Dimensional Hotel
Chapter 368: Black Church

Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Black Church

Darkness descended, Yu Sheng let his mind immerse in this familiar gentle tranquility.

He did not attempt to temporarily transfer his consciousness to the Otherworld Inn to "awaken early," but instead relaxed and enjoyed the moment of peace. At the same time, he silently pondered, letting his thoughts drift, allowing all his memories and self-awareness to permeate the boundless silent darkness.

He recalled everything he saw on the back of the giant beast.

Obviously, that torn-apart planet was the "Taixu Spirit Hub"—he witnessed an end before history, a destruction before the birth.

Recalling the Siege Giant Divine Soldiers seen previously in that desert, and the inscriptions within those Giant Divine Soldiers, the answer was apparent.

This "Deceitful Exotic Realm" deep in the Taiyou Underground Mine randomly reflects the end-period scenes of the old world in front of visitors.

But... why?

Yu Sheng had never heard of such an Exotic Realm before, and all the knowledge from either Baili Qing or True Man Yuanling clearly told him that all the "intelligence" of the old world was blocked on the other side of history’s curtain by the "event barrier" of the Second Singularity Explosion, and shouldn’t "leak" to this side.

...Did someone "send" the intelligence of the old world over? Did something deep within the Exotic Realm "record" the messages of the old world? Or... is the "event barrier" formed by the Second Singularity Explosion being punctured by some force, causing things from the old world to "leak" to this side?

Or... perhaps all three points are true.

The mind drifted and scattered in chaos, Yu Sheng’s thoughts freely pervaded due to the loss of a physical body’s constraints, recalling many details previously ignored and blending all memories together, sparking countless conjectures and notions. After an indeterminate time, he finally felt his scattered thoughts regathering, felt his mind beginning to "surface," felt himself crossing the chaotic boundary, crossing a blurred deserted wilderness.

In a daze, he "saw" darkness retreat, "saw" the blonde-haired Luna leading her Knight Order patrolling the desolate wilderness, "saw" the Brass Knights guarding a large bonfire that had somehow rekindled, while a black cathedral stood unknowingly between the unnamed hill and the bonfire wilderness, brightly lit within, surrounded by rising thin mist outside.

Yu Sheng: "..."

He was almost "alive" again, his mind even surfaced fast enough to nearly escape the post-death dark chaos, but upon crossing the critical point, he glanced at the Sanctuary Wilderness, and was instantly forcibly controlled.

Feeling like he saw something bizarre, it wasn’t right, better go down for another look.

With a thought, the soul-revived Yu Sheng controlled his consciousness to "descend," directly "landing" on that Sanctuary Wilderness.

In the dim and tranquil wilderness, Yu Sheng looked up, somewhat dazed at the black cathedral with numerous spires and towers that appeared out of nowhere. After a while, he took a step forward.

The solemnly heavy cathedral door, seemingly cast from pitch-black iron, automatically opened as he approached, the creaky sound echoing in the thin mist surrounding the cathedral.

Yu Sheng instantly had an illusion, felt like the place would burst into a passionate BGM the next second, with a woman’s singing in between, then a health bar would pop up on the cathedral top...

He shook his head, brushing aside these chaotic associations, and stepped forward with a mix of novelty and puzzlement.

He passed through an approximately ten-meter-long vestibule, through the cathedral’s facade with numerous narrow windows and continuous spires, arriving at the courtyard paved with pale slabs. On both sides, there were many flower beds and nurseries, dark soil growing pale or grayish plants, and unknown flowers quietly blooming in the various flowerbeds - yet all these plants seemed lifeless, like dead objects in stasis in those nurseries and flowerbeds.

Yu Sheng passed the courtyard and entered the main building of the cathedral.

The heavy door opened automatically as he approached, and a wide, deathly silent chapel came into view. Rows of empty benches lined under vaulted ceilings and narrow pointed windows, a dark red carpet ran through the entire chapel, while black floor-standing candle holders stood quietly everywhere - without candles or grease, yet clusters of pale flames floated out of nowhere, illuminating everything around.

Yu Sheng slowly walked through these benches, reaching the end of the chapel, and at this moment, he heard a rapid sequence of footsteps.

Looking back, he just saw someone pushing open the chapel’s door - a figure clad in silver-white female armor, golden hair like a waterfall, with a shining Holy Sword at the waist appearing at the entrance.

