Capítulo 1641: Chapter 324: The End of the Old Era
At this moment, in Heaven City.
Sherlock, draped in a Parthia-style robe, stood beside the pool in the city center, gazing intently eastward.
It was not quite according to the previous agreement—Sherlock had not, as planned, escaped Holy Spring City with everyone just before the last moment.
Back then, the idea was simple… Refugees would escape Paradise City in batches, carrying water as they left towards Rock Cellar City. Meanwhile, he would remain with the Water Fragment of the Geometric Celestial Marshal to continue guarding the city.
With him here as a guardian, no one would dare raid the city. Sherlock could also use his mana to continuously provide a clean water supply.
For the first few days, the execution of this plan went off without a hitch. People left in an orderly manner, and Sherlock successfully deterred several waves of raiders.
But when he was about to evacuate, something unexpected happened.
Among those who had fled were either free people accustomed to living on the surface or slaves who were still relatively healthy. But the number of slaves surviving underground in Paradise City was indeed too many…
Those slaves with help had already left Paradise City in recent days, aided by friends and relatives. They had a tacit understanding to take only a few people with them.
This led to an unforeseen situation for Sherlock—after all these people had left, a large number of unseen slaves suddenly emerged from the underground corners and crannies.
—Not everyone can traverse the desert for long periods.
Among these people were those whose limbs were severed by slave masters as punishment but who unexpectedly survived; those whose faces or bodies were ravaged by a curse or disease, making them weak or disfigured and unable to work; and some who were so aged that their descendants abandoned them—the elderly slaves.
They barely survived on the sewage from surface dwellers and scraps of leftover food, even other slaves disdained contact with them.
Undoubtedly, their bodies couldn’t withstand the arduous journey across the desert, and others wouldn’t share their precious resources—afraid they’d be burdened by these people who might cling to them upon reaching a new city-state.
Though a few good-hearted people managed to take one or two with them, most slaves abandoned these hangers-on during their escape.
These people barely hung on by the holy aura formed from prayers unique to Paradise City. As more slaves left, they slowly emerged from their dark corners into the sunlight for Sherlock to discover.
Had Sherlock not discovered these people and left sooner, it would have been better.
In that case, he would have never known about this.
By this time, he would have already arrived at Rock Cellar City with the others, successfully meeting up with Isabel. He wouldn’t have known so many people here couldn’t leave Paradise City.
But having learned the truth, Sherlock couldn’t pretend he knew nothing and just leave them behind.
Even if these people were unwanted and abandoned nullities, without work ability or cultural knowledge, they created no value. Regardless of where they perished, no one would erect a monument or mourn for them… and even if they were saved, they would still be burdensome rejects in a new city, disliked by all…
Yet Sherlock still could not accept their abandoned end.
Many among them could not even take care of themselves.
If he gave them up, it would be no different from personally killing them—the latter might even spare them some suffering.
Moreover, it wasn’t just one or two people… but as many as over eight thousand.
So, was he supposed to kill over eight thousand people for his own safety and survival?
Undoubtedly—Sherlock couldn’t choose such an option.
“—Knowledge is poisonous.”
Only now did Sherlock finally understand the phrase Aiwass often repeated.
Previously, Sherlock always scoffed at it.
He always believed that, no matter how painful the knowledge, knowing is better than ignorance; no matter how unacceptable the truth, one must face and accept it personally.
“… so I just hadn’t experienced it yet.”
Sherlock murmured.
Some things, once known, can never be forgotten.
So he gave up on survival and chose to accompany these people towards what might be the end.
Not that Sherlock’s presence here would accomplish anything—he even knew he couldn’t change all this. He just couldn’t accept fleeing in the face of such a disaster.
Rather than flee and wake each night from nightmares, he chose instead to confront the tide brought by the Abyssal Celestial Envoy’s arrival, to the very end.
Sherlock also knew this was an irresponsible evasion. He was trying to write off his past mistakes through his death…
—But there remains a slim chance.
That Aiwass might be able to defeat the Abyssal Celestial Marshal swiftly, so that Paradise City wouldn’t be submerged by the sea.
Should events unfold this way, they could all survive; conversely, if he fled and then found out that they survived safely, Sherlock would have no face to return to see these people.