Chapter 425: a: Historical Records, Overlapping Land

Wang Yu did not squander his time dwelling on the matters Selene had raised; once his immediate tasks were concluded, there would naturally be ample opportunity to discuss them with others.

"The bombardment from the Archangel leveled the surface of the palace, but the special vaults housing the classified archives should remain intact. They are buried deep within the mountain's core; unless the entire peak were razed to the ground, these records would not be erased."

The information from Sharl informed Wang Yu and his companions of what likely remained of the royal legacy. These documents were invaluable, serving as a window into the past actions of the monarchy and allowing them to resolve lingering issues—such as the tragedy that had befallen Shugin.

"I have a question: does the existence of the Archangel not invite complications? The Sky Mechanical City is positioned as a neutral organization, yet they provided you with such a devastating weapon. If this news were to spread, it would surely invite no small amount of trouble."

It was Aerielian who asked, her inquiries now numerous. Wang Yu understood her well; with the dragon race dwindling, she had consciously shouldered the burden of integrating her kin into this continent. Yet, this time, she would not hesitate to seek help from those she trusted.

For dragons, integration into the continent is a formidable task. Even when the Dragon God was active, these beings, whose power far exceeded that of the continent's intelligent races, lived almost exclusively on the Dragon Isles. Their social structures were vastly different, creating an inherent rift between them and the races of the mainland.

Zieg had already demonstrated to the dragon race how vital communication with the continent was, though it had taken him over a decade of struggle to gradually acquire the necessary knowledge and social graces.

This is what Aerielian was doing now. She was immensely powerful, yet her mindset struggled to align with the norms of the continent. At least, unlike Zieg, who had to grope his way forward alone, she had someone to consult and learn from.

"That may be so, but setting aside whether the Archangel’s presence can even be detected by other kingdoms under the shroud of the Lady of Night, the 'neutrality' of the Sky Mechanical City refers only to the concept of the city 'itself'."

"The Sky Mechanical City moved to resolve the issue with the Dragon God, but they cleared the residents from the upper levels before acting. This proves that it is the Central Council—the fortress of the Sky Mechanical City—that enforces this 'neutrality,' not the scholars living upon it."

"No organization is a monolith; the Sky Mechanical City is hardly even an organization. Those scholars up there acquire knowledge; you cannot expect them to refrain from non-neutral acts."

"Simply put, I am friends with some of the scholars up there and asked them for a favor. What does that have to do with the Sky Mechanical City?"

Wang Yu briefly explained the logic to Aerielian; in such matters, one must be flexible.

"Oh, and think about it: even if there were voices of dissent, who would dare provoke the Sky Mechanical City over it? Who would refuse to send their people there to learn? Hard power is the only truth. Though, you dragons need not worry about that."

After a moment's thought, Wang Yu added this final note.

Aerielian understood well enough. Meanwhile, Edward and his men had cleared the debris of the flattened palace, uncovering the passages leading to the special vaults.

"We’re in luck. The attack was powerful enough to blast through the top-level defensive door. Theoretically, violent entry should have triggered a self-destruct array, but the magical interference disrupted the conduction circuits, causing the whole system to paralyze."

Reaching the excavated passage, Avia returned from Wang Yu’s spatial pocket to the material world. After examining the strange, doorless path leading underground, she quickly reached her conclusion.

Without hesitation, the group descended hundreds of meters into the mountain, finding the next barrier: a heavy, anti-magic reinforced door. Within the vault, reality-stabilizing spears were likely installed, making it difficult for void energy to manifest in the vicinity.

The door featured a complex twenty-one-digit cipher lock. Its sophistication was absurd, and the method of its implementation was unclear, but to Wang Yu and the girl, it meant little.

Wang Yu pressed his palm against the door, channeling the power of the Chariot to record the internal structure before relaying it to Avia. She pondered for a moment before pointing out several nodes to him.

Following her instructions, Wang Yu triggered the nodes one by one. The heavy door groaned open, revealing the special vault to their eyes.

Inside, it resembled a bank vault, with rows of cabinets protected by arrays. Each was labeled with a date, indicating the time of the historical events recorded on the special parchment within.

"These must be the records of the royal family’s activities in Alastair, including those concerning Captain Shugin, Kevin’s former hometown, the village consumed by the plague, Hilfast, and so on."

