"Name of the explorer: (withheld)·(withheld)·Smith
"Mask: Slanderer (an eloquent person, Queen level.)
“Sentence: five years, remaining term of two years and seven months.
"Crime: Attacking a teammate during a mission, resulting in one death and two serious injuries.
“I said I couldn’t trust others, and I firmly believed that my teammates were trying to kill me in order to get a bigger share of the prize money, so I struck first.
"After careful investigation, it was found that the 'unscrupulous plot of teammates' was Smith's personal delusion. After investigation and judgment, his mental state was no longer suitable for the duty of investigating secrets. After the expiration of his sentence, it was recommended that his qualifications be revoked..."
Looking up from the retrieved incarceration file, Sean frowned and thought:
“Is it because of what he went through at Opening Day that he’s like this?
"Can't trust others, suspicious?"
He shook his head slightly in his mind: "The analysis report did not mention 'Called Minister' Smith. It only became like this after the open day. It cannot be determined like this."
At this moment, he and Yueguang have submitted a "visit application" for the incarcerated explorer, and it was approved.
As an industry insider who has proven his worth, the association will provide all possible conveniences to explorers of Queen level and above.
Sean and Moonlight, who have been promoted, can take advantage of this convenience this time - through visitation rights, they can directly have face-to-face conversations with the former grand prize winner of the opening day mentioned by Louis.
Sean and Yueguang entered the elevator with mixed emotions.
In the elevator, the staff wearing the red mask of the "Supervisor" used the key to open a small box at the bottom of the floor dial, and pressed the button for the negative fifth floor...
The fifth underground floor of the Explorer Center is a place that Sean has heard about many times but has never set foot on -
"Place of Atonement".
As the elevator passed through the bottom of the underground library and was about to enter the fifth floor, Sean clearly felt a tingling sensation in his soul.
That is the negative pressure caused by high concentration of spiritual power.
Apparently the pianist felt the same way - Shawn heard Moonlight take a slight breath.
The heavy spiritual power made the New Testament reporter and pianist feel solemn and heavy.
There was no arrival bell, and the floor dial above the elevator door was buried in the far left side of the scale, as if hiding.
This is a place that does not exist to the outside world.
The iron gate opened and Sean stepped into the most mysterious area of New Zealand's exploration industry.
A deep corridor leads straight ahead. In the darkness, Sean can feel the gaze from the strong...
"No less than three King-level residents are stationed here..."
There are always criminals who want to do stupid things, and this place is related to the maintenance of New Zealand's secret exploration system, so it makes sense that it is heavily guarded.
In this overly solemn place, it would take more energy to maintain a normal demeanor on the surface.
The two of them walked forward with concentration, passed the long corridor, and arrived at the center of the Land of Atonement.
Moonlight was a little surprised by the scenery in front of her, while Sean, who had read more information, was a little indifferent——
This place is an open underground world.
Outside the stone "terrace", rich spiritual energy condensed together, even forming links visible to the naked eye, exuding shimmering light. These links were intertwined, as if weaving into a giant web...
In the center of the countless extending shimmering tentacles is a bright red mass.
In the red, like a huge fetal chamber, the outline of a mask floats.
That is the axis of the "Place of Atonement" and the highest-level "inmate" here.
"Repentant Mars".
The only Ace-level inmate.
In a vicious incident called "Ghost Bride", in order to protect his wife who had turned into an evil spirit, he killed his teammates.
Afterwards, Mars, who calmed down, volunteered to serve his sentence in order to calm down the overwhelming guilt in his heart, and served as the axis of the Place of Atonement...
At this moment, "Mars" could only see a stone mask with a resolute face, floating in pure spiritual power.
In the "fetal chamber" where he was, the red light changed with various characters that others could not understand, and seemed to be conveying some information to the outside world.
Circling down the stone steps, Sean, led by the supervisor, was heading to the location of the "slanderer".
While walking down the stairs, the moonlight caressed the artificial stone bricks that had been embedded in the natural rock formations due to underground pressure.
The words engraved on the stone bricks are the oldest known written symbols.
It’s not that the “Place of Atonement” existed before the era of civilization, but that this place was built on a prehistoric site——
Unlike prisons in the ordinary world, in addition to punishing guilty explorers, the "Place of Atonement" is also an important part of the explorer system.
One of the founders of the New Zealand exploration system discovered this ancient altar of unknown era buried deep underground a century ago.
What few people know is that the collapse of the Municipal Library and the construction of the Explorer Center Building were both due to the existence of this underground altar——
At first, after in-depth research, it was discovered that this altar has "patterns" that are still densely distributed throughout the entire North Delzhou.
Using these "patterns", the founder of the Explorer system created the so-called "Net of Spiritual Patterns" for use by all Explorers.
Whether it’s the remote communication capabilities of the Explorer’s Playing Cards, the early warning mechanism at key locations, or even the sealing power used to suppress various huge threats in the name of the association...
The realization of its functions and the source of its spiritual power all come from the "network of spiritual patterns" here.
The "Place of Atonement" is also the center of the "Spiritual Network".
Inmates below the Ace level serve their sentences in the Spiritual Network and serve as the "fuel" of the Spiritual Network, which is distributed by the adjusted altar to achieve and maintain various functions.
An ancient altar from an unknown era can put the soul and body of prisoners in an indescribable state...
They will float within a limited range like ghosts in the void, and the spiritual power they generate will be absorbed and distributed by the altar, all without their own control...
This process will cause tremendous pain that touches the depths of the soul.
It has been proven through the ages that this pain also seems to have a soul-cleansing effect.
In other words, the deterrent effect of this pain is so powerful that prisoners never dare to do unjust things again.
It is difficult to say which statement is more correct.
In any case, while the existence of the "Place of Atonement" plays a huge role, the cruel fate of using the souls of prisoners as fuel for the web of spiritual patterns is also a huge deterrent to those who want to do evil.
Regarding the significance of this place’s existence, the explorer industry has another saying:
“God favors the seeker…
"And that preference is fulfilled by people underground."
—
The bottom of the place of atonement.
Outside a space surrounded by ancient rune stones.
Sean was still staring at the stones that had even deformed as if they had "melted" due to time.
Looking up, you can see a strange and dark "sun", emitting hopeless light in the sky of this underground world - that is the axis of the contemporary spiritual network, Mars.
In the darkness scattered everywhere, lights light up from time to time, and the light flows smoothly along the passage, and among the bursts of light, trembling masks and hands can be seen, and their shadows are projected on the wall. Although I knew that the experience must be extremely painful, I couldn't hear a single scream...
Standing here is like experiencing some kind of absurd and terrifying dream.
The supervisor stood outside the boundary of the rune stone and called towards the rich darkness.
"Prisoner, 'Slanderer' Smith!
"There's a visit!"
There was no response in the darkness, and the supervisor had already retreated behind Sean and the two of them: "Visiting time is ten minutes."
Sean and Yueguang stared into the darkness with some doubts, but saw a burst of red and yellow light lighting up in the darkness.
In the sudden light, you can see a smiling mask twitching in the air, and a pair of hands floating in the air are also trembling in pain...
The spiritual power forced out by the "underground spiritual network" flows upstream along the invisible tributaries...
The extraction is temporarily over, the light ends, and the darkness returns...
The mask floated to the edge of the rune stone. In the dark world, it was floating opposite the "Sea of Glimmer" mask——
It turned out to be like a distorted mirror, reflecting Sean.
"Hehehe...
"In this world,
"Is there anyone willing to visit me?"
A tired, but slightly happy voice came from under the slanderer's mask.
