Chapter Eighty-Six: A Date in Avalon

Avalon, the place where legend says King Arthur of Britain sleeps forever; Avalon, the fabled land of eternal perfection; Avalon, the end of time, where the archmage Merlin sealed himself away in a tower that would never know death.

“Avalon, the paradise of ideals, a paradise made solely for the people of Wales!” A huge sign stood before Mingchuan and Wenxin as they emerged from the subway. Along the way, it seemed no different from any other station, except that every billboard bore only words associated with Wales, Avalon, the ideal land, and paradise, as though the whole place were sovereign Welsh territory. “I heard this was a paradise built by a wealthy Welshman for the people of Wales. As long as you have the approval of Wales, you can enjoy every attraction here without restraint.” Mingchuan said, taking Wenxin by the hand, his excitement like that of someone returning home. Avalon, the dream of his childhood, had taken three full years to complete under the efforts of the Welsh faction. The reason it took so long was mainly because...

“But, Mingchuan, it’s already twenty past four, and today is the winter solstice. The sun should have set ages ago, shouldn’t it?” Wenxin was here for the first time, so of course she did not know the place’s secrets. As for the creator of Avalon, His Highness Terecy, for the sake of this place of dreams he had employed a vast amount of cutting-edge technology. Even the world-famous Disneyland could only bow its head in admiration. “Come on, if you don’t believe me, then close your eyes. I’ll show you what true twenty-third-century civilization looks like.” Mingchuan knew that Wenxin, who might not even have visited Disneyland, was like the girl once kept always within the royal palace; she certainly had never seen anything like this.

“Fine, fine! I’ll close my eyes, okay? Then how much longer?” Since she did not know the way, Wenxin naturally had no idea when she would “see the light of day” again. Seeing this, Mingchuan quickened his pace as well. A minute later, a blinding radiance seeped into Wenxin’s tightly shut eyelids and still managed to strike her pupils. “Ah! It’s so bright!” She could not bear it any longer and involuntarily opened her eyes. A brilliant glare washed down upon her, and once she had adjusted, Wenxin finally saw that here...

“W-why is it daytime here!” She could hardly believe it. The sun hung high overhead, looking to be around two or three in the afternoon. The air around them felt nothing like winter; though a little cool, it carried the atmosphere of a subtropical region, the scent of late autumn tipping into winter. The trees in the distance were lush and green, probably subtropical evergreen broadleaf trees, though it was impossible to tell the species. Still, the little birds flying through the sky were proof enough that this place was real. “Quite a sight, isn’t it, Wenxin? Avalon, the place that never withers, the paradise of endless summer.”

Avalon, with an area rivaling the City of London, looked like a hidden utopia, but in truth it was a vast indoor underground amusement park. Its ground level sat slightly lower than the surrounding area, yet its height reached an astonishing three hundred meters. In fact, the whole of Avalon was a sealed space enclosed beneath a massive dome. With its double-shell, high-defense structure, Avalon could be said to be an almost invincible fortress, and its powerful internal circulation and life-support systems were more than enough to make it self-sustaining. The “sun” overhead was actually an artificial lighting device. And if anyone wondered why such an enormous amusement park did not collapse, then they simply underestimated the twenty-third century. In truth, the park was also supported by several enormous fully optically transparent pillars, each one comparable in scale to the base of the Oriental Pearl Tower. Various facilities were built within them; for example, the third pillar was essentially a hotel.

“Mingchuan, how on earth did you come to know about this place? It doesn’t even show up on the map of England.” Wenxin, who was also fairly familiar with England, understood perfectly well that if a place this large really existed, the government of the United Kingdom could not possibly be unaware of it. Yet neither satellite maps nor anything else could locate it. “I told you, I only learned about it because I met someone during a mission. That guy gave me a special privilege: as long as it was a building belonging to Wales, I could enter for free. He wouldn’t let me say his name, but he did allow me to use something only he can use, like this strange privilege coin.” As he spoke, a golden coin the size of a one-pound piece appeared in Leimingchuan’s hand. One side bore a perfectly ordinary design, identical to the face of a one-pound coin. The other side depicted the Welsh green dragon from the flag used after England unified Wales in 1287, and the word “Wales” was prominently engraved at the top of that side.

“It’s called a Welsh coin, apparently. So, are you satisfied now, my lady? Can you finally behave and have fun properly? Stop pestering me with all this!” Mingchuan was growing impatient as well, and his tone turned a little plaintive toward Wenxin. “Sorry, sorry. Then let’s have a proper good time! Come on! Come on!” Perhaps realizing she had gone too far with her questions, Wenxin promptly relented. She seized Mingchuan’s hand and ran toward the attractions she wanted to try.

“Youth is wonderful indeed! His Highness Terecy and Her Highness the Princess are having a delightful afternoon. Pity the rest of us!” While Wenxin and Mingchuan were happily enjoying themselves in the park, a doctor in a white coat was watching them through a monitor. Beside him, a general in military uniform stood before a sand table, studying it intently. “All right, Roger, I know you’re not good with military matters, but at least lend a hand, will you? This joint operation with the Eastern Alliance, the Northern Union, and our old partner Europa is, after all, led primarily by the United Kingdom, isn’t it?” The one in the white coat was undoubtedly Doctor Roger. Though he was the head of the Knights Hospitaller, he usually did not need to handle much medical business and instead spent most of his time helping His Highness Terecy with his affairs. The man in uniform was none other than the rarely seen Commander Erman. After hearing Erman’s words, Roger remained perfectly composed. “What’s there to worry about? I’ve already taken care of it. It’s nothing more than starting the mission two days early. Don’t worry; I stake the honor of my office as governor of the Welsh faction on it. In this Military Council, our Welsh faction will become the true leader of the coming Satan War!”