Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 603 Bastion Castle (5)

"No available friendly nodes found."

"Some features are unavailable."

Standing in front of the drawbridge, Han Zu first used the contractor's equipment to perform a scan. Something was indeed strange about the area surrounding Bastionburg. The contractor's equipment failed to detect any other nearby contractor nodes. Without their assistance, some of the equipment's functions were unusable. Long-distance communications between contractor devices required encryption and transmission through the nodes, so Han Zu was unable to contact anyone for the time being. This was a good thing, however; he hadn't planned to call for help on this operation.

"Transmission function is limited, requiring additional energy."

"Scanning system limited, unidentified energy interference."

"Threat assessment systems are limited and disrupted."

"Unable to establish temporary anchor coordinates."

The teleportation function was still usable, but due to interference from an unknown energy source, Han Zu needed to provide the energy himself. He wasn't worried about this, as he had plenty of it. He'd tried it, and while the energy within Bastionburg was a bit erratic, he was still able to absorb it through energy conversion, so that wasn't a problem. However, due to these erratic energy reactions, the device's scanning pulses weren't able to properly analyze the surroundings, significantly reducing their range and accuracy. Without accurate scanning of the surrounding environment, the threat assessment system couldn't issue a timely alert, which was a concern for Han Zu.

But Han Zu soon felt relieved. After all, before he came into contact with the contractors, he had survived without these things.

What Han Zu regretted most was that, due to severe interference, the contractor's equipment was unable to establish a temporary teleportation anchor point within Bastinburg. This meant that he could only teleport out of Bastinburg, but not back. If he wanted to return to Bastinburg, his only option was to seek Christina's help again. This feeling of being slightly controlled was indeed uncomfortable, even though Christina had become an ally.

"Okay, we can leave anytime anyway, there's no point in thinking too much."

Shaking his head, Han Zu temporarily cast aside his doubts and began to carefully observe his surroundings. The contractor's equipment's scanning function was currently ineffective, so Han Zu had to use the most basic methods to explore the surroundings. However, before officially commencing his investigation, Han Zu checked his own condition. The pollution aura was functioning normally, and his energy was sufficient and in good condition. After confirming these, Han Zu officially began his investigation.

Although he was standing near Bastinburg's suspension bridge, Han Zu didn't rush in. Instead, he moved in the opposite direction, into the woods outside Bastinburg. Through his perception of energy, Han Zu didn't feel any sense of being enveloped by any energy. This proved that Bastinburg wasn't encased in some dimension, but existed somewhere else, not on Earth.

"The teleportation function is limited and cannot be used."

However, as Han Zu continued deeper into the woods, stopping near a large cave, the contractor's equipment alerted him that the teleportation function had experienced a problem and was temporarily unavailable. According to the data recorded above, the reason for the unavailability of teleportation was that Han Zu had left the maximum coverage range of the contractor's teleportation anchor. Han Zu frowned, paused, and after a brief moment of reflection, he retraced his steps, gradually approaching the area surrounding Bastion Castle. Once he could see the outline of Bastion Castle with his normal gaze, without using his own vision, the contractor's equipment's teleportation function returned to its previous state.

"Transmission function is limited, requiring additional energy."

Han Zu circled Bastinburg several times, and after several attempts, he confirmed his suspicions. When he and Christina arrived at Bastinburg, they were at the extreme northwest corner of the city, near one of the suspension bridges. The first time he left Bastinburg, he continued toward the northwest corner. From this point, the further he traveled from Bastinburg, the more severely the transmission function of the contractor's equipment was restricted. By the time he reached the cave where he had previously stopped, the transmission function had completely failed. As he moved eastward, the interference with the contractor's equipment gradually eased. Han Zu confirmed that by the time he reached ten kilometers east of Bastinburg, the transmission function of the contractor's equipment had essentially returned to normal, requiring no additional energy from him to operate. Furthermore, the further east he traveled, the less interference the contractor's equipment experienced, and its functions gradually returned to normal.

The existence of this situation gave Han Zu a rough idea of ​​action, or to say, how to leave here after the investigation was completed. He planned to start the investigation from the west side of Bastienburg, then the outskirts of Bastienburg, and then enter Bastienburg. After all the investigations were completed, he would go to the east side of Bastienburg and leave from there.

After confirming the route of action, Han Zu returned to the location where he had just arrived at Bastinburg, and once again headed west, returning to the previous cave location.

"The scanning module is restricted and cannot be used."

Although the scan was not working, Han Zu did not stop and walked straight into the cave. The cave was not big, but there were signs of water erosion and collapse. A few meters away from the cave entrance, there was a hole in the top of the wall above. There were some broken stone fragments on the ground opposite the hole. Han Zu picked up one of them and took a look. Although it was severely damaged and the text on it became very blurred due to the passage of time, judging from its shape and workmanship, it should have been a tombstone.

Han Zu took a closer look. He found that this cave was not artificially dug, but a natural cave formed by the depression of the ground caused by the movement of the earth's crust and the erosion of groundwater and rainwater. However, the faint traces left above the cave showed signs of excavation. Based on these clues, Han Zu was able to analyze that this place should have been a tomb, but after it collapsed due to environmental reasons, it became a cave after mudslides and landslides.

The cave wasn't large, just a few meters square. Due to the terrain, it sloped downward, which was why Han Zu, despite being over two meters tall, was able to stand inside. The depths of the cave were very low, about four or five meters from the ground. The last meter was flooded by groundwater, which was cold but clear, unpolluted.

