NOVEL WEB Chapter 176: The Gate of Goffin (3)
WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
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INFINITE MAGE
“The current leader of that faction is Chief Kadum.”
Shirone recalled the two types of gazes he felt at the banquet. The elders who welcomed Unlocker must have been Angel Faction, while those who looked at him with disdain belonged to the Anti-Angel Faction.
When classified that way, Chief Kadum's father, Hashid, was Anti-Angel Faction. So was Mahatu.
“Chief Kadum is leading Kergos to ruin. It's ironic for someone like me, who engages in Lupe smuggling, to say this, but I believe that entrusting the tribe’s fate to the messenger of God is wrong. In truth, I am of the Anti-Angel Faction lineage, and I was destined to be a slave. You've heard about the human trafficking perpetrated by the Galiant autonomous government. Most of the victims were from the Anti-Angel Faction. My mother was also kidnapped by foreigners.”
Amy decided to erase the last bit of resentment she had towards Mahatu. If his parents had suffered such a fate, it was understandable that he harbored animosity towards outsiders.
Shirone thought of Miro. There had been times when he felt a chill from Miro’s eyes that seemed to show rapid emotional changes. But before entering Miro's space-time, he was a human being.
“There is still conflict, but it’s much better than back then, thanks to Miro. Without her, I would have been just another slave.”
“Where is Miro now?”
Shirone knew that she resided in a middle dimension of Estas. But he also thought she might exist everywhere.
“After designing the Room of Achievement and Sacrifice, Miro entered the Gate of Goffin. Though I wasn’t there, I heard she said she was going to meet Goffin.”
Amy asked with a puzzled look.
“Wait a minute. Isn't Goffin from 250 years ago? How can she meet him?”
“I don't know either. But the records clearly state that.”
Shirone believed it was entirely possible.
To have installed the Gate of Goffin meant she was an Unlocker who wielded Scale Magic. If Miro was strong in spatial aspects, then Goffin must have been strong in temporal aspects.
He thought of Armin, the Eternal Cintana. He had also spent over a hundred years contemplating with Stop Magic, so it wouldn’t be strange for Goffin to be alive somehow. Even the Archmage Arcane survived 150 years solely with his biological abilities.
Canis wasn't interested in Miro. However, the Room of Achievement and Sacrifice she designed was crucial in determining ascension to heaven.
“So, where are those who passed through Miro’s space-time waiting? Shouldn’t they go with Shirone?”
Now that it was mentioned, Shirone was curious too.
Those who proved their strength in Miro’s space-time. If they were still here, more clues might be obtained.
“Whether they accompany us or not is up to the messenger of God to decide, but currently, no one is here. The last team left for Heaven two years ago and never returned.”
The fact that it was only two years ago was shocking. People were ascending to heaven more frequently than expected.
Kadum hid this fact because he was part of the Angel Faction. He wanted more people to ascend to Heaven.
Amy asked another question.
“All Kergosians believe in Ra, right? How can a faction that opposes angels exist?”
“I’m part of the Anti-Angel Faction, but I don’t know how the first civil war started. Most records were lost in the volcanic eruption 500 years ago. We call it the Lost Record. Honestly, we can’t even be sure if the volcanic eruption was the work of an angel. It’s just a story passed down.”
Mahatu's story influenced their judgment. Even if there was a way to return, caution was necessary. They couldn’t grasp what Heaven was like.
“Even so, if you decide to go... I won’t stop you. No, I have no means to stop you. But please understand this. Everyone who passed through Miro’s space-time was stronger than me.”
Mahatu implied that they were stronger than Shirone’s group. Yet even those strong individuals couldn’t return from Heaven.
In the heavy atmosphere, Shirone’s group fell into deep thought. Realizing that his sincerity had been conveyed, Mahatu bowed his head.
“I respect your determination, Shirone, unmoved by tribute. You must have come with a purpose beyond common worldly desires. That’s why I felt compelled to tell you the truth. While I won’t interfere with your decision, please consider it carefully.”
“Yes, we heard important information. Thank you.”
As Mahatu left the room, silence fell.
Heaven was still alluring, but no one tried to persuade Shirone.
Shirone's insight was correct. Only Shirone could decide, and the rest had no choice but to follow.
“Headmaster… how much did he know?”
The person who came to mind at the end of the thought was Alpheas. Knowing Shirone was an Unlocker, why had he told him about the Kergos ruins?
“Maybe he knew as much as we do? He said Miro was his student. He must have heard about her actions.”
“Even so, why did he allow it? What if the situation we’re in was beyond the Principal's expectations? What should I do then?”
“That’s also a possibility. We don’t know how far he predicted, but he might have thought you wouldn’t go to heaven. I would think the same. In the end, the problem is...”
Canis threw a Metagate and spoke.
“I was the variable.”
Alpheas hadn’t anticipated Canis’ presence. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have dreamed that he could find a way to return.
Now, the only thing left was to choose.
