The portal activation, Jimmy had seen it several tis before, but he'd always been a bystander. This ti he was the one going through, and his mood was sowhat tense, even though Roland had traveled back and forth many tis and assured him it was definitely safe.
Before him, the portal transford from a kaleidoscope of lights into sothing resembling a semi-transparent glass pane, and beyond it lay the new world.
"Alright, let's go." Roland pushed a small cart in front, while Jimmy carried his backpack behind, and before stepping into the portal, Jimmy turned to Nia and Liam, waved with a smile, and stepped through. Seconds later, the portal flickered twice and quickly vanished.
Nia held Liam, smilingly watching them enter, and only stopped smiling once the portal closed. Even though safety was supposedly assured, she couldn't help but worry, as this ti it was Jimmy going.
After calming down from the excitent of watching the video, Nia began to feel a bit regretful.
Jimmy had ntioned many tis how dangerous the other side was, but she still inexplicably wanted to see for herself. She was genuinely happy when Jimmy agreed, knowing soone would pave the way for her, but afterwards, she worried about the danger Jimmy might face on the other side.
Several tis, she shared her thoughts with Jimmy, hoping to cancel his plan to go to the Dark Tower World, but Jimmy refused.
Initially, Jimmy had been reluctant to go to the Dark Tower World, but now, having been ostracized at work with nothing else to do, he felt indifferent. Since Nia genuinely wanted to glimpse the other side, he decided to prepare. After all, with either him or Roland, safety was definitely assured.
Nia held Liam as she left the basent, taking on the responsibility to keep Jimmy's whereabouts secret during this period. Of course, they had already agreed to tell everyone that Jimmy was out traveling to relax, although very few people would likely inquire after Jimmy, given that he'd already ntioned during the past few days that he would be away for a month or two for so leisure ti.
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Crossing the portal caused little vibration; in fact, it felt to Jimmy like rely passing through frosted glass, with no sense of obstruction. He glanced back at the portal, which closed instantly at Roland's operation, returning to a stone wall before them.
"Is this your world? It seems rather bleak."
Jimmy looked around; they were inside a building filled with collapsed and shattered remnants. Many areas seed untouched, even covered in thick moss, except near the portal, which had been cleared, leading to an exit.
Nearby the portal were several generators, with thick cables connecting directly outside, indicating that they powered the portal.
In one corner lay a pile of boxes, mostly empty, evidently where Roland stored the transported supplies—a truly rough setup.
The air here didn't sll particularly pleasant, tinged with a damp, decaying odor, reminiscent of long-abandoned buildings. Using Heart Eye Vision, Jimmy discovered several spaces surrounding him, including a vast one where he couldn't see the opposite wall, revealing the ruins' extensive scope.
After stopping the generators and placing the cart in the corner, Roland turned to Jimmy, saying, "Alright, let's go. We can head out."
Jimmy followed Roland outside, erging to see their surroundings.
They stood midway up a mountainside, with a decrepit settlent below. Many wooden houses had rotted, and others had seemingly burned, leaving only charred remains.
Near the houses were fire marks, possibly deliberately piled wood, sized far larger than a campfire usually would be.
At the settlent's center stood a massive chanical contraption, with pipelines connecting to their current location, seemingly part of the original site equipnt.
Beyond the wooden houses lay fields and forests, yet sothing seed amiss—green mingled with withered yellow, and the distant forest appeared grayish-black.
Jimmy stood observing, while Roland leaned against the wall, patiently waiting.
Jimmy remarked, "It's impressive. This place reminds of those unfrequented areas. Do you live in those wooden houses?"
Roland nodded, "Yes, let's go."
Not all houses in the settlent were abandoned. Roland led Jimmy to a relatively stable house, opened the door, and inside appeared clean, evidence of Roland's regular maintenance. Despite inevitable wood decay and external moss or mushrooms, the interior remained free from both, and after more than a month without occupants, dust on the floor and tables was minimal.
Roland put down his bag and organized the house, then with Jimmy retrieved a usable bed from an abandoned house nearby. They dismantled and moved it back to reassemble, establishing their living space just like that.
Living alone, Roland evidently couldn't grow his own food, especially given the considerable distance from other human settlents, so he mostly survived on transported supplies.
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