Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

In the meantime, the six people from Grace Crafting Clan in Sector 18 had also received the news.

The Clan Leader, Rumi, was the one who had applied for her six precious artisans...

Eva, an Epic Talent Holder called Runesmith, was the leader of the six. There was also Dain, a Clockworld Engineer, who once built an entire irrigation system out of scrap parts, and four others who specialized in forging and woodcraft.

Rumi immediately shared the news with Eva and the others.

”This...”

Eva couldn’t help but jump in joy as soon as she confirmed that they were indeed selected.

”I can’t believe it... Shane himself chose us. Do you understand what this means?” She said while looking at Dain.

”It means we get to board the Floating Fortress. That’s just too awesome!”

Under Rumi’s supervision, the six wasted no time. Rumi prepared an armored transport that belonged to their clan.

They would be passing through three other Clans and two Neutral Shelters, and obviously, they also carried some extra money in case they needed to pay some ’protection’ fee.

”I’ll pray for your safety.” Clan Leader Rumi said to Eva.

”Be careful too, Leader. If it’s difficult to defend this shelter, consider merging with the nearby Clans, okay?” Eva reminded.

”I’ll keep it in mind. I’ll talk to them, don’t worry.” Rumi said. She didn’t actually send all her core artisans. There were still four of them inside the shelter. It was to ensure that even if Shane had other intentions, her Clan wouldn’t just collapse.

Of course, the chance of that happening was too low. They believed that Shane wouldn’t dare to use some underhanded tactics with his current reputation. He wouldn’t have to risk that at all...

***

Then, there were the eight people from a nearby Neutral Shelter within Sector 20.

These were the luckiest, for their journey was the shortest.

They only have to travel for 3 or 4 hours to reach the Eclipse Domain itself.

They had long been aware of Shane’s towering reputation.

As a matter of fact, some of them had already visited the Eclipse Domain, but they only got Temporary Resident Tokens that lasted them three days.

They did not obtain permanent residency since it was quite expensive if they didn’t want to work for the shelter.

In any case, they included two herbalists, a pair of alchemists, a craftsman of firearms, and three siblings who specialized in potion refinement.

Iona, one of the herbalists, was the leader of this small group...

”He accepted us... This is amazing. I hope we can also negotiate for a Permanent Residency next time. I think this Neutral Shelter was already getting too crowded.”

Lyle, a potion-maker, agreed to this.

”That’s definitely going to be expensive, Iona. There must be hundreds of people wanting to join Shane’s shelter every day. We need to look professional when we arrive. Perhaps, he might be the one recruiting us instead.”

”Ohh... That’s a good suggestion, Lyle.”

”For sure, even Shane’s shelters would have casualties. If we managed to survive, perhaps we can fill in some positions if we apply for residency.”

”Let’s not hope for something bad to happen.”

”We can think about that later on.”

Then, the eight had quickly gathered their belongings, most of which were crates filled with herbs, powders, and tools of their craft.

All these things were meant to be sold in their rented stall. However, they had to visit the Eclipse Domain soon, so they had to store them back in their inventories.

***

Needless to say, the eight from Sector 20 were the first to arrive.

Their journey was short. It was not even four hours, and though they had visited the Eclipse Domain before, what greeted them now left their jaws slack.

”...This can’t be the same place...” one of the siblings muttered.

The entrance had changed drastically.

Rows of new turrets now lined the outer walls... It was definitely an intimidating sight.

Each one tracked automatically, locking onto moving targets. The walls themselves seemed thicker as well.

Before they could even approach the gates, a squad of Warden Units and two armed guards stepped forward. The Warden Units moved like machines of war, plated in matte silver, their glowing blue optics scanning every motion.

”Halt...” one of the guards barked. He wore black armor with the insignia of the Eclipse Domain etched on his chest. ”Step forward one by one. Health check is mandatory.”

Iona exchanged a nervous glance with her companions. She had expected some sort of inspection, but this... this felt far stricter than their last visit.

Each of them was required to place a hand on a scanner.

The device was activated, sending a faint warmth up their arms as it checked their prints or traces of the zombie virus. One of the potion-making siblings flinched, but the guard only grunted, reading the results.

”Clear. Next.”

The process repeated, each beep and flash of the scanner adding to their tension. When the last of them stepped away, the second guard snapped his ledger closed.

”All clean. Good.”

But his expression hardened.

”Be advised... The Eclipse Domain is no longer accepting temporary residents. The Red Night Event is approaching, and we cannot risk additional civilians inside the walls. You’d most likely get a 3-hour visit for now.”

They finally understood why it was so strict this time.

Iona, however, straightened her back.

”We’re not here for temporary residence...” she said quickly. ”We were selected. To board the Floating Fortress.”

The guard paused, then glanced at his partner. A subtle nod followed.

”Very well. Your names should be on the list.”

Soon, the group confirmed their names and the guards gave them a token...

”Proceed.”

Soon, the great gates groaned as they began to open, steel grinding against stone.

Just like that, the group had finally entered the Eclipse Domain.

The first thing they noticed was Warden Units in silver and black armor patrolling in coordinated squads. There were only a few of them before!

But what drew the most gasps was a towering stone obelisk that stood proudly in the southern area of the shelter!

”What... is that thing?” Iona whispered as she could feel the immense power behind it.