Above The Sky
Chapter 503 - 503 472 Ant-like People 23

503: Chapter 472 Ant-like People (2/3) 503: Chapter 472 Ant-like People (2/3) Centered around the Imperial Capital’s “Solitary Mountain,” there were a total of fifteen “large urban districts,” each a relatively independent satellite city.

One could vaguely see the central area of the nearest large urban district, with a dozen or so high-rise buildings, as well as three towers over three hundred meters tall in the central district.

Each urban district had its own landmark buildings, so that one could clearly discern their location without the need for any signs.

The entire Imperial Capital was divided into three parts: the first naturally being cities beneath the mountain, which, in a sense, could be considered the ‘Lower City District’ of a typical large city.

Small towns like Gar Town were actually part of the outer rim of the Lower City District, each under the management of different city lords.

Then there was the interior of the Imperial Capital, the ‘Central Urban District’ located inside the immense city wall structure.

This area was not ‘central’ in terms of middle layer, but rather in terms of being in the center, the central area.

It had multiple levels, even an internal landscape ecosystem with lakes, rivers, and special ecological park layers, where one could even fish.

All of the Imperial Capital’s important institutions and departments were located here.

It was said that the Central Urban District had a complete set of production chains and industrial sites; if necessary, it could completely cut off all contact with the outside world and be self-sufficient.

Lastly, there was the Above City District located on the upper layers of Solitary Mountain—the Imperial Capital’s immense defensive facilities, special institutions, and the Setal Royal Family’s palace were all there, divided into inner and outer areas.

Ian’s target this time, the Capital Headquarters of the Knight Order of Inspectorate, was located on the fifth level of the Central Urban District, and he was to enter from the Tri-Tower Urban District.

In theory, with the young man’s current identity and the credentials he held, entry into the Central Urban District should be a breeze; he just needed to walk in with great strides.

But there were nuances even within what seemed effortless.

“We have come to receive you, Knight Ian.”

As Ian and the Hua’an Frost Butterfly mounted horse gradually slowed their pace, a squad of knights clad in silver-gray armored clothing appeared before them.

These knights rode purebred Dragonsteeds, their bodies covered in a layer of gray shell armor that fit tightly against their flesh, with silver metallic plates embedded at critical points.

The plates shone with different patterns, clearly supported by Rune Technology.

The shoulders of these pieces of armored clothing bore the radiant emblem of the Eye of the Sun, and the forehead was similarly marked.

That was the insignia of the Knight Order of Inspectorate, representing the Setal Imperial Family’s ‘Sun’ that oversaw the world.

The front end of their helmets featured a layer of smooth black crystal, and on the back, near the neck, there rose a ‘T’ shaped metal structure that appeared to be a signal transmission device connected to the Signal Bone.

The leading knight’s voice was very familiar; even through the fully enclosed helmet, it was quite recognizable.

It was the voice of Supervisory Knight Tres, whom he had met on the Alchemy Train.

But he pretended not to know himself, so the youth raised an eyebrow, pretending not to recognize him: “I, of course, have no problem; I am here to report for my duties…

But what about my companions?”

“The two Fairy Misses may of course accompany you.”

Tres, mounted on his horse, gestured for the troop to turn and lead the way: “Ladies and gentlemen.”

He lifted his hand and pointed obliquely upward, as if pointing to the nearby city.

The man spoke with a voice tinged with a smile.

“Welcome to the Imperial Capital.”

And Ian, along with Hua’an and Frost Butterfly, exchanged glances, then smiled and stepped forward.

…

Between heaven and earth stood an enormous city so vast it blotted out the sun and sky.

At the city’s edge, one could not determine its curvature or its height—because all sightlines were obstructed—only faintly discerning in the midst of the city a mountain-like structure soaring into the cloud depths of the sky, reaching straight up to the firmament’s peak.

And in the cable car channel on the outskirts of this city, Ian walked shoulder to shoulder with Tres, who had removed his helmet.

“It’s only been three days, hasn’t it?

And you’re already a squad leader?” The white-haired youth shook his hair, surprised: “That’s a quick promotion.”

