Chapter 34: The Vertical City
The Hanging City was one of the major metro cities built after the great catastrophe a thousand years ago.
This is one of the three unique cityscapes on the continent," Klein noted, looking down from his window.
Terrence perched down by the cliffside as their sedan came to a complete halt on a suspended platform—a massive elevator designed to lower vehicles down toward the city attached directly to the cliff face.
He recalled the history of the city he had read in textbooks. Because of the great catastrophe, people back then who hadn’t awakened lacked the power to fight off the beasts that emerged from random rifts appearing everywhere.
A group of desperate engineers created a settlement far below the stretching cliff line, hoping these monsters wouldn’t be able to reach them. Since the beasts were mostly land-bound and lacked human intelligence, the survivors successfully established a life in their attached settlement.
Later on, the site expanded continuously, eventually becoming the bustling city it was today. Even as centuries passed and surface living became safer, families who had lived here for generations preferred to remain.
Terrence felt his stomach drop as the elevator platform descended into a carved parking garage built into the cliff.
He weakly shut the car door as he stepped out.
This area was situated right before the city’s second entrance. The elevated platform entry was strictly reserved for vehicles, while the main entrance for pedestrians started here, as no cars were permitted inside the city proper.
The city possessed multiple tiers. As Terrence looked over the edge, he couldn’t see the bottom—a thick sea of clouds blanketed the lower depths. Faint dots of light shimmered through the mist, indicating that human settlement continued far below.
Staring down at the one-lane walkways—where establishments clung to the rock face and narrow paths were made of grated metal plates supported by heavy steel frames—Terrence felt a sudden pang of acrophobia, a fear of heights he usually never had.
He felt a breath escape him as he rushed to turn his gaze back toward the guarded walkways.
It was his first time visiting. Still, he couldn’t help but feel amazed by the sheer engineering required to construct such a city.
’Do they really feel safe living in this city? What if the frames just snap out of nowhere? Or kids fall if they climb over the guard railings?’
Passing through the heavy metal-bar gates, he noticed that most of the storefronts were built similarly to those in Suran City. Some were constructed with reinforced concrete slabs, but the main difference was the massive steel cables penetrating the rock to support each structure.
"Why does a city like this still continue to operate?" Terrence asked out of nowhere.
A nearby guard, who had just assisted them with entry clearance, smiled warmly upon hearing the question.
Klein was still busy processing the sedan’s parking permit and city entrance paperwork. Terrence remained standing near the guard’s post.
"It is because of uncertainty," the guard answered smoothly.
Terrence raised an eyebrow. "What uncertainty?"
"The apocalypse is still not over," the guard explained, leaning against his desk. "Even if a thousand years have passed and most of the world has recovered, there is still no guarantee that another catastrophic event won’t happen again. It’s also a good thing that flying beasts don’t exist. If there were such beasts, we would be the first ones to be wiped out."
Terrence nodded in understanding. It made sense. If this setup gave people a sense of security, who was he to judge them?
’Phrasing it like that sounds like a death flag. After all, you can never be entirely sure if flying beasts really don’t exist.’
"So far so good, huh?"
Terrence turned over his shoulder and saw Klein approaching. Three men walked right behind him, dressed in heavy tactical jackets and gear that matched Klein’s outfit.
’Hm... did they buy their equipment from the same shop?’ Terrence thought to himself.
"Yeah," Terrence nodded, looking back toward the drop. "I was just a bit amazed, but everything seems normal so far."
"Thank goodness," Klein chuckled, adjusting his collar. "Because in this city, we have to walk an entire kilometer along these walkways just to reach the Lin Clan’s estate."
Terrence entertained the thought for a moment. Now that Klein mentioned it, he had never pictured what a major clan estate would look like in a vertical city like this.
"What is the Lin Clan’s estate like?" he asked.
"Well..." Klein paused, gathering his words to describe it properly as he began leading the way down the metal pathway.
Terrence felt the cold metal plates beneath his boots. They clanged slightly with every step, sending a sudden spike of nervousness through his chest. His breathing grew measured and calculated as he kept pace.
"It’s built like the other establishments here, but the difference is that they carved deep into the cliff itself," Klein explained, gesturing toward the rock wall. "There’s almost no natural sunlight inside most parts of their estate."
"Carved into the rock? Wouldn’t that compromise the structural integrity of the cliff? Most buildings here only penetrate the wall for their steel support cables," Terrence pondered aloud.
Klein strolled forward with ease, having visited the location multiple times before. He placed his hand under his chin like an old sage, smiling after a brief moment of thought.
"I don’t know if the rumors are entirely true, but people say they keep a guardian beast inside."
He had indeed felt an ominous pressure within the vertical city. At first, he thought it was just because of the environment, but now that it was brought up, could there really be something to it?
DING!
The exact second the phrase ’guardian beast’ left Klein’s mouth, a crisp chime echoed in Terrence’s mind, and a bright prompt materialized directly before his eyes.
The translucent golden window displayed a brand new directive:
[Mission Triggered!]
[Sell an awakened S-Rank Vampire Butler to the Lin Clan.]
[Duration: 48 hours]
[Reward: SS-Rank Sky Dragon]