"Welcome to 'Dream City'."
Angel Pushed open the heavy black arch, and as soon as he stepped out of the gate and walked along the tall steps designed for giants to the ground, he heard a chorus of shouts.
In front of her was a wide horizontal street. A row of black street lights gradually moved away along the sidewalk. The dim yellow lights illuminated the street at night. On both sides were rows of black houses. Most of them were two or three-story asymmetrical buildings with high left and low right sides. The style and design were similar. They were obviously built at the same time.
In front of her, two strangers, a man and a woman, were bowing to her. They were dressed in gorgeous but somewhat weird costumes, and behind them stood two rows of honor guards in straight military uniforms, holding wooden guns in their hands.
At this time, everyone shouted together again using Ancient Feysac:
"Welcome to 'Dream City'!"
The sound was loud and loud, resounding throughout the street.
What kind of battle is this... Aren't I here "Ghost Empire"? How can it be a city? Is the legendary description of "bigger than a city" true?
Seeing so many strangers, Angel subconsciously wanted to hide in "Mirror World" and put a handful of plague on the way, but soon found that the people in front of her were really just welcoming her and did not make any unnecessary moves.
Moreover, their movements seem to be uniform, but in fact there are some subtle differences, and their expressions are also very vivid. They are obviously living people, not Marionette or illusions.
"Dream City?"
she repeated doubtfully, casting her eyes towards the female of the two bowing greeters.
The latter is short in stature, but has unusually plump breasts. She has long, beautiful black hair, her eyes are the same color as her hair, and her facial features are softer, reminding Angel of the Orientals of her era. The dress she wore was black and decorated with handmade lace. The round-toe shoes she wore had an exaggerated tip, but they looked solemn and old-fashioned against the monotone color.
The architecture is asymmetrical, but the clothing is very "observant", somewhere between the Distortion aesthetic of the Solomon Empire and the orderly habits of "Night Emperor"... Angel analyzed it secretly and noticed that there was a black metal card identifying his identity hanging on the other person's chest, with the word Ancient Feysac inlaid in brass on it.
Valentina... Is this her name?
Hearing Angel's question, the woman named Valentina raised her head. The respect in her eyes was gradually replaced by envy and obsession. After a moment, she answered in a respectful tone:
"'Dream City' is what we call this city. It is built according to everyone's dream and realizes everyone's dream. There is no war or dispute. You will definitely like it here."
It sounds a bit like an advertisement...Angel frowned slightly and asked:
"Isn't this place built by the Trensoest Empire?"
She originally wanted to call it "Ghost Empire", but then she thought that it was actually Adventurer of Fifth Epoch, the name the pirates gave to the Ghost Ship that sailed into the depths of the ocean. When Trensoest Empire built it, it must have had a more formal name.
"Tren, Soest..."
Valentina said the word with some lag, as if searching for traces of it from the depths of his memory.
At this time, the man next to her who was also wearing a black formal suit and a black top hat seemed to have just gotten rid of Angel's appearance and temperament, and quickly took over the conversation and said:
"'Dream City' was originally built by the Trensoest Empire, but now, we have our own laws and our own future, and are no longer bound by the empire."
It means that you have become "autonomous"...Angel nodded, not too surprised.
After all, the "Trensoest Empire" in everyone's mouth disappeared more than a thousand years ago, and there is no Night Emperor to rule them again. Even though the magnificent building behind him enshrines a statue of that emperor, it can be seen from the deserted hall that he is no longer respected.
She glanced at the nameplate on the man's chest, and after recognizing that the man's name was "Cliff", she asked:
"You showed up not long after I came here. Is it because I knew in advance that someone would come to this city?"
The answer this time is Valentina:
"When a new guest arrives, the reception desk will send out greeters based on the visitor's identity. We received the notification about five minutes ago and rushed here immediately."
"Who is the visitor? Do you know me?" Angel asked in surprise.
"No, but the closer the guests are to the center of the city, the more distinguished they are." Cliff replied solemnly, looking up at the tall building behind Angel, "As far as I know, you are the only guest who appeared at the memorial hall. Most of the guests appeared in hotels or cafes on the outskirts of the city, and some even appeared in the suburbs."
