Athens is one of the oldest cities on Earth that has been preserved and is still in use. When humans stumbled into the gate of civilization from the primitive era of slash-and-burn cultivation, when humans did not have to worry about food, clothing, warmth, and wild beasts for the first time, when the earliest philosophers and wise men appeared among humans, when humans began to use words and mysterious religious symbols to express their thoughts and amazement towards the world, cities began to rise, and kingdoms began to be built. The thinkers, who were the first to break away from basic production, poured their abundant brainpower into huge stones and well-designed vaults. They used high walls, columns, vaults, and stairs made of stone to build cities that symbolized human power. They used reliefs and statues full of religious and mystical colors to decorate their courtyards. From the beginning, buildings were simply used to shelter from the wind and rain and to repel wild beasts. They evolved into a variety of additional functions and even pure symbolism. Ancient and glorious megalithic buildings rose from the ground and quickly became one of the most incredible things on the planet.
However, the city was not a symbol of glory for humans alone. On this planet, there was another group of creatures coexisting with humans. Although they had voluntarily or been forced to hide in the shadows, and even completely disappeared from the knowledge of humans today, they were indeed active in the history of this planet. The history books of humans would not remember them, but another history book made of stone and wood would not forget all of this: the city.
The older the city, the more traces of the ancients were left behind. The oldest cities had even completely integrated with the creatures in the shadows and were inseparable. These cities were not only the homes of humans but also the territories of many dark creatures. No matter how much the demon hunters and the church rejected this, they had to admit that there were still a large number of nests occupied by the otherworldlings on this planet. These nests were built by the otherworldlings from the beginning, and they would not give in to them. In an era where myths, legends, and historical records were confused and intertwined, a small number of otherworldlings lived openly with humans and built these magnificent ancient cities. Compared to the barbaric otherworldlings who ruled humans with absolute brutality, these powerful creatures who regarded humans as livestock were considered a rare 'moderate'. Therefore, they were regarded as protectors and worshipped by the people on Earth. Even the purpose of the existence of the entire city was used to worship a powerful and benevolent 'god'. This situation lasted for thousands of years until humans broke free from this captivity with the help of the demon hunters. Only then did half of the founders of these cities were banished into the shadows.
Now, no one believed that the collapsed and deserted temples in the city had really been inhabited by some supernatural creatures.
But as mentioned earlier, these cities were the homes of some otherworldlings from the beginning. They had built them, maintained them, and even fought for them. Even though these otherworldlings were forced to retreat into the shadows, they never really left the city. They just rebuilt the fortress and hid it in a corner that humans could not detect.
A group of people was slowly approaching one of the entrances to the fortress.
Hao Ren and the rest had rested up in the hotel they were staying at. Today, they followed Vivian to look for an otherworldling that was said to have survived since the Mythological Era. She was one of Vivian's few acquaintances. She lived in the oldest part of the city. It had been a while since they got out of the car.
"Are you sure the person we're looking for is in this direction?" Hao Ren looked up at the familiar old streets and questioned Vivian's sense of direction for the third time. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the third time we've seen this stone wall."
"That's right. Don't go around in circles." Vivian nodded. "Athens is a very special place. Many otherworldling survivors have settled down here, but we have to use a special method to find them. The demon hunters have never stopped searching for them. Those who don't know how to hide themselves are long dead."
Hao Ren could only nod and continue to follow Vivian around the oldest streets of the Acropolis of Athens. Unknowingly, they were getting closer and closer to the ancient depths of the city. Occasionally, he would look around out of boredom. He could no longer tell if they were historical relics or old buildings that were replicated and restored by modern people. It gave him a strange illusion that he had traveled through time. He felt like he was walking in the middle of a reverse slide of human history. The further he walked, the more he saw the scenery of the past.
On Earth, the authentic ancient cities no longer existed. Even the Acropolis of Athens was an advanced city that had been repackaged by modern civilization. As the group strolled through the bustling urban area, they saw skyscrapers and bustling shops that were no different from other modern cities. This disappointed Lily. However, as the group followed Vivian and slowly left the newly built city and entered some of the more primitive areas of the Acropolis of Athens, they finally saw the ancient Greek-style stone pillars and sculptures. Whether they were real historical relics or replicas, they were intertwined and embedded in the cracks of the new buildings in the city. They could not help but feel a strong sense of history.
The closer they went to the older areas of the Acropolis of Athens, the stronger the sense of history. In the end, the archaic houses became the main buildings on both sides of the street. Exquisite sculptures had almost completely replaced the blundering neon signs and station signs. As Vivian led the group deeper into the street, the changes became more and more obvious until finally, Hao Ren felt a little out of place.
He looked at the streets on both sides. They looked vaguely familiar, as if he had passed them two or three times an hour ago. However, if he looked closely, he would find that the scenery on both sides of the street was changing in detail. The street lights had disappeared, the colorful shop signs were fading, and the cement on the road had turned into neat, flat stone slabs. The sun, which should have been hanging in the east, had moved to the west.
Even the insensitive Lily was a little puzzled. "Eh, the atmosphere doesn't feel right. There are fewer and fewer people on the street."
Even though this was a relatively old area, it was not a deserted area. When they first arrived, there were still many people on the street. However, unbeknownst to them, the number of people on both sides of the street had decreased. This change was so subtle that only when the number of people on the street had become unnaturally low did Lily realize that something was wrong. Hao Ren looked at the increasingly strange scenery around him. He noticed that even the people on the street were a little strange. They were like the walking dead, walking aimlessly on the street. There was no one talking to each other, and no one stopping to do anything. It was as if someone had deliberately set up a "landscape" to ensure that the street was not too strange.
"We are approaching the Shadowy Divide. Be careful." Vivian slowed down her pace. "Don't open any doors, and don't walk into any corners where the sun doesn't shine. Don't talk to anyone, and most importantly, don't overtake me. This is a labyrinth. One wrong turn and you will fall into the trap of the Shadowy Realm. "
She even reminded Y'zaks, "Big guy, be careful too. The Shadowy Divide was built by the strongest unusual creatures over thousands of years. Even you can get trapped in it."
Y'zaks nodded cautiously. Hao Ren felt a little creeped out. "What the heck... You guys make this look like a horror movie..."
"The unusual creatures that have survived until now are divided into two types. One is a lone wolf like me, and the other is a group. The latter must have some tricks up their sleeves to be able to form a family under such circumstances." Vivian smiled faintly. "This place is one of the few remaining settlements. It has been around for thousands of years. The layers of defense are no joke. Even the demon hunters can't do anything about this place. Well, at least not for the time being. "
They continued to walk in circles on the street, but the scenery around them was changing every moment. Every time they took a step, the buildings and decorations on both sides of the road would change slightly, and the changes were getting more and more obvious. It seemed that as they got closer to the Shadowy Divide, the street no longer hid its abnormality. Hao Ren noticed that the modern buildings on both sides of the road had disappeared. Houses made of stone were leaning out from both sides of the road at weird angles. It was as if these cold stones were looking at them curiously. Occasionally, there were signs and road signs with a modern feel in between these buildings. But they were all faded and looked as strange as a black and white photo. Hao Ren turned his head to look in the direction they came from. He saw a thin mist, and he could no longer find the intersection.
They finally stopped in front of a strange shop. It was the last "modern house" left on the street.
A beautiful woman in black with a somewhat gloomy expression stood in front of the door waiting for them. She smiled at Vivian. "Long time no see, Countess."
"Your place is really hard to find." Vivian went up to her. "Hesperides."
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