The Evil Moon hung in the sky for a long time before finally, slowly, vanishing.
The sickly white moonlight retreated from the sky above Thousand Faces City toward the west, leaving an indelible mark upon the land it had licked.
Most of the buildings were reduced to ruins. The streets were covered in things that had once been called 'humans.' Their flesh and blood had turned into a slurry, its surface coated with growths that looked like a cross between mold and coral. These growths emitted a faint fluorescence once the moonlight disappeared.
A cloyingly sweet stench of rot permeated the air, mingled with the pungent odor of some chemical agent. When the wind blew, the smell was so thick it felt like it was physically pushing people back.
Occasionally, the low-frequency hum of aberrations could be heard, echoing simultaneously from every corner of the city. The sound seeped into one's bones, making their skin crawl.
Things were moving on the ground. Nail-sized abnormal creatures crawled slowly, and the surfaces of fist-sized tumors cracked open, revealing eyes that darted around erratically. Near-humanoid silhouettes crouched in corners, their joints bent backward as they stayed on all fours, eyes fixed on the streets.
Meat slurry seeped into the soil, bonding with the earth, slowly merging into even more indescribable, profane forms.
Thousand Faces City was dead. The once-prosperous metropolis had become a living hell.
The commotion Yue Shi had caused was too great; his companions were already hurrying toward him.
In the wasteland outside the city, two figures approached the same high ground from different directions.
The high ground was the only elevation in this wasteland, rising less than ten meters above the floor, but it was enough to see the city's silhouette in the distance.
Little Red Riding Hood came from the direction of the sea. The hood of her red cloak had been blown back onto her shoulders, revealing an innocent face filled with irrepressible excitement, her eyes shining brightly.
Yin Runa was still wearing her dress, her expression solemn as she looked toward Thousand Faces City, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Qin Sansi stood at the highest point of the rise, having arrived earlier than both of them. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair was a mess, and his complexion was terrible.
Little Red Riding Hood ran to the base of the hill and hopped up in a few bounds, waving at Qin Sansi. "Old Qin, over here!"
Qin Sansi stumbled forward to meet them. "You two didn't enter the city, did you?"
Yin Runa shook her head. "No. We saw that moon from far away and didn't dare go in."
Little Red Riding Hood leaned in, looking Qin Sansi up and down. "You went in? What did you see?"
Qin Sansi grimaced. "I almost died in there. All of Thousand Faces City is a demon's lair now. You're better off not seeing the things inside; they're absolutely revolting."
Yin Runa tilted her head and said cutely, "Yue Shi's doing, I assume. Is he okay?"
Qin Sansi snorted coldly. "Don't you know him by now? How could someone like him ever get into trouble?"
Little Red Riding Hood tugged at her cloak, straightening her collar. "I picked up a lot of good stuff by the sea. This world is full of treasures. The conchs can talk, the shells have their own runes, and even the sand is a natural material for casting spells. If it wasn't for that moon rising, I could have emptied the entire beach."
Qin Sansi knew Little Red Riding Hood wanted to exchange information, so he spoke up as well. "I gathered quite a bit of news in Thousand Faces City earlier. It was all about the various families—who's marrying whom, who's having an affair, and whose heir's bloodline is questionable."
"But it's all fine now. Thousand Faces City is gone, so all that intel is useless."
Yin Runa sat down next to Qin Sansi, smoothing her skirt over her knees, and shared her information voluntarily. "I talked with my counterpart for a long time. People in this world are born as demigods, but advancement is exceptionally difficult. Social stratification is extremely rigid; the lower class stays at the bottom forever while the elite families always ride on their heads. Besides, none of them are quite normal."
Qin Sansi frowned. "Not normal?"
Yin Runa chose her words carefully. "Even though they're all gods who don't need to eat, drink, or sleep to live forever, they live just like ordinary people. They spend their days scurrying around for a few bucks, as if they aren't gods at all, but just ordinary people wearing a god's shell."
