System: Replicating The Heavens-Chapter 491: Ch : PLM (5): The Mysterious Shop
In the endless void of the universe, where no stars shone and no sound could exist, a gigantic shop floated silently.
It was so vast that calling it a building felt wrong.
From a distance, it looked like a small galaxy drifting through the darkness. As one drew closer, its true size slowly became clear. This single shop was larger than countless worlds combined. Even massive Astral Seas would look tiny beside it.
The shop did not rest on anything. There were no chains, platforms, or laws of physics holding it in place. It simply existed, as if the universe itself had made space just for it.
Its outer structure was formed from materials no one could name. The walls shimmered with layers of light, sometimes transparent and sometimes solid. Moreover, the walls were constantly shifting between reality and illusion. Countless ancient and profound runes flowed across its surface like living rivers of symbols.
There were no doors visible from the outside, yet entrances clearly existed. Vast arches of light opened and closed on their own, leading into unknown depths. Inside, endless halls stretched farther than sight could reach, filled with shelves that held treasures beyond imagination. Weapons that could split universes. Pills that could revive the dead. Techniques that could rewrite destiny. Everything, even time fragments, pieces of fate, and broken Source Laws of the Universe, was displayed on the shelves as if they were ordinary goods.
Strangely, the shop gave off an overwhelming sense of authority. This authority was not pressure or fear, but a feeling that this place stood above all heavens, above even the universe itself. Even Immortals would instinctively lower their heads here.
This shop was a place where all things could be bought, as long as one could pay the price.
When Alex and Fritz entered the golden door, their surroundings blurred for a brief moment before everything suddenly stabilized again.
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves standing on a long road made entirely of crystal.
"This..."
As they observed their surroundings, they were greatly astonished, because the crystal road beneath their feet was not ordinary at all. They can see countless streams of light flowing within it like rivers made of liquid colors, slowly moving forward, blending red, blue, gold, purple, and colors they could not even name, creating a strange yet beautiful sight that felt unreal.
The crystal road stretched endlessly forward, disappearing into the distance, but at its very end, a gigantic bronze gate was standing quietly, drawing all attention without effort. This bronze gate was incomparably large. Its surface was covered in countless ancient runes that did not stay still but instead squirmed slowly like living worms.
The bronze gate was so huge that even a hundred-story building could easily fit inside it, and yet it still felt as if it was only a part of something even greater, while Alex and Fritz, standing so far away, felt smaller than ants, so tiny that their existence seemed almost meaningless in front of such a massive structure.
Even from a distance, they could clearly see two gigantic figures standing before the bronze gate, one on each side, both holding massive axes in their hands. Their bodies were tall and firm like mountains, yet strangely, no aura leaked out from them at all, making them feel no different from ordinary mortals.
However, this lack of aura did not bring any sense of safety but instead filled Alex and Fritz with deep caution. Both of them instinctively understood that these giants were far from simple and underestimating them would be the greatest mistake of their lives.
Alex slowly took a deep breath, his heart beating faster as he tried to understand where they had arrived, while Fritz swallowed hard, his eyes wide with disbelief, because neither of them had expected that passing through the golden door would bring them to such a bizarre and terrifying place.
"What should we do now?"
"Since we are already here, there is no need not to go there. Let’s walk and see what this place is all about."
Alex answered Fritz and then started walking. Fritz was hesitating, but when Alex moved, he had no choice but to follow.
They walked along the crystal road until they finally reached the enormous bronze gate guarded by the two giants. Along the way, they had wondered if the crystal road might hide some kind of test or danger, but nothing happened at all. There were no traps, pressure, or resistance of any kind. Even more strangely, during the entire walk, they did not see a single other person appear on the crystal road besides themselves.
When they arrived before the massive bronze door, the two giants finally moved. They did not speak, nor did they question Alex or Fritz, and they showed no intention of stopping them. Without any expression, the giants lowered the huge axes in their hands, then slowly reached out toward the bronze door.
With a deep and heavy motion, they began to push the door.
Creeeak~
A low creaking sound echoed through the void as the bronze door slowly opened. A narrow gap appeared at first, but despite looking small compared to the door itself, it was more than wide enough for hundreds of people like Alex and Fritz to pass through side by side.
However, neither Alex nor Fritz stepped forward. They waited for the two guards to stop.
The two guards didn’t stop until the bronze door completely opened. Finally, they slowly knelt on one knee, gesturing Alex and Fritz to enter without speaking a word.
Alex and Fritz lifted their heads and attempted to look beyond the opened bronze gate, but they were unable to make out anything inside. All they could see was an intense white glow flooding outward, reflecting into their eyes and blocking all vision beyond it.
Alex continued to hold Alicia’s unconscious body in his arms. He glanced at Fritz, and after a brief exchange of looks, he gave a small nod. Following that, they stepped forward and walked through the gate without hesitating any further.
