The Record of Unusual Creatures

Like most other sanctuaries of the otherworldlings, the Ancattero family’s territory was hidden in a strange dimension and used a mysterious technique for camouflage and diversion. As the most mysterious of all otherworldling families, Ancattero was even more secretive than the Shadowy Divide. Only a few ancient families like Wayne’s held the key to the entrance. When the secret realm of Ancattero was closed from the inside, and no one could access the realm the usual way, so Wayne Walter had to make some special tools to access the mysterious realm via a special entrance in the underground.

Wayne Walter had visited the Ancattero family in this foothill town many times. He knew the place inside out. Under the guidance of the vampire patriarch, they got into sewer beneath the town.

The existence of the underground sewer was a surprise to them — the extensive sewer network connecting various parts of the town like a labyrinth. Apparently, the small town did not need a drainage system of this size, so some sections of the sewer network were blocked and partially dry. Hao Ren followed Wayne and Hesperides from behind, moving in the sewer that was as large as a subway tunnel. The sewer was circular, supported by permanent concrete and steel inner wall and dim lights inlaid on both sides. It was mostly dry with dark green moss covered the guardrails and cement structures on both sides. There must be regular maintenance going on in this place, and its architect was human judging from the still functioning lightings. As to why the small town needed a sewer of this scale was unexplained.

“It was a battlefield, a military site during World War Two,” Wayne explained with his voice echoed loudly in the sewer. “This underground facility was originally tunnels and warehouses, so this place holds up. After the war, instead of abandoning the place, the locals strengthened and rebuilt this place to become a sewer.”

Lily wrinkled her nose and followed Hao Ren closely. Though the sewer was only partially utilized and did not smell that bad because it had proper ventilation, as a canine, Lily was hypersensitive to the slightest smell. “I still couldn’t believe we have come to such a place. Why did the Ancattero family choose this as the entrance? How did they get in and out of the town before they built this place?” Lily asked.

“Of course there are other entrances and exits. I’ve just chosen the safest one this time,” Wayne said and nodded lightly. “This entrance in the sewer has been in existence since a few decades ago. The entrances of the Ancattero mysterious realm mirror the position of the stars in the sky, so it changes now and then. There are four passages connected to the outside world at any moment. In this rotation, this entrance just happened to be located in the human town. There is nothing that can be done about it.”

Lily responded with an “Oh.” She was awed, as this ever-changing location of the entrances sounded like a mythical story. Hao Ren suddenly asked, “Though it sounds safe, but what happens if the entrance is located in a septic pond?”

Wayne, who was walking in front, almost slipped and fell into the ditch when he heard what Hao Ren said. “You can’t be kidding me.”

Hao Ren scratched his face. “I think it’s perfectly a normal scenario. Hasn’t anyone ever thought about it?”

Wayne was speechless. Hesperides said, “Hao Ren, don’t mention this if you meet the Bastian Witchcraft family in West Africa.”

“Why?”

“Because the entrance of their secret realm is also changing relative to the movement of the stars, and it happens to be located in a septic pond this time.”

Everyone was astonished. Then Y’lisabet sighed with her arms crossed like a little adult. “That’s why ancient tech is unreliable. They thought it was safe, but modern people couldn’t even have control on the directions.”

“Ahem, it’s not entirely uncontrollable though,” Wayne explained with a strange look on his face, and he even sounded a bit incoherent. “Select the approximate connection range; then you can fix the opening position in a relatively stable location, or calibrate the horoscope. Aargh, forget it! Can we not talk about this now?”

“Then let’s talk about demon hunter.” Vivian blinked. “Wayne, since you have started investigation earlier than us, what do you think about the disappearance of the demon hunters here a month ago?”

Wayne thought for a little while. “Frankly, I don’t trust demon hunters. If what the demon hunter named White Flame said is true, then what she said might tally with my observation generally. A month ago, there was a large group of demon hunters here. There were so many of them that even the Hogwarf family’s werewolf warriors were quaking in their boots. The demon hunters who are currently conducting an investigation here aren’t from the same group. Even the sole survivor who came back mad did mention about the appearance of demon hunters in the territory of the Ancattero.”

Hao Ren did not say anything.

No one said a word anymore as the dim sewer was not exactly an ideal place for holding a discussion. They followed Wayne in the silence. After going around several corners, they finally came to a section that seemed to have been abandoned for many years as the ground was dry. There was a light that came from a corner dozens of meters away.

They stopped in front of a mottled and dirty concrete wall as if this was the entrance.

“The spirit detective won’t be able to find the Golden Manor,” Hao Ren said, looking at the wall and forcing a smile, “because this entrance has no sunlight at all.”

Wayne smiled. “You will be even more surprised when you see the scene behind the entrance.”

As he spoke, he took out something from his suitcase.

It was a strange gadget that looked like an old camera, but structurally different. It has a square body wrapped in black leather, a hemispherical lens at the front of the ‘square box,’ and a series of lenses and crystals at the back. It could not help but remind them of the unreliable ‘shamanic machine’ made by the mystic scholars more than a hundred years ago; those spirit camera made of glass, crystal, copper that trapped ghosts, and also the shamanic lens set of Pierre. But Wayne’s gadget was different from those homemade versions. The device was inlaid with glowing runes, the lenses and crystals were not connected physically but magically. When Wayne pointed the gadget at the wall in front of him, all the lenses began to glow at once.

The lenses glowed brighter and fired a series of light beams, drawing a set of complicated lines on the cement wall. As the image slowly took shape, Hao Ren began to recognize it—it was a door.

Though it was just an image, the incredible thing happened when the gadget in Wayne’s hand emitted a constant buzzing sound. It was as if Hao Ren had missed something; a real door appeared in the wall before he knew what happened.

The door was made of metal and inlaid with golden runes.

Wayne switched off the device, carefully tucked it back into his suitcase, and then stepped forward to push the door open. “Let’s go. The door only opens for ten minutes. If all goes well, we will come back out via another fixed passage that the Ancattero family has set.”

Lily let out a long sigh, then hurried Hao Ren through the door.

A moist and warm air blast into Hao Ren’s face, as if he was passing through a water curtain. As soon as he emerged from the door on the other side, he found himself in a strange place.

There was fog everywhere, but no sun, moon nor stars. There was a light shone from above, and it seemed it was the only light source. Hao Ren opened his eyes wide, using his super eyesight ability, he peered through the fog and saw the Golden Manor. The Golden Manor, like its name suggested, was constructed of pure gold, just as Pierre said. The gold was so dazzling that even the dense fog could not hide its beautiful golden glow.

Everyone was shocked, not because of the Golden Manor but the familiar sight.

“Is this Tannagost?!”