蝴蝶影院

Sounds quite poetic, doesn’t it?

But the reality is…

“Honestly, I seriously doubt this. It feels like a scam for extracting money.”

Duanmu Huai muttered as he observed the bustling town at the foot of the mountain.

No wonder he would say such a thing; the signs were quite telling.

If he hadn’t triggered a Sky City quest while gathering information from the tavern, Duanmu Huai might have thought this was just a money-grubbing scheme.

It’s like going on a trip to Flame Mountain, only to stumble upon something like a “Classic Tour of the Water Curtain Cave.”

The trouble is, the Water Curtain Cave isn’t even on Flame Mountain.

“…oh well, it’s worth a look.”

Whiling away the time, Duanmu Huai and Ogis entered the museum in the town to see what treasures were to be found in Sky City.

However…

“This is a blade that fell from the sky one day! With so much momentum, it even penetrated the skull of an unfortunate sap!”

Isn’t this just dropping objects from high altitude? Aren’t you going to look for the culprit?

“Legend says this is a cup used by a resident of Sky City. It’s our duty to collect these blessings that Sky City bestows on us from time to time!”

It’s just a regular cup, right? And are they really just throwing junk from the sky? If that’s true, the quality of the residents of Sky City is questionable.

After a patient look around, Duanmu Huai concluded that this was just a junk show.

Them not having a piece of fossilized poop meant that they still had some decency at least.

“Forget it, let’s head directly up the mountain.”

Although he didn’t see any sign of Sky City on the satellite scan, the fact that the system triggered a task meant there must be a Sky City here.

Of course, the town also offered a “Sky City Ladder” day tour, which involved horseback riding. Given his physique, Duanmu Huai clearly couldn’t ride a horse. He and Ogis went on foot up the mountain path instead, not even bothering to find a guide. After all, he doubted those fast-talking, story fabricating guides could provide any useful clues.

Luckily, there was just one path up the mountain, so Duanmu Huai wasn’t worried about getting lost.

Naturally, he wasn’t the only one on the mountain. On the way up, Duanmu Huai encountered quite a few armor-clad individuals sporting long swords and knight getups. Some were on horseback, some on foot, all of them clearly seeking the legendary “Sky City.”

“So, you’re all here to find Sky City? Does it have anything to do with your trials?”

While walking, Duanmu Huai struck up a conversation with a knight riding next to him. He had time to kill, and thought of it as just chitchatting while on a trip to Mount Tai or Huangshan.

“Indeed, outsider,”

This knight was quite talkative. Duanmu Huai might have looked intimidating with his helmet on, but with so many people around, the knight wasn’t worried about sudden attacks, and thus, a conversation began.

“The Sky City is rumored to admit only virtuous knights. Once we get in and receive the city’s blessings, we’ll be able to show our power and glory!”

“So, has anyone ever succeeded?”

Queried Duanmu Huai curiously. This rumor must have some basis; they couldn’t have just pulled it out of thin air.

“Rumor has it that the Green Knight, the guardian god of Bartonilla, once went to Sky City under the guidance of the Lake Goddess. His armor and weapons were all from that city!”

“Ah, I see…”

Hearing this, Duanmu Huai finally understood why these knights were so excited. It turns out they all wanted to follow in the Green Knight’s footsteps.

But why would anyone want to be the Green Knight? Decked out in green from head to toe, who knows how many times skin had to turn green to look like this… Duanmu Huai would never consider it.

Soon, everyone reached the vicinity of the mountain peak. They scattered to look for clues – after all, the sky was cloudless and empty. Yet, being inhabitants of a magical world, they were open-minded. It was clear that Sky City could be in another realm, so what they were looking for was a way to get there.

They were not foolish, to say at least.

However, it is unfortunate they are unlikely to find what they are looking for.

Duanmu Huai did not join them. He looked around and a gleam of light flashed across his eyes.

Initiate, Soul Resonance!!

The next moment, the world before Duanmu Huai’s eyes changed instantly. His surroundings became misty and endless. As he quickly lifted his head to the peak of the mountain, he saw a long, thin staircase piercing the sky, leading to a pure white city floating atop a mountain.

There you are!

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai’s mouth curled into a smirk. He let Ogis sit on his shoulder while he reached out and began climbing the rocks in front of him.

Duanmu Huai’s actions naturally attracted the attention of others, but they didn’t think much of it. After all, there was nothing on the one-person wide platform at the mountain peak. They figured this burly barbarian just wanted to climb up and enjoy the view. Some were even worried that he would end up smashing the platform – it couldn’t withstand this brute’s messing around!

However, as everyone started looking for clues again, a voice suddenly rang out.

“Hey? Where’s the Black Knight?!”

Upon hearing this cry, everyone was startled, hurriedly looking up, only to find that the platform was empty. The burly Black Knight had vanished into thin air!

Where did he go? We hope he didn’t fall from the mountain!!

Of course, Duanmu Huai hadn’t fallen. In fact, he was now walking among the clouds.

“Phew… this place is really not friendly to acrophobics.”

Walking on the staircase and looking around, Duanmu Huai couldn’t help but sigh. It was nearly three persons wide and completely transparent, reminding him of the high-altitude glass corridors in many tourist spots. The worse thing was, there was no railing on the sides of the staircase, one missed step, and you could slip and fall.

This place was not made for ordinary people.

It’s a good thing those knights didn’t find it; otherwise, who knows how many of them would have fallen to their deaths.

With this in mind, Duanmu Huai raised his head again and gazed at the Sky City ahead.

Less a city, it looked more like a mountain floating in the sky. The front half of the mountain had been hollowed out to build a massive fortress with a semi-circular wall and a platform. Deep inside, there was a white high-rise building built against the mountain. The entire Sky City exuded an extraordinary fascinating charm from some mysterious civilization.

This’s not the architectural style of the Ancient Saints, where did this come from?

Duanmu Huai examined Sky City in wonder. Long ago, many Soul Walkers noticed that many scenes they found in the Soul Shards didn’t match the real-world records. It seemed as if the worlds in the Soul Shards did not exist in this one.

Some players speculated that the planet might have been destroyed more than once. Maybe there was another advanced civilization before the Ancient Saints came, which was wiped out for some reason, and then the Ancient Saints came and created species such as the Elves, Dwarfs, and Humans…

Not to say, this theory gained some traction.

What’s the real story, though… he’ll find out when he checks it out!

At the same moment, Duanmu Huai took the last step to the entrance of Sky City.