Superhumans of the Dome City-Chapter 1374 - 2: Divine Capital of the Imperial City
The Divine Capital is the capital of the Yong Guang Empire and also the first "city" in the history of the Empire. It began construction in Year 10 of the Yong Guang Calendar and was completed in Year 13, celebrating the great achievements of Emperor Central Spirit in uniting all the people and expanding territories. From the initial plan two thousand years ago, one can already see the outline of the capital today: the imperial palace is located in the center of the city, with a perfect circular area reserved around it for the court to plan various buildings, where courtiers are settled. Princes and ministers gather in the city to establish the hub of the world, hence the name "Tianshu". Tianshu is surrounded by districts built in four directions, named after four divine spirits: East Martial, South Hui, West Zhou, North Fan, collectively referred to as the "Four Peaceful Districts", symbolizing peace and everlasting tranquility.
"I heard that the Divine Capital City looked squared like this two thousand years ago, but I don’t know if it’s true." Shiyu Ling flipped through the map of the Divine Capital.
"It’s true. Grandpa said the plan for the capital was personally made by Emperor Central Spirit, and despite countless expansions and modifications over the two thousand years, the inner circle and outer square layout didn’t need any alteration." Qin Qianbai said.
"Really impressive~" Shiyu Ling whistled, "It’s like having foresight; maybe Emperor Central Spirit saw today two thousand years ago."
"It’s possible; after all, he’s an emperor."
At the end of the year, the night wind is chilly. The girls, wearing hunter coats and green martial attire, stood on the high rooftop of Yiji Hall, watching the pedestrians coming and going under the night sky of the Divine Capital. Compared to the Four Peaceful Districts, Tianshu District is naturally located on higher ground, offering a nearly complete view of the city. The lights of civilian life shimmer from countless buildings, with traffic bustling in the streets and alleys. The glow stretches like blood along the orderly horizontal and vertical roads, maintaining the city’s two-thousand-year glory.
"Achoo!" Qiluo tightened her coat. Not long ago, they were adjusting the climate under the artificial sky of Cangdu, and the northern empire’s night wind made her uncomfortable.
She muttered softly, "Since the capital is in crisis, stop posing on the rooftop, ladies. Hurry down and do some real work, will you?"
"The gray demon head has done all the urgent stuff, what else do you expect us to do? Go inside to receive admiration and hear exclamations from everyone?" Shiyu Ling said lazily, "Wow, this one is the Illusion Moon Venerate! Wow, this one is the Jade-faced Rashamon! Wow, this one... Don’t seem to know, but she looks like a big-breasted female hacker..."
"I’m going to bite you!" Qiluo bared her teeth and claws. Shiyu Ling pressed her head down to keep her flowery punches at bay: "Little pet, go play elsewhere. Don’t disturb the big sister who’s watching the celestial phenomena. The empire’s issues are complex and won’t be solved in a couple of days."
Qiluo looked up at the sky upon hearing this. The official disguising tactics didn’t work on her; the overlapping moons appeared clearly in her sight, sending a chill she couldn’t describe. It felt like two similar worlds were merging together, but which was illusion and which was reality remained unknown.
Qin Qianbai was also watching the moon; she momentarily felt a call from within her blood, as if someone was urging her to do something, stirring a ripple in her otherwise peaceful mindset.
Suddenly, she crouched down and flew lightly like a bird off the eaves. At the main gate of Yiji Hall’s main hall, Gongsun Ce and Liu Zhongwu walked out side by side. Qin Qianbai landed first and greeted, "Hello, Uncle Liu."
"You all rushed here to help the capital in such a big way tonight; Uncle Liu doesn’t deserve your courtesy." Liu Zhongwu replied cheerfully, returning the greeting to the other two, "Also, thank you both for your assistance. I’m wondering about Dawn Knight and His Highness...?"
"Chi Zijing said he wanted to go to the palace first, so I asked Alandia to stay behind for now. Before I left, I saw the incarnation of the Desolate Form King, worrying Cangdu might change, we must stay vigilant." Gongsun Ce said.
Liu Zhongwu’s face shifted slightly: "King Pingdeng?! No wonder... Well, with this, the plan needs to be revised first. Please follow me, and we can talk as we walk."
Gongsun Ce thought the name King Pingdeng really matched Mr. Lan’s bad temper. He suppressed his curiosity for details and followed Liu Zhongwu quickly ahead.
Liu Zhongwu had served as "Director" in the capital for three years, and from the start of the year to now, he had been involved in most major plans, but he wasn’t very familiar with Gongsun Ce. Gongsun Ce met this director only a few times, during which Liu Director struck him as quite like the kingdom’s Gafri, outwardly friendly and reserved, but with deep veins and a mature character. In Yan Qi’s sparse compliments, Liu Zhongwu was "a trustworthy person," which was enough for Gongsun Ce to set his bearings.
"The empire’s current issues are mainly three, the exact reasons remain unclear. The most urgent is the instability of the global real world; Dragon Disaster will enter a frequent phase from tonight, preventing the Dragon Disaster is imperative; secondly, the Fan Ding Realm is abnormally active nationwide, opening Grotto Heaven indiscriminately, threatening civilian stability; lastly, the empire’s martial contest will occur, drawing a large gathering of Heavenly Return Skill practitioners in the Divine Capital, including some opportunistic troublemakers needing prompt handling..."
Having explained the situation clearly in a few words, Liu Zhongwu turned smilingly to Gongsun Ce: "Mr. Gongsun, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask."
Gongsun Ce adjusted his glasses: "Mr. Liu is an elder, you don’t have to address me as Mr., please call me by name. I have two questions. Firstly, the empire’s chaos is clearly not an emergency that erupted overnight; why was it kept secret until today when the situation became urgent for contact?"
