Yu Chen saw his first ghost on the fourth floor.

  “Are you a man or not!”

  They all jumped as the sound of a female voice shouted out from a room up ahead. It felt strange to hear another voice after all this time.

  Yu Chen glanced towards the others before stepping forward, listening as the voice grew louder. He hesitated for half a second before pushing open the door and coming to a sudden stop at the unexpected sight before him.

  Two ghostly blue forms, vaguely human, argued in the middle of the room.

  “Han Moxuan, the hidden sage!” One of the figures yelled towards the other, her voice twisted in mockery. “What a man, what a sage! You lack not only the skill to convince him of his folly,” she paused, her voice turning caustic as she spoke once more. “But also, the courage to bring an end to this madness.”

  “I’ve spoken with him, Chang’er, I swear that I have.” The other apparition replied, his deep voice filled with frustration. “He’s convinced! He truly believes this path leads to eternity, and nothing I say will dissuade him. The idea of finally reaching true immortality drives him mad!”

  “Then put an end to it.” The female replied, her voice cold, her words final.

  “You know that I can’t.” Han Moxuan replied, his voice hardening. “I have sworn my life. What you ask of me violates everything I am.”

  “And what of the things you’ve sworn to me!” She hissed, her voice filling with pain. “To us?”

  “This… Must you make me choose Chang’er?” The man begged, his voice breaking. “If I was a man who would forsake his oaths, then I wouldn’t be the man that I am. The man that you love.”

  She paused for a moment, and when she replied, her voice was low, and full of pain. “I will miss you, Han’er, like the stars miss the sky and the moons miss the earth. But I will not stay for this nonsense, and neither will the rest of them.”

  She turned, walking away from the man.

  “I know.” Han Moxuan replied, bowing his head towards her back. “Chang’er,” he called out as she walked away. “I love you.”

  “I know.” She replied, her voice changing, the words sounding slightly out of tune. “And I will tell the people of how I loved you too, once upon a time.”

  Her ghostly form approached their group, headed towards the platforms behind them. They began to step to the side, but she paid them no mind, floating through them as though they didn’t even exist.

  Yu Chen could practically feel the hurt radiating from her as she passed through him.

  “Chang’er!” Han Moxuan shouted, his words chasing after her fleeing form.

  She paused, turning slightly at the words. “Take Ji’er with you. Please, make sure he survives.”

  “Of course.” She replied, but the words were distant, as though they came from the other end of a long tunnel.

  The moment between them stretched before the apparitions popped, disappearing like soap suds beneath the heat of a summer sky.

  There was a moment of silence as the group processed what they had just seen.

  “What the hell was that?” Sun Yuan was the first to speak, breaking the silent tension between them. His words opened up the floodgates, and everyone rushed to fill the strange silence with the sound of their own voice.

  But it was Serbo au Serbo’s deep voice that cut above the others.

  “Spirits.” The barbarian grunted, crossing his arms as he glanced suspiciously around the room. “Memories.”

  Yu Chen looked at him, but the barbarian didn’t elaborate, his wary eyes roaming over everything around. His hands twitched as though wishing for a weapon, but the man was nothing if not disciplined.

  “Spirits?!” Sun Yuan squawked, looking around suspiciously.

  “I think our friend might be right.” Yan Ziqi said slowly, glancing around the room they’d entered.

  Yu Chen looked toward Xue Lan. She’d fallen silent and was staring towards the ground. Her loss was still a bit raw, and it appeared the sight of the ghosts had unnerved her.

  “I’ve seen stranger things on the river.” Sun Yuan said before the silence could build back up, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. “My father once encountered an entire ship that was crewed by ghosts and everything. This is nothing compared to that.”

  Maybe they were ghosts, Yu Chen thought as he looked around, a frown on his face. But why are they here? And where did they go?

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “What is this place?” He asked, shaking his head. “And why are there ghosts around?”

  “Let’s find out.” Xue Lan finally spoke, a determined look in her eyes. “Who do you think they were talking about? Perhaps he had something to do with it.”

  “He must have been someone important, from the sound of it.” Yan Ziqi said with a frown. “That one apparition wasn’t simple either.”

  Yu Chen agreed. The entire thing stunk, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

  “Come on then,” he said, “Let’s see what we can find.”

  No more ghosts appeared as they explored the floor, only more empty rooms and hallways that showed signs of having been well decorated and lived in at one point. But that didn’t mean there was nothing else interesting.

  The last hallway opened into a massive room, filled with strange machinery humming along, similar to the ones that lay within the bunkers on the outskirts of the city.

  “This must be where the power from the bunkers converge.” Yan Ziqi said, stepping over to peer at the machinery. “It looks important at least, some sort of hub for something.”

  “I think you’re right,” Xue Lan said as she stared at the runic patterns that encircled the room. “Although the runes here are different from the others. More complicated.”

  Her fingers trailed across the patterns as she spoke. “Stability, Balance, Access, Power... Time?” Her voice faltered at the last word.

