A portal suddenly appeared a couple hundred feet before a giant underground structure. It appeared like a large western-style mansion or palace. Inside, the palace was filled with stained glass mosaics and glowing tiles on the floor. Every room in the large mansion shared luminescent mosaics on the floor and stained glass windows, but the exact image depicted by the mosaic and stained panes differed depending on the room. The rooms also featured other decorations other than just those, but each room had a different style and atmosphere to them.
Entering from the front door, statues and depictions of many myths and legends populated the large entrance hall, ranging from statues of nine-tailed foxes to paintings of UFOs and vampires. Statues were scattered throughout the hall, while paintings were placed quite far away from each other. For most legendary creatures, only one statue of them could be seen; however, there were more than one statue for three legendary figures: a cat with two tails, a crow with three legs, and a human-like figure with horns attached to their heads. There was no other lighting apart from the glowing windows and files and the dim light that a few of the statues radiated. The lack of lighting and the abundance of statues gave the hall a creepy and supernatural atmosphere.
At the end of the entrance hall was the large and open foyer. The Great Foyer featured a large crystal chandelier illuminating the whole room alongside the usual glowing tiles and windows of each room. The floor and walls were made of marble, and when combined with the bright lighting given by the chandelier, gave the room a much more extravagant and comforting feel than the entrance hall. The room still had the signature glowing floor tiles and windows, but rather than appearing disturbing or unsettling like in the entrance hall, they made the foyer seem luxurious and gorgeous. Near the walls, lay countless seats for visitors to rest and relax before moving inwards in the palace. Next to each seat was a small table, supporting a potted plant, in front of a bookshelf where visitors could read books and enjoy a refreshing drink. There were many paintings featuring natural landscapes and sceneries hung on the walls. On top of the already extravagant appearance of the large open room, the curved ceiling, that seemed like a large half-sphere was curved into the ceiling, was adorned with a large image depicting a gorgeous rose garden against a starry night background.
There was also a secondary foyer located on the opposite side of the house that had the same appearance and decorations as the Great Foyer, just with a smaller size and less room to move in. The foyers served not only as the place for allowing guests for a brief respite, but also as the main hub for the rest of the palace, connecting all the halls. The Great Foyer had a total of 7 doors, one leading back to the entrance hall, one on the left side of the room when standing in front of the entrance hall door leading to the dining hall, one after a short flight of stairs on the left side of the room leading to the recreational hall, one on the right side of the room leading to the guest chambers, one after a flight of stairs on the right side of the room leading to the royal chambers, one behind a large staircase directly in front of the entrance hall door leading to the courtyard and garden, and finally one after that large staircase leading to the Great Hall. The secondary foyer has the same layout except replacing the entrance hall door with a door leading to the servant’s quarters and removing the door to the Great Hall.
Starting from the western wing of the palace, the dining hall was a relatively long hallway that was relatively uninteresting to look at. In terms of appearances, the hall was quite bland compared to other locations within the palace, only featuring paintings of different foods as well as the palace’s signature glowing tiles and windows. The floor was made of some kind of tiled stone. The hall featured 5 rooms, a large dining room, a kitchen, and three pantries. The room closest to the door to the Great Foyer was the dining room. The dining room featured multiple crystal chandeliers, antique pottery atop intricately designed pedestals, artwork directly carved into the walls, and a clover patterned floor. On top of the dining table, plates and silverware were already laid out, flowers were placed, and the candles were lit. The room next to the dining room was the palace kitchen, which had all sorts of cooking tools, like pots and pans of all sizes, multiple stoves, ovens, and sinks, and countless knives. Attached to the kitchen was a walk-in freezer where perishable foods were stored. The rest of the rooms in the dining hall were pantries, where nonperishable foods were stored. The amount of food stored in the pantry at max capacity could feed a five person family for at least three months. As for what the pantries looked like, they were simple open rooms lit by lamps with many labeled shelves to allow for more ease in finding exact ingredients.
