Chapter 506 - 473: The Time Loop’s "Assimilation

Chapter 506: Chapter 473: The Time Loop’s "Assimilation

"By the Soul Forger!"

He growled.

"I’m a Gray Dwarf! Since when have I ever cared about some bullshit regulations? This damn place even tries to control my thoughts!"

Listening to his companions’ descriptions, Roland’s heart sank into an icy abyss.

The situation was worse than he had anticipated.

The time loop—or rather, Silver Radiance City itself, which maintained the loop—was subjecting them to a slow and systematic "cognitive assimilation."

This assimilation wasn’t a simple memory wipe or Spiritual Control, but a deeper, more insidious form of erosion.

It wasn’t just resetting time; it seemed to be trying to slowly and silently "weave" any "non-compliant" outsiders into its predetermined, eternally unchanging narrative.

Bronson, as the only ordinary person on the team, was perhaps the first to be affected by this "assimilation" pressure.

Once the assimilation deepened, they might not only forget the loop and their mission, but even begin to genuinely accept Silver Radiance City’s Order and become trapped in the cycle forever.

An icy sense of urgency gripped Roland’s heart.

The loop itself was a cage, but the risk of his companions’ "self-awareness" being gradually eroded was the most terrifying threat of all.

"It’s not a delusion, Bronson."

Roland’s voice was firm and resolute as his gaze swept over each of his companions.

"This city is trying to ’modify’ us. We don’t have any time to waste."

His sharp gaze turned toward the distant city skyline—to the part that was subtly lower and grayer, a stark contrast to the brilliant Upper City District.

"Get ready. We’re going to the Lower City District."

Without another word, Roland started walking.

After asking a few citizens for directions, Roland and his group determined the way to the Lower City District.

It wasn’t via an obvious, wide main road, but a side passage on the edge of the Glorious Corridor, marked by an inconspicuous sign, called the "Sinking Stairs."

As they continued onward, the height of the buildings gradually decreased.

The iridescent crystal facades and intricately-etched metal decorations began to dwindle, replaced by heavier, plainer stone and reinforced composite walls.

The streets were still clean, but signs of maintenance were much more apparent.

They could occasionally see patched-up road surfaces, or Magic Street Lamps whose glow was slightly dimmer than in other areas.

The pedestrians’ clothing, while still respectable, leaned toward utilitarian styles and drabber colors. The leisurely demeanor found in the core of the Upper City District was gone from their stride, replaced by a purposeful haste.

A smell, like a mixture of old, rusted metal and crowded humanity, began to seep into their nostrils.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance to the so-called "Sinking Stairs."

This was not a traditional staircase, but a small, semi-enclosed, circular plaza.

At the center of the plaza was a circular passage, about ten meters in diameter, leading downward. Its edge was encircled by a protective Force Field that emitted a faint blue light.

Several simple pavilions, shaped like giant metal mushrooms, stood nearby. Inside sat Guards in silver-gray uniforms, their chests adorned with the insignia of the city’s Guard Team.

Their equipment was high-quality, and their faces wore a look of programmed indifference—a "professional" expression.

As Roland’s group approached the entrance to the passage, one of the Guards stood up and held out a hand, signaling them to stop.

His gaze quickly swept over the peculiar group, lingering for a moment on Roland’s face before glancing at the Elf and the Gray Dwarf behind him.

"State your purpose for visiting the Lower City District."

The Guard’s voice was steady, neither hostile nor warm.

"We want to go down and have a look," Roland replied calmly.

The Guard’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly, an unconscious reaction.

He sized up the group’s relatively clean attire, particularly the elegant bearing unique to Avril the Elf and the obviously expensive Refined Leather Armor worn by Duraga.

"Have a look?"

The Guard repeated, his tone laced with a hint of confusion and an almost imperceptible trace of contempt.

"The Lower City District is an industrial and warehouse zone. The environment is... rather crude, and there are no sights worth seeing."

"If you are visitors, I suggest you tour the Glorious Corridor, the Crystal Garden, or the Central Library. Those areas better reflect Silver Radiance City’s..."

