“Oh my, sir, this place is so magnificent! I feel as if we are walking toward a miracle!” exclaimed a young woman wearing a hat and clothes filled with hippie and trendy elements. Such attire could often be seen on the young men and women of the Royal Court; to them, this was the height of fashion.
However, if their Divine Lord were to catch a glimpse of it, those blurry, bizarre memories of another world might make her see it as a different kind of retro style.
“Indeed, miss. This place is home to the most brilliant minds among us,” replied a well-dressed young man, leading the woman who held a square object in her hand. A bright smile graced her face.
Not long ago, this lady had been excitedly introducing her creation to the people here. She proudly named it the “Camera.” In a sense, it was a creation decades ahead of its time, though in a world of magical wonders, the appearance of such a thing a few decades early was hardly enough to make anyone gasp in shock.
Compared to the model she had once gifted to Li Yue, this one’s design had been greatly improved. Or rather, it was an object specifically designed for recording.
She quickly pressed the shutter. In that instant of bright flash, she captured the narrow corridor she was walking through with the male deacon. A massive star chart was painted here, enveloping the walls. Even the floor beneath their feet was a solid expanse of pitch-black scattered with bright specks, seemingly designed to simulate the astral realm.
“It truly is beautiful. But paintings can fade, while my photographs can preserve this moment of beauty forever,” she murmured with a touch of pride. Soon, however, she added with the self-pity of an artist, “It is a pity, though, that it can only capture a single moment.”
“That is true. Your photography is better suited for recording reality. If there is an opportunity, I hope you can combine it with Mr. Telesport’s invention.” He smoothed his beard, his expression full of longing. “Such beautiful sights should be captured and shared with everyone who possesses a persistent pursuit of beauty.”
“Hmm... that might be a massive undertaking,” she said to herself. Her nose twitched, and her brow furrowed slightly. As a magic user whose strength was close to the Calamity class and who had participated in the Round Table Council, she possessed very keen intuition. She casually set down the camera in her hand and pulled another model from her magic ring.
“Miss Kemura, you actually have different styles of cameras?”
“The one just now was more for leisure; this one is for action,” she said casually.
“Ho, I thought there was only the concept of iterative updates. I didn’t realize there were different uses.”
“It is likely like... a butcher’s knife and a knight’s sword. Both are blades, but they are tools with different functions.” She spoke with such natural ease that it was hard to notice the slight twitch at the corner of the deacon’s mouth. He seemed to recoil at the metaphor. Perhaps Kemura did not know that the deacon’s father had once been an honorable Royal Court knight. Now, the Royal Court knights had entered almost every nation with thunderous force, and more and more kings were being pressured to open their borders.
Future generations would refer to the current Royal Court as the “Divine Kingdom on Land.” Of course, such history would soon vanish into the dust, as Li Yue did not wish for any information regarding the Mythological Era to be passed down to posterity.
“An even more magnificent sight awaits us in today’s great Observation Hall,” the deacon said, making a polite gesture to guide her. He signaled for the lady to mind the steps. After several hundred stairs, they would reach the highest observation deck in the world. It was covered by massive panes of glass and enchanted with strange spells to ensure the area would not be scorched by the intense sunlight.
“How long has it been since the ‘geniuses’ inside have come out?” Kemura asked casually, raising an eyebrow as she hung the camera around her neck.
“Hard to say. As you know, observing the heavens is a fascinating pursuit. Even during the day, they are busy recording the observations from the previous night. They are all such clever and industrious souls.”
“Mhm...” Kemura responded absentmindedly. She brushed her hand in front of her face as if applying a layer of magic. Standing before the wooden door painted with star charts, anyone else might have felt a sense of anticipation, as if they were about to enter the astral realm. At this moment, however, Kemura had no such inclination.
She gently pushed open the door. A foul, stench-filled air immediately rushed toward her. Outside, the sun hung brightly in the sky, but inside, everything was as pitch-black as a long night. She raised her camera, restraining the urge to take a deep breath.
Click.
As if some taboo had been unlocked, a ghostly wail whistled through the air, and the bright “Starry Screen” finally appeared within the pitch-black room.
“My God...” Kemura could not help but whisper.
The faint stars seemed to stop flickering. In the darkness, the two of them could see the scene before them with terrifying clarity.
The heads of the hanged people were tilted back at a bizarre angle, staring up at the sky. Their eyes were wide with such intensity they seemed ready to burst, as if they had been forcibly drawn by something and compelled to hang themselves.
Their blood-red eyes stared fixedly at a certain corner of the sky, as if they had observed something utterly terrifying and incomprehensible.
“You were right... no matter what kind of artist... no one would be so insane as to go this far,” she sighed softly.
“It seems only an increasingly mad reality could achieve this...” She pressed the shutter again.
Inside the Great Hall of the Royal Court, Li Yue held a kraft paper envelope containing a stack of developed photographs. She looked at the set of photos and gave a contemptuous smile.
“If He has noticed you... then do not attempt to look back...” Li Yue propped her head on her hand, a hint of murderous intent flickering within her blood-red vertical pupils.
“Do not stare at an animal, or you will become its prey,” Li Yue snorted coldly.
“Unless... you are an even more ferocious... predator.”
A light breeze blew through, scattering a set of photos from the table beside Li Yue onto the floor. It was a series of photos gifted to her by the lady who loved photography. They depicted a python killing a tiger in a counterattack.
She liked them quite a bit.
Rate on N.U.
