Underground Passage—Remnants of the Fallen Dragon

Facts proved that when talking to others, you absolutely must not think about other things.

Li Mo had done exactly that, and the result was that Britisang had ignored him for three days now.

My master hasn't beaten me for three days?

—Li Mo had gotten exactly what he wished for!

Over the next few days at the Clock Tower, with no Lord lectures to attend, Li Mo stayed in the library, endlessly reading and absorbing the notes and works left behind by those before him, until today.

"Mō-san, have you forgotten to bring anything? I'll take you to the entrance of the Spirit Tomb in a moment."

On the third floor of the library, Britisang quietly climbed the stairs and looked toward Li Mo, who was some distance away, utterly absorbed in a magecraft notebook.

"Huh?" Li Mo came back to his senses and turned around.

It was Professor Britisang!

"We're leaving already, Professor?" Li Mo said in surprise. He had thought they would wait until the end of the year before leaving.

There were clearly only fifteen days left until the New Year. He had even planned to invite Touko to stroll around Chinatown then.

Of course, his main purpose was actually to see Granny Tang's granddaughter, the woman who had once been the goddess of countless people in the main world.

"Yes. The entrance opens according to a time cycle, once every so often." Britisang looked at him, a smile unconsciously appearing at the corner of his lips.

Serious men looked the best. His disciple didn't look bad when he got serious either.

"You have the spearhead I gave you, and Avalon as well. I trust that you'll be able to overcome any danger with ease, so I won't give you anything else this time."

"Alright, I understand, Professor." Li Mo answered obediently, making Britisang's smile grow even wider.

Two hours later, after passing through dark and eerie underground structures, the two finally arrived before a door covered in magecraft patterns.

"Lord Britisang, please present your entry permit."

Just as Li Mo was wondering why such an important place had no guards, the wall beside the door suddenly began to writhe. A figure entirely cloaked in black robes abruptly appeared.

Even a Lord of the Clock Tower needed an entry permit? Li Mo looked at the figure in surprise.

Perhaps sensing Li Mo's gaze, the figure in the black robe tilted slightly and met his eyes.

Bang! Like a violent gale, an inexplicable pressure swept over him, making the veins at Li Mo's temples bulge.

Damn, was this a manager from the Bone Cadaver Dissection Bureau?

They really were terrifying!

But why the hell were you glaring at me? If you had the guts, glare at Britisang. Don't you know that when you bully the young, the old come for you? Li Mo cursed inwardly.

Perhaps sensing the stillness in the air, the black-robed man shifted his gaze back to Britisang and spoke again. "Lord Britisang, although you are a Lord, I hope you will still abide by the rules of our Bone Cadaver Dissection Bureau."

What rules did the Bone Cadaver Dissection Bureau have? Britisang sneered inwardly, but did nothing out of line. With a cold gaze, he took a document from his robes and tossed it over.

If the Bone Cadaver Dissection Bureau's rules really worked, what would the Clock Tower need its twelve Lords for? How could there still be so many independent magi inside Spirit Tomb Albion?

They merely restricted the weaker magi. Though they all belonged to the Clock Tower, Britisang had always disliked the Bone Cadaver Dissection Bureau's lot.

"That is sufficient, Lord Britisang. May your path along the road of Mystery be long." After receiving the document, the black-robed man pressed it against the door. With a click, the door slowly began to open.

Britisang nodded, then turned to Li Mo. "Let's go. I'll accompany you down and return once we reach the Grand Mage Circuits."

Li Mo gave a quiet acknowledgment. The two stepped forward and entered the mysterious door.

Beyond the door was a passageway. To Li Mo's surprise, it was not dark inside. Though there was no sunlight from aboveground, everything around them emitted a faint glow. It was not strong, but it was enough to see far into the distance.

Of course, for magi, darkness did not necessarily mean they could not see. There were plenty of ways to see in the dark.

The journey was long, and glowing plants occasionally appeared along the passageway, leaving Li Mo—a half-baked magus... no, he had been at the Clock Tower for half a year now, so he was probably nine-tenths baked—constantly marveling.

Mother Nature was truly incredible. What kind of miracle was magic? Everything about life was far more like a miracle, wasn't it?

Noticing the thoughts written all over Li Mo's face, Britisang wore a gentle smile and could not help sighing inwardly.

Youth... was wonderful!

"Professor Britisang, is everywhere underground like this?"

Perhaps after walking through the passageway for who knew how long, Li Mo finally could not hold back any longer. Looking at Britisang ahead of him, he hesitantly asked.

"No." Britisang stopped, turned around, and gently rubbed Li Mo's head.

This disciple who knew so many secrets finally had something he didn't know.

"This is just a passageway. Beneath the Clock Tower, aside from the Excavation City, there truly is an underground world."

"An underground world?" Li Mo was a little dumbfounded as he asked in confusion.

Britisang withdrew his hand from Li Mo's head, lightly shook it, and began explaining.

"Yes. The deeper reaches here are infinitely close to the Sea of Stars.

Since it lies in a phase between reality and the Land of Fairies, it has no coordinates in reality. Time and space are both incredibly ambiguous here. Otherwise, why do you think groups of Phantasmal Species can survive here?"

No coordinates in reality? Then how could we enter through a door? And where did the Clock Tower's entrance come from?

Seeming to see the confusion on Li Mo's face, Britisang explained, "As for the entrances beneath the Clock Tower, they appeared near the surface back then because Albion's coordinates became unstable and cracks formed. Then our dean fixed them in place."

Damn... that was insanely awesome?

That move was so flashy it made Li Mo's scalp tingle!

But if that was the case, then if some mysterious Eastern excavation organization simply started digging above the Clock Tower, wouldn't they be able to dig for a lifetime without ever finding this place?

Li Mo suddenly understood. Spirit Tomb Albion was said to lie beneath London, but in truth, it was more like a barrier realm from an immortal cultivation novel—an entirely separate space from Earth. Albion's space merely happened to be located beneath London, so an entrance would open from time to time.

Once he figured that out, Li Mo was suddenly rather shaken.

Its mere remains had created such a sight—just how powerful had that Fallen Dragon been in life?

And whether in Eastern or Western legends, weren't dragons generally beneath the gods? The ones doing well might become Dragon Kings of the sea, while the unlucky ones could even end up getting eaten. If even a Fallen Dragon was this powerful, then what about the gods of old?

Back when Li Mo watched Type-Moon, he hadn't thought they were all that powerful. But after experiencing all this firsthand... it was all Tokiomi's... no, it was all Mushroom's fault!

Why did he have to write those ancient gods as being so absurdly overpowered?!

There were so many pantheons on Earth. Never mind the East—even among the Norse Pantheon and Egyptian Pantheon, their Creation Gods were still around. And yet they couldn't even beat a single foot soldier sent out by the Wanderer Star?

All of a sudden, the future seemed rather hopeless!