Next, the recreational hall was a long straight hallway meant to keep residents and guests entertained. The decoration of the hall itself promoted interaction and enjoyment, featuring paintings of fairs, tournaments, and balls. The floor was made of light colored woods, like birch, to create a lighter atmosphere. The hall had many places to sit and just enjoy the calm hall or to rest after exhausting themselves. There were three major rooms connected to the recreational hall, other than the two foyers, namely the grand ballroom, grand library, and concert room. The room closest to the great foyer was the grand ball, the place where formal events were usually held. As such, the room was decorated with many crystal chandeliers, engravings of gold on the walls, a floor with an intricate design, and an artwork of the sun on the ceiling. Next to the grand ballroom was the grand library, which housed several thousands of books in the large bookshelves that were lined up in the room. When walking into the library, the large librarian’s desk and several other tables for people to sit down and read could be seen. Behind that, the only thing that could be seen were gigantic bookshelves that went from the ground to the ceiling, each filled to the brim with all sorts of books. The library was lit by lamps hanging from the walls, giving a sufficient amount of light for anyone to see the book they were looking at. The next room, the concert hall, was a large open room with a stage at the very end of the room and countless rows of seats directed towards the stage. Atop the stage was a grand piano whose sounds could be heard from anywhere in the room. Many ellipsoidal lights were scattered through the room allowing for a light spectacle to occur while the person atop the stage was performing, adding a dramatic flair to the performance, thus creating a more enjoyable show. Behind the stage was a small door leading into a storage area where many other musical instruments and props were stored. These included enough chairs and instruments to support an entire orchestra, outfits for the performer to wear, and other miscellaneous items.
Moving to the eastern wing of the palace, the guest chambers, located right under the royal chambers and directly right from the Great Foyer. The hallway connecting to the guest chambers were decorated with the intention of soothing guests before they retire to their rooms. As such, the floor was covered with a soft gray carpet and the signature glowing tiles and windows glowed with a lesser intensity. Along the side of the hallway adjacent to the courtyard, tables were evenly spread out. These tables were made of oak wood and supported a potted flower and a candlestick. On the wall, paintings depicting various symbols for sleep, like sheep, bedding, and a dark night could be seen. This hallway led to seven guest bedrooms, each with the same decorations and features. The rooms all had a carpeted floor, the same paintings of a large open field of sunflowers, a lake covered in mist, and a large enchanting forest. Each room featured a single chandelier hanging in front of the bed with two nightstands beside the bed. On top of both of these nightstands was a single lamp. There was a single bookshelf in each room, located beside a small desk and chair. On the desk was a small chest for storage of valuables, an inkwell, a feathered pen, and a piece of paper.
Right above the guest chambers were the royal chambers. The hallway attached to the royal chambers was very similarly decorated when compared to the guest chambers, just more luxurious. The floor was covered with a cyan colored carpet made of the finest wool in all the lands. The glowing tiles and windows in the hallways changed colors depending on which room they were in front of. The color changed from a light reddish color to green, violet, white, or scarlet. The tables of the royal chamber hallway were made of a more expensive type of wood and embedded with gemstones, the flower in the pot was a more exotic specimen, the candles were scented with pleasant aromas, and the paintings were swapped with more complex artworks of the same symbols while parts painting frames were covered with gold. The hallway connected to five bedrooms, each very similar in design, only differing by the decorations featured in each room. All the rooms had a luxuriously crafted white carpet, a crystal chandelier, a king sized bed, two large bookshelves, two nightstands with lamps, a desk and chair, and a single large-sized painting. In the room closest to the Great Foyer, the painting depicted a skull and a wispy sort of figure behind the skull. Some kind of wheelbarrow sat in the corner of the room next to a large chest and the tiles glowed crimson. In the second room, the painting depicted a sort of apocalypse caused by the sun. Inside the room, many models of atoms and suns could be seen on top of the desk and scattered throughout the room and the tiles glowed white. In the third room, the painting depicted some kind of closed eye. The only notable thing in the room, other than the general decorations and furniture was a black hat with a yellow ribbon tied around the hat just above the brim and the tiles emitted a green light. In the fourth room, the painting showed an open eye, staring intently at whoever gazes upon the picture. The room itself had plushies of many different kinds of animals and the tiles shone a pink color. The last room, the one furthest from the Great Foyer, was devoid of any decorations except the basic furniture that all the other rooms sported, supposedly because there was no one to inhabit the room.
Going straight from the Great Foyer and into the courtyard, many plants and greenery can be seen. Flowers, bushes, and trees populated the courtyard, yet all of them were well maintained so that the tiled pathway was still visible and in peak condition. At the center of the garden was a large and marvelous fountain. The fountain had multiple levels where the water would flow down from and each level was masterfully carved and engraved. The water rhythmically flowed out from the node at the top of the fountain, smoothly cascading down each level before reaching the small reservoir near the ground. The fountain itself had two main modes that could be switched between. One mode where the water gently flows down each individual level until it reaches the bottom, and another where the water would spew out in all directions from the top of the fountain directly to the bottom. Right beside the fountain was a large gazebo, where inhabitants of the palace could relax with a cup of tea while enjoying the natural scenery that the courtyard provided. The courtyard was a mix of natural colors due to the amount of colorful trees and flowers that the courtyard hosted. A pink color from the sakura trees, a purple color from violets, a white, red, orange, and yellow color from the different types of tulips, a reddish-orange color from the dahlias, and an iridescent mix of colors from the coleuses. The most plentiful flowers were the roses. There were two major kinds of roses in the garden; one with a pink hue, reminiscent of the most graceful flamingoes and the other with a green color, like the most wild and lush forests in the world. At night, these two types of roses glowed under the moonlight with an ethereal luster, like the most brilliant gemstones, that captivated any who gazed upon them. The courtyard was filled with natural light from the sun, although the courtyard was located under another room and the whole palace was underground. It was a mystery who this could be, but somehow it seemed as if nothing was above the courtyard. It is most likely a projection of the memory of one of the inhabitants from when they were above ground caused by one of the people who live in the palace.