"I knew it was you!" Luna beamed with a happy smile, quickly walking over while speaking rapidly, "Erin was murmuring to Hu Li outside that you should be revived by now, and I felt some movement around the cathedral, so I rushed back with the Knight Order..."

Yu Sheng listened in a daze, ultimately having to interrupt her: "Wait a minute - let me talk first - what’s up with this cathedral?"

"Ah, I did forget to tell you," Luna realized, quickly explaining, "This is the headquarters of the Fire Protection Knight Order."

Yu Sheng: "...What in the world?"

"Fire Protection Knight Order," Luna stated seriously, "the name we gave ourselves. Though now there are only thirteen knights all together, including me."

Yu Sheng understood, but this didn’t stop him from continuing to be amazed: "This cathedral was built by you?!"

"Indeed."

"...How did you build it?!" Yu Sheng’s eyes nearly bulged out, "No, such a huge thing, last time I came here it was still barren land... let alone how it was built, where did you find the building materials?!"

Luna thought seriously for a moment, then continued to look seriously into Yu Sheng’s eyes: "By contemplating."

Yu Sheng: "?"

He wore a "what’s wrong with this stern-faced knight suddenly saying that word" expression, but after holding this expression and meeting her eyes for a moment, he suddenly vaguely understood something.

"... Did you learn it from me?"

Luna nodded: "Yes."

"Imitating the process of me building things in the valley?"

"Yes," Luna nodded again, then quickly added, "Seeing you shaping various things in the valley, I vaguely felt I ’understood’ some knowledge, and then my knights and I discovered we could do similar things in this wilderness dominated by souls and consciousness. Just as there’s nothing here and everyone needed a place to stay, we discussed it and decided to build a base for the Knight Order.

"Of course, all of this is a clumsy imitation of your craft. If not for seeing your shaping in the valley, we would never have understood this knowledge..."

Yu Sheng listened to Luna’s words in a daze, then couldn’t help but twitch his eye, looking up at the magnificent and solemn chapel towering at least seven or eight stories high. Holding back for a long time, he couldn’t help but say: "Did you all design this...?"

"Yes, mainly me, but everyone contributed many ideas — we generally referenced some architectural styles from our hometown, and some scenes from games Erin often plays."

Yu Sheng immediately understood why standing at the church’s doorstep felt like an epic BGM might play at any moment and the church might suddenly reveal a health bar.

He hesitated for a moment more, then cautiously asked: "... How long did it take you to build it?"

Luna was about to speak but seemed to suddenly realize something, quickly clearing her throat with a slightly awkward expression: "Actually, it took a long time. Building this church wasn’t easy; we made many mistakes, and some structures are still unsatisfactory. We’ll have to repeatedly adjust it later."

Yu Sheng: "How long?"

Luna honestly lowered her head: "... Half a day."

Yu Sheng: "..."

"The things you created in the valley are obviously more magnificent," Luna immediately began to reassure Yu Sheng, "especially that grand teleportation hub..."

Yu Sheng looked up at the sky, saying nothing.

What else could he say, really? Luna and her knights built this chapel, complete with the travel agency’s logo on the candlesticks, whereas the main mode of transport from the second floor to the first of his teleportation hub was bouncing.

Though now there’s an elevator.

"Alright, knowing you guys built this is fine," Yu Sheng said with relief, then turned to Luna with a smile, "What’s the situation outside now?"

"Everyone’s at ’Queyun Palace’," Luna said, "discussing the events in the Exotic Realm and waiting for your return."

"Alright then, I’ll head back," Yu Sheng nodded, and his figure gradually began to fade, "See you in the living world."

Luna smiled, bowing slightly to Yu Sheng’s fading silhouette: "See you in the living world."

At Qianfeng Ling Mountain, in the main hall of Queyun Palace, an illusory door appeared out of thin air.

The door opened, and Yu Sheng stepped out from inside.

As soon as he came out, he heard Hu Li’s cheerful voice nearby: "Savior, you’re back!"

"I’m back," Yu Sheng’s vision flickered as he adjusted to the vibrant colors and sounds of the living world. Then he smiled and ruffled the fur behind the ears of the fox girl eagerly leaning her head over, before turning his gaze to everyone present, "Everyone’s here, huh."

Luna slowly raised her head from the back of the crowd, waving at him.

"We’re all here, just waiting for you," Erin stood with her hands on her hips, "Where did you run off to just now?"

Yu Sheng could only scratch his head awkwardly: "Check out the Sanctuary Wilderness later, there’s a surprise."

Erin: "?"