Tower of Heaven

'Find my truth, huh?'

It was a sentence that could only come from an artifact that rued its creation. It was almost ironic for a Death Relic to have such thoughts.

Atlas didn't waste time. The moment he regained his bearings, he started to investigate the city in the best way he knew how.

Firstly, he visited a bar.

He walked in without attracting much attention even with his mask.

'Outside of the Tower, it shouldn't have been common to hide one's identity too deeply. Usually, cloaks and hoods were the only protections taken.'

If this was a true world, those people would have immediately looked at him sideways, but they did not. They treated him like an ordinary member of their society as he walked in, sat at the bar, and ordered a drink.

The conversations around him naturally flowed into his ears that had been enhanced several times as he progressed through the realms of cultivation.

"This city is becoming a shit show. We have to get out of here as fast as possible."

"Everyone is thinking the same thing, but we can't do that, dipshit. The entire city has been closed off and anyone who tries to leave gets thrown in prison. They say it's a quarantine because of the plague."

"Haa, that damn plague. It's only in the slums now, right? Leave it there and let it die. I don't want to deal with it."

"First a rebellion, then a plague. Nowadays, kidnappings and murders are becoming more common. It's as if everyone in the city suddenly went crazy."

"It all started with that tomb, I tell you. The moment they opened it and said they would start conquering it, all of this happened. If they never lost the Sacred Relic, they never would have needed to open it, and everything…!"

That man's friends quickly hushed his mouth.

"Be quiet! This is a public place. You never know who could be listening."

It was clear that the government of this city did not take kindly to rumors about their fault in the city's current circumstances.

'Anyone who hears this will be led to believe that this is an extremely simple trial.'

Atlas never managed to learn exactly how many people were competing against him for the Death Relic, but he was sure that all of them took relatively the same course of action that he did.

'They will be moving directly towards the tomb they mentioned at their fastest possible speed.'

After all, with those clues alone, it was easy to surmise that the Death Relic was in the tomb. If one thought a little deeper, perhaps the Sacred Relic that was stolen was being corrupted into a Death Relic.

Was that why it called them here and asked them to find its truth?

'No.'

Even as he thought so, Atlas still moved to the tomb in question. Regardless, clues would be present there.

'I have done my research on Death Relics in these few months. Judging by their behavioral patterns, they are not such entities.'

Death was an indifferent Dao. The artifacts created or born into this world to contain its power tended to mirror its attitude towards life.

'I do not believe a Death Relic knows how to mourn.'

In other words, the "truth" they were trying to find was different from what the world told them on the surface.

Atlas didn't go to the tomb because he believed the Death Relic would be there. No, rather, he found his way to that very obvious burial site and waited there.

It was a large cathedral-shaped building with more than enough hidden ridges and curves to provide him with hiding places. After reaching the roof of the building, he watched every single person who entered and exited for the next several hours.

His goal was obvious.

'After six hours, seven came.'

Seven people, at various different times, entered the tomb. For the record, not a single one had left it yet.

'Those seven are my competitors.'

There couldn't be another one. If there was, they were either incredibly stupid to not arrive here, or a wild card who chose to take a different path than the norm.

'Either is fine with me.'

Neither would be able to stand in his way unless they had immense luck or talent.

'If there is something interesting…it is his presence.'

A familiar face was present. He, who had been separated from his group, found his way to the tomb perfectly in the middle of the rest, as if he was trying to show off just how average he made himself seem.

'In some ways, he is indeed an average person, however, nobody average can find their way to a place like this.'

Atlas started to consider the man in a different light.

'Putting him aside, I should also enter the tomb.'

There was a limited number of clues at the moment.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Firstly, this tomb was recently opened as the city declared they would excavate it for treasure.

Secondly, ever since the tomb was opened, the crime rate in the city had increased and a plague began killing the citizens.

Thirdly, before the tomb excavation was announced, the Sacred Relic of this city went missing.

'Indeed, it is normal to think that the Death Relic is somehow involved in this city's misery, but I do not believe it to be so.'

As he made his way to the tomb, he was able to see the city for what it was. Merely observing its residents and atmosphere and listening to their conversations made him believe that the troubles of this land came from a different origin.

That was why, when he finally entered the tomb, Atlas immediately frowned.

'It is too new inside.'

Sure, they were excavating this area, but this was past what could be called restoration. This was as if the structure was being maintained in the perfect state that it was built in.

'There are no formations or arrays keeping it in a pristine state. It is being cleaned on a regular basis, which can explain the lack of grime, but the lack of wear can only be explained if this tomb was built somewhat recently.'

Walking through the halls, Atlas finally made it to where the rest had gone.

See, the tomb itself was merely a cathedral with a corpse in the middle. The people excavating the place didn't care about its historical value. They only wanted treasure.

As such, they only decided to explore the tomb when they discovered that there was a hidden space underneath it that potentially contained the treasures of the person who peacefully slept above the ground.

It was also the assumed source of the city's issues.

Atlas looked into the abyss for a moment before dropping into the hole. It was dark to an ordinary person's eye and needed a platform supported by a pulley system to descend, but he could see the bottom clearly.

He only fell through the air for ten meters or so before landing calmly and glancing around.

'Alright.'

Since he was here, he was going to do it properly.

With that thought in mind, he continued into the tomb.