In the corner of the courtyard, a button hidden behind a mesh of leaves and other plants could be found. Pressing the button would cause the fountain to move aside revealing a hidden staircase that leads to a prison. The prison itself was pretty unimpressive, as it was simply a room carved directly from the stone. There were minimal decorations, furniture, or lighting as the sole purpose of the prison was for keeping people from escaping rather than for comfort. The entrance to the prison had a small area for guards to be stationed as well as tables for the guards to eat on or play games on. The rest of the area was taken up by 3 separate cells. Each cell was enclosed from each other and the outside area by steel bars that would not break or bend. Inside each cell was simply a bed, a small table, and a toilet and nothing else.
Moving back to the Great Foyer and going up the stairs directly in front of the door to the entrance hall would lead to the Great Hall. The Great Hall was designed with the purpose of housing formal meetings and discussions, so as one would expect, it was lavishly decorated. The room featured multiple crystal chandeliers, marble flooring, suits of armor lined up to the center of the room, paintings worthy of being masterpieces scattered on the walls, and a soft red carpet leading towards the center of the room, where a large discussion table could be seen. The table was made of ebony wood and was able to sustain up to 20 people at once. Towards the back of the room, a small door could be seen. Entering the small door would lead on into the private office of the master or mistress of the house. The office was quite simple compared to the Great Hall. The room was lit by two lamps, one on the wall and the other atop a desk made of oak wood. Behind the desk was a single chair, and on either side of that chair were two bookshelves. In the corners closest to the door, large potted flowers were placed, giving the office a more homely feel. Inside this office, the tiles and windows seemed to glow brightest.
Finally, moving towards the northern part of the palace and into the secondary foyer, exiting through the north door would lead to the servant’s quarters hall. The hall was decorated with a few paintings of different types of servants and a few potted plants linked against the wall. The only other notable aspect of the hall is that it is made of marble wood. Inside the servant rooms themselves, each room featured a small chandelier, two sets of bunk beds, a small, round table, and a single painting of roses. The rooms were designed to be simple and prioritized quantity over quality, that is focusing on the amount of people per room rather than focusing on comfort of the people living in the rooms.
At the end of the servant’s quarters was the entrance to the Untamed Courtyard. Compared to the main courtyard, the Untamed Courtyard is much more wild. Grass and shrubs rampantly grew, covering the entire area. Large trees stretched upwards, towering over the entire place like mountains in this small space. The entire courtyard was similar to the Primitive Jungle, where plants were allowed to grow without any restraint. As a result of this uncontrolled growth, the area was filled to the brim with plants. Nothing from the original pristine courtyard was functional anymore and was simply a catalyst for further plant growth. The paths were broken by plant growth, causing the rocks that the paths were made of to crack and splinter apart. The fountain was leaking water because the stone that prevented the water from escaping had already been broken by the plants, causing water to slowly move towards other plants, nourishing them and accelerating their growth. The stone benches and monuments were in pieces and covered with moss and vines. However, there was one place in the area that had no plants covering it due to the intense heat being produced there. That place was a giant hole in the center of the courtyard, leading deeper into the cave.
Back at the entrance, an unconscious girl suddenly fell out of the portal in front of a large gate that read Chireiden, the Palace of Earth Spirits. After completely exiting the portal, she soon started to regain her consciousness.
Instead of having a whole chapter describing the setting, you could describe the setting gradually throughout the story or when encountering it. This is better so you don’t have to write whole chapters describing the setting and you can enjoy writing it more. Info dumps are usually not that well received by readers.
Thank you for the advice! I also was skeptical about whether or not to post this chapter, but I decided to anyway. For the reason you mentioned that it will be boring, I added the author's note. I don't really know what my mind was thinking when I wrote this and I don't even know why I wrote this chapter in the first place... but oh well... Anyways, thank you for taking the time to review the chapter and give advice!