"Are there other guests? I thought we were the first ones to come here," Angel was dumbfounded. "By the way, there are some... guests who came here with me, and a boat, but no one else appeared around me. Do you know where they are?"
"From time to time, people wander into our city by mistake. There is probably a group every few years. They all end up staying at 'Dream City' and become a member here." Cliff looked back at the memorial hall and looked at it again Angel, "As for the companions you mentioned, if they are as noble as you, they should appear in other buildings not far away, and there will be other receptionists to greet them. If they are of lower status, they will stay on the outskirts of the city."
No wonder there has been no information about "Ghost Empire" from the outside world. It turns out that this place is only accessible and cannot be exited. But whether they stayed sincerely or were forced to stay by you, I am temporarily kept in the dark... As for the "noble" Cliff said, doesn't it refer to Sequence? Klein was forcibly separated because Sequence was lower than me, and Anne might appear closer to the city center?
Angel was thinking as he looked away from the guard of honor in front of him and looked towards both sides of the street. He was surprised to find that many people were leaning out of the windows inside these black buildings, or they were walking out of the door and looking here without concealment, their eyes full of surprise and exploration.
She felt like a foreigner being watched... As soon as she sighed, Cliff spoke again:
"It's already late at night. Please follow us to our temporary residence first. The consul will receive you tomorrow and grant you official status. After that, you can move freely in the city without being restricted by the law."
Archon, official identity, law... Words that obviously contained some important information popped out of the other party's mouth one after another, causing various thoughts to flash through Angel's mind, but she knew that the most important thing now was to follow the other party and learn everything about "Dream City" in the conversation, rather than directly confronting them or the entire city.
This is completely different from what she thought before entering "Ghost Empire".
Seeing the soldiers in military uniforms and armed with guns who formed the "guard of honor" in front of them silently walked to the side of the street, Cliff and Valentina made a gesture of invitation to lead the way. Angel sighed while following them.
She brought all the Mystical Item and Charm with her and came here with all preparations. She thought there would be a difficult battle, or a thrilling adventure in the Ghost Ship, which was several times larger than the Queen Anne's Revenge. However, she did not expect to land in a huge city, with a memorial hall dedicated to "Night Emperor", a magnificent guard of honor to greet her, and even being watched by residents.
Not to mention several times bigger than other Ghost Ship, the street she was on was about three hundred meters long, already three times as long as Anne. And further away, the buildings hidden under the night were looming, and it was unknown how far they spread. The night sky above her head was clear and cloudless, filled with stars. The nearly round Crimson Moon shed its faint light on Earth Mother.
In addition to the slightly stronger wind, the style of the surrounding buildings is also different from any other country in the North Continent. Angel almost thinks that it is in a small town within Loen.
"I originally thought this was just a bigger ship..."
She said as if unintentionally.
"Everyone who has just arrived here says so," Cliff, who was leading the way, smiled with a very relaxed expression, "You will slowly fall in love with this city... as long as you don't break the law."
"Law?"
Angel finally found the opportunity and asked immediately.
"This is a set of laws gradually added and improved by successive consuls with the advice of the Parliament. It applies to the entire 'Dream City'. All citizens must act under its norms... Of course, this does not make everything rigid and rigid. It only lists some things that cannot be done and stipulates the punishment for violators. In addition, anything can be done without prohibition by law." Cliff answered.
Quite humane...Angel curled his lips and asked casually:
"What are the specific rules? As a 'guest' who just arrived here, do I have the right to know?"
"Of course, although there are not many regulations in the law, there is still a thicker one. I only carry with me a condensed version that excerpts the important contents."
As he spoke, the man in formal attire took out a framed piece of paper from his pocket, which was black in color, with Ancient Feysac written on it in copper-yellow handwriting, and handed it to Angel.
The latter took it and started browsing it with the help of Dark Vision under the dim street lights.
"'Dream City' Interim Law (78th Edition).
"This law will take effect immediately after it is revised on May 8, 1336, and any residents and guests of 'Dream City' must abide by it.
