Chapter 171 In the Shadow of the City

Vivian decided to meet with the Lucas family first. Although she never had much interest in other supernaturals, especially those rigid, conservative, arrogant, xenophobic types like the Lucas family who were obsessed with grabbing territory and power, she knew that they had to deal with these die-hards if they wanted to enter the ruins. She had had several encounters with the previous head of the Lucas family, and had also met the previous head's brother, who was the current head of the Lucas family, so she felt that she could still say a few words.

In addition to focusing on the ruins, Hao Ren was now also a bit curious about the state of supernatural occupation in this city. He really wanted to know how many "sanctuaries" like this existed in the world, but Hesperia was vague about it, "To be honest...it's not that I don't trust you, but I don't know either. The construction of these sanctuaries began during the collapse of the Mythological Era. At that time, the surviving supernatural groups in the world were divided and surrounded by demon hunters in various places, and mutual contact was completely interrupted. This situation lasted for more than a thousand years. After the sanctuaries barely stabilized, they encountered the human church's witch hunts, and it was chaotic and nobody dared to go out. We stayed in the sanctuaries to gain safety, but on the other hand, we lagged behind in external information. Of course, this closed-off situation didn't last forever. Later, we slowly began to move around outside, but the number of other settlements that we could contact was far less than expected—it is guessed that many sanctuaries are still completely closed, and nobody knows whether they have been destroyed or are still surviving. It is said that there are several more settlements deep under the mantle and in the polar crust. How do you find those?"

Many Earthlings have always believed that they have completely dominated this planet and understood most of its secrets, but now Hao Ren realized that there were still too many things humans didn't know about this world. The obscure and chaotic historical truths were very different from the chapters preserved by humans in libraries. Most Earthlings had never imagined that this planet still harbored so many secrets—and that these secrets were still slowly crawling in the shadows today.

Due to the constant blockade by demon hunters and the church, supernaturals in this world had to act with the utmost discretion. It was difficult for them to openly seek out companions or find clues to other sanctuaries. Hesperia called the period from the end of the Mythological Era to the end of the church's witch hunts the "Deep Winter". Sanctuaries that gradually recovered after the Deep Winter ended and began to contact the outside world could still be contacted, but more sanctuaries had never been opened again since their establishment. Even the most senior elders only vaguely knew that these fortresses existed somewhere in the world, but nobody knew how to open these fortresses from the outside or how to contact the survivors inside. Of course, nobody knew whether these fortresses had been infiltrated by demon hunters—everything was shrouded in mist, and nobody knew the situation.

As he learned more about the current situation of supernaturals on Earth, Hao Ren increasingly felt that the waters on Earth were really deep. His original impression of the ordinary, peaceful, and even somewhat boring human world had long been subverted. In areas beyond the reach of ordinary human eyes, this world was filled with the ghosts of the past stirring in the darkness. The Shadow Fortress of Athens should be the most representative phenomenon: Could anyone imagine that there were actually two cities of Athens?

The other city of Athens was hidden in the shadow of the real Athens, and was properly preserved in another layer of space by the Shadow Interlayer. The strange streets that Vivian led them through, the antique shop of Hesperia located between reality and illusion, and the impenetrable mist on the streets now were only the first layer of protection of the Shadow Interlayer. They were far from touching the real walls of this sanctuary. Hesperia was like a gatekeeper, and she and other elders with great strength and qualifications guarded the nodes of the Shadow Interlayer. Only those who were recognized could pass through a deeper layer of shadow and reach another city.

Hesperia invited them to visit "the other Athens in the shadows," and Vivian hesitated a little, but everyone else readily agreed.

Anyway, it never hurts to join in the fun and expand one's horizons – with a troublemaker like Lily around, could you expect these guys to honestly stay in the hotel?

Hesperia finished her business in the real world a few minutes later. With the same strange ringing of bells, she reappeared in front of everyone. Hesperia immediately jumped up and shouted excitedly, "Senior, senior, please open a door to the deep space~ and give everyone a mark that allows them to move freely in the first to third layers of space."

Hesperia nodded, held up a finger, and gently chanted a very strange-sounding spell. Hao Ren didn't feel any change in his body, and the spellcasting process ended. Hesperia explained from the side, "Outsiders must be guided by the gatekeeper to enter the Shadow Fortress. You have been marked, and with this mark you can move freely in the first to third layers of the Shadow Fortress—basically that's seventy percent of the place you can go. There will be guards in places you can't go, so don't worry about getting lost. Come on, come on, I'll lead the way."

