CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 36: REALITY BETWEEN THE CRACKS

Inside a dark underground passage.

Shawn followed Benjamin deep into the underground of the Night Watch Headquarters, this area covered a large space, with a portion directly leading to the Church District.

"I can only accompany you this far."

Benjamin gazed at Shawn before him and said softly, "Below is a place for High Sequence Transcendents only."

Eternal flames lit up both sides of the corridor.

Shawn silently nodded.

He glanced at Benjamin, bowed slightly, turned, and entered the pitch-black door ahead.

On the walls of this space were bizarre reliefs, appearing very gloomy and dark, the height of the door was about five meters, after passing through, one could see independent underground chambers, some wrapped in heavy chains, some etched with complex mystical runes.

"Sean?"

A cold female voice sounded, "Please follow me."

"Do not touch anything nearby."

"This is where Sealed Objects are kept."

The woman speaking was very tall, about two meters, but her back was slightly hunched, her gray-white hair hung down almost touching the ground, she wore a classical black robe, carrying a lamp in her hand, walking ahead to lead Shawn.

Sealed Objects?

Shawn looked around the underground chambers with slight curiosity.

Curios, Holy Relics, Sealed Objects.

He currently knew only these three kinds of Extraordinary Items; Curios are regular magical gear but still rare, Holy Relics mostly come from Transcendents, part of them from former High Tier Night Watchers, although their usage also requires a price, they are not as dangerous.

Sealed Objects are largely extremely dangerous.

Typically they come from deceased High Tier berserkers, powerful Evil Objects that enter the real world, and some mysterious unknown entities.

The cost of using Sealed Objects is very high!

Generally, Night Watchers do not use the power of Sealed Objects, even Death Pilgrims must apply to call upon Sealed Objects, only the higher-ups of the Night Watch know how many Sealed Objects are hidden beneath Dorne City.

Unless facing a huge crisis, Night Watchers mostly apply to summon Holy Relics.

After a while.

A profound door appeared before them.

"Mr. Gate," the tall hunched woman said respectfully, "I’ve brought the person."

A human face’s outline appeared on the door before them.

Mr. Gate glanced at Shawn, slowly opening a dim Light Gate.

The woman beside spoke in a deep voice, "Go ahead."

"The Butcher is waiting for you."

Shawn took a deep breath and slowly stepped into the dim Light Gate before him.

Bizarre Realm.

That place of despair.

He had returned.

When Shawn’s sight recovered, he saw the hulking Butcher before him, a smothering coldness made him immediately miss the warm real world.

Bizarre Realm.

The Butcher did not speak, he glanced at Shawn, turned, and proceeded into the dim and cold corridor.

Shawn followed silently.

The Bizarre Realm was indeed colder than the real world, not a physical chill, but an icy sensation in feeling.

The Butcher’s figure moved ahead, Shawn silently followed behind.

After a long time.

When a monastery-like tomb appeared ahead, the Butcher spoke slowly, "How does the real world feel?"

Shawn was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Better than here."

The Butcher chuckled, opened the heavy door, walked up the stairs, put on his apron, then lifted a heavy iron hook with one hand, hung up the Pillar of Flesh and Blood, began working with a Bone Knife, said deeply, "That’s natural, after all, it’s the real world."

Shawn wanted to speak but stopped.

The Butcher glanced back at him, said calmly, "You seem to have many doubts?"

Shawn nodded, "Yes."

The contrast between the real world and the Bizarre Realm was too stark!

This intense shock has left him somewhat uncomfortable to this day.

Shawn pondered for a moment, then slowly asked, "Why is the gap between the real world and here so significant?"

The Butcher did not answer him directly.

He focused on his work, the broad muscles across his back were like rugged rock, after a while, he spoke deeply, "Do you know about psychiatric hospitals?"

Shawn nodded, slightly puzzled, "I do."

The Butcher continued his work, cutting slices from the Pillar of Flesh and Blood, said deeply, "If there were a psychiatric hospital filled with the most dangerous lunatics."

"But there’s one person in it."

"Who seems very normal, clocks in on time for work, works hard, loves life, is full of passion and hope for everything."

"Then in your eyes?"

"Who do you think is the most terrifying in this psychiatric hospital?"

Lightning seemed to flash through Shawn’s mind.

In an instant, he felt his scalp tingle, muttering, "The person who seems the most normal!"

The Butcher nodded, "Exactly."

"They think so too!"

The Butcher extracted the spine from the Pillar of Flesh and Blood, said calmly, "Order is the cornerstone of the real world."

"They’re afraid of reality, just as we fear them."

"Perhaps in their eyes, the real world is the insane one, because the Bizarre Realm is filled with lunatics like them."

The Butcher packed the fragments of the Pillar of Flesh and Blood into a black bag.

He picked up the heavy iron hook again, facing away from Shawn, said, "The Night Watcher’s job is to maintain the order of the real world."

"Preventing it from being disrupted by any supernatural factor."

"Because without order, reality ceases to exist."

Madness would swarm in!

At that time, even if there were miracles for humanity or miracles of destiny, the Clockwork Nirvana Twelve Realms might not be able to protect the real world.

The normalcy of the real world, in this maddeningly despairing realm, is a form of intimidation!

"This is truly a mad design."

Shawn seemed to understand something, Clockwork Nirvana Twelve Realms, maddeningly despairing Bizarre Realm, normally peaceful real world, like the Butcher said, in the eyes of Evil Objects, the completely normal real world is the most abnormal, perhaps holding a ’great terror.’

And there might really be a ’great terror’!

In the dark ages when humanity emerged from despair, it was either a genius or a madman who led the way.

In the Bizarre Realm, madness never disappears, it merely transfers.

There’s a group enduring the madness of reality!

Shawn was silent for a long, long time.

He looked at the Butcher’s mountainous figure, remained silent for a long time, then asked his most pressing question, "Does the real world truly exist?"

Yes.

Does the real world actually exist?

He wanted to know the answer.

Shawn feared this was all fake, all illusion, all dream-like, like bubbles in this despairing mad Bizarre Realm.

The Butcher halted his knife-wielding hand momentarily, then said unequivocally, "It truly exists!"

"We’ve sacrificed too much to protect reality."

"It is humanity’s last refuge!"

Shawn believed the Butcher.

He looked out at the dusky sky, said softly, "Then where is the real world?"

"Beyond the tomb, it seems not the reality."

The Butcher glanced at him, put down the heavy iron hook, slowly said, "Reality exists in the crevices of the world."

"Here."

"Is the high wall protecting reality!"

Shawn’s guess was correct, the real world and the Bizarre Realm exist on different planes.

He removed his hat, took off his coat.

Shawn picked up the heavy black bag, began to work, before stepping outside the door, he looked at the Butcher and asked, "Why help me?"

Without the Butcher, he couldn’t have become Lady Hecate’s disciple.

The Butcher chuckled, said calmly, "I hope one day, you can sit at the table for humanity."

A destined legendary of the Wizard Path emerges, countless Evil Objects would tremble.

.........

(PS: The first volume is nearing its end. I’ll write a summary for the first volume when it’s finished.)