Chapter 148 - The Return of the First Climbers

The appearance of the Celestial Tower had shaken civilization to its foundations, yet as days passed, a different challenge began emerging throughout the Empire. Fear. Not the immediate panic that accompanied disasters, but the slower and more dangerous kind. The uncertainty that settled into people's hearts when answers failed to arrive. Citizens woke each morning to see the Tower dominating the horizon. Merchants heard rumors of dying lands and vanished expeditions. Churches preached conflicting interpretations while scholars argued endlessly over theories. Nobody knew what tomorrow would bring. Nobody knew whether the Tower represented salvation or catastrophe. The recon squad's silence only amplified those fears. Every passing day without news allowed imagination to fill the void, and imagination often created horrors greater than reality itself.