Chapter 782 — The Town After the Bell Tolled
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
Just like those Sleeper priests who had accompanied Gao Cen all this time yet remained utterly ignorant of the latter's existence.
But this should hold only for the present circumstances. Once the power of Sandbox No. 1 exceeded the sandbox itself and became some kind of godlike entity, whether such a limitation would still apply was another matter entirely.
As thoughts churned and conjectures and plans took shape one after another, Gao Yang had already strolled past the silent, deserted streets of the little town and arrived deep in a lane near the plaza.
This was where the locating system indicated Daniel was.
Yet the place was utterly empty—not a single soul in sight.
Gao Yi closed his eyes slightly. Within that illusory locating grid, the point of light representing Daniel flickered right before him, its signal clear and steady.
"My Lord," Daniel's voice sounded in his mind at the same moment, "I sense that you are already nearby, but I cannot see you..."
"Nor can I see you. But since you can sense my aura, it seems the 'screening' of Sandbox No. 1 has no small holes in it," Gao You said mildly in his mind. "It seems unable to screen out the series of 'deep channels' we established. You should be able to use them to disengage from the network.
"Try it first, but do not actually disengage—this little town seems to hold many more oddities. Let us explore a while longer.
"And I am also somewhat concerned about where the other 'deleted' people have all gone."
"Yes, My Lord," Daniel replied respectfully, then fell silent, beginning to try using those "deep channels" capable of bypassing the surface layer of the mental network to reestablish contact with the real world. Some ten-odd seconds later, his voice came again, carrying a trace of relief and reverence: "My Lord, it is just as you said! After activating the deep channels, I have sensed the boundary of reality once more. I should be able to disengage from my current state without difficulty."
"Good," Gao Yan nodded. "Then the next step is to find your true position..."
As he spoke, he looked around, trying to spot whatever was out of place.
Daniel's "position" was here—of that there was no doubt. Sandbox No. 1 could not screen out those secret links residing in the "deep channels," so the locating system ought to be functioning properly. Yet he could not see the man... Sensory interference? A parallel space? Or else...
Mid-thought, his gaze swept over the ground nearby, and a small puddle of water caught his eye.
His heart stirred, and he could not help recalling those reflections in the water he had seen in the plaza.
He went to the puddle and saw in its mirror-calm surface the reflection of the surrounding streets—just like the reflections in the plaza, in that reflected image the illusory town had lit its warm, bright streetlamps, and every household had kindled its lights.
Gao You crouched by the puddle, recalling the occult knowledge at his command, and felt a flash of understanding.
He reached out and lightly touched the calm surface. Fine ripples spread outward through the reflection; the town's shadow swayed and trembled before him. When the water gradually stilled, he saw that the town in the reflection had extinguished its lights and lay quietly shrouded in boundless darkness.
Gao Yang stood up, hearing faint laughter and chatter drift from the dwellings behind him. From the tops of the nearby iron-black lampposts spilled bright, warm light that lit the street and stretched his shadow long across the pavement.
This was the town after the bell had tolled.
He had passed straight through some kind of "veil" and come to the "other side" of this little town!
Gao Yang also caught sight of Daniel.
The old mage stood quietly beneath a streetlamp some distance away, his back bent, his eyes gazing blankly ahead as though lost in thought, and he showed no reaction whatsoever to Gao Song's appearance.