198 - The Ancient Anchor

The chamber beneath Aetheris remained silent as the ancient foundation continued to awaken.

A thin silver line had completed one full circle around the enormous stone ring. When it reached its starting point, the entire structure released a low vibration that traveled through the floor and into the walls.

Ara stepped closer, scanning every section of the foundation.

"It's responding to the seventh gate."

Lyra looked at the inactive mechanisms surrounding the chamber.

"That structure has been dormant for generations. We assumed it was part of the old city's foundations."

"It wasn't," Ara replied. "This was deliberately constructed."

Subin walked around the outer ring.

The foundation was nearly forty meters across, with twelve evenly spaced stone pillars surrounding a recessed central platform. Each pillar contained narrow channels that had once carried mana.

Most were empty.

Three still contained faint traces of energy.

Jae-hyun crouched beside one of them.

"These channels look similar to the regulators we've seen."

"Similar, but not identical," Ara said. "Regulators control mana flow. This structure appears to synchronize two locations."

Subin looked at the center.

"So it's an anchor."

"Exactly."

Lyra remained quiet for several moments.

"If this really was a connection point, why did our people forget about it?"

"Because it stopped working," Ara answered. "And because the system around it disappeared from use."

She examined one of the pillars more closely.

"There are layers of repairs here. Some are extremely old."

"How old?"

"Older than Aetheris."

That answer caught everyone's attention.

Subin looked toward Lyra.

"How old is the city?"

"At least eight hundred years according to our oldest records."

Ara shook her head.

"This structure is probably much older."

Subin wasn't surprised.

They had already discovered ancient roads, regulators, distribution chambers, and regional infrastructure throughout the World Dungeon. Civilizations had risen around those systems and sometimes forgotten the original purpose of the structures.

The ancient network was not mysterious.

It was simply old.

Ara continued studying the foundation.

"The problem is that only three of the twelve pillars are still functioning."

"Can you activate the others?"

"Maybe. But if I activate them incorrectly, the entire foundation could overload."

Subin looked at the damaged pillars.

"Then don't activate them all."

Ara turned toward him.

"What do you mean?"

"Use only enough to stabilize the connection."

She considered it.

"That could work."

Subin walked toward the nearest damaged pillar.

Its mana channel had been blocked by layers of crystallized material.

The obstruction looked similar to the mineral buildup they had encountered in the volcanic region.

He drew Simple Edge.

The others moved aside.

Subin didn't swing immediately.

He studied the channel first.

The crystallization wasn't uniform. Some sections were attached to the outer wall, while others had grown directly across the mana pathway.

A careless cut could damage the pillar permanently.

His sword moved once.

A thin flash passed through the obstruction.

The outer layer separated cleanly.

Subin followed with two smaller cuts that removed the remaining fragments without touching the channel.

Mana began flowing.

The pillar illuminated.

Ara's scanner reacted immediately.

"One active."

Subin moved to the second.

This obstruction was different.

The channel had partially collapsed.

Instead of cutting through it, Subin redirected the flow around the damaged section by creating a narrow alternate passage.

The pillar illuminated more slowly.

"Two."

The third pillar required no repair.

It simply needed to be connected to the central foundation.

Ara adjusted the mechanism.

The three pillars began working together.

The ancient ring brightened.

Then the seventh Earth gate responded.

Far above them, a column of silver light appeared over Aetheris.

Lyra immediately looked upward.

"That's the gate."

Ara checked the readings.

"Connection strength is increasing."

The number continued climbing.

84%.

87%.

91%.

Then it stopped.

External Gate — Gate Seven

Connection Stability: 91%

Anchor Synchronization: Active

Permanent Route Potential: High

The chamber became quiet.

Rafael looked at Ara.

"Permanent?"

"Potentially."

Lyra's expression changed.

"For the first time in centuries, Aetheris may have a direct connection to another world."

Subin corrected her.

"Not just another world."

He looked at the ancient foundation.

"Earth."

Lyra smiled faintly.

"Yes. Earth."

The significance was immediate.

A permanent connection would change everything.

Earth would gain direct access to Skyreach.

Skyreach would gain access to Earth.

Trade routes could develop. Materials could move between civilizations. Awakeners could travel between regions without depending on temporary gates.

But that also meant competition.

Guilds would want resources.

Governments would want strategic control.

Merchants would want trade rights.

And civilizations inside the Great Passage would have their own interests.

Subin looked at Lyra.

"Who controls this anchor?"

Lyra answered without hesitation.

"Aetheris."

"Then Earth can't simply claim it."

"No."

Ara nodded.

"That should be part of the agreement."

Subin looked around the chamber.

"We don't own this place."

The others understood.

Their expedition had entered another civilization's territory through an Earth gate. That did not automatically make the land theirs.

If the connection became permanent, both sides needed rules.

Director Kang's projection appeared on Ara's device.

"I heard the word permanent."

"You heard correctly," Ara said.

Kang's expression became serious.

"Can it be stabilized?"

"Yes. But the anchor belongs to Aetheris."

There was a pause.

Kang looked toward Subin.

"What do you recommend?"

"Joint access."

Kang waited.

