Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 607 Bastion Castle

After dealing with those unlucky guys who came back to life, Han Zu searched the armory. The good news was that he found a staircase blocked by a collapsed wall. The bad news was that the things in the armory were indeed rotten and unusable, and he found nothing.

Based on what they had just seen, the centaur seemed to have emerged from somewhere underground. There also seemed to be a staircase leading down there. Strangely, torches were hung on either side of the staircase's doorway. The flames were a strange red, and there were torches of the same shape and color on the staircase's doorway that Han Zu had just found. But according to the Han clan, these torches were nothing special.

"Maybe the colors of these torches represent some meaning..."

Based on what he had just witnessed, Bastion Fortress seemed to encompass more than just the surface level. The monsters rising from below appeared far more formidable than the skeletons on this level. Common sense dictated that the greater the number and quality of enemies in a location, the greater the rewards. Combined with the intelligence he had previously heard from Christina regarding Bastion Fortress, Han Zu hesitated, wondering whether he should continue exploring all of the surface areas. After all, he considered that heading down to the lower levels might allow him to uncover Bastion Fortress's secrets sooner.

But since he was already there, Han Zu didn't immediately descend the stairs he had found. Instead, he continued to explore the ground floor of Bastion Castle. After several hours of exploration, Han Zu had a rough idea of ​​the buildings on the ground floor. Based on these clues, he hand-drew a rough topographic map of the area using the temporarily restricted contractor equipment.

Based on my observations of the outer area of ​​Bastinburg while mapping the area, I can imagine that Bastinburg must have been quite prosperous. All the buildings expected of a medieval city are found in the outer areas of Bastinburg. Furthermore, beyond the various areas surrounding the central Bastinburg castle, there are also numerous residences, or at least their remains, ranging from luxurious mansions to ordinary dwellings. Based on the number and size of these residences, a rough calculation suggests that the city centered around Bastinburg had a population of at least 10,000. This number may not seem high today, but in the Middle Ages, a population of nearly 10,000 would have been considered a major city.

But based on his previous conversation with Christina, Han Zu could probably guess that Bastinburg's prosperity was closely linked to the Ferdinand family. After all, according to her, before Bastinburg was discovered by the Ferdinand family, there was only a ruined castle here. The original owner and residents had long since disappeared. Even the surrounding trees were planted by the Ferdinand family after they occupied Bastinburg. The area was originally a bare plain.

But now, the once prosperous medieval castle is practically a ruin. Aside from some modern renovations in the main structure, the Ferdinand family likely neglected the rest of the castle, or perhaps failed to maintain it. The place has long been devoid of life. Besides the skeletons strewn across the ground, it's also teeming with monsters: strange, transparent creatures, enormous bats and centipedes, living armor, gargoyles, and even, on the long bridge beneath the tower to the right of Fort Bastine, Han Zu spotted an elemental creature composed entirely of stone, hurling rocks at another group of Ferdinand researchers. These rocks, as big as cars, appeared out of thin air and were hurled like cannonballs, capable of crushing a person to dust with a single strike. But, remarkably, these massive rocks barely left a dent on the city wall.

After those unfortunate creatures perished, Han Zu also attempted to engage various monsters. While they certainly couldn't inflict any damage on Han Zu, despite his formidable physique, they were able to send him flying. For example, the elemental creature spun Han Zu around, sending him flying from the tower, crashing into a wall within the castle's main structure before landing on a balcony within a room. This was a good thing, saving Han Zu the effort of moving. There were so many monsters below, and even if he didn't get hurt, it would probably take him from now until tomorrow morning to deal with them all. After all, the sun was already setting, so saving some time was a plus.

The rest of the castle's outer ground floor had been largely searched. Finding nothing useful, Han Zu began to suspect that perhaps the Ferdinand family hadn't left any clues. Or perhaps they had already been taken. Judging from the possessions of the previously eliminated research teams, the Ferdinand family, or rather Sebastian, was indeed dispatching personnel specifically to recover information, intelligence, and important items. If this was the case, then it would be difficult for him to find anything useful outside the castle.

Having been flung away by the elemental creature and accidentally entered Bastinburg, Han Zu decided not to descend again for now. It was a good time to begin searching the main structure of the castle. Han Zu had intended to climb in from the balcony and survey his surroundings, but as soon as one foot cleared the window frame, he saw a number of sentries from the Ferdinand family in the room. The situation was so sudden that neither side reacted, staring at each other in a daze for a moment. Han Zu had stumbled into a safe room filled with at least thirty sentries and a dozen researchers.

"Who are you..?"

"Yes, I am."

"what?"

"Keep working, this is just a minor incident."

A sentry closest to the window asked about Han Zu's origins in confusion, but was fooled by Han Zu's tough tone. He seemed inexperienced and did not immediately realize that something was wrong.

Han Zu's matter-of-fact tone and attitude also made the other more experienced sentries wonder. Just as they were wondering about the identity of the guy who came in through the window, Han Zu had already quickly passed through the crowd and slipped out of the room while everyone was confused and had not yet reacted.

"..No!!! Catch him back!! He is not one of ours!!!"

When the sentries finally reacted, except for some sentries who stayed behind to protect the researchers, everyone else rushed out. However, they reacted too slowly. By the time they rushed out of the room, Han Zu's figure had already disappeared in the maze-like corridors of the castle.