"Article 1: In order to maintain the stability of the city and protect the safety of residents' lives and property, this law is enacted. No resident shall violate it, otherwise he will be subject to various penalties in accordance with the regulations!
"Article 2: The Archon is the highest official of 'Dream City' and governs the residents of the entire city. Those who do not comply will be severely punished, up to and including the death penalty, except for orders that violate the law.
"Article 3: No resident is allowed to leave the city limits without permission, and violation will be punishable by death.
"Article 4: The following acts are considered felonies and can be punished up to Sentenced to Death after Tribunal trial: murder, robbery, Sacrificing to Evil Gods, resisting law enforcement units...
"Article 5: The following acts are misdemeanors and will be punished with fines or imprisonment upon trial by Tribunal: theft, fraud, intimidation..."
This is not much different from the laws of various countries. Except for the "strict" part of not being allowed to leave the city, everything else is a real crime. Of course, this is just a simplified version. The "full version" Cliff said may have more and weirder restrictions... Angel quickly scanned the content on the paper and found an unreasonable place.
"This law has been revised more than 70 times, and Last Time was 14 years ago?"
She looked at Cliff and asked curiously.
The latter glanced at the "Law" in Angel's hand, nodded and said:
"Yes, although most residents abide by the law and spontaneously support the rules and abide by order, there are still a few people who like to take advantage of the loopholes of the law. The current laws are perfected through constant trial and error, checking for loopholes and filling in the gaps... The most recent time, I remember, it was because a guest who had become a resident not long ago found a loophole and tried to replace the consul, and a new law was promulgated afterwards."
Replacement consul... No wonder a new version of the law was issued urgently. I wonder if the one who took advantage of the loophole was eventually traced. Sentenced to Death... Angel squeezed out a smile, looked at the paper in his hand again, and remembered all those "heavy crimes" in his heart.
At this moment, the honor guard and two receptionists had already led her up a gentle slope to the entrance of a four-story hotel whose exterior walls were decorated with large stone slabs from Pure Black.
This should be my place tonight. I have to say that as a "distinguished guest", this city treats me pretty well, but I don't know if Klein has such treatment. If my guess is good, he as Sequence 4 should also be properly accommodated. It is not necessarily true that his Marionette transformed from ordinary pirates may appear on the outermost edge of the city, or even on the outskirts of the city...
After taking a look at the magnificent hotel, Angel felt a little relieved. She turned back and looked at the road she came from. According to her guess, that direction should be towards the outer reaches of the city.
Because she had walked uphill, Angel was now standing on a high ground in the city, and her gaze into the distance was no longer blocked by low street buildings. Dark Vision had given her the ability to see in the dim moonlight, so she could finally see the city's outskirts in full view.
At the low end are neat rows of black buildings, with different height designs at the top. From high up, they look like sawtooths cutting through the horizon, which makes Angel, who has considerable requirements for neatness and symmetry, uncomfortable.
Further away are the woods surrounding the city, with man-made buildings scattered among them, representing that the forest is also part of "Dream City".
The more Angel looked at it, the more surprised she became. In her imagination, no matter how big the "Dream City" was, it should follow the rules of floating on the sea. It was a "Ghost Ship" that was bigger than a city. But looking up, she couldn't see any sea area except for urban areas and suburbs.
She glanced at the honor guard and Cliff and Valentina who were waiting quietly. A crystal clear Ice Mirror quickly condensed dozens of meters above her head. As it was bound and ejected by invisible silk threads, it flew into the sky at an extremely fast speed, reaching an altitude of hundreds of meters in an instant.
Then, a dim light flashed through Angel's eyes, which had formed a mystical connection with the "mirror".
With her constantly rising and rotating perspective, she finally saw the whole picture of "Dream City". Beyond the vast forests and hills surrounding the city, there was no ocean, and no land extending into the distance. There were only clouds that were so low that they were almost flush with the ground.
This is a Floating City floating above the sea, throwing the clouds under its feet!
I might be dragged out to play today, so I don't know if I'll have a chance to update tonight, so I'll do my best (づ￣ 3￣)づ~☆