Working Records in a Weird World - 94

 

| WRIAWW | All that Enter This Door are Equal | 94

Like the Ouroboros Market of the Merchant Guild, the Temple remained open 24/7, as it was staffed by NPCs who served as attendants, ensuring someone was always available to receive visitors.

Especially in a place like the Temple, survivors returning from missions could arrive at any moment. Some come wounded, or on the verge of death, which requires immediate treatment.

Under no circumstances could it ever close.

Over time, even uninjured survivors developed the habit of stopping by the Temple after missions, whether to drink some boiled sacred holy water or bathe to cleanse themselves of lingering weird auras.

The Temple was the result of all survivors collective efforts, and thanks to the generosity and selflessness of the Patriarch, even life-saving tools like Soul Lamps were freely available, requiring no points or currency. Naturally, everyone was happy to visit.

This was especially true after entering the Ultimate Dungeon. The intensity of the weird aura inside wasn’t just a problem for someone like Joshua, whose extreme light affinity made him vulnerable. 

Even highly sensitive spirit mediums couldn’t endure it, and often rushed straight to the Temple the moment they returned.

It was precisely for this reason that Joshua was certain he would be the first to receive any news.

And just as expected, everything unfolded exactly as he had anticipated.

The priests had already prepared tea in the reception room and set up private baths for the survivors who had just attempted the second ?-level mission. Many S-levels, exhausted beyond measure, had no choice but to excuse themselves immediately to wash away the residual weird aura.

Only a few high-ranking S-levels remained, determined to rest only after meeting with the 1st and exchanging crucial information.

The group looked utterly drained, some slumped in their chairs, others sipping slowly from cups of sacred spring tea.

This was the scene that greeted Joshua as he entered the reception room.

"It seems this question-mark-level mission didn’t go smoothly," he remarked meaningfully.

"Indeed," Ka Guya replied, lifting her gaze from the steam rising from her tea. "Had it gone well, you would have already received the system notification for mission clearance, instead of seeing us return in disgrace and asking for your help."

The silver-haired patriarch smiled warmly. "You flatter me. I’m merely a support with no combat power to speak of. You don't have to think so highly of me."

"No, I'm afraid only you can complete this mission, 1st."

The 4th, Santa Claus, stroked his long white beard and sighed. "You don’t understand, this question-mark-level mission is different from the last one. It’s... very unusual."

"Oh? How is it so unusual?"

"It’s like this..."

Faced with a new S-level mission, everyone was on high alert, not daring to relax for even a moment. Even high-ranking S-levels were no exception. After all, they were the first team to enter the Central Court. No one knew what lay inside, and the unknown was always the greatest source of fear.

Qin Ye led the S-level team to the gates of the Central Court. Unlike the gloomy, ash-toned architecture of the other districts in Guiyi City, the Central Court was constructed entirely of pristine white marble, exuding an air of solemnity and inviolable supremacy from afar.

In front of the court, the statue of Themis, the blindfolded goddess of justice, stood solemnly. The scales in her hands gleamed with a cold metallic sheen under the sunlight, proclaiming the supreme authority of this place.

The moment they stepped into the court, all the survivors felt a pressure that could not be ignored.

To their astonishment, they discovered that all their enhancements from the Infinite Space had lost their effect. The instant they crossed the dome, their bodies no longer felt as light as before, instead, they became sluggish and unbearably heavy.

"Wait, so you're saying that the moment we enter, all our enhancements vanish?" Joshua frowned. "Including advanced abilities?"

"No," Santa Claus shook his head. "Not just advanced abilities, but basic ones too... In short, after crossing that threshold, it's as if we've reverted to who we were before entering the Infinite Space. Or, to put it more plainly, we become ordinary people."

"That's right. I can confirm it."

Shu Xingwen added gravely, "After entering the central court, my spiritual medium abilities completely failed."

All the survivors participating in the advance operation are outstanding people who have reached the pinnacle of control over their own bodies, and they would notice any abnormalities as soon as they appear.

For those like Shu Xingwen, whose abilities relied heavily on mental power, the effect was even more pronounced, it was like someone who depended on breathing suddenly had their senses cut off. Their field of vision instantly narrowed, making the experience all the more profound.

"Though 'failed' might not be the right word. I could still sense my abilities and my body retained the traces of spiritual training and enhancement, but it was as if they were separated by a thick membrane making it impossible to access. So I think the central court’s weird domain doesn’t strip us of our powers but suppresses them."

With such a vast range, such intensity, and such a pronounced effect, it could only be an weird domain.

"And that's not all. The question-mark-level weird domain of the Central Court even restricts the transmission of messages. We couldn’t access the forum inside, and our wrist terminals had no signal whatsoever."

"Right. We tested it and confirmed that as soon as you pass through the archway, these two rules are immediately enforced."

Such harsh weird domain rules made Joshua's expression darken and also surprise. "Are you sure it is absolute suppression? If it's a rule of absolute suppression, then even the owner of the weird domain would likely not be spared..."