Little Red Riding Hood sat on Qin Sansi's other side, undoing the top two buttons of her cloak to let some air in. "Old Qin said this was the God Realm before. I thought it would be something grand and lofty, but it turns out it's just another version of the mortal world."
The threshold to becoming a god was high elsewhere, but here, where everyone was a god, being a god became mundane and ordinary.
From this, Little Red Riding Hood had realized a truth: spells, immortal arts, true gods, God, demons, and ghosts... such existences were impressive not because of how powerful they were, but because only a very few possessed them.
The wild flowers and weeds found everywhere in the south became expensive potted plants once they were moved to the north.
Things are valued for their rarity, and that was all there was to it.
No wonder those who climbed to the top instinctively suppressed and restrained those below from continuing to climb.
Humans, as a species, fundamentally cannot accept that all living beings are equal. They only shout slogans with their mouths, while in reality, they all want to be superior to others on a moral or material level. They subconsciously compare themselves with their own kind, and the sense of superiority brought by winning over or stepping on their peers is simply too intoxicating. Even when suffering, seeing others suffer more brings them comfort and solace.
The wind blew from the direction of Thousand Faces City, carrying that cloyingly sweet stench of rot. Yin Runa wrinkled her nose and fanned the air with her hand.
A figure walked toward them from the direction of Thousand Faces City at an unhurried pace.
As Yue Shi approached, Little Red Riding Hood was the first to see him and waved.
The four of them reconvened. Qin Sansi looked Yue Shi up and down. "You actually destroyed the entire city."
Yue Shi shrugged. "Not entirely. The buildings are still there, it's just that the things inside aren't very pleasant to look at."
Yin Runa asked, "You seem to be in a very good mood."
The corners of Yue Shi's mouth curled up. "It's alright. The Ximen family treasury was quite substantial."
He casually pulled out several items: spell manuals, precious materials, and various artifacts. He had them all.
"Most of the Ximen family's savings are with me now."
Little Red Riding Hood's eyes lit up, and she leaned in. "Can I have some?"
Yue Shi tucked the items away and glanced at her. "Why?"
Little Red Riding Hood said matter-of-factly, "We're teammates, aren't we?"
Yue Shi rolled his eyes. "Did you ever think about sharing the things you scavenged with me?"
Little Red Riding Hood nodded seriously. "No problem. We can barter. Some things are precious but useless to me; maybe they'd be useful to you. We can trade to maximize everyone's benefits."
Yue Shi raised an eyebrow.
Yin Runa giggled behind her hand. "Alright, alright. Don't fight, you guys. Didn't we come here for a team-building activity?"
Qin Sansi said with a serious expression, "Let's get down to business. Yue Shi, the commotion you caused was too big. With Thousand Faces City destroyed, news will spread across the God Realm soon. Other families and various factions will definitely send people to investigate. We need to scavenge anything of value and leave this world before more people arrive."
Yue Shi didn't care. "What's there to fear? I'll kill whoever comes."
Qin Sansi shook his head. "I don't want to complicate things. The purpose of this trip is treasure hunting, not world conquest. There's no need to waste time on meaningless battles."
Little Red Riding Hood became uncharacteristically serious. "Qin Sansi is right. There are treasures everywhere here; fighting is a pure waste of time."
Yin Runa agreed with them as well.
Yue Shi thought about it. "Fine. Then let's hurry. Where do you want to scavenge?"
Qin Sansi had already prepared his thoughts. "Thousand Faces City is destroyed, but it's not just the Ximen family. The other manors, shops, and even the homes of ordinary residents might hide good things. However, the city is now full of contaminants, making it dangerous to enter."
Yue Shi added indifferently, "Don't worry. They won't contaminate you."
Don't worry, I'll definitely screw you over!
Qin Sansi trusted Yue Shi's character, so he was very hesitant. His gaze lingered on Yue Shi's face for a moment, and thinking of the contract they had already signed, he finally chose to agree.
"Alright."
Rate on N.U.
