Chapter 195: Entering
A man and a woman, two figures walking through the crowd, approaching the Tower of Babel at a seemingly unhurried pace, forming a sharp contrast with the hurried passersby around them.
Even though a breathtaking opportunity had appeared, even though a future capable of changing destinies lay ahead, they still maintained a remarkably composed attitude.
The middle-aged man said calmly, "I naturally understand the benefits of the Tower of Babel. But you also know, the war between the Wendell Empire and the Velmoria Empire has not ended. As a noble of the Wendell Empire, I’ve never participated in it. You must understand, many people hold grievances against me, even His Majesty has grown somewhat dissatisfied."
His expression was solemn, his bearing extraordinary, clearly a man wielding great power, accustomed to standing high above others.
He also bore a name that resounded throughout the Wendell Empire, Achilles Carlisle.
As the head of the Carlisle family and father of Soren, he had once promised Selene Vire, in exchange for her Seer Magic to find the killer of Soren, that he would help her explore an extremely dangerous ruin. That journey had taken a very long time.
The mysterious woman beside him now was naturally Selene Vire.
Selene, her face veiled, revealed only a pair of eyes as she said, "The expedition to the ruin did not succeed; it cannot be considered fulfillment of our agreement. Viscount, could it be you intend to renege on your promise?"
Achilles fell silent for a moment, then said, "It seems you’re determined to explore this Tower of Babel."
"My intuition tells me this time, the Tower of Babel might give birth to something extraordinary, something that even makes me feel uneasy."
Selene lifted her head, gazing at the towering structure ahead.
Achilles showed a flicker of surprise upon hearing this.
As a practitioner of Seer Magic, although Selene couldn’t truly observe the future, she did possess a certain intuitive sense about events that might occur. Words from her mouth were never easy to ignore.
Achilles asked, "Specifically, what is it?"
Selene shook her head. "I don’t know. The future is full of changes. Every second generates millions of possible futures. We cannot be certain of its shape."
Seer Magic, though seems miraculous and absurd, wasn’t as overpowered as imagined, because the future was inherently unpredictable.
Selene continued, "Regardless, I must enter the Tower of Babel. What about you, Viscount? You’ve already come this far. Would you really face the Tower of Babel and not enter? Even someone like you might gain unimaginable benefits inside."
Achilles looked toward the towering Tower of Babel, murmuring, "I’ve been here before..."
He was no longer young. During past openings of the Tower of Babel, he had visited and fully understood what conditions lay within.
"You’ve been here before? Then do you know the ultimate secret of the Tower of Babel? How many floors does it have?"
Selene asked.
"I don’t know."
Achilles shook his head.
"Exactly. You’ve never uncovered the true secrets the Tower of Babel holds. Only if you could reach the very top would everything finally become complete."
Selene said.
The top?
Achilles couldn’t help but inwardly shook his head. Throughout history, countless people had struggled within the Tower of Babel, attempting to reach its highest floor, but who had truly succeeded?
That path was too long, that tower too tall, that future too elusive.
"The road is difficult, but it must still be walked. Every additional step forward is a reward filled with surprises."
Selene said slowly, her eyes fixed on the Tower of Babel. "I’ve already seen many old masters enter, some openly, some in secret, each attempting to alter the future. What about you, Viscount?"
Achilles remained silent.
He thought of the hidden discontent in the Emperor’s letter, of the unspoken difficulties relayed by the Carlisle family members remaining in the capital, knowing that he refused to participate during the Empire’s time of war had sparked immense destruction.
He didn’t want to merely prove his loyalty, but feared the Carlisle family might face trouble, and his own prospects for advancement could be jeopardized. Normally, his promotion to Count wouldn’t be an issue, but now...
"By the way," Selene added, "according to known prophecy, Carlotta White, the one who killed your daughter, was recently spotted in Swanport. Why would she come to Swanport? Where would she head continuing southward? Now that the Tower of Babel has opened, it’s not difficult to guess where she might go, is it?"
