Chapter 957: Descendant of a Sinner  

Karyk looked at the open passage that appeared to be leading him somewhere. He glanced back at the man one last time, but the man had already turned his back on him, as if he had nothing else to say. "Can you answer one last question before I go?" Karyk halted for a moment. "Who am I? And how am I related to this place?"

The man did not answer. The only response that came was silence. "Is it that you can't say, or you won't say?" Karyk changed his question, but there was still the same silence. The man remained unmoving, as if he had returned to being nothing more than a statue. Feeling a sense of resignation, Karyk took one last look at the man before turning away. As he walked off, he couldn't help but wonder if his answers were waiting at the end of this passage. After Karyk left, the opening in the wall closed, making it impossible to return to this room. The man who looked identical to Karyk slowly turned around, looking in a particular direction. "The descendant of a sinner... That is what you are. I wonder what you would feel when you reach the answer. Will you feel sadness? Will you feel true despair?" The man's words echoed in the fall, as his figure started dispersing. "After so long, I can finally sleep..."

His figure completely disappeared, akin to being torn. The room returned to the darkness, like an insignificant place. ....

Karyk navigated through the seemingly endless hallway, reminiscent of the passage he had taken to arrive at this point. However, to his relief, the hallway proved to be shorter than expected. After only half a day of walking, he arrived at its end, where a door stood before him.

Gently placing his fingers on the door, Karyk gave it a light push, causing it to emit a creaking sound as it opened. Beyond the door, a set of stairs led upwards, as if calling him to ascend. Climbing the stairs, he soon found himself facing yet another door, positioned directly above him. Undeterred, he exerted the usual amount of strength required to open such a door, only to be pleasantly surprised as the door opened easily.

Stepping out, Karyk finally emerged onto the surface. As if guided by unseen forces, the door closed on its own. It was at this moment that he realized the door he had just opened was an astonishing fifty inches thick. When closed, it became virtually impossible to discern its location, even though he had just passed through it. It was as if a touch of magic lingered in the air. "Fascinating."

He looked around and observed his surroundings, noticing that he was inside the City already. He could even see the walls that were surrounding the City. Just a few days ago, he was standing on the other side, thinking about ways to enter the City. "It would have been good, if she could also come here."

The Mother Whale did not know where he had disappeared. He wasn't even sure if she was waiting for him, or already left. It was a waste to lose such a good helper for him. He had heard a lot about the Civilization before he came here. But when he was actually inside the City, he found this place to be more ordinary than he expected. There was nothing extraordinary here, other than the fact that the city looked awfully empty. He was standing in the middle of the street, but no one was here. He could not see even the guards here. "It seems they really did not expect anyone to be able to pass through the wall."

The less security there was, the better for him. He had to reach the center of the city to find the answers after all. ...

Karyk cautiously made his way through the deserted streets of the City, his every step echoing in the silence. The buildings around him stood tall and imposing, their windows dark and lifeless. It was as if the entire City had been abandoned, left to decay in the hands of time.

As he wandered deeper into the heart of the City, Karyk couldn't help but feel a sense of unease creeping up his spine. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Every now and then, he would catch glimpses of movement from the corner of his eye, only for it to disappear when he turned his head.

"Did I underestimate them?"

He was not sure if he had already been detected, or if he was overthinking because his senses were weakened. In any case, he did not waste a single second. As he walked, Karyk noticed a faint glow emanating from a distant building that was in the center of this City. It appeared like the place that the man was guiding him towards. He quickened his pace and soon found himself standing before the grand place. The place looked different from every other building in this city. It also looked much older, as if it had already been wrecked by someone. Karyk stepped inside the building, being extremely cautious. At first, he had thought that the building was the residence of the leader or the main palace, but when he was inside, he realized that he had been wrong. This was not a palace. It was more like a grand library, albeit one that had been almost destroyed. The floor was covered with books that were either torn or destroyed. Did the Children of Heaven do this? Or was this a safety measure by the Civilization? He did not know the truth. All he knew was that he was guided to this place for some reason. Without hesitation, Karyk stepped inside, his eyes widening at the sight before him. The library was vast, its shelves stretching as far as the eye could see. Most of these shelves were empty as most of the books had either been destroyed, or lying on the ground for people to step over.