-This is more than strange.
Paul commented upon seeing the pristine state of the mansion.
The place was a stark contrast to the rest of the city, as every other building showed signs of neglect, but here it looked like everything was brand new.
-It is, and the more I think about it, the less I like it.
Sei agreed.
-Some formations can keep a place just the way it was for centuries and even millennia, but they are mostly used in the upper realms, since they require a lot of energy to be maintained.
The soul added, as Paul carefully went to check their immediate area.
The mansion seemed empty, as there was no trace of any inhabitants.
For the next two hours, he went from room to room, starting from the outer buildings and servant quarters, to the main building.
Everywhere he went, it was the same.
No signs of anyone living there, but everything was in perfect order.
Then he finally went to the study and found something not in order, as inside was a corpse, or rather a skeleton dressed in robes looking like a sect uniform.
It was not hard to guess how that person died, as it was sitting behind the desk, with a glass vial in its skeletal hand.
-It looks like a suicide.
Paul stated the obvious, approaching the corpse.
-If the person was trapped here all alone for who knows how long, then this might have been their preferred option to going insane.
Sei stated as he materialized.
As Paul approached the desk, he saw a letter lying on top of a book on the desk in front of the corpse.
He opened it, as it appeared to be the last message this person had left behind.
To whoever finds this letter.
My name is Wang Lei, and I'm the last sect master of the Blue Lotus sect as well as the city lord of Blue Lotus City.
The catastrophe that struck this place was no accident, and you will find the details about it in the book on top of which you found this letter.
As the last remaining person here, I invoke the custom of mercy and burial upon you who reads these words.
In exchange, I offer all the riches and knowledge of my sect and this city.
I also leave you with a warning never to use the portals to try to escape this place, as they were tampered with and turned into a deadly trap.
Lastly, even though the chances for that are minimal, I implore you to destroy this city and the surrounding forests if such a thing is within your power.
I wish you well, and thank you for your help.
Wang Lei.
-It seems that we found what we were looking for and even more.
Paul said after reading the letter.
-Indeed.
Sei agreed.
Paul immediately took the book and opened it, starting to read.
It turned out to be a diary of the sect master, and it described in detail what happened here and what led to the Blue Lotus city being abandoned.
-We need to let everyone know.
He said.
After reading the book for over four hours, he finally fully understood the danger they were all in.
With these words, Paul stored the skeleton to bury it later, as he was not about to ignore the custom of mercy and burial.
After that, he left.
This time, he used a transport spell, going straight to the mansion where the ladies were waiting for him, as he wanted them to be the first ones to know what was truly going on and how much trouble they were in.
The ladies were waiting for his return, and the moment he did, he called them all over to the garden and read the letter of Wang Lei to them, before explaining what was going on and even giving them the book to confirm his words.
-If this is a joke, then it's not funny.
Irine stated once he finished explaining everything.
-I didn't have the time to read the whole book, but from what I did read, the information inside it is consistent with what the elders said was going on in this place.
It also explains why there was never any help arriving, as the people who were believed to ascend were, in fact, killed.
-Not to mention that they relocated this whole city and the surrounding area to somewhere else entirely, meaning that we have no clue where the hell we even are right now.
Natalie added bitterly.
-That too.
Paul nodded.
-Despite how horrific this all is, the one thing I have to admit is that they thought of everything and made sure that no one would discover what they have done, for a very long time, if ever.
-I thought that the things the people from the higher realms did in the mortal realm were terrifying, but this is just pure evil.
Wei Lan said, shaking her head, as once again they were in trouble because of people from the higher realms.
What's worse, it was not just any higher realm but the highest realm.
Meaning that there was little to no chance of the culprits ever being punished.
-So what do we do now?
Anna asked, hoping that someone had an idea about getting out of this mess, which didn't imply staying there until they could ascend without the portals.
-In the morning, we will inform the elders and warn everyone here not to use the portals, and explain the situation to them.
After that, we all need to reach the beginning stage, to even dream of leaving this place, before we ascend.
-Actually, I think that ascension might be your safest bet on leaving this place.
Lady Peacock materialized.
-Why do you think that?
Su asked, surprised to see her reincarnation soul, who hadn't shown herself or even spoken to her for a while now.
-Because I know the wild claws sect, and as despicable as they are and always were.
These guys never leave any possibility of their crimes being discovered.
In the past, they did something similar in the fourth realm, and no one found out until more than a thousand years later, when a bunch of explorers found the town they used for their experiments, relocated to a desolate part of a different continent.
At that time, there was no evidence left of their involvement other than some messages, which they dismissed, claiming that their enemies placed them there.
The soul explained.
-The best proof of that is all around you.
They tampered with the portals, knowing that people trapped here would use them to leave this place as soon as possible, while the surrounding area is also full of the monstrosities they created.
Lastly, they set things up in such a way that only women are being transported here, meaning that they wanted the monsters to propagate with them, since in the past, all their creations were unstable, and didn't live long, but were able to propagate with females of most sentient races.
Lady Peacock added to leave no doubt.
-Then it seems that Sect master Wang Lei threw a bit of a wrench in their plan.
Paul commented after hearing her out.
-You can say that, but he also made it hard for anyone to get the information they needed, resulting in many deaths, and most likely, some women falling into the hands of these monstrosities.
Lady Peacock said, while wondering how many tragedies could have been avoided if that man left some more clues or information about what was going on in the city.