Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 933: Foundation of the Lower Ring (Part 1)

”Yeah, remember what I told you in the beginning when we first met,” Orel waved his hand while maintaining a slight smile.

”Agh...?” Adam was stumped. The first time they met, Orel had just knocked him out in a few punches. Then, he passed out and saw only darkness.

Orel shook his head. ”Oh, boy. Risha lost to you, her fate depended solely on you. You chose to kill her and it was going to happen. But, I stepped in and stopped you. At the Lower Ring, thatʼs frowned upon. My payment for that act was that you two are still alive.”

Adam and Silvana gulped. During their long conversation, they forgot that they were strangers to the Lower Ring. Orel had the right to kill them at any time, either for attacking his little sister or for trespassing on the Red Bearsʼ territory.

Sure, after everything that happened it was unlikely that Orel would take it upon himself to attack them, but he had the opportunity to do so - that was the most important thing.

”Oh, I can see in your eyes that youʼre nervous,” Orel bit his pinky as he watched their faces. ”Iʼll tell you right off, you have nothing to fear. Unless you decide to attack me or make the Red Bears your enemies, weʼll have either friendly or neutral relations.

”It all depends on your side.”

Silvana bit her lip, feeling everything changes in an instant. ”Turns out you can be quite diplomatic, hah? Didnʼt expect that from you.”

”Diplomacy? Well, at the Lower Ring, the most common tool in negotiations is fists. But, sometimes miracles happen and we get to the negotiating table. Given my very high position at the Red Bears, I have to do that from time to time.”

Adam waved his hand, lifting his chin with a serious look.

”So? What do you want me to do? And, what do I get in return?”

”Youʼll have to go to the caves, right at the Cave Grid.”

”The Cave Grid...?”

Instead of a direct answer, Orel finished his can of beer and stood up from the table. With a wave of his hand, he beckoned the others over to him.

”Follow me. Iʼll show you the foundation of the Lower Ring as well as the place that allows the Lower Ring and the entire Citadel to exist. Hah, thereʼs nothing like that at the Upper Ring, thatʼs for sure.”

Risha and Misa quickly followed, leaving Silvana and Adam no other choice.

ʼHm? The foundation of the Lower Ring? Adam raised an eyebrow, thoughtful. ʼErik mentioned something like that, but in his manner, he didnʼt give direct answers.ʼ

Soon they were in the elevator and using Orelʼs special code, they headed upstairs. Almost to the very top of the Red Tower.

Crackle.

The door opened, letting them into the observation platform.

A strong wind whipped at Adam and Silvana, intending to throw them down, but it was hardly meant to happen.

The last time he looked out the window, Adam saw the far reaches of the city and the Outer Field, but now they were looking inward into the heart of the Lower Ring.

In the distance closer to the center were three other towers, the White Tower, the Black Tower, and the Green Tower. Each belonged to one of the Four Beasts, an important facility.

Bright lights, neon signs, hundreds of cars, and crowds of people filled the streets of the Lower Ring.

Adam was a Phantom, a K3 one which made him a strong fighter, but he and all the other Phantoms were a minority, he couldnʼt forget that. While the Phantoms fought against the monsters and the government controlled the Citadel by any means necessary, dark and not, ordinary people lived on.

Some just worked to survive, which for the slums and the Lower Ring was the fate of many, others built businesses and entire networks, but all under the auspices of the Four Beasts.

Orel smiled, taking out another cigarette.

”Great view isnʼt it?” he blew out a puff of smoke. ”At the Upper Ring itʼs not like that at all, is it?”

”Yeah... I take it weʼre at the Inner Field...” Adam muttered, delighted. ”This place looks like the very center of some wing, but a dozen times bigger, crowded, and noisier in the constant night.”

Orelʼs corners of his lips went up, bitterness in his voice. ”Hah, perhaps the lack of sun and moon is the only thing I greatly regret. If it werenʼt for that detail, the Lower Ring would definitely be the best place in this world.”

Sure, Adam disagreed. He was prejudiced against the Lower Ring, but he realized that for Orel, Risha, Misa, and the others, it was home. After all, even he, born in the slums, had warm feelings for this blighted place. There was always a way to find a new home, but only one to be born in.

ʼThereʼs still a lot I donʼt know about this place. I doubt Iʼll ever want to live here, but so far the Lower Ring surprises me, in many ways.ʼ

”Alright,” Orelʼs low voice broke out. ”You look at the lights and the towers and the skyscrapers, but itʼs all just a pretty background that doesnʼt matter much.”

Silvana and Adam looked at each other, puzzled.

Then, Orel pointed downward, drawing their gazes away.

Adamʼs eyes went wide at the high walls and complex structures that served only one purpose: to shield the civilians from the core, where all the most dangerous and valuable things lurked.

The field dozens of times larger than the Moon Colosseum was at the very center of the Lower Ring. Bright multicolored light showed outside through wide cracks, the entrance to the caves where energy crystals were the most common and superfluous thing.

Each of the entrances in the walls were strictly guarded by men in uniforms of different colors, as if they were military men, but these were the people of the Four Beasts.

”This...” Orel wheezed. ”The Cave Grid. It contains everything from coal, iron, and crystals, to anomalies, artifacts, and most importantly - monsters.”