When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 907: Chapter 277 “The Weight of Knowledge

Leipzig, the City of Knowledge, Heiburg district.

Long, long ago, before Leipzig was known as the “City of Knowledge,” it was a military port fortress of the Helasal Empire.

For the Helasal Empire, there were no enemies to speak of to the south. Instead, it was the north—whether Elves, Giants, or Dwarves—they were all enemies to be vigilant against.

Thus, the style of this port was completely different from that of Glass Island.

Gone were the laborers and cranes coming and going to unload cargo, and the low-lying warehouses soaked with the smell of fish, with peeling walls and rusted locks.

In their place were pitch-black, ice-cold iron and stone fortresses, surveillance towers and patrol cannons everywhere—grim and terrifying cannons densely lined the ramparts. One could also see a special kind of grappling hook launcher…

“What is that?”

Aleister asked casually while standing on the deck.

Captain Elvan, who was beside her, immediately answered, “That was once used to capture and control Dragons.”

“…The Stibnites fought Dragons as well?”

“Perhaps they have, but that’s not important.”

The half-Lizardfolk captain with a ferocious look answered with a smile, “The key is to make people believe they are protected—look, our powerful port is even prepared to fight Dragons! How majestic, haha!”

Hearing the captain’s words, the other sailors also laughed.

According to Holy Nation’s rules, ferries making dedicated trips between the Holy Nation and Star Antimony could not possibly have Stibnite locals aboard.

This was to prevent both active and passive smuggling… After all, just carrying goods from the Holy Nation and dropping them off at home, taking a little rest, could also be considered a form of smuggling.

Due to the confusion surrounding such conduct, local efforts to investigate smuggling activities would face a lot of obfuscation and resistance. The Holy Nation could easily be saddled with all sorts of blame, so they took a blanket approach.

Hearing this kind of Stibnite joke, naturally, the sailors felt no resistance.

“The first time I took this route was probably eighty or ninety years ago,” the second officer here was an Elf, he said jokingly, “those grappling hooks were already in place back then. Over the years, I’ve never heard of any Dragon attacking Leipzig… I suspect these hooks have never been fired, and the machinery inside must have rusted.”

“Yep, after all, it’s by the sea!”

Someone said with a laugh. This was followed by a burst of laughter.

Their ramshackle ship simply stopped at the gate, waiting for quite a while before the gate finally began to slowly open.

“…Eh?”

Selene was somewhat curious, “Aren’t they going to question us? Then, what are we waiting here for?”

“The inspection is already complete, Miss.”

Captain Elvan had clearly answered this question more than once, “As foreign ships are about to enter the port, they are observed by the Eye Demons inside the port with Perspective Eye.

“There are a total of two Eye Demons. Once both Eye Demons confirm there are no lurking ambushers on the ship, no bombs or dangerous ritual items placed, the captain and sailors are not controlled or threatened, and there are no special remnants of extraordinary power on them—such as Path of Love or mind-bewitching abilities, they will notify their masters to open the gates.

“Only when both Eye Demons confirm that the gates are open will the gates begin to lift; only when both gates are confirmed to be lowered, will they be brought down…”

Captain Elvan spoke as the massive and heavy obsidian gate began to groan and slowly lift, with the stored ocean current rushing out from within. A brand new and magnificent world, like a painting scroll being unfurled, gradually opened up before their eyes.

“It sounds… quite troublesome.”

She squinted her eyes slightly and looked up at the heavy obsidian gate: “Isn’t there a high volume of traffic here?”

This thick obsidian gate was over ten meters thick. Rather than a thin door, it was more like an ink slab standing on the water. If it were to open once, it would probably consume a lot of energy, and would also wear on the lifespan of the device itself.

“Only large ships pass through here, Miss Crowley.”

The ugly and fierce Captain Elvan was now standing by Aleister’s side like a lapdog.

Aleister had casually thrown out a topic, and he immediately eagerly caught it: “Those small boats go through another, smaller gate— but essentially, they’re the same, all solid, big black columns.”

“A show of force, huh.”

Aleister narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

“That’s right, praise your Wisdom.”

Captain Elvan flattered: “With just such a display, people would feel fear… and it’s also seen as ‘oppressing the atmosphere, not the individual.’ You can’t get in trouble with them.

“Because it’s not about causing trouble for a particular person, nor is it about following some irritating procedures by the book—it’s just a matter of entering a gate. This gate stands here, everyone passes through here, surely there won’t be any problems.

“But in reality, if the sentries at the port think something is amiss, they can drop the gate at any time… in a sense, it’s like entrusting one’s life to someone else. After crossing such a checkpoint, one will inevitably hold some awe for Leipzig.”

Captain Elvan said, and the rickety old ship wobbled through the fully lifted gate.

This thing was suspended high above, bringing a strong sense of fear—especially when foreign ships sail in from the bright seas and suddenly plunge into the pitch-black and quiet realm, due to the sudden improvement in soundproofing.

Such a heavy chunk of solid obsidian, if it were to fall suddenly, would crush the ships below like a pestle and mortar.

The passengers inside would likely find themselves in no better shape than hamburger meat.

This silent oppression caused the travelers in the cabin to fall into Silence.

Aleister felt Selene suddenly grab her arm, her breathing becoming heavy. Turning her head back, she saw Selene’s pupils had transformed into horizontal slits.

When engulfed by complete Darkness, Captain Elvan’s crooked smiling mouth seemed even more terrifying.

“—This gate is called the ‘Weight of Knowledge’ by Count Leipzig.”

“It does sound quite heavy, so heavy that one couldn’t bear it for a lifetime.”

Aleister’s voice echoed faintly.

“Hahaha, you got it!”

The captain’s cheerful voice rang out, his pupils reflecting a dark golden Light in the pitch-black environment, while Aleister’s eyes also lit up with a faint red glow.

“So it actually has another name…

“—We usually call it, the Guillotine of the Arrogant.”

As the ship sailed through the Darkness for a long time, the heavy stone gate suddenly plunged down with a whoosh, smashing heavily on the riverbed and stirring up a wave.

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