Colonial Suit

The streets were bustling with a constant flow of people.

An old wooden carriage creaked and rattled along, pulled by a decrepit old horse. The coachman in front stood tall and proud, as if being able to drive this rickety carriage was the greatest honor.

On both sides of the street stood ancient and worn wooden buildings. Promotional signs were set up in front of some cloth and grain stores, attracting a steady stream of customers. Beside these stores, several exquisite small wooden buildings stood out. On the second floor, a few gaudily dressed women sat, cracking melon seeds and pointing at the people below, their silver bell-like laughter ringing out from time to time.

“……” Robbie stared dumbfounded at the scene, his mouth agape for a long time before he finally closed it.

“I say…” He nudged Blood瞳. “Are you sure we didn't take the wrong turn?”

“If there's a second passage here…” Blood瞳 replied blankly, equally stunned by the sight before him.

He had left the Second Altar and stepped onto the path to the Third Altar. But he never expected that after a winding journey, he would be greeted by such a scene.

There were no ruins, no biological tissues, and certainly no altars or guardians. This was simply an ancient and bizarre world. After passing through a membrane-like barrier, Blood瞳 and the others found themselves standing here.

Compared to the bustling natives around them, they were definitely out of place, their clothing and everything else belonging to another world entirely. Yet, strangely, no one seemed to notice them, as if they were just air.

Blood瞳 noticed a faint mist of light around his body, and perhaps it was this that made them invisible to others.

“Maybe we're invisible to them,” Blood瞳 said after a moment of silence, a flash of understanding in his eyes. “But this state won't last. Once we become visible, we'll definitely attract their attention. I hope everyone stays calm until we figure out the environment here.”

“Of course, everything is according to your will, Captain,” Robbie shrugged, replying indifferently. His gaze, however, fell on the small wooden building not far away. Looking at the gaudily dressed girls, he suddenly whistled.

“Ah, oh. Although I still can't understand the civilization here, it seems pretty good. Maybe we can get a rare break. Blood瞳, are you sure every guardian is an enemy?”

“I can't be sure,” Blood瞳 answered honestly.

“That's good then. Maybe we'll encounter a friendly guardian. Look, that little girl's smile is so sweet. Maybe I can have a drink with her and redeem her dust-covered soul.”

“Hmph, Robbie哥哥 is so lecherous,” Little 波希 pouted unhappily, saying with a huff.

“I wouldn't call it lecherous. I just want to talk to her about life,” Robbie replied without batting an eye, a sunny smile on his face.

But Blood瞳 wouldn't be fooled by him. Although this guy was devout in matters of faith, he was an unrepentant womanizer when it came to emotions. Blood瞳 had witnessed his methods firsthand.

With Robbie's sunny disposition and boyish smile, he could easily charm any member of the opposite sex, from five years old to… well, without limit, as long as their aesthetic sense wasn't too bad.

However, Blood瞳 had no interest in stopping him. He simply observed his surroundings silently, waiting for the moment the light mist disappeared.

That time wasn't long. Soon, Blood瞳 saw the white mist around his body begin to fade, and at the same time, the surrounding crowd stopped and turned their gaze towards them.

Their expressions were strange, somewhere between surprise and confusion. But to Blood瞳's surprise, no one panicked. Instead, they pointed and seemed to be sizing them up. When Blood瞳 and the others became fully visible, these pedestrians scattered and continued doing what they were doing.

No one showed fear or surprise at Blood瞳's appearance, as if Blood瞳 and the others were just a puff of air, completely unremarkable.

But Blood瞳 noticed that just as the crowd resumed its flow, a few youngsters darted out of the crowd and ran quickly towards a small wooden building in the distance.

Above the wooden building, several young women were looking this way, seemingly very interested in Blood瞳 and the others. In particular, a young girl in red pointed at Blood瞳 and the others. After a while, a young servant-like figure ran out, panting, and came to Blood瞳 and the others.

He cupped his fist in salute, and the servant rattled off a string of syllables. Blood瞳 and the others didn't understand at all. His language was strange, the syllables simple, but the meaning rich. The same one-syllable word appeared multiple times in a sentence, but represented different meanings. After a while, Blood瞳 looked at Robbie with a strange expression.

“This language is not in my database.”

Robbie shrugged, a wry smile on his face. “Me neither. He seems to be using a very distant, ancient language, a type of monosyllabic inflectional language. This type of language is rich in meaning and extremely focused on connotation. A single byte can derive countless meanings, but the pronunciation is similar. It's always been the most difficult category to translate. It's a pity it's now lost.”

