it is Arknights!

A country will always have some areas unrecorded on maps.

Perhaps due to historical reasons, perhaps due to geographical reasons, or perhaps due to some other unspeakable reasons, these cities, mobile cities, are often not recorded in the eyes of the public. This includes but is not limited to, some specialized military-industrial mobile cities, small entertainment cities, etc.

In this world full of war and chaos, expecting people's moral bottom line to rise is an unrealistic thing. In areas filled with famine, calamity, and war, just a seemingly plausible piece of propaganda, the adulation of a group of brainless people, plus some so-called benevolent guidance, can easily make a group of people join what seems beautiful but is actually an endless abyss. For those high and mighty elites, being able to play with other people's lives is undoubtedly the happiest thing. And what can compare to easily trample others in reality, putting them to death?

Slaves, gladiators, abuse, dismemberment, cannibalism (- divide and eat). Such things are common among the upper echelons. They have too many resources and manipulable space to plunder populations wantonly in this world. If a region is destroyed, then the population of that region certainly no longer exists. And what happens to the flowing populations is clearly not something mainstream media and normal people can understand. This world just continues to operate slowly and steadfastly, as if walking in hell.

And in such a world, the city with the most hidden areas is undoubtedly the most glamorous on the surface, Londinium.

Londinium, the capital of one of the world's most powerful… or rather, one of the most powerful countries. The divergence between the Parliament Faction and the Royalist Faction has already grown to an irreconcilable point. Even the capital region is gradually losing governmental control amidst gang struggles.

The nobles are still living in a drunken stupor, immersed in the glory of the old days. Merchants demand their rights be consolidated and confirmed; soldiers can no longer tolerate continuous local wars and accusations, demanding more supplies and support. And parliamentarians are calculating how not to lose their power. The royal family, however, is diligently trying to reclaim the rights of others, hoping to return to the ancient era of royal power, to let the glory of the royal family return.

If the destruction of Columbia served as a wake-up call for people, then Victoria clearly heard the sound and then went back to sleep.

They don't care about the so-called bell, nor do they care about what the outside world is like. They are still immersed in the phantom of the world's most powerful country, ignoring the alienation (- lit. heart departs, virtue departs) of other allied states and counties. Various internal struggles, divergences, court intrigues, have already become daily occurrences in this city.

So when Lord Spencer, returning from Lungmen, occasionally caught a cold, although he received some minor attention, after hearing his talks with Eden yielded no results whatsoever, everyone just smiled and let this incapable lord go. He was just an old thing. He might have been a formidable figure in his youth, but now old and with half a foot in the grave , there was nothing much to pay special attention to.

So when he disappeared in a palace in Londinium, no one was alerted either.

Everyone continued to devour everything in sight like wild dogs, taking out everything they could trade, greedily encompassing all of it.

"…But today, everything will change."

Underground in Londinium, a noble wearing a tricorn hat and a raven mask on his face raised his wine glass to the similarly masked people around him.

Dark red sigils were branded everywhere underground; countless terrified slaves struggled on platters. Numb guards stood beside them, watching these people squirm and howl, yet their bodies didn't tremble even once. In this feast of hell, countless ambitions rose.

Everyone was so crazy and despondent, what they craved was nothing more than time. As long as they had years, then everything in this world could be

"Tonight, we have finally obtained the secret treasure."

Holding the wine glass filled with blood, the host looked at the bustling nobles in this huge underground palace and said with undeniable emotion:

"Unlike the Lazarus File, which requires time to transform, this masterpiece of the Mad Mage gives us the capital to become great again. The wealth he bestows upon us is the most precious thing in the world. That is, time."

"We will have endless time, endless energy, endless wealth to exchange for everything we want. We have patience, we have confidence; in this contest of time, we have long held the unbeatable bargaining chip. Victoria will be forever great, and our Queen will also be forever immortal. We will consecrate everything of this great mage, as the cornerstone of our unity."

"As the first batch of immortal nobles, we swear here, we will forever be loyal to the Royal Family, we will forever be loyal to Victoria. Our kingdom will not be torn apart; the United Kingdom will be unified, and our world will surely be shrouded under the crown of Londinium. The entire Terra has already inevitably fallen into our palms. Only because we can stand still in the long river of time, only because we can overcome eternal death. So, compatriots, friends, do you see the food before you?"

The host gestured with his hand, and those ragged slaves became even more frenziedly agitated.

Some even tore off the plastic seals on their lips, constantly cursing and screaming. The entire underground palace was chaotic and terrifying, like a scroll painting of hell.

But the nobles, far from feeling disgusted, instead looked at those slaves capable of breaking free from some of

their shackles, their covetous eyes growing even more fervent, like a group of diners seeing high-grade food. They had already seen Lord Spencer's magical appearance, and also witnessed the glamorous figures of the first batch of cannibals. They were already convinced their destiny lay here.

"Just as we eat cattle and sheep, and cattle and sheep eat grass. Tonight, we will ascend to a new status. We will feed on these commoners to confirm our eternal high position."

"We are the shepherds, they are the lambs we taste. The food chain will so clearly distinguish us, as to allow us to attain eternal life."

"Thanks to the nameless mage for giving us food and drink, thanks to boundless madness for letting us live forever."

Now, let the feast begin.

At the host's command, countless bloody sigils flickered with light. Accompanied by the miserable screams of slaves and blood splattering everywhere, innocent lives were devoured by souls full of greed, absurdly and terrifyingly extending their sinful lives.