There were two sarcophagi in the cave. One, though slightly tilted, was otherwise intact, mostly covered by mud. The other sarcophagus was less fortunate, having fallen from the collapsed tomb above and toppled over, its lid shattered into pieces, sticking randomly into the nearby mud. Fortunately, the remains within hadn't been ejected from the overturned sarcophagus, but the funerary objects had tumbled to the ground. Some, buried by the mud, remained relatively intact, while some scrolls were exposed near the opening above the cavern, severely corroded. Nothing remained except the metal lintels on either side, and even those were heavily oxidized and rusted.

The bones inside were relatively well-preserved, but the clothing had rotted into shreds and strips, making it difficult to discern the pattern. Based on my own observations, the bones in the sarcophagus were likely normal human skeletons. Considering that Bastinburg was discovered long ago by the first generation of the Ferdinand family, or even earlier, it made sense that there were human burial sites and remains there.

"boom."

With a little effort, Han Zu put the overturned sarcophagus back to the ground, which was considered a small favor for the dead man. Judging from the appearance of the coffin, it was a very ancient thing. According to the history lesson about the Ferdinand family that Christina had taught him before, if this coffin was really related to them, then the person in the coffin was at least the second generation of the Ferdinand family. At that time, the Ferdinand family had not become what it is now, so Han Zu would not have a grudge against them. What's more, this guy had been dead for at least a thousand years and posed no threat at all.

Approaching the intact sarcophagus, Han Zu grasped the edge of the lid and pushed it open, revealing the bones within. Enshrouded by Han Zu's tainted aura, the bones within the sealed sarcophagus hadn't rapidly oxidized after being opened (the tainted aura could be considered an upgraded bio-force field). Han Zu spotted a relatively ornately dressed corpse. Judging by the clothing and burial objects, it was likely a woman.

The corpse held a box. Upon opening it, it revealed an ancient book with animal hide covers, bound with silk thread made from animal entrails, and pages of vellum. Written in an ancient European script, it was inscribed. Han Zu used the contractor's equipment to translate it. It was essentially a woman's diary. The contents consisted of family matters and romantic adventures from a young age, not much to learn. However, the signature confirmed that if the diary belonged to the corpse holding it, then it must be a daughter of the second generation of the Ferdinand family, a wealthy family. The severely damaged sarcophagus contained the remains of her concubine.

"It's quite a lot of fun."

Since there was nothing nutritious, Han Zu planned to leave this place and return to the vicinity of Bastinburg. However, before leaving, he satisfied his own evil taste. He stuffed another corpse into the sarcophagus and closed the lid.

"Go on and play, no one will disturb you now."

With a fierce punch to the rock wall, Han Zu destroyed the structural stability of the cave, causing it to collapse completely. He then broke off a nearby tree, used it as a roller to flatten the collapsed soil, and then re-inserted the tree on top. After doing all this, Han Zu left the place and returned to the area of ​​Bastinburg.

Han Zu observed Bastinburg, dividing it into several sections. First, the main structure of Bastinburg, located in the center. A drawbridge led to the outer perimeter. Next, to the east, lay a large, cultivated field with numerous separate areas, each planted with a different crop. Han Zu had seen several of these crops in the secret laboratory, and they were used as raw materials for extract production. While Han Zu didn't recognize the others, he likely had some connection to them. After his investigation, Han Zu planned to burn the crop field to ashes.

Near the crop fields, Han Zu spotted the tower Christina had described, but it was slightly different from what Christina had described. The top floor appeared damaged, with a half-meter-wide hole visible, as if pierced by something. Using his powerful vision, Han Zu could also see that the rooms inside were in shambles, severely damaged, and covered in dried blood on the floor and walls. It was likely that the Ferdinand family members who had taken refuge there had been attacked, or perhaps something had gone wrong. He could take a look, but it wasn't a crucial part of the itinerary and was unnecessary.

Near him was a maze-like roofless stone building with many strange creatures in it. They should be the ones raised by the Ferdinand family, and they were also used as raw materials for producing extracts. In one of the areas, Han Zu saw the strange transparent creatures described by Christina. They were now clinging to each other, quietly staying on some man-made shelves, as if they were resting. Han Zu picked up a stone from the ground, controlled the strength and threw it over, hitting one of them, but the thing only moved twice and did not make any other movements. It seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Han Zu couldn't see the situation on the other side from this position. Not to mention that his perspective couldn't see that far. Even if he could, there was an entire castle in between, and there was no telling what might be beyond his reach. Han Zu thought for a moment. He could deal with the crop fields, the livestock area, and the tower after he left Bastinburg. There was no rush.

After stretching his muscles, Han Zu left the edge of the woods and returned to the suspension bridge. Stepping onto it, he peered into the wide moat. He could see ferocious carnivorous fish, a number of oddly colored crocodiles, and some broken bone fragments, likely left behind by those unlucky enough to have fallen into the moat. Furthermore, the water was incredibly clear, allowing him to see directly to the bottom, which was somewhat surprising to Han Zu.

Continuing to observe, Han Zu saw several drainage outlets blocked by iron railings at several locations at the bottom of the moat. It seemed that one could enter the interior of Bastinburg from those locations. Han Zu wrote down their locations, which might be useful later.

After looking around and confirming that there were no more clues, Han Zu walked across the drawbridge, entered the city gate of Bastinburg, and began to investigate the situation inside.