“Just a Patrol Knight Squad leader, after all, I’ve been undercover for many years, and I’ve advanced to the Second Energy Level.

I have indeed made a significant achievement—Kate, or rather the captive I caught, unexpectedly knows quite a lot.”

Tres smiled, and he lowered his head to look at the badge on his chest, gently touching it, “All my years of dedication have led to this.”

Ian watched the badge adorned with wings on either side of the Sun’s Eye, nodding slightly, “Indeed, it must have been hard.”

“You wouldn’t understand, genius.”

Tres smirked faintly.

The top structure of the walls of the Imperial Capital featured many high-power Glorious Light lamps, and just within the reach of the light, the Patrol Knight Squad and the group accompanying Ian were riding the cable car into the heart of the Central Urban District of the Imperial Capital.

As Ian had deduced, the formal entrance to the Imperial Capital was situated upwards of three hundred meters on the inner side of the wall structures, because, according to the design of the pre-Era civilization, all wall structures were located underground.

Now that the entire structure of the Imperial Capital had risen upwards, it naturally elevated the original entrances and exits to an exaggerated height.

Bathed in the overly bright searchlights, the cable car steadily ascended.

The sheer size of the Imperial Capital always shocked those approaching, especially when sitting in the transparent cable car, drawing closer gradually, Ian could see most of the details of the Imperial Capital—the alloy layer of the wall structure, after withstanding a thousand years of wind and rain, was now covered with a thick layer of grey-brown structure, not from dust accumulation, but from proliferative coverage of the inner biotic fiber creating an ‘outer skin.’

Root-like patterns emerged on this layer of skin, forming rune matrix lines of colossal scale, stretching beyond human imagination; they flickered with a faint light nearly imperceptible to the ordinary eye, pulsing at an incredibly slow rate, just like the beating of human blood vessels.

Without the Silver Chip, Ian would have found it difficult to detect this.

However, with the Silver Chip, Ian could be sure that every pulse of these inscription arrays triggered a surge of tremendous energy inside—if one could consider the entire Imperial Capital a colossal machine or a living organism, then this energy surge would be the shock caused by the flow of its blood.

“What kind of creature is this?” Ian couldn’t help but wonder, even though he knew such thoughts led to no conclusion.

The scanning from the Silver Chip showed merely a ‘Planetary Shield Generator’—this confirmed his speculation…

Could this be a planetary shield from a biotechnical civilization?

Ian did not have an overview of the entire Imperial Capital, which limited his analysis.

Now, as the cable car had reached an area over two hundred meters high, Ian turned to look down at the ‘Lower City District’ below from the opposite side.

Beneath his feet, a bustling and thriving district with densely packed buildings and skyscrapers several dozen or hundred meters tall blended organically with each other, while wide passageways, alchemy vehicles, and logistic fleets circulated through the city’s veins, moving back and forth along the roads.

The crisscrossed streets and districts were filled with bright display lights, strikingly visible even during the day, and hundreds of cable cars and transport tracks were interweaving across the exterior walls of the Imperial Capital, exchanging materials between the Central and Lower Urban Districts.

In the Lower City District, only a few tower-like structures could compare with the walls of the Imperial Capital; they were the centers of the fifteen Lower City Districts, and Ian’s elevation gradually became level with them.

People already looked like ants.

Ian still gazed at the crowds of the Lower City District.

Just three hundred meters’ distance was enough to make people appear ant-sized…

What about those residing in the Above City, starting at least at three thousand meters?

Ian lifted his head; he could now see the iron cone surface of the ‘Solitary Mountain’…

where there were layers of buildings spiraling upwards.

Because of the height, the air pressure, and the abnormal Spirit Energy Field brought about by the shield columns, ordinary people couldn’t even survive in the Above City District; they would only need to move slightly to have their inner organs crushed by the terrible pressure.

Only Sublimators could move freely there.

The Above City District did not forbid any ordinary people from entering.

The Emperor’s palace was open to everyone.

Anyone was welcome to ask questions of the Emperor himself or any of the influential figures who could sway the Empire.

It’s just that ordinary Humans…

simply couldn’t do it.