Achilles turned to Selene. "Are you using Carlotta White as bait?"
Selene said calmly, "I’m just asking whether you think Carlotta White will come to the Tower of Babel."
Achilles fell into contemplation. The possibility of her coming to the Tower of Babel was indeed not small.
He already knew what had happened in Swanport, how members of the Carlisle family had foolishly provoked someone called Moon and were wiped out. The pursuit of Carlotta White had gone very poorly.
Relying only on the remaining members of the Carlisle family, he might never find Carlotta in his lifetime.
This matter, it seemed, would have to be handled personally.
’I have clearly pointed out the way, yet achieved nothing. Alistair, you people are simply too useless, dying was meaningless.’
Achilles thought with dissatisfaction.
Then, he said to Selene, "Let’s go. It’s time to enter the Tower of Babel."
He stepped onto the lake ahead, walking on the waves, unhurried.
Selene followed.
Walking upon water, though seemingly simple, was not something anyone could do. As the two advanced across the waves, people around them instinctively moved away, unwilling to draw too close to such mysterious and unpredictable events.
Thus, the two entered the Tower of Babel.
...
Night blanketed the Bass Archipelago in darkness.
Island No. 1 was experiencing the busiest moment in its history. Countless people from all over the Bass Archipelago converged toward Island No. 1, their figures densely packed, filled with immense passion and anticipation.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
In the air, Carlotta gripped Amelia’s hand, flying at astonishing speed boosted by the Rapid Cards.
Currently, they use disguised identities, not the names Layla or Mary. After all, those two identities were already well-known, likely to attract attention, something they didn’t need right now.
At high speed, the two finally arrived near the Tower of Babel and descended.
Where they landed, many people instinctively stepped aside. After all, most who could fly were Resonators. To ordinary people, Resonators were already beyond reach.
"This is the Tower of Babel... it’s really high."
Carlotta looked up, unable to see the end of the Tower of Babel at all.
It was said the Tower of Babel had already spread into the starry sky. Its exact endpoint was extremely mysterious; no one had ever reached it.
"Many people have already gone in. Let’s go too."
Amelia’s eyes shimmered with anticipation as well.
They didn’t waste time outside, merely uttering a brief exclamation before crossing the lake and stepping through the entrance into the Tower of Babel.
Not long after Carlotta and Amelia entered the Tower of Babel, a figure descended from the sky.
This figure emanated a metallic sheen, for it wore alchemical armor covering its entire body, giving it a streamlined appearance.
His arrival caused many people around to instinctively step aside.
Lucas Castro gazed at the Tower of Babel. He had no choice but to temporarily abandon his search for enemies outside and decided to explore the Tower first.
Even as a Weaver, the Tower of Babel was an enormous opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss.
As for the enemies of the Mechanical Fortress... he believed that the enemy likely wouldn’t miss this chance either when the Tower opened. What if they encountered each other inside the Tower?
’No matter who you are, once I discover your identity, I’ll make sure you die without a trace.’
Lucas thought darkly.
Then he flew forward, quickly vanishing into the Tower of Babel.
...
The Tower of Babel had countless floors. Each floor was like a vast world, possessing an incredibly expansive space so immense it was hard to believe one had entered a tower.
Carlotta looked up and saw a clear blue sky, and sunlight, originating from who knew where, was showering down everywhere.
Around her stretched a lush mountainous forest landscape, teeming with dense vegetation and vibrant life. She could even spot numerous wild beasts, and even monsters scattered throughout.
Of course, even the monsters had low combat power, all only at the level of first-tier Apprentices.
Because this was the First Floor.
In the Tower of Babel, the higher the floor, the more dangerous it became. On the contrary, the lower floors were safer, making them ideal places for those newly entering the supernatural world to explore.