  Yu Chen shook his head as he watched the two of them work together. He found it fascinating, but a bit over his head.

  They were both experts though, in their own ways. Yan Ziqi busied himself with studying the machinery, paying more attention to how it was made, while Xue Lan ignored the engineering entirely - focused on the runic patterns that empowered it.

  They made quite the combination, and it didn’t take long before they’d formed a solid understanding of how the whole thing functioned.

  “Look,” Yan Ziqi said, gesturing towards the stone wall of the spire. Numerous, large metallic tubes ran out of it, feeding into the nearby machines. “Those thicker tubes come from the bunkers; I’d bet money on it. They carry the energy into here,” his finger traced the outline of the massive machine, “and it’s sent back out, powering the city.” his finger came to a stop at the other end of the machine where thousands of tiny tubes ran out and into the wall.

  He shook his head in disbelief.

  “There are thousands of them spreading throughout the city. That’s how they power it, they’ve given the entire city meridians!” He exclaimed, his eyes wide in disbelief. “No wonder this place has lasted so long!”

  Yu Chen knelt down, eyeing the spot where the thin tubes plunged into the bluish-grey stone of the wall. He could just imagine them running throughout the spire and into the stones outside before spreading throughout the city like a series of veins. Or meridians, as the artificer had so aptly put it.

  After all, it was spiritual energy, not blood, that powered this place.

  “This level of artificery is unheard of,” Yan Ziqi said, his eyes wide with shock. “This goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Xue Lan, the formation ties it all together, turning the city into a singular construct!”

  “It’s a work of art.” The young girl breathed; her loss momentarily overshadowed by the awe she felt.

  But, if it was a construct, then what purpose had it been constructed for?

  What was so special down here, that they had constructed such a city? Yu Chen frowned, staring at the ground. There was an easy source of power beneath their feet, and they were safe here from the vagaries of the outside world. It wasn’t a place demonic cultivators were likely to stumble across, and there was no danger from a riverstorm.

  Yu Chen shuddered. That alone was reason enough for him. But for them? There had been tens of thousands of immortals living here at one point, an entire city full of them. He doubted they feared the storms above.

  Perhaps they really had built it for no other reason than to take advantage of the easy source of energy that lay below the river. That energy had also flowed through the dirt, infusing the soil with a rich spirituality and forming plenty of spiritual treasures, as evidenced by the mines they’d found before.

  Yan Ziqi was still entranced by the machinery while Xue Lan held a piece of parchment, busy scribbling down new runes as fast as she found them. The room had obviously been important, judging by how fast her hands were moving.

  He snapped out of his reveries as a loud shout sounded out in the distance. He looked up, realizing Sun Yuan and Serbo au Serbo had disappeared.

  “Come on,” he shouted towards the other two as they looked up at the noise. He leapt forward and they followed, rushing out of the only exit in the room. It opened into a hallway like the ones they’d seen before. Rooms lined each side, most of them ajar.

  Yu Chen ignored them, rushing towards the sound of shouting he could still hear in the distance. The screaming grew louder, and he prepared to help the others as he turned a final corner. To his surprise he found they were perfectly fine, watching in interest as two ghosts engaged in a ferocious shouting match in front of them.

  “What...” he began his voice full of disbelief. Sun Yuan turned around at the sound.

  “Oh, Yu Chen!” Their navigator said, waving his hand. “You have to check this out, that guy from before is arguing with his brother now.”

  “Han Moxuan or whoever told him he had to leave,” Sun Yuan whispered to Yu Chen as he walked closer, speaking in a low voice as if afraid to be overheard. “He doesn’t want too though.”

  “Elder brother, I still have work here-” One of the apparitions spoke in a youthful voice.

  “ENOUGH!” The other apparition roared, cutting him off. “You’re to leave at once, and that’s final. Chang’er has promised me-”

  Yu Chen watched in concern and Sun Yuan in amusement as whatever the apparition was about to say was cut off. The ghost stumbled, nearly falling over. A sight Yu Chen had never seen before.

  “No,” Han Moxuan finally said, his voice filled with desperation as he reacted to something they couldn’t see. “He promised me more time!”

  “What was that?” The second ghost replied, a hint of fear creeping into his voice.

  “Listen to me, Ji’er.” Moxuan said, his ghostly form approaching the other and leaning over it. “You must get to Chang’e-”

  “But,” The younger ghost protested, still unwilling.

  “She’s with child, Ji’er. My child. Please, do this for me.” Moxuan said, his voice filled with pain. “I must go quickly; I already fear that I am too late to put an end to this madness.”

  “Of course,” The younger one said, his voice firming now that he’d been entrusted with a task. “You should have said so earlier, I’ll find her at once.”

  “Thank you.” Moxuan said as he turned, running towards the platforms in the distance. He stepped on one and Yu Chen watched as his form shot through the air before disappearing.

  “Eh. Good show.” Serbo au Serbo said, twisting a finger in his ear. He found something, examining it before flicking it away. “But too much drama.”