Chapter 361 - 359:Chronari.
"My lord. We’re arriving."
I didn’t know how long it had been, but I finally heard shulvan’s voice rousing me from my state of deep comprehension.
Slowly, I came too, and with that, the end of my session.
[DING!]
[Your understanding of {?????}<@&#%*€£> has deepened significantly...
{?????}<@&#%*€£(0.0000000......00231%)>.]
I looked at the notification before me.
All of that, and it felt like I still hadn’t even budged from where I began?
"Just what the hell are you?" My curiosity only rose from the realization. But before I could dwell on it..
[DING!]
The system chimed once more.
"Oho? Now what?"
I focused my attention on the notifications and then..
[You have comprehended the [PRIME LAW].]
[Your understanding of the [PRIME LAW] has increased to 8%.]
[You have comprehended the [PRIME LAW].]
[Your understanding of the [PRIME LAW] has increased to 8%.]
[PRIME LAW]...
[PRIME LAW]...
....
"Well, that’s new?" I couldn’t help raising a curious brow at the the notifications before me.
A Prime law? What the hell was that? I don’t recall receiving notifications about this earlier, so how come?
Yet, before I could even get over these messages...
...
[DING!]
[Your understanding of the concept [PRIMORDIAL] has deepened significantly...
[Your understanding of the concept [PRIMORDIAL] has deepened significantly...]
[PRIMORDIAL]
[PRIMORDIAL]
...
Staring at the abysmal numbers before me, all my excitement from earlier immediately flushed down the drain.
"To think it hasn’t even reached a single percentage?" This was probably the first time Chaotic Comprehension had felt underwhelming, but then again, this is probably the first time I’ve felt something of a challenge.
"Alright then. You got it. Once I’m done with this abyss, I’ll pay you proper attention." I couldn’t help feeling a sudden thrill.
"Finally, something challenging. I can’t wait."
Setting aside those concerns for now.
The laws could wait for when I’ve got enough time to spare on them, as for now...
"Let’s see where we are, shall we?" I looked towards the distance.
The storms were still raging, even here, but shulvan had made sure none were anywhere near our vicinity.
"So... that’s the City of Ages." I remarked.
"Yes.. my lord. That’s the City of Ages, a city under the rule of The Eternal, Emperor Ethos."
I nodded absentmindedly as I focused on the city fast approaching us...
The city finally appeared beyond the storms.
And I couldn’t help raising a brow.
Huge black walls surrounded the entire place, with countless towers rising behind them. The buildings weren’t flashy, but there was something about them that just... looked solid. Like they’d been standing there for a very long time.
Everything looked orderly.
The roads. The districts. Even the flow of people moving through the streets below.
Compared to Sand City, this place actually looked like a proper city.
"Not bad..." I admitted.
"My lord, we should land. Flying above the city is prohibited." The old abyss walker’s voice drifted over.
"That so?" I had this nagging urge to not do it. Let’s see what happens if I didn’t listen. But...
"Let’s just play nice this time." I shook my head, deciding to land before the city’s massive gates.
"Well. This will be a new experience." I laughed as we landed behind an extravagantly long cue.
I couldn’t even see the front of the line from where I was.
"Shall I clear the path?" Shulvan asked.
"Don’t bother. I can afford this much. Besides, I’ve never stood in a cue before, might as well enjoy the novel experience." I closed my eyes.
"Let’s see if this author takes the bait." I couldn’t help the cheeky thought that passed through my mind.
The cue moved along faster than I thought, with everyone being unexpectedly composed and orderly.
My anticipation slowly died down.
Before I knew it, I was facing the two guards at the gates.
"Names. And reasons for entering." They demanded. Not aggressively, just cordial.
My heart dropped.
"This bastard. He’s not taking the bait."
"I am corvak sentai." The old abyss walker stepped forward, pulling out an identification card of sorts.
The guard spared it a glance.
"Ahh.. a guild official. We apologize for the inconvenience. My lord should’ve given word earlier and we would’ve made an exception." One of the guards bowed apologetically.
"It’s not a bother. My guest wanted the experience." He pointed at me.
"Ahh. We greet the young lord. Welcome to The city of ages. We hope you enjoy your stay."
I looked at these guards.
Their skin a deep black complexion with a smooth, polished sheen. Pure white hair, unlike the silver I’ve come to align with those veyr? I think that’s right.
They weren’t that tall, about 6-feet in height. With slender bodies.
They looked good. Far too good. Almost like the concept of aging didn’t exist for them.
And with that scholarly air around them, they didn’t fit any typical description one would have for guards.
So, looking at their smiling and polite gestures, not something I was hoping for in the least, I could only shake my head in disappointment.
"Haa... yea. Thanks. Let’s go."
Letting out a long breath. I took my first steps into the city.
"Ehh? Did we say something wrong?" I could hear the guards mutter behind me.
"My lord. Wait." Corvak and shulvan finally caught up to me.
"Hey, old man. Those guards. They were nice." I didn’t mean to, but my voice came out more bitter than expected.
"Yes my lord. They are. The chronari are one of the most respectable races within the abyss."
"Chronari?"
"Yes. They’re said to have been here since the first ages of the abyss itself. A chronari doesn’t age in the normal sense."
"What does that mean?"
"What I mean is, the chronari, according to records, only grow to a certain point in their lives. Their bodies never seem to age once they reach maturity. Barring death in battle or outside interference, they could live for ages beyond counting. That’s why they’re one of the more powerful races. Not just within the outer fringes, but in the abyss as a whole. The progenitor, the first chronari, is said to still be in existence. Legends say they witnessed the birth of the abyss itself, and have been here ever since."
"Woah. That’s... that’s actually wild."
"Indeed it is. The current emperor. Ethos, The eternal, is the 150th, great grandchild of their progenitor."
"150th? What happened the 149 before him?"
"They’re all within the other layers of the abyss. Legends say the progenitor has made the deepest reaches of the abyss as a cultivation ground where they spend eternity trying to comprehend Creation itself."
"Okay. Now that...." That was wild.
To think a race like this existed.
Imagine never having to age for the rest of existence? Having your body look like it did forever. Your prime being your constant.
"I feel even worse now."
The fact that this bastard hadn’t taken the bait, pulling that regular guard at the gates fiasco, just made me miss out on a really cool trait.
"Haaa... well, no use fussing over spilt milk." I shook my head.
Such a trait was easily achievable with enough power anyways, for now, I should just be glad the bastard was taking a rest from his cliches.
Smiling at the thought, I picked up the pace, moving according to the old abyss walker’s directions, as we approached the massive guild building I could see even from this distance.
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A/N: Chronari, huh? I like them. I wanna meet this ethos guy. But till then..
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Thanks for reading...