Catacombs

Outside the Market District Police Headquarters, Lumian, who had disguised himself simply with "Mystery-Peering Glasses," boarded the carriage decorated with Fleur-de-lis.

Two ordinary police officers in black uniforms sat side by side, with three dark urns in front of them, the names of the deceased written on them in fluorescent ink.

Once Lumian was seated opposite him, the carriage belonging to the Police Headquarters slowly began to move. That One older officer asked with considerable curiosity, "What is your relationship with them? Why did you specifically attend the Funeral?"

He recalled that of the three deceased, two had no relatives or friends, and one, although still had many non-direct relatives alive, was particularly afraid of the name Flamang. They were unwilling to come to collect the ashes and belongings, and even reluctant to acknowledge any blood or marital relationship with the deceased.

Lumian replied calmly, "I'm their Landlord."

"Just the Landlord?" That One older officer clearly didn't believe him.

"Officer, Landlord are people too, they have feelings!" Lumian replied with a laugh. "I've either had drinks with them a few times or chatted with them often, so helping them send their ashes to the Catacombs isn't a big deal."

The younger officer gazed out the window, appearing unwilling to engage in small talk, while the older That One exuded a very outgoing and familiar air.

"You are as young as you look. Since you're running a hotel or Apartment in the Market District, remember not to develop any feelings for your tenants. Otherwise, you'll either get scammed or heartbroken. After a few more times, you'll never be so enthusiastic about anyone again."

After Lumian gave a few perfunctory replies, That One officer asked, "F. R. S. Ramon still has some belongings with us, but his relatives don't want to claim them. Do you want them? If not, we'll handle them ourselves."

"I'll go take a look when I get back from the Catacombs." Lumian wasn't too concerned about it.

On the way from the Market District to Inferno Square in the Observatory District, That One older officer kept trying to chat with people, either pulling Lumian aside to talk or trying to disturb his colleagues, without stopping for a moment.

Finally arriving at their destination, Lumian stepped off the carriage carrying Roul's ashes, and even his usually talkative ears felt a sense of relief.

The Catacombs Administrator who received them was the That One Lumian had met before.

He was in his thirties, of medium build, with slightly curly brown hair, a thick beard, and slightly upturned eyes. He wore yellow trousers, a white shirt, and a blue vest.

"Kendall, it's you again?" the older officer greeted him with a smile.

Kendall, carrying the unlit Carbide Lamp, responded with a smile:

"Robert, I heard you were coming, so I made sure to cancel my other plans and wait for you here."

As the Catacombs Administrator spoke, he glanced at Lumian and emphasized, "You didn't forget to prepare white Candle, did you?"

"I'll forget everything else, but I won't forget this!" Robert, holding the Flamang urn, struggled slightly as he took out three white Candle from his pocket, tossing one to his colleague and one to Lumian.

Seeing that they were ready, Kendall lit the Carbide Lamp, turned around, and led them step by step down the 138-step stone staircase into the Depths of Darkness.

Along the way, they passed a heavy Wooden Door engraved with two great Holy Emblem and a quiet corridor where even breathing could be heard.

For Lumian, such a dark environment was not unfamiliar; on the contrary, That One young police officer was somewhat nervous, holding Mrs. Michel's urn tightly in his arms for a greater sense of security.

After crossing a wide avenue lined with Gas Streetlamp, the group of four arrived at the entrance to the Catacombs.

The naturally formed yet man-made stone archway stood silently in the dim light, flanked by numerous reliefs of skulls, White Bone arms, Sunflower, and Steam elements, while behind it lay a dense darkness that seemed impenetrable to the light.

Above its lintel are two Inscription written in Intis language:

"Stop!

"Ahead lies the Empire of Death!"

Even though it wasn't the first time he had witnessed this scene, Lumian still felt a sense of solemnity and gravity.

Unlike before, when he felt mostly curiosity and doubt, he can now truly feel the weight of these warnings and this environment:

Underground Trier lies a vast array of dangers, enough to destroy the entire city and even the whole of Intis, including but not limited to the Trier of the Fourth Epoch, the "Shadow Tree," and the invisible Flames. And the Catacombs located here are likely not peaceful places either!

According to Aosta Roul, the "Secret Supplicant," the way visitors carry lit White Candles into the Catacombs is like a Ritual, Ritual of seeking protection from Hidden Being.

The fact that this place was open to the public made Lumian suspect that it was part of a system to suppress some danger Underground, just like when the new city was built on Trier in the Fourth Epoch.

Kendall turned to Lumian and the others and said, "You can light the Candle now. Don't let them go out before we Catacombs."

"If you lose track of me, don't panic. Look for road signs. If you can't find any, look at the black line above your head and follow it to get out."

With the help of Kendall's Carbide Lamp, Lumian and his two companions lit the white Candle one after another, letting them emit a yellowish glow.

As the four candle flames flickered gently, Kendall extinguished the Carbide Lamp, passed through the massive stone archway, and entered the "Empire of Death."