"We have certain... special research interests."

Bronson stepped forward at the right moment, interjecting in a scholarly tone.

"We need to conduct a field study of some of the basic engineering facilities and the living conditions of the populace."

The Guard’s gaze rested on Bronson’s face for two seconds, as if sizing up the man before him.

In the end, he seemed to give up on trying to dissuade this group of "eccentric upper-class visitors." Or perhaps, his duties simply didn’t include forcibly stopping citizens with the right of free passage from going to the Lower City District.

"Understood."

He took half a step back and made a "please proceed" gesture, but his tone remained flat.

"Be advised, the security regulations in the Lower City District differ from those in the Upper City District. Do not enter areas marked ’Restricted’ or ’Dangerous.’ It is best not to linger in non-main-thoroughfare areas at night. Also..."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly as if giving a routine warning.

"The... lifestyle and cognitive level of the lower-level residents may be different from what you are accustomed to. Please maintain an appropriate level of vigilance."

"The platform activates at five-minute intervals. After boarding, please stand within the yellow line at the center."

He pointed to the circular passage entrance.

Just then, a low hum sounded. The faint blue light of the Force Field in the passage began to flow rhythmically, and a circular platform made of a transparent material slowly rose from below, aligning perfectly with the edge of the entrance.

The platform was spotlessly clean, a stark contrast to the surrounding ground, which was beginning to look somewhat worn.

Roland was the first to step onto the platform, and the others followed close behind.

Once everyone was standing inside the central yellow-lined area, the humming grew deeper, and a soft curtain of light rose from the edge of the transparent platform.

A gentle feeling of weightlessness followed as the platform began to descend, smoothly and quickly.

The rooftops of the Upper City District’s elegant buildings quickly rose past the edge of their vision and receded into the distance.

They passed through a noticeably thicker Magic Barrier that seemed to have a filtering effect.

As they passed through, the barrier’s light refracted against the transparent walls, creating a brief halo effect.

Then, the scene changed abruptly.

The light suddenly dimmed by several degrees.

The scent they had faintly detected at the edge of the Upper City District grew thick and complex, rushing up to meet them in a confusing jumble.

The platform was still descending, allowing Roland to get a clear view of the scene below.

Densely packed, suffocatingly low buildings stood side-by-side, most of them cobbled together from dark brick, rough wood, and recycled metal sheets—a world away from the uniform elegance of the Upper City District.

The streets were narrow and winding. The ground was no longer smooth flagstone but rather uneven dirt roads or old stone, crudely patched after being broken.

Enormous pipes and crude metal supports were exposed on the outer walls of buildings and over the streets like veins and bones. Some of them still emitted faint steam or the glow of some unknown Energy.

The light from the scattered crystal street lamps was dim and yellow. Many areas relied on the flickering lights from building windows or crudely hung lanterns for illumination.

Figures moved through the dim streets and alleyways, some fast, some slow, their clothes dark and plain.

An unknown amount of time passed before the platform shuddered slightly and came to a stop.

The curtain of light dissipated. They had reached the bottom.

But before Roland’s eyes could even begin to survey this realm of Chaos, so utterly different from the "perfection" of the Upper City District, a disturbance in the distance violently seized his full attention.

On the low skyline to the city’s southwest, an ominous, dancing orange-red light was licking at the lead-gray sky.

It was not the glow of dawn or dusk; its form was wilder, more fractured, accompanied by a thick column of black smoke billowing upward.

It was like a giant Shadow beast, freed from its chains, spewing a foul breath toward the dome of the sky.

Almost simultaneously, a completely different smell brutally cut through the murky but still-bearable air.

It was the stench of something scorching.

It wasn’t just the scorched smell of burning wood or fabric. Mixed within it was an indescribable, acrid stench, like low-grade metal being smelted together with organic matter, and even a faint trace of... a sickeningly sweet, bizarre fragrance.

It was as if something that should never have been set aflame was undergoing a grotesque transmutation in the inferno.