"Hesperia, see you later." Vivian said goodbye to her old friend, who returned to the counter and waved in response.

The group left this strange antique shop, and Hao Ren found that the scene outside the shop had changed once again: this time, even the streets on both sides of the road were gone. Outside was only an endless expanse of thick fog, and a vague path stretched into the depths of the fog, making it impossible to see the end.

He turned around and, as expected, found that Hesperia's antique shop had also disappeared into the thick fog, leaving only a lonely glass door, empty and eerie.

"You said Hesperia is a quirky person, but I don't think she is." He turned around and said casually, "She's just a little gloomy."

Vivian smiled lightly, "That's just because she's normal today."

Hao Ren: "?"

"It's safer in the Shadow Fortress," Hesperia led the way, hopping around happily as she walked. She had Vivian's face, but her actions were very Lily-like, which created a very strange feeling. "This city is different from other places. The demon hunters have been trying to find a way to break through the Shadow Interlayer. There are their spies everywhere in the city. You might be targeted if you're out there. I have my territory in the Shadow Fortress, and I guarantee it's more comfortable than staying in a hotel outside. In a few days, we'll go directly from the Shadow Fortress to the ruins, so the route will be safer."

Vivian seemed a little dissatisfied that Hesperia would participate in the Return of the Ancients: "Why are you interested in this Return of the Ancients nonsense?"

"I'm not interested in the Return of the Ancients. Anyway, I came from you, and if I'm going to return, I'll just reattach to you. I don't want to return to anything strange," Hesperia smiled brightly, but it gave Vivian goosebumps. "I'm interested in that strange... uh, environment in the ruins. Anyway, staying there makes you feel full of power, your head isn't dizzy, your eyes aren't blurred, and an old vampire's years of lumbar disc herniation have been cured. Who wouldn't like something so good? Vivian, you must try it when the time comes. The air there is full of magic—*hiss*, my mouth is watering."

Hearing this, Hao Ren couldn't help but exchange a look with Vivian, "Wait, are the effects really that exaggerated?"

"Although the Dream Realm is full of magic, it's not to this extent, right?" Izhaks said in a low voice, expressing the common doubts of Hao Ren and Vivian.

"It's not exaggerated," Hesperia didn't know what they were talking about, and thought that she had described it too beautifully, so everyone didn't believe it. She waved her hands hard to increase her persuasiveness, "The energy environment in the ruins is very abundant. You can even see aurora-like things in the air at any time. Those are clouds of magical power..."

"It doesn't seem like the Dream Realm," Hao Ren was very surprised, and whispered to Vivian, "This ruin may lead to somewhere else..."

Nangong Wuyue also came over, "Or it doesn't connect to anywhere, but there's some kind of radioactive energy source inside?"

"What are you whispering about?" Hesperia saw Vivian talking intimately with a group of people in a low voice, but she didn't want to pay attention to herself, so her face collapsed, "Vivian, you can't do this. No matter what, I..."

Vivian glared at Hesperia, "If you could maintain even a little bit of restraint after seeing me, I would be willing to talk to you properly!"

Hao Ren saw that the relationship between the "mother and daughter" seemed very disharmonious. In addition to being surprised, he couldn't help but nudge Vivian's arm, "By the way, why are you so repulsed by her? I think this girl is pretty good in other aspects except for being a little noisy, and she has a close relationship with you anyway."

Vivian looked at the good person with a fake smile, "Imagine that one day you lose a hair, and then it turns into a man who looks almost exactly like you, and this man sticks to you every day, and his greatest wish in life is to merge with you again..."

Hao Ren's face turned green, "Stop talking!! Can I never mention this to you again?"

Vivian covered her face and turned her head away, "That's why I'd rather wander outside than get close to this city, even if I can eat my fill here."

Hesperia looked distressed when she heard this, "Vivian, you're still often not able to eat your fill?"

"None of your business," Vivian raised her finger and pointed at Hao Ren, "Now he's supporting me, so I can justifiably stay away from you."

Hao Ren broke out in a cold sweat on the spot. He clearly felt that Hesperia's gaze towards him quickly transformed into looking at the killer of her mother...