At this moment, large numbers of people were spreading out in all directions. Most ignored the monsters they encountered on this floor, seeking only the passage to the next level, since the First Floor wouldn’t contain anything particularly valuable. Naturally, the higher the value of something, the higher the floor it will be found.
Amelia swept her gaze around, then said, "Within the Tower of Babel, every time it opens, the environment changes drastically. Even the monsters living here can be completely different. The passage to the next floor will also change and must be searched for."
She explained that even those who entered first had to search for the passage. They weren’t exactly late.
However, even if someone who entered earlier discovered the passage to the upper floor, they normally wouldn’t inform others, unless too many people discovered the location together, revealing the passage’s whereabouts.
For example, although the First Floor was vast, so many people had entered that the passage to the Second Floor was discovered not long after.
Not long after Carlotta and Amelia flew out, they learned the location of the passage to the Second Floor.
They immediately flew toward it and, in no time, spotted something resembling a spiral staircase rising from the ground, piercing straight through the sky and directly connecting to the Second Floor.
This spiral staircase was extremely peculiar. It couldn’t be seen from a distance; it only appears when one comes within a certain range. Thus, as the floor number increases, fewer and fewer people reach the corresponding floor, and finding the spiral staircase will become increasingly difficult.
"Flight is forbidden here; we can only ascend via the staircase. I wonder what kind of power it contains."
Amelia murmured softly.
No matter who you were, you could only wait to go upstairs. Of course, if one possessed sufficient strength, cutting in line wasn’t impossible.
Carlotta didn’t try to cut in line, but as she and Amelia flew over, some people voluntarily made way, having recognized them as Resonators, beings of such a level that most people wouldn’t dare provoke.
Seeing people intentionally clear the path, Carlotta didn’t stand on ceremony. She grabbed Amelia’s hand and continued walking up.
When they reached near the sky, Carlotta lifted upward. Up close, the sky resembled a painted backdrop, but when viewed from afar, it seemed truly real, even with clouds drifting.
After only a brief look, Carlotta pulled Amelia’s hand and entered the Second Floor.
They emerged from an opening, surrounded by many others who were searching for new paths.
The environment here was completely different from the previous floor. As far as the eye can see, vast yellow sands swept across, grand and magnificent.
The Second Floor was a desert world!
"Fascinating. I remember last time the First Floor was also a forest environment, but the Second Floor was an ocean. This time it’s changed to a desert?"
Someone whispered, familiar with the Tower of Babel’s previous appearances.
"Since the Tower of Babel changes its interior environment every time it opens, there’s no need to be too surprised."
"Hurry and search for the passage to the Third Floor. The desert on the Second Floor is still only suitable for Apprentices to play in."
A Listener spoke, somewhat impatient.
The difficulty level of the Second Floor was about the same as the First Floor. There weren’t even second-rank Apprentice-level monsters, only first-rank level monsters scattered throughout the sandy areas.
This place was still akin to a beginner’s village.
Carlotta didn’t linger. She quickly left with Amelia, searching for the passage to the Third Floor.
During this process, Amelia supplemented her knowledge about the Tower of Babel based on what she knew, and much of the past information was still useful.
For example, the distribution of power within the Tower of Babel.
From the First Floor to the Tenth Floor, only first-tier Apprentice-level monsters exist, suitable for first-tier Apprentices. From the Eleventh to Twelfth Floors, second-rank monsters appear, suitable for second-tier Apprentices.
And so on. Only upon reaching the Ninety-First Floor will Listener-rank monsters appear, suitable for early tier Listeners to explore.
"So troublesome? We still have to climb so many floors?"
Carlotta immediately felt her scalp tingling.
"It won’t be too troublesome. For the first few dozen floors, you only need to find the passage. Actually, the time consumed isn’t as much as you might imagine. After the Hundredth Floor, people become fewer and fewer, and finding the passage will become difficult."
Amelia said.
"Sigh, no choice. We’ll just have to take it one step at a time."
Carlotta still felt somewhat troubled.