“……” Blood瞳 shook his head helplessly. Lack of communication. The worst-case scenario had occurred.

In fact, with the development of civilization to this point, language was no longer a barrier to communication. Blood瞳's database stored hundreds of millions of languages, ready to provide him with the most accurate translation at any time. But the language used by the servant was not among them. As Robbie said, this monosyllabic inflectional language was the high-level language of ancient civilizations, always regarded as the language of the gods, rich in meaning and mysterious. It was not surprising that it was not saved in the database.

But the inability to communicate became a headache for Blood瞳.

Fortunately, the servant was also very clever. When he saw that Blood瞳 and the others didn't react, he rubbed his hair and spoke another language.

This language was stored in Blood瞳's database, so Blood瞳 immediately understood his words.

He said, “Greetings, esteemed lords from another world. My young lady invites you. Please come with me…”

Another world? Descended?

Looking at the servant's expression, which showed no abnormality, Blood瞳 suddenly felt that this so-called other world was probably like the flowers and plants on the roadside in their eyes, with nothing worth noting. Thinking of this, Blood瞳 couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity, so he said to the servant.

“Okay.”

The servant nodded and happily led the group towards the small building. As they entered the gate, Blood瞳 and the others felt as if they had entered a land of fragrant beauty, filled with beautiful and lovely girls. They wore eye-catching and well-fitting long dresses, chatting happily with the guests, and occasionally performing some songs and dances.

Blood瞳 noticed that their songs and dances were also very special. The movements were not fast, but they were full of a soul-stirring charm, as if they contained the rhythm of nature, indescribably mysterious and elegant. The guests below were also very distinctive, wearing ancient robes unsuitable for battle, but their temperament was extremely outstanding. While watching the songs and dances, they also chanted some strange ballads. Blood瞳 didn't understand their words, but he could feel the lightness and detachment contained in their ballads.

Blood瞳 didn't know that those ballads were called 'poetry', and he didn't know that this was actually a legendary 'brothel'.

The arrival of Blood瞳 and the others did not attract the attention of the crowd. They were still immersed in their own world. The servant led Blood瞳 up the stairs and soon arrived at the second floor of the small building, where a young girl had been waiting for a long time. Seeing the arrival of Blood瞳 and the others, she made a gesture of invitation.

Following the girl's guidance, Blood瞳 and the others arrived at a magnificent living room. All the furniture was made of wood, with strange and unique shapes, full of a mysterious and elegant atmosphere. At the head of the hall, a woman in red was kneeling on the ground, covered with a faint veil, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.

Seeing the arrival of Blood瞳 and the others, she waved her hand, and the maid bowed and retreated. Only then did she reach out to greet the guests, inviting Blood瞳 and the others to take a seat.

“I apologize for the abruptness to the guests from another world, but I am truly curious. It has been a thousand years since a guest from another world has descended here. I would like to get to know the guests and learn about the world outside the starry sky.”

She used the language that the servant had used later, so Blood瞳 understood it. But even though he understood, Blood瞳's expression changed.

It had been a thousand years since a trial participant had entered here. Then what were they? A phantom? Or real living beings?

Blood瞳 couldn't confirm it, but on the surface, he remained calm and performed a mercenary salute.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Blood瞳.”

The woman in red looked at Blood瞳's movements with great interest. When Blood瞳 finished speaking, she said, “Ah,” and said somewhat helplessly, “My humble name is 秋叶. I am also… very happy to meet you, lords.”

With that, she raised her hand and said to Blood瞳 and the others, “This is our first meeting. I know it's a little abrupt, but please have some tea first. We can talk about the outside world later, okay?”

As she spoke, she raised her hand and clapped it lightly. The beaded curtain outside the door slowly opened, and a line of maids walked in, carrying trays.

In their trays, each carried an exquisite teacup, in which clear waves rippled and green leaves floated. It was indescribably fresh and beautiful. Especially as they walked, the teacups exuded an elegant fragrance, making everyone who smelled it feel refreshed.

This was a product of civilization that Blood瞳 had never experienced before, and it gave him a strange feeling.

Gently smelling the fresh tea fragrance, he raised his hand and picked up the teacup from the tray in front of him. Just as he was about to take a sip…

Suddenly, the beaded curtain at the door opened again, and the servant who had been there before walked in.

“Miss 秋叶, the people from the Emperor's Palace have arrived. Please take these guests to meet them immediately.”

“Pa.” The teacup in front of 秋叶 accidentally fell, and she stood up abruptly.

“The Emperor's Palace?”