Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"Yeah, one day and a half," Rain said after he relaxed a bit, even though he only needed three hours to pass those zones.

"Anyway, we all here did the same, and since then, we have been living here," The bear-looking guy said. "If you want to know more, look for a tavern. There are guys who sell information there."

"Wait, what is this place?" Rain asked when the guy turned around to leave.

"Isn't it obvious? It is a prison," The bear-looking guy said and then left.

That didn't look like a prison at all… in any case, Rain could only assume that all the people around were from all over the universe and were captured by the enemies that captured Rain and the others as well. It was hard to say if they came from advanced civilizations, and they were finished and captured and put there for unknown reasons.

Rain was expecting many things to happen, but he was completely caught off guard. While he was wondering what he should do, he wondered for a moment if he would find snake women or fox women as well. Even though he had no suspicious intentions by that, he was caught off guard.

"I will tell your wives about this," Elisabetha said.

"About what? My mind is completely free of guilt," Rain shrugged.

"That is what people who had things to feel guilty over say," Elisabetha said. "A smart person doesn't have to say that they are smart. It is the same thing."

"Well, whatever," Rain said. "Enjoy while you can reading my thoughts."

Rain began to walk around the streets, and soon, he realized that people like him who had no animal-like features were extremely rare. He found some of them, but they were never in groups. When they looked at each other, they didn't look like they wanted to get involved with him.

Soon enough, Rain found a tavern that seemed to emerge straight out of the old Wild West. The entrance boasted dual swinging doors, giving it an unmistakable rustic charm. As Rain pushed the doors open and stepped inside, he was met with a scene that felt strangely familiar, as if he had stepped into a long-forgotten era.

The atmosphere within the tavern was thick with the scent of smoke, and the low hum of hushed conversations filled the air. Patrons were scattered across wooden tables, sipping drinks, smoking, and exchanging whispers. The clinking of glasses and the occasional burst of laughter created a backdrop that was eerily reminiscent of the classic saloons from tales of the old frontier.

Upon Rain's entrance, all eyes turned toward him, and the room fell into a sudden hush. It was as if the patrons had momentarily broken character and their attention fixated on the unexpected newcomer. The surreal nature of the situation made Rain question whether these individuals were more than just ordinary inhabitants of the city.

The possibility lingered in Rain's mind that these figures might be NPCs, entities programmed to behave in a certain way within the confines of the game-like world. The unnerving stillness in the room only added to the peculiar feeling that Rain had stepped into a scripted scene, and the inhabitants were awaiting a cue to resume their activities. Still, they soon turned to ignore him.

"Welcome. What is going to be?" A man that looked like a green Trent asked.

"... I was told that I could obtain information here. What kind of currency do you accept?" Rain said after he approached.

"Mana, blood, vital energy," The tree man replied, and then moved a box to the balcony and in front of Rain.

The box opened, and then it revealed a buzzer… Rain frowned when he saw that, but then a light blue interface appeared on it. When Rain looked around, he saw the same things on the tables and in front of the other clients.

"We sell food, drinks, and information based on their market value, which tends to vary depending on the time of the day and other things," the tree man said.

"I am sure it does," Rain said, wondering if he should check the values in other taverns, but he decided to be patient for now. "I am going to pay with mana. First, I want to know the history of this city."

"There are three versions of it, the short, the long, and the middle-sized version," The tree man said. "I am not sure you can pay either of them."

(Short Version - 1000 MP)

(Middle Version - 5000 MP)

(Long Version - 10.000 MP)

Rain touched the third version and then put his hand on the buzzer. Then he felt a bit of electricity as his mana was being drained by it. That was a handy artifact, and that guy had a bunch of them… Rain wanted to rip him off and add that technology to the vessel once he returned.

"Thank you for your purchase," The tree man said. "And my apologies for my wrong assumption."

With Rain's payment made, the barkeeper began to recount the history of the peculiar city. The tale unraveled a story that spanned thousands of years, initiated by the fifty-fifth generation of prisoners who had successfully passed through the challenges of the second zone.

The city, as it turned out, had its roots in the collective efforts of those prisoners who sought refuge after traversing those zones. However, despite the passage of millennia, the city's development seemed to have been stunted. The barkeeper explained that the lack of progress was attributed to a mysterious phenomenon that stopped technological advancements.

As people within the city began to develop powerful relics or tools capable of harnessing the forces of gravity or manipulating space, a strange occurrence would always happen. Those individuals, along with their groundbreaking creations, would vanish without a trace.

The abrupt disappearances instilled fear and reluctance among the city's denizens, creating an unspoken rule against the development of technologies that could upset the perceived power balance…