Chapter 164: The Cellar
The Bell Tower, made entirely of massive white stone bricks, rises about four to five meters above the main building. Perched atop is a large black bell, which has seen better days—seemingly mismatched and ancient, it looks like it time-traveled from a totally different era.
Its location is discreetly tucked away in a corner of Cataloma. If you’re not actively searching for it, you might just miss it entirely, thanks to the main building blocking it from view. I only noticed it now, standing on the rooftop, when it jumped out at me like an awkward uncle at a family reunion.
Like a decrepit old man standing alone in the night.
Hmm… Seems unlikely, but let’s check it out anyway.
I mean, I’m already here, so why not take a peek?
I crouched slightly, dashed forward, and then leaped off the side of the main building, slicing through the wind straight toward the bell tower. I landed smoothly next to the bell—like a perfect landing, only with more dramatic flair.
A light breeze swirled under my feet, sending little dust clouds into the air.
I smoothed down my billowing black skirt and looked around. Behind the bell, I spotted a winding spiral staircase heading downward—it was clearly the entrance to the tower’s interior. I wasted no time and hurried down, entering the Bell Tower in just a few steps.
The inside was pitch dark, not a flicker of firelight in sight.
The staircase spiraled tightly against the inner wall, leading deeper down, but there were no railings or handholds. It was steep and narrow, and some stones felt as unstable as my motivation to do chores, threatening to give way at any second. Normal folks probably needed a torch just to see their own feet; it felt incredibly dangerous.
Clunk, clunk, clunk…
My sturdy boots were making a ruckus on the stones, echoing ominously in my ears.
An unpleasant odor wafted into my nose, making me grimace as I sniffed…
“Yuck.”
It was nauseating, like something had decided to host a decay party.
In this moment, I really loathed my superhuman sense of smell; I pinched my nose tight and carefully stepped onto the creaky wooden floor of the Bell Tower—
Creeeak!
The noise was enough to give me a mini heart attack.
What kind of dump is this? The boards looked like they had gone through a zombie apocalypse, layered with ancient filth, making everything slippery and downright disgusting! Physically uncomfortable, for sure.
And I had Captain Gray on my back! Would this floor even hold our combined weight? Please don’t let me fall through…
While I might survive the fall, the embarrassment would be next level!
Creeeak… Creeeak…
With my heart in my throat, I tiptoed forward, avoiding the clutter of boxes piled carelessly nearby. I definitely was not going to check them out; I wouldn’t even touch them with a ten-foot pole!
Why did I even come to this place…
Feeling a mix of disgust and determination, things only got slightly better when I stepped down onto more stone steps leading further down.
Descending to the next level, I found it remarkably unchanged—still all rotten wood… this place was a total bust.
The foul smell intensified.
Doubt began to creep in… but then I remembered I’d come this far; turning back now would just be embarrassing… I stood for a moment, pondering, before finally deciding to press on.
I could always escape through the first-floor entrance.
With that thought in mind, I picked up my pace—down one level… then another.
The odor grew stronger.
Thud… thud…
At some unclear point, I began to hear a strange thudding sound, almost like something was bumping against a wall. After realizing what it was, I promptly halted, tilting my head in confusion, heavily frowning as I listened intently.
…Thud… thud thud… thud!
The noise varied in intensity, almost like someone was repeatedly banging their head against a wall, taking breaks between hits.
Was someone down there?
…But why would anyone hang out in this dump at this hour? This was getting weird; I had to check it out.
I quickened my steps.
…Thud.
Thud thud!
As I neared the tower’s base, that weird sound became clearer—though really, it was still pretty faint. If I were an average person, I wouldn’t even register it.
It was making this all even more bizarre.
I zipped down the spiral staircase, but the sounds still echoed from below… always from below. Until I reached the bottom of the stairs, where it went right on.
But the ground was solid now, no way down.
I was seriously puzzled. I stealthily crept out of the tower, and just two steps outside, the sound completely vanished. But when I tiptoed back inside, the thudding resumed… it was definitely coming from underneath me—there was no way I was wrong.
Realizing something was off, I began to inspect my surroundings more intently.
All I saw were wooden boards, stones, and piles of junk crammed into every corner. Over to the right, some big bundles of firewood were stacked, leaving little room for anything else.
But, clever as I am, I quickly spotted something different in one corner across the archway.
This side was also cluttered with junk, but it was mostly light wooden strips, with a large board resting on them that unmistakably showed signs of human interference.
Was this… a cellar?
I carefully navigated through the trash, pushing aside some wooden strips on top, and upon closer inspection, I found a rusty iron latch nailed to the heavy board beneath, subtly glimmering in the dim light.
…Eureka!
I rolled up my skirt sleeves, grabbed the latch, and heaved the large board up, revealing a pitch-black hole nearly a meter wide, with a ladder standing at the opening.
…Definitely a cellar.
The weird noises were coming from here… Let’s go!
I tightened my grip on Captain Gray’s weight on my back and crouched down, poking my feet into the hole first, descending a few rungs of the ladder before lifting the board over my head—light was totally gone; I couldn’t see a thing.
But on the bright side, I was now hidden from prying eyes.
In the dark, a faint blue glow flickered to life.
Click, click, click—
In the next instant, seven or eight fist-sized ice balls, glowing with a soft blue light, swirled around me, outlining the nearby objects.
Not super bright, but enough for me to make out my surroundings.
What can I say? I’m not a Flame Order; I had to make do.
I clambered down the ladder.
The earthen floor beneath felt soft and mushy, with the foul air hitting my nostrils like a brick wall.
…So dirty.
It was filthy down here. Through the faint glow, I could clearly see countless specks of dust swirling in the air.
“Ugh… cough cough.”
I quickly covered my mouth and nose, then raised my eyes to survey the surroundings.
The cellar, made of blue bricks, felt rather eerie and empty.
Aside from a dusty little table shoved in the corner and a few equally grimy little stools, there was nothing else around.
…So there really is nothing here?
Wait, where’s that sound coming from?
I perked up my ears for a moment, and soon enough—
Thud… thud, thud.
Just as I suspected, the thudding was back. This time I could hear it quite clearly—it seemed to be coming from… behind the wall to my right.
I paused for two seconds, suddenly realizing: there’s something on the other side of that wall.