Although they had completed countless instances and encountered all kinds of weird domains, truth be told, very few had such strict rules. Even in their last question mark-level mission, the old dean of Taikang Yongle Hospital had only imposed the rule of not attacking NPCs and even publicly announced it, ensuring the rule’s flexibility.

The nature of rules was that fairness required balance. For the master of a weird domain, a rule that stripped all survivors of their powers and reduced them to ordinary people was hardly beneficial.

Besides, the weirds weren’t stupid, if they could impose selective suppression, why weaken everyone indiscriminately?

"You guessed right... Indeed, because we saw the rules publicly inscribed on the archway."

Carved into the pristine marble were several lines of golden runes:

[The judge holds the scales of justice]

[All who enter this gate shall be equal]

[The guilty shall not advance an inch, while the innocent shall pass freely]

"Although this weird domain is powerful, strangely enough, we didn't sense any hostility from it."

Using the lighter offered by the priest, Madame Spider finally joined the conversation after successfully lighting her long-stemmed pipe.

"Moreover, there aren't even any area restrictions. After passing through the archway, we could turn around and leave. Normal entry and exit were permitted without any interference, it was strange."

Until now, all weird domains encountered by survivors had possessed a 'enclosed' characteristic. Since these were essentially hunting grounds for the weird, the cage door needed to be sealed tight to prevent prey from escaping.

If this were an ordinary mission, such openness would significantly increase survival rates. But ironically, this open-type weird domain belonged to a mandatory ?-level mission, forcing everyone to press forward despite their fears.

"It wasn't until we actually entered the central court that we understood the true meaning of the runes carved on that archway."

Beyond the arch stretched a long staircase, each step inscribed with golden characters. At the summit stood the courtroom, to reach it the survivors had to ascend these steps surrounded by fog.

Joshua looked puzzled: "Don't tell me, during those ten hours when the entire team lost contact with the outside world... you were all just climbing stairs?"

There was only silence.

The advantage of talking with brain types was that sometimes you didn't even need to finish your sentence, they'd already guessed the rest.

But that wasn't the main point!

"What matters isn't that. What matters is that as we ascended, we heard a solemn voice."

"The voice declared: 'Outsiders of Guiyi City, you have come illegally without permission to enter the city, and you are trespassing. The Central Court hereby charges you all. The Court prohibits violence, prohibits cheating, and all shall be judged by their sin value with absolute fairness. For this reason, the Court initiates supreme judgment procedures. "

"Ascend the 333 steps that interrogate your hearts to enter the Courtroom for impartial judgment. As long as there is a pure and innocent person among you, you can get permission and the right to move freely in the city, if there is not one, it means that your existence will endanger the safety of Guiyi City, and the court will impose judgment and banish all outsiders. The time limit is seven days."

Every survivor who entered heard this voice. It essentially explained the mission's objectives, outcomes, and process. Although the content itself was... difficult to describe.

"What exactly are these 'steps that interrogate your hearts'?"

Many survivors grew curious about these steps and immediately tried ascending them.

They soon understood the moment they began.

There is a line of words engraved on each step, and you need to make a choice every time you go up a step.

For example, one step asked: "Do you accept yourself?"

Choosing "accept" allowed ascent; refusal meant being unable to move forward.

"These choices didn't require verbal answers, it measured the survivor's true state, like lie detectors. The higher you go, the more you need to agree from the heart. As long as there is a little hesitation or pretenses, you can't move forward."

In the first group, most survivors reached around the hundredth step.

After over a hundred steps, the difficulty of the staircase increased exponentially.

The questions became sharper, such as: "Would you sacrifice yourself for the collective good?"

This question alone eliminated ninety percent of the survivors.

Later questions included: "Have you ever killed a resident of Guiyi City?"

Many S-level survivors stumbled here, as most didn’t consider NPCs human when completing missions.

"Hmm... I roughly understand now." Joshua nodded. "To summarize, the judge of the court has recognized that we are outsiders, not locals, and has initiated a screening and protection protocol. If we pass, some mission restrictions might be relaxed. If we fail... the worst-case scenario is the permanent closure of the ultimate dungeon, which will cut off any chance to return to the real world."

Everyone present was a high-ranking S-level, all within the top ten of the leaderboard, so they fully grasped the stakes.

"Combining this with the intel gathered from other missions in Guiyi City, it’s clear that the Central Court represents absolute fairness, even toward the city’s residents. As for us, the entire first wave of survivors who entered this mission, though we failed to pass the staircase, none of us suffered any harm. This suggests the mission’s sole advantage is its safety, no one will die."

"You are right," Shu Xingwen agreed. "Based on the content on the archway, we believe only those with genuine goodness can ascend these steps and enter the court."

Having experienced the Central Court’s harsh rules firsthand, they knew this ?-level mission was simple yet difficult. If a survivor team had a truly pure-hearted saint, it would be a free pass. 

But without such a person, no amount of brainstorming would prevent them from being sent back.

So after their first failed attempt, they all independently thought of the one person who embodied moral perfection throughout the Infinite Space, the Patriarch of the Temple, the 1st-ranked survivor.

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Author's Note:

Joshua: Really? You let me go???