Chapter 84: The Terminal Nightworld
The headquarters of the Arcane Tower, as its name suggested, was a towering structure that soared straight into the clouds.
It involuntarily reminded Rast of his own “The Fool’s Library”, where the twenty-one stairways were located within a tall tower, although Rast had never had the chance to view its exterior in full.
The special military train came to a stop outside the military restricted zone.
Though it was called a restricted zone, its size was comparable to that of a small city.
The two stepped down from the train car, and soldiers in black vulture uniforms immediately approached to verify their identities.
Only after confirmation did they allow them to proceed.
Ingrid walked ahead, her shoulder-length black hair swaying slightly, and her black windbreaker fluttering in the breeze.
Despite her slender figure, her movements were precise like a machine—each step clockwork accurate, her every gesture carrying a sharp, pressing aura that echoed the cold, murderous atmosphere of the military zone.
Rast followed behind and noticed that every soldier they passed bowed in salute.
From this alone, it was evident that this senior of his held a considerable position within the military.
Although it had only been six years since her graduation and she had no noteworthy background—having started in the military from the most basic officer position…
At this moment, however, Ingrid’s position as Director of the Inspectorate was far from a mere title.
She held real power.
This allowed Rast to somewhat understand the weight behind the casual remark she once made: “By any means necessary, climb up with all your might.”
As the two moved deeper inside, the patrolling soldiers began to lessen.
In contrast, the number of various armored units, mechanical weapons, and different types of restrictions visibly increased.
A sliver of moonlight flashed across the sky, and the Dean Silver emerged from the sub-dimensional space of a secondary layer, once again perching on Rast’s shoulder.
It seemed that around the Arcane Tower, there existed restrictions capable of directly interfering with sub-space.
“Is it really necessary to go to such extremes just to keep a single intelligence vault secret?”
Rast looked at a massive cannon in the distance—easily over ten meters tall, its scale comparable to the “Gustav Heavy Cannon” in his memory—and fell into contemplation.
That gaping black muzzle pointed directly at the dark high tower.
Its coarse surface was inscribed with all sorts of rune circuits and alchemical matrices.
Even a city wall would be ruthlessly destroyed by this rune cannon.
Even considering the secrecy and importance of the Arcane Tower's headquarters, deploying a military force of this magnitude seemed excessive.
Those who knew the truth understood it was to protect classified intelligence, but anyone else might have thought they were preparing to launch a decimation assault on an enemy nation’s royal capital.
“Compared to the full strength deployed by the Empire and Academy for the Arcane Tower, what you’re seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Ingrid noticed Rast’s gaze lingering on the rune cannon.
She paused slightly and pointed to the azure sky above their heads.
“Rast, have you ever heard of a ‘space-based kinetic weapon’?”
Space-based kinetic weapon?
Rast was momentarily stunned, then recalled some old dime novels he had read in his past life.
The so-called space-based kinetic weapon generally referred to a platform situated in low Earth orbit—typically a satellite—carrying tungsten rods weighing several kilograms.
These would then be locked on, guided, and launched from space.
Using gravitational potential energy as a power source, they would strike strategic targets on the surface with pinpoint precision.
Of course, according to real-world assessments in his previous life, the actual destructive power of such tungsten rods fell far short of expectations.
And due to the immense difficulty of accurate ground guidance from space… this kind of weapon remained a fantasy confined to dime novels and sci-fi.
However—
In a world where supernatural power, magic matrices, and rune circuits existed…
As this thought just emerged,
Rast heard Ingrid’s calm voice speak beside his ear.
“Not long ago, the Empire’s military completed the prototype of a space-based cannon.”
“To put it in grander terms—it’s the Spear of Judgment cast down from the heavens, the Sword of Damocles.”
“It’s currently stationed in synchronous orbit, and the surface coordinates locked on by the prototype cannon—”
Ingrid smiled and pointed at the dark tower in the distance.
“Are the Arcane Tower.”
?
Even Rast, with all he had seen, couldn’t help but freeze in place.
He instinctively looked up at the blue sky overhead.
In other words, at any moment, a sword hanging above could come crashing down, flattening the entire Arcane Tower and the surrounding military zone?
“It’s just an intelligence vault… Is this really necessary?”
“It’s not just for the intelligence vault.”
Sensing Rast’s confusion, Ingrid turned her gaze to the Dean Silver, as if seeking his input.
Seeing this, the Dean Silver casually flicked his fluffy tail.
“Just tell him directly.”
“For the average Night Traveler, learning too many secrets in advance might not be a good thing… but this guy’s an exception.”
“Don’t be fooled by the fact that he’s only Tier Two right now—he’s already cracked more than two high-difficulty Remnants, and he’s only been at the Academy for less than a month.”
“His ranking on the Obelisk has already reached the top twenty—he’s just one step away from entering the Round Table Twelve.”
“With the way this guy’s wired, even if you don’t tell him, he’ll get involved in these matters sooner or later.”
Ingrid nodded.
“I understand now. No wonder the Dean Silver took an interest in him. Rising so quickly in the Obelisk rankings…”
“Don’t talk nonsense, I didn’t ‘take an interest’ in this unlucky brat…”
“I just had nothing better to do and found some clueless freshman to pass the time.”
As she muttered, the Dean Silver dove back into the hood of Rast’s coat.
Ingrid glanced at the hood where the Dean Silver disappeared and chuckled, shaking her head without pursuing the topic further.
Then, she turned back to Rast and began explaining.
“Rast, you should have learned about the Old Eras of the Nightworld back at the Academy.”
“Before our current age of civilization—before the fog-shrouded ‘Pale Interregnum’—there existed six entire epochs.”
“According to the latest theory from the Ruins Institute … there should be seventy-two Nightworlds in total.”
“Grouped into sets of twelve, each belonging to one of the six Old Eras that have already perished.”
“Among them, the Nightworlds from the first five eras have all been fully explored.”
“In other words… the remaining and the upcoming Nightworlds all belong to the Sixth Era.”
“But have you ever thought—”
“Even the most ordinary Nightworlds, once fully explored by Night Travelers, always conclude with the appearance of a ‘Disaster Remnant’, a high-difficulty final dungeon.”
“Then, when an entire Old Era is completely explored—what would emerge?”
As they conversed, they had arrived at the base of the towering spire, at a discreet side entrance.
Ingrid smiled slightly and cast her gaze once again toward the Arcane Tower ahead.
“Ordinary Nightworlds usually record disaster periods lasting from a few months to a few decades.”
“In the grand scheme of an entire epoch, that’s but a minuscule glimpse, a fragment.”
“And when all the Nightworlds of an era are fully explored, and their secrets laid bare…”
“What appears then is the final Nightworld of that era—”
“Or rather, the ‘Terminal Remnant’.”
Her words paused for a moment.
“And what the Terminal Remnant records… is the Great Cataclysm that destroyed an entire civilization and brought an end to its era.”
There was no need for Ingrid to continue.
Rast had already guessed what her next sentence would be.
“As for the Sixth Era’s Terminal Nightworld—”
“Right now, it lies within the Arcane Tower.”