The fact that there was an exit was positive. As long as it wasn’t a world filled with toxic gas, they wouldn’t die immediately upon arrival.
Thinking this way, not attempting seemed foolish. But given the unpredictability of human psychology, missing the chance to return couldn’t be ignored.
Shirone couldn’t sleep until dawn.
***
The next morning, Shirone’s group descended to the temple’s underground. Led by Chief Kadum, followed by Hashid and Mahatu.
Amy thought this place must be the secret space of the ruins that couldn’t be explored with the Spirit Zone.
Upon reaching the lowest level, they found a straight passage with traces of a volcanic eruption. Gems embedded in the walls guided their way.
Opening the iron door revealed a cavern. Priests lined the walls, and a solitary stone gate stood in the center. Its disconnection from anywhere else undeniably suggested the existence of Heaven.
Shirone approached the gate.
The Gate of Goffin. Recreated by the Unlocker McClain Goffin 250 years ago, it was the entrance to heaven. A red orb was embedded, with vertical lines etched around it.
Before coming here, Kadum had completed a contract with Shirone. His request was simple. Just convey Chief Kadum’s will to the Angel’s Library, Inglis.
An Angel’s Library. Kadum said it wasn’t a difficult journey as it wasn’t about reaching God, but Shirone thought it was an impossible task involving gods and angels.
Shirone met eyes with his friends. They could come back. Maybe. Once they decided to go, they had to think positively.
When Amy nodded, Shirone placed his hand on the orb at the center of the door.
Taking a deep breath, he activated the Immortal Function, causing the orb to emit a white flash.
“Oh, ohhh!”
Voices of awe were heard. Even Mahatu, an Anti-Angel Faction member, knelt and chanted Aker Ra.
Shirone focused more power.
Contrary to initial thoughts, it wasn’t just a simple stone wall. What seemed like the scratches of time revealed themselves as indecipherable magical runes emitting red light.
As the magic activated, the stone wall began to fragment into dice-sized cubes.
The fragments, defying gravity, shattered into finer particles and were eventually absorbed by the light.
The door emitted a white light, engulfing Shirone.
“The Gate of Goffin has opened! Praise the angels!”
The priests bowed and chanted.
Shirone couldn’t hear their voices. Enveloped in light, he could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
For the first time, he felt fear. Though it was just a step, it felt like an eternal distance. He didn’t want to move.
A strong and warm hand rested on his shoulder. It was Rian.
Yes, he wasn’t alone. Rian wouldn’t give up in any situation.
Tess’s delicacy, Amy’s brilliance, Canis’s defense, and Arin’s mental strength. Harvest was also a reliable ally now.
This was a splendid party. He felt a bit relieved.
Shirone stepped through the door.
As they left the altar, the white light condensed into gray particles and began to reconstruct the stone wall.
The floating cubes found their places, reassembled, and the magical runes lost their glow.
There was no one standing at the closed stone wall.
The cavern was silent.
***
Shirone gritted his teeth. Multicolored lights whizzed around him.
What awaited at the end? Or was there even an end? The dazzling light patterns didn’t disappear even when he closed his eyes.
It was as if he had become a cannonball fired from a cannon, with his vision opening wide.
The group shared the same feeling. They only hoped it wasn’t a world of burning sulfur.
The first impression wasn’t bad. The air was clear and cool. But realizing where they were, they screamed.
They had assumed the Gate of Goffin would lead them to the ground. How foolish.
They were floating high above the clouds, at a height where they could see the ends of the sea.
The mages attempted teleportation, but it was futile. Still affected by the Gate of Goffin, they plummeted towards the ground faster than freefall.
The sea receded, revealing dense forests.
Shirone spotted a city standing in the center of the distant forest. It was identical to what he had seen in Miro’s space-time.
A castle surrounded by two concentric circles, with the inner circle divided into six sections like a pie.
Mechanical devices resembling ladybugs were flying in the sky. They reminded him of a human brain.
As they descended, the city disappeared, and they plummeted into the forest. Breaking through the forest, they saw the ground. They would be killed instantly upon impact.
They tried magic again, but it was impossible. Just as the pebbles on the ground touched their retinas, the Gate of Goffin released them.
***
Heaven’s outskirts. Purgatory.
Shirone had no time to look around and immediately checked his head. Falling face-first, his head should have been smashed.
He seemed to have lost consciousness for a moment, but when he came to, he was standing on his two feet, unharmed.
Tess examined his body and spoke.
“Are we alive? Or did we die?”
“We’re alive, I think. I’m hungry.”
Even in this situation, Rian’s comment about hunger was meant to reassure Tess.
“Maybe we didn’t fall from the sky.”
Shirone, using his expertise, explained.
“Think of it as spatial movement. We simply arrived here through a tunnel, and the various landscapes we saw were due to the space folding.”
In the end, it was spatial movement. However, the extraordinary distance traveled caused such phenomena.
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