Edward murmured as he looked at the records stored in the cabinets. He had long wanted to know what the royal family had been doing all these years, and how many similar tragedies existed, like the one that had befallen Shugin.

"These arrays are designed for long-term preservation. Having passed the main gate, we won't trigger any further defensive mechanisms."

Avia observed the interior with her Perfect Fractal Lens, confirming that the records were now free for them to peruse.

Without wasting time, the group began to flip through the files. Wang Yu and the girl used the Perfect Fractal Lens to scan every document, uploading them to a dedicated section of the Midnight Library.

They read with great speed, and soon, the actions of the royal family over the years were laid bare before them.

"Wang Yu, look at this..."

Edward’s expression was complex as he handed a file to Wang Yu.

"Hell Plane and Directed Guidance Binding Infiltration Experiment? Successful subject: Shugin Smoke. Spirit Possession, Renard..."

Taking the file, Wang Yu muttered as he read. Upon seeing the familiar name, he paused, then silently continued reading the subsequent pages.

"Is it him?"

The girl asked softly from beside him.

"Yes, it is."

Wang Yu nodded. It was indeed the old knight, his first guide in this world. To think he was Captain Shugin’s father—no wonder the Captain had held him in such high regard; there was this connection between them.

"Infiltration, demonic possession. Using one's own flesh, mana vortex, and a series of other factors as fuel to allow a presence far more powerful than a mere spirit to inhabit the body."

"The experiment was initiated by a certain noble, using a village as a testing ground. The villagers didn't know it was an experiment; they thought it was a common demonic invasion. Many died when the experiments failed."

"Later, the royal family stepped in, extracting the successful subjects and the few survivors from that purgatory. They brought the successful ones into the Night’s Edge and disposed of the rest."

"Renard served in the Night’s Edge for a long time. By chance, his son, Shugin, discovered the truth and told his father. But Renard’s body had already been severely weakened by the infiltration. Heartbroken, he chose to leave the capital, that den of iniquity, to become a wandering knight."

Wang Yu finished recounting the story calmly. His emotions remained steady; the matter was resolved. The father’s vengeance had been carried out by Shugin himself, and for the royal family, Wang Yu had done the honors. This regrettable chapter was closed, proving once again how right it had been to dismantle the monarchy.

"There are many similar experiments, including those involving deities and even the void. In recent years, the royal family has been using remote villages for their research. The number of those who perished as a result is not small."

Edward’s face was heavy. Although these were past events, to him, such senseless sacrifice was unacceptable.

"Would the Church of Light not intervene in such matters? By their own standards, this would surely qualify as an injustice, would it not?"

Aerielian set down the document she had been reading—which contained information on the Dragon-Worshiping Cult—and asked Wang Yu, careful not to disturb Edward.

"Sigh, why does this world have such problems too? Though, I suppose it's normal."

Wang Yu sighed; it seemed Aerielian was truly trying to understand the ways of the continent's intelligent races.

"The premise for the Church of Light to intervene is that they must know. They are not omniscient or omnipotent; how could everything be perfect? And you shouldn't just stare at what they haven't done; you should look at what they have."

"Perhaps they aren't perfect, but they have acted. If you compare it, you'll see things would be much worse without them. At the very least, because they exist, the royal family has to hide these things from them."

"It’s terrible to take their efforts for granted. The followers of the Church of Light are human, too. They gain no benefit from this, and one shouldn't question their purpose just because they fail to achieve perfection."

"You know, that kind of thinking is actually quite common. The problem is that the Church of Light continues to act even knowing people think this way. It would be great if everyone could understand that."

Wang Yu shook his head, feeling a touch of melancholy. The Church of Light owed no one anything, yet people still questioned their integrity. It was quite strange.

"I see..."

Wang Yu stopped paying attention to Aerielian, who had fallen into deep thought. While searching through the data he had just uploaded to the Midnight Library, he suddenly discovered something that caught his eye.

He had felt it strange while reading the experiment logs: these experiments provided no real help to Alastair. Many of the results were never applied; the experiments seemed to exist merely for the sake of existing.

This baffled Wang Yu. Why would the royal family go to such lengths? As rulers, they wouldn't do anything meaningless. Could it be that Selene was influencing their decisions?

A file name caught his attention: "Capital Shadow Void Material Overlap Test Site." Thinking back to the semi-material, semi-void environment created by that artifact in the Capital Shadow, he realized he hadn't seen anything like it since...