"Earth gets a controlled route into Skyreach. Aetheris gets controlled access to Earth. Neither side gets exclusive ownership of the gate."

Lyra nodded.

"That is acceptable."

Kang thought for a moment.

"Then we'll need a formal agreement."

"Do it."

Before the discussion could continue, the entire chamber shook.

The ancient foundation suddenly released a burst of energy.

Ara's scanner immediately produced an alarm.

"Something changed."

Subin turned toward the central ring.

The silver light was no longer spreading evenly.

One section of the foundation had turned red.

Lyra's expression hardened.

"That's the northern pillar."

Ara checked the readings.

"There's no damage."

"Then why is it activating?"

"I don't know."

Subin approached it.

A narrow stream of energy was entering the pillar from somewhere beyond the chamber.

Not from the gate.

From beneath them.

He looked at the floor.

"The anchor is connected to another route."

Ara scanned downward.

"There is an underground channel."

Subin followed the faint vibration.

"Can you map it?"

"Not completely. It goes deeper than the scanner can reach."

Lyra frowned.

"That channel has never appeared in our records."

Subin didn't treat it as a mystery.

"If it's connected to the anchor, it probably served a purpose."

Ara nodded.

"We should inspect it."

Kang immediately objected.

"Not without preparation."

Subin looked at the projection.

"Agreed."

He wasn't going to rush into an unknown underground route simply because it had appeared.

They had already learned the importance of understanding the environment before fighting it.

The expedition returned to the surface.

Aetheris was calmer now.

The floating islands had stabilized, and the evacuation had been completed without casualties.

The Skybreaker Wyvern had disappeared toward the eastern Storm Crown.

Lyra stood on the highest terrace overlooking the city.

For the first time since the expedition arrived, she looked relieved.

"Our people have lived here for generations believing Skyreach was isolated."

Ara stood beside her.

"It wasn't."

"No."

Lyra looked toward the silver gate shining beyond the city.

"We simply lost the route."

Subin looked at the floating islands.

That distinction mattered.

The Great Passage had never been a collection of isolated worlds.

It was a continuous world-space whose civilizations had developed at different distances from one another. Roads disappeared. Regulators failed. Bridges collapsed. Regions became isolated.

But the geography remained.

And sometimes an old connection could be restored.

Jae-hyun joined them.

"So what happens now?"

Kang's projection answered.

"Earth will send engineers, diplomats, and a controlled expedition."

Jae-hyun sighed.

"That sounds less exciting."

"It will probably be more important than fighting monsters," Yerin said.

Rafael laughed.

"That's exactly what someone says before a politician arrives."

Even Subin smiled.

The immediate danger had passed.

But the discovery had created a much larger opportunity.

The seventh gate would become an official route.

Earth would establish a controlled base near the entrance.

Aetheris would retain sovereignty over its territory.

Trade and exploration agreements would be negotiated through Crossroads.

And the ancient anchor would be studied jointly.

There was one more matter.

Ara looked at the map.

"The underground route."

Subin nodded.

"We'll investigate it after the base is established."

Lyra turned toward him.

"You are returning?"

"Yes."

"To Earth?"

"Eventually."

She looked surprised.

Subin continued.

"We still have unfinished work at Crossroads."

That was true.

The World Dungeon was too large to explore one region at a time without coordination. Every new connection affected maps, trade, migration, resource distribution, and the safety of existing routes.

They needed infrastructure.

They needed agreements.

And they needed reliable information.

The expedition remained in Aetheris for several days while the first joint agreement was drafted.

Earth engineers arrived through the stabilized gate.

For the first time, humans walked directly into Skyreach without passing through an unstable temporary transition.

Aetheris residents watched them with curiosity.

Some were fascinated by Earth technology.

Others were interested in Earth weapons and equipment.

The exchange began carefully.

No one was allowed to claim territory.

No unrestricted resource extraction was permitted.

Travel beyond designated routes required local authorization.

It was not perfect.

There were disagreements.

But the basic principle remained clear.

Neither side wanted another territorial conflict.

When Subin finally prepared to leave, Lyra accompanied him to the gate.

"You will come back."

It wasn't a question.

Subin looked at the floating city behind her.

"There is still a lot to explore."

Lyra smiled.

"Then I expect you will."

Subin stepped toward the gate.

Before entering, he looked back once.

The ancient anchor had changed everything.

Not because it revealed some hidden truth.

It had simply restored a road that had been lost.

And now Earth had gained another permanent path into the Great Passage.

Subin crossed the gate.

The moment he emerged on the Earth side, his communication device activated.

Director Kang's voice came through.

"Subin."

"What happened?"

"Three new reports."

Subin waited.

"One from the northern Arctic gate."

Another pause.

"One from the Golden Valley."

"And the third?"

Kang sounded unusually serious.

"Crossroads."

Subin's expression sharpened.

"What happened there?"

"The western route has opened."

Kang sent the coordinates.

"They say it leads somewhere none of the existing maps have recorded."

Subin looked at Yerin and the others.

Another route.

Another region.

Another part of the Great Passage waiting to be explored.

He adjusted the sword at his waist.

"Then we go to Crossroads."

The expedition began preparing immediately.