The Last Gentleman
Chapter 558: Pathway Hall

[One minute ago. William’s Perspective]

Physical had been completely stripped away by the Tenth Abyss,

consciousness residing in the mask, William completed the final pilgrimage, falling into the deepest depths,

Though all external perception was lost, William’s consciousness could still receive images from below.

However, there were two images.

One was the Tenth Abyss itself, standing before him. The so-called "audience" was to be conducted here, and William was the first outsider in history to officially qualify for an audience.

The other was a door, a door as black as the Abyss itself, yet entirely a part of the Abyss, with clear alignment marks on its edges.

The door appeared exceptionally clear in consciousness, and even without a body, he could still open it in his mind.

Having previously dealt with the Apostle Skin and unexpectedly encountered the Skin Gate, William was well aware of what this door corresponded to—it was the Path entry he had long pursued.

was it to have an audience with the Abyss first, then complete the Path, or to complete the Path before the audience with the Abyss?

Even without Madness Brain, William still completed the final thinking in a short time...or rather, his instinct had made him decide in an instant.

[Open the door first]

Now that his body was no longer existent, although he had formed a very perfect mask,

such a posture for an audience was still not perfect, not even qualified to negotiate directly with the Tenth Abyss.

If he could complete the Path and reform his body in a higher-rank posture for the audience, he might achieve a better outcome.

Before making contact with the Tenth Abyss, William immediately pushed open this door located at the bottom of the Abyss in his mind.

The moment the door opened, both the mask and William’s consciousness were sucked in...Buzz!

In an instant, the oppressive feeling from the Abyss was gone, and William’s consciousness now stood on a Path that no Old World life had ever set foot on.

This unknown Path beneath the Abyss would lead him to the deep of the Old World, attempting to contact the center of the Sick Focus, allowing his body’s pathogenic components to receive Completion from the Sick Focus, completing the missing ancient genes.

Of course, what specific steps he would undergo and what he would ultimately become, William did not know.

According to the Completers of the Path he had encountered, the appearance might not change much, focusing more on the integration, simplification, and completion of ancient genes of the body’s diseases, perhaps forming some kind of ancient syndrome as well.

Regardless, the answer would soon be revealed.

Walking along this unknown Path leading to the center of the Sick Focus, there was a feeling like stepping on the surface of gigantic neurons; it wasn’t as lengthy as imagined, and he would quickly reach the end.

There was still a door at the end, leading to an unknown destination.

The focus was not on the "Path itself," but on the "finding of the Path" ahead and the "exiting of the Path" thereafter.

Reaching out his hand, William pushed the door at the end; an intense flood of white light poured out,

Having been in darkness for so long, this sudden extreme whiteness made it difficult for William to adjust, and he remained in a pure white state for a long time.

As his vision gradually adapted, the scene presented before him made William suddenly freeze.

In anticipation, the "center of the Sick Focus" should have been a chaotic space filled with diseases, similar to some kind of life-form’s body cavity... However, what was actually presented was a neat and spacious pure white space.

The white cubic space had walls lined with 108 doors, corresponding to the exits of 108 Paths.

The doors differed in shape, color, and aura, among which included the Sutured Gate that William had seen before, corresponding to the Path of "Skin."

However, the door William had come through at the bottom of the Abyss was simply black, showing no distinctive features, just an ordinary Black Door.

Since the Black Door was positioned too high, an elevator was carrying William downwards.

The end corresponding to the ground area was pure white, temporarily devoid of any life or objects.

Ding-dong!

The elevator reached the bottom.

When William stepped onto the pure white, empty ground, it felt like stepping on a cold tile.

Though it was solid,

gurgling sounds came from the floor two meters away, and a figure in an all-white suit, tie, shoes, and even a head—all without a face—emerged.

Not just in attire, but even the posture displayed resembled that of a gentleman among organizations.

"Greetings, explorer of the unknown pathways. I am your designated receptionist, and I will be guiding you through the transcendence process, primarily composed of two stages,

’Silver Turbidity’ and ’Composing.’

Since you are the first explorer of an unknown pathway, you will enjoy the highest level of advancement services. You only need to cooperate throughout.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

First, we shall start with the Silver Turbidity, which, due to your physical body being completely destroyed, might last longer than a week,

and if your physicality is special, possessing a variety of complex structured illnesses, the duration may extend even further.

But rest assured, we will provide enough Original Epidemic Silver Liquid until you complete ’Silver Turbidity.’"

"Okay."

William, who was highly adaptive, decisively followed the pure white attendant, planning to ask questions as they walked.

"By the way, where is this?"

"The Pathway Hall, where all who complete their pathways arrive. Because your physical body was completely destroyed and only your consciousness has arrived, the scenario and our appearances are determined according to the entrant’s thought.

The cleanliness and industrial style, with human design elements like this, are quite rare."

"Determined by my cognition... no wonder it appears this way. Is this place the center of the Sick Focus?"

"No, this is merely an important ’transfer station.’ Only entities that have completed the expression of the plague and accumulated enough epidemic value can come here.

This also means you have been recognized by the Sick Focus on the level of the plague. From now on, you’re an indispensable member of this world, and could even be called ’probiotic.’"

"Transfer station, probiotic..."

William somewhat understood his role, perhaps only now becoming a true member of the Old World.

Continuing with his questions, William asked, "By the way, most of the ’Doors’ here have characteristics corresponding to certain plagues. The pathway door I passed through seems to have no features, just a plain black panel."

"The designs carved on the surface of the Pathway Door are directly related to the first person who passed through this door. Once you complete the two steps I just mentioned and advance, the door will morph to reflect the forms associated with your illnesses.

Although the ’Door’ is currently unmarked, it still has a definition."

"What definition?"

"The pathway door you transcended is a rare ’Black Door,’ representing doors of malignant diseases. Such Black Doors were not allowed before the fall of the Old World.

However, now the circumstances are special, and we treat everyone equally.

The Black Door you passed through is defined as ’Sequencea special neutral term that can denote chaos and disorder, as well as certain aspects of order.

Since you were able to find this pathway, you probably understand the meaning of ’Sequence,’ right?"

"I guess I understand."

"Good, the promotion you are about to undergo is also related to this theme. Even if you haven’t fully grasped it, you can ponder it slowly during the Silver Turbidity process.

For a first-time explorer of an unknown pathway, we have no time limit."

Following the attendant out of the Pathway Hall, they soon entered a pure white bathhouse with a large pool filled with a silver substance.

For some reason, William felt an urge to immerse himself in the silver substance at first sight.

Biological instinct was craving evolution.