Lumian followed closely behind, holding the urn in one hand and a white Candle in the other.

Suddenly, he felt a chill.

The cold didn't come from his surroundings, but rather erupted directly from the depths of his heart, making every hair on his body stand on end.

At the same time, Lumian's mind tensed instantly, feeling as if countless gazes were fixed upon him, silently watching.

By the light of the candle in his hand, he looked to his right and saw that there were pits dug into the stone wall, and each pit contained Corpse White Bone.

Those Eye Sockets, fleshless heads seemed to be staring at him, staring without any emotion.

Lumian did not lower his head, but carefully examined the skeletons. He discovered that the eerie feeling of being watched by an invisible force did not come from them, and it did not subside.

Subconsciously, he wanted to activate his "Spirit Vision" to check the situation.

But he is no longer the same person he was when he first arrived in Trier. He has experienced many things and has come to understand that many warnings were written in blood and tears by those who came before him.

"I won't look at what I shouldn't see... Since it hasn't brought me any danger, there's no need to look for the Source of the anomaly..." Lumian muttered silently, glancing at the Police beside him.

They seemed oblivious to anything amiss, continuing to walk normally with Kendall, the Catacombs Administrator.

This made Lumian suspect that the experience he had just had was an effect of the qualitative change in his spirituality after he was promoted to "Pyromaniac".

It's better if you can't feel it... Lumian couldn't help but sigh.

Because he was being watched by so many eyes, his skin developed a dense rash of tiny bumps.

He cautiously looked up and, sure enough, saw a thick black line drawn on the top of the tomb, marked with an arrow pointing out of the doorway.

As Lumian moved forward, he discovered that the roadside was littered with skeletons. Some were in the pits in the stone walls, some were piled up by the roadside, some were covered with tattered clothes, and some not only had no burial objects left, but even their skulls were covered with a layer of dark green mold. The air was filled with a diluted smell of decay.

The Catacombs was divided into multiple Tomb Chamber, Tomb Chamber with its own name, so that worshippers could find the corresponding remains.

After Lumian and the others followed Kendall through the "Little Chapel Tomb Chamber" and the "Memorial Column Tomb Chamber," they saw dozens of yellowish candlelight suddenly appear ahead.

Sometimes they gather together, like fireflies at night, and sometimes they resemble a river of dim starlight.

Lumian glanced around casually and saw a bride wearing a white veil and a pristine gown. Beside her was a groom in a black Tailcoat with a handkerchief and Flowers tucked into his breast pocket. Surrounding them were thirty or forty young people, each holding a lit White Candles, laughing and joking.

"What is going on?" Lumian didn't hide his confusion.

Kendall chuckled and said, "It's part of the wedding."

"Since the year before last, it has become a popular wedding Ritual in Trier for newlyweds to take their young guests into the Catacombs and walk among the Seer. Young people are always so daring, and they take pride in showing off their courage and scaring others. I once saw a guest deliberately pick up a hand bone and use it to tap the bride and groom on the shoulder, which almost Past them faint."

You Trier people... Lumian shook his head involuntarily.

Shortly after passing the group, the four arrived at their destination, the "Tomb Lamp Tomb Chamber."

In the center of the room is a black pedestal, upon which stands a white Obelisk painted with the "Sun Sacred Emblem." At the top of the Obelisk is an ancient-looking, long-extinguished Oil Lamps, while the surrounding walls and floor are covered with skeletons, urns, and numerous tear-filled bottles.

Once inside, Lumian realized something:

Where are your Flamang relatives?

He wanted Flamang to rest peacefully beside his children, wife, and parents.

After a brief moment of thought, Lumian suddenly understood why Flamang hadn't clearly stated the location of his loved ones' remains:

He felt guilty and remorseful. He wanted to be with his family, but he didn't dare to get close to them. He only planned to stay in the same Tomb Chamber and watch them from afar.

An indescribable sadness welled up in Lumian's heart. He stood quietly for a while, then chose to respect Flamang's last wishes, casually finding an empty spot to place the Madman's urn.

After Robert and the others placed the Roul couple's urns together, the four of them began to pray simultaneously, either "Praise the Sun" or "Steam above."

On their way back, they ran into the newlywed couple and the young guests who had attended the wedding.

Just as they were about to pass each other, Lumian saw a young couple, who appeared to be a Couple, trying to blow out their White Candles while the Catacombs Administrator wasn't looking at them, to see what would happen.

Call!

They actually did that.

The two yellowish candle flames then went out.

At the same time, Lumian's mind went blank for a moment.

He instantly recovered, but the young couple who appeared to be Couple was no longer in his sight.

Gone... Lumian's pupils dilated suddenly, trying to see what was going on there.

A few seconds later, he confirmed a fact:

The young couple who appeared to be Couple have really disappeared!

Lumian then turned his attention to that team.

Whether it was the newlyweds and some guests walking at the front, or the few people at the back, no one felt that anyone was missing from the procession. They continued to laugh, joke, and move forward.