, instead throwing the question back at him.

"During the Final Rite, every living Elder swore to our master that they would never covet The Final Codex."

So that was it. It was not that he did not crave it, but that he could not.

The oaths of transcendent beings were binding. Moreover, this oath had been made before a Pillar Deity like the Twilight Witch. Naturally, even Elders could not break it.

"Then what do you need me to do?" Li Wen said calmly. For a player like her, as long as the reward was sufficient, she would accept any quest with her eyes closed. Whether she actually completed it was another matter.

"A very simple request." Evening Bell slowed his tone, like a kindly elder. "I would like you to go to the Outer City—through the other door of the spire—and find someone for me."

His tone was as casual as if he were asking her to find someone on the street.

People in the Outer City were nothing more than exiled criminals. In the Golden Age, releasing an Elder exiled to the Outer City was a crime among crimes.

"Once you find him, tell him it is Evening Bell's request. He will understand and obediently come with you."

Li Wen felt this was still far too absurd.

"What's the reward?"

"I saved you." Giant Evening Bell remained amiable, as if he would never get angry.

"I want a reward."

Giant Evening Bell fell silent for a moment before saying, "You cannot enter the temple. The Daughter of Amber will tear you apart, just as she tore apart those previous intruders. But I can help a little. That does not violate my oath."

"You mean people entered Amber City before?" Li Wen frowned. This was something she had never heard of. "Then why do you need me to do this? Could it be that those people before were unwilling?"

That was not for them to decide. They could not simply refuse because they wanted to.

"No, they were different from you." Evening Bell shook his enormous, withered head. "You are beloved by fate. This matter... only you can accomplish it."

Li Wen's scalp went numb.