Translator: SumTLMan
Popoca discovered upon entering Azure Tower that it was busier inside than he had imagined. Each floor was bustling with a multitude of staff members working at desks, ranging from dozens to hundreds, without any partitions.
According to Rachel, each level of Azure Tower represented a different government department of Initial Heart City. The reason for congregating them together was to ensure openness and transparency, allowing everyone to monitor each other and prevent favoritism.
——Rachel was the young woman who had accompanied Popoca inside.
“Except for departments that inherently need to be concealed, all others are located here,” Rachel explained with a smile.
Concealed Departments? Popoca thought of something: “The Sin Hunters you mentioned earlier, are they a concealed department?”
Rachel nodded: “Yes, their office location isn’t here… I’m not exactly sure where it is, but I’ve heard there’s a site within the city, although the main one is outside the city.”
When Rachel mentioned “outside the city,” her eyes clearly showed a hint of longing.
Since Popoca had only been in Initial Heart City for two days, he didn’t understand the significance of “outside the city” to its residents. He assumed Rachel’s longing was for the extraordinary powers of the Sin Hunters, much like the way ordinary people yearn for the powers of wizards.
“What exactly are these Sin Hunters? I thought I saw some strange illusions earlier; do they possess extraordinary abilities?” Popoca, curious about the Sin Hunters, seized the opportunity to ask.
“The Sin Hunters indeed have extraordinary abilities, but I don’t know the specifics. After all, the world of the Sin Hunters is far removed from ours,” Rachel said, pausing momentarily: “However, I’ve heard that the Sin Hunters bear immense pressure, like tightrope walkers who could meet with irreparable disaster with the slightest misstep.”
To Rachel, this seemed somewhat frightening. But to Popoca, it appeared quite normal. To gain something, one must pay a price. The path of a wizard’s training is likewise fraught with danger at every step.
“Since the Sin Hunters’ base is not at Azure Tower, what were those people just now here for?” Popoca wondered curiously.
Rachel said, “They went to see the City Lord Marilyn, exactly what for I don’t know, but I heard it’s about the resources outside the city?”
Popoca wanted to continue asking, but Rachel suddenly made a ‘shush’ gesture, signaling him to be silent for now.
Popoca nodded in confusion, looking around to find that they had already reached the higher levels of Azure Tower, where the previously seen large, open office spaces were replaced by numerous intersecting corridors.
The floors of the corridors were carpeted with velvet rugs, and the air was filled with a woody scent tinged with the aroma of resin. If each floor represented a different department, this level must be the core department of Initial Heart City.
As they navigated through the corridors, one of the doors opened just as they passed.
Several people emerged from the door, with a man in knight’s armor leading the front.
Rachel whispered, “It’s Knight Sabel!”
Popoca heard Rachel’s whisper. The name didn’t mean much to him since the people of Initial Heart City were strangers to him. However, he was intrigued by this Knight Sabel, who seemed to be an extraordinary individual. Although the knight’s aura was restrained, Popoca, with his years of experience in the Wizarding World, could tell that this knight’s strength was likely superior to the Sin Hunters they had encountered earlier.
Knight Sabel did not engage in conversation with them and left with his aide after closing the door.
Rachel, along with Popoca, left that floor and arrived at the spiral staircase. It was then that Rachel said, “The floor we just left belongs to the domain of Marilyn, the city lord. She particularly dislikes noise, so I asked you to stay silent earlier to avoid any taboos.”
As Rachel spoke, she continued to lead Popoca upwards.
Meanwhile, Popoca harbored some confusion. According to Rachel, the levels of Azure Tower are arranged by their core significance, with the ones closer to the top being more important. Marilyn was the city lord of Initial Heart City; why didn’t she reside at the very top? Could there be someone even more important than her?
Soon, Rachel provided the answer.
Upon reaching the top floor of Azure Tower, Popoca saw a long corridor.
Rachel explained, “This area belongs to Master Tyson. Except for Marilyn, the city lord, others are not allowed without an invitation. So I can’t take you any further; you have to go alone. Don’t worry about finding the way, as there’s only one room on this level.”
Popoca proceeded alone to the top of Azure Tower. Just as Rachel said, he had no trouble finding the place, at the end of the corridor was a large door.
Before knocking on the door, Popoca pondered, “Who exactly is this ‘Master Tyson’? Why is he more important than the lord of an entire city?”
And why did he want to meet with Popoca?
When the door opened, Popoca was stunned.
He saw the so-called “Master Tyson” sitting at a desk… and he was not a stranger to Popoca.
Popoca had seen some information about him in magazines. He was once a seed apprentice at Hurricane Tower, known by the nickname “Dream Reader.” Unfortunately, his life ended in the Purification Garden.
Popoca was surprised to see Freud here, but what surprised him more was a person he knew all too well, casually sitting on a nearby sofa.
“Lord Pat?” Popoca exclaimed in surprise.
Angel looked up at Popoca: “It seems that the spiritual light perfectly brought your memory here. However, there are still some gaps.”
Popoca was puzzled by Angel’s words.
Angel did not immediately speak to Popoca but looked at Freud opposite him. Freud was also observing Popoca, “There’s indeed a slight discordance; it seems he hasn’t fully transformed into a resident of the Dream Realm?”
Angel nodded, having noticed upon first seeing Popoca. Although Popoca’s spiritual light entered the Wilderness of Dreams, he did not transform into a native creature of the Dream Realm, similar to Freud, Alda, and Sunny. He still had a faint connection to his original soul.
Meaning, the traces of Popoca left in the real world hadn’t completely vanished.
The Supreme Demon God, who controlled the Endless Abyss, hadn’t destroyed Popoca’s blank soul. Only when Popoca’s blank soul also disappears will he truly transform into a resident of the Dream Realm.
“Then, could the Profound Lord use this connection to discover the Wilderness of Dreams?” Freud frowned, worry in his eyes.
Angel shook his head: “No. Because when he entered the Wilderness of Dreams, the spiritual light was completely separated from the soul. The soul entered the Endless Abyss, while the spiritual light remained in the Wilderness of Dreams, based on the Southern Region’s Wizarding World.”