When he said, “I can’t block it,” the purple light on his right hand flickered violently, as if it were about to be crushed at any moment.
The expressions of everyone present shifted drastically upon hearing those four words.
The attendant was a Rank 4 Believer Transcendent, and that purple light was his core power. In terms of pure destructive capability, he ranked among the top of those present.
Pollution that even he couldn't block...
That meant no one here was a match for this thing.
Agnes stepped forward, her blazing white holy light enveloping the attendant’s right arm to assist him in suppression. The attendant’s breathing was heavy, but with the support of the holy light, the purple light stabilized and stopped dissipating.
It was suppressed for the time being.
Meanwhile, the entity vanished into the tide of corpses once more.
In the void, ghouls continued to swarm out in an endless stream.
Everyone fell into a heavy silence.
That extremely strong aura of pollution flickered in and out of existence in some corner of the horde, sometimes near and sometimes far, like a predator choosing its next prey.
Lake stood his ground, his Swarming Worms clinging tightly to his body. The dark red tide of insects trembled slightly; clearly, Lake was even less of a match. Pollution of this level was not something his Swarming Worms could withstand.
He stared at the surging sea of corpses without saying a word.
The Great Ascendant retracted his severed right wrist and clenched his free left hand into a fist, the sound of gears grinding together becoming incredibly heavy.
Agnes’s blessing light continued to shine, but her face had already turned several shades paler.
The hooded Nightwatcher’s flesh-blades retracted into his arms as he retreated to the center of the group, his breathing beneath the hood becoming somewhat labored.
It seemed the flesh overflowing from his body had collided with something.
The void was filled with the stench of charred meat and blood. Beneath their feet were nothing but shredded flesh and ash. Firelight danced on the walls, casting everyone’s shadows long and distorted.
The roars of the greater ghouls continued as the swarming tide attempted to swallow everyone whole.
In the distant, deeper darkness, countless pairs of ghostly green eyes continued to watch them.
And that thing with no mouth and a single horizontal-slit eye was hidden among them, waiting for its next chance to strike.
Dawn broke.
Morning in Oakwood City was as quiet as ever. Sunlight climbed over the eastern hills