Chapter 1011 - 1010: The Cities of the Abyss [GT Bonus - ]

"There are several cities," Enigma replied. "Each has its own districts. The three you should remember first are Tail City, Spine City, and Crown City."

Simon glanced back along the road.

"Tail City is where we’re staying?"

"Yes. One of our entrances is nearby, so most newcomers arriving through it are housed here. There are shops, workshops, and training grounds. You won’t need to travel across The Abyss for every little thing."

That explained the supplies and carts moving through the streets. The guest quarters were only a small part of the settlement.

"And Spine City?"

"Farther along the back. It has our largest market and most of the major workshops. Weapons, formations, medicine, materials. If you need something made or repaired, that’s usually where you go."

Simon looked toward the towers surrounding the distant spines.

He would need to visit. The things he had collected during the invasion were still in his spatial ring, and he hadn’t properly examined all of them.

Some might be useful. The rest could pay for things he actually needed.

"What about techniques?"

"The main library and teaching halls are there too. The restricted inheritances are kept separately, under the elders’ supervision."

"And Crown City is on the head?"

Enigma nodded.

"The largest city. The Sovereign’s palace stands at its highest point, between the broken horns."

Simon remembered the enormous skull he had seen when they arrived. Buildings filled its eye sockets, and walls climbed the heights above them.

"And the elders?"

"Their residences are around the base of the skull and along the upper neck. The Council Hall is there as well. That’s where we’re going."

Simon followed the curve of the dragon’s body with his eyes. He could see the skull beyond the buildings, but being able to see it meant little here.

Something large enough to carry a city could remain visible from an absurd distance.

"Are we walking all the way?"

"No. There’s a transport hall just ahead."

They turned off the avenue and approached a square building with entrances wide enough for loaded wagons. Two demons emerged pulling an empty cart and hurried aside when they saw Enigma.

Inside, broad circles were engraved across the floor.

Most were dark. One glowed beneath a group waiting with several sealed chests. A thin curtain of light rose around them, and the space inside it folded.

The group disappeared.

"Fixed transport formations connect the main cities," Enigma said. "Some smaller settlements have them as well. Otherwise, moving supplies would take too long."

Simon examined the nearest circle without sending his perception into it.

He had felt how difficult it was to manipulate space here. Using an established formation would save considerable effort.

An attendant bowed as Enigma approached.

"Crown City," Enigma said.

The attendant touched a stone panel beside an empty circle. Its engravings lit one after another.

Enigma stepped inside, and Simon joined him.

Light climbed around their feet.

The room disappeared.

A moment later, they stood in another hall.

Simon noticed the demonic energy before he looked around.

It pressed more heavily against his skin. His heart responded at once, drawing in a little more than he intended before he restrained it.

Enigma glanced at him.

"Stronger here, isn’t it?"

"Considerably."

"The closer you get to the upper parts of the skull, the richer it becomes. The Sovereign’s palace and the elders’ estates occupy some of the best locations."

They left the hall.

The road outside climbed across pale bone. Black stone had been laid over most of it, but wide sections remained exposed between the foundations.

Above the surrounding roofs, part of a shattered horn rose like a mountain. A dark palace stood beneath it, its walls extending behind a broad terrace.

Simon looked toward the palace but made no attempt to examine it with his perception.

He hadn’t come here to investigate the Sovereign.

Even from the street, though, he could understand the attraction of living there. He could absorb more demonic energy with an ordinary breath here than he could in many places outside The Abyss.

Then he frowned.

"What about the heart?"

Enigma turned toward him.

"The dragon’s heart," Simon added. "Shouldn’t the demonic energy be strongest there?"

"It is."

"Then why doesn’t the Sovereign live there instead?"

"Because we use it for something else."

Simon waited as they moved aside for a group carrying long cases up the road.

"The heart is still inside the chest," Enigma continued. "It no longer beats, but it holds an enormous amount of power. We draw on that power to maintain the main defensive formations."

"The barriers against the falling fire?"

"Those, and the formations protecting our cities and entrances."

Simon glanced upward.

From the street, the barriers appeared only when something struck them. He hadn’t considered what kept them functioning day after day.

Now he knew.

"There are cultivation chambers around the heart," Enigma added. "But nobody lives there permanently. The energy needs to be controlled before most members can use it safely."

"Who gets access?"

"The council decides. Usually someone preparing for a difficult breakthrough, or someone who has earned a stay through their contributions."

Simon considered that.

Such a place could be valuable when he was ready to advance again. He would need to learn the conditions, but there was no reason to ask for access before he had even joined.

For now, he was satisfied knowing it existed.

Enigma led him away from the main road, following a path that sloped toward the neck.

The shops became fewer, replaced by walled residences separated by wide stretches of bare bone. Paths branched toward gates with guards standing beside them.

"Are these the elders’ estates?"

"Some of them. Others belong to senior members. You can use the streets, but don’t enter someone’s grounds without an invitation."

"I understand."

Simon could see roofs beyond the nearest wall, but little else. Even the sounds from inside were muffled.

After spending so much time cultivating in rented rooms or wherever he could find shelter, a private place like that seemed appealing.

He would consider accommodation after the meeting.

They passed beneath a stone arch.

Beyond it stood a circular hall with a broad flight of steps leading to two tall black doors. A section of Veyra’s skull rose behind the roof, pale against the dark building.

Two guards stood at the foot of the stairs.

They bowed to Enigma and moved aside. Their eyes passed briefly over Simon, but neither asked his name.

He climbed beside Enigma, noticing the fine engravings along the edges of the steps.

"This is the Council Hall," Enigma said.

He stopped before the black doors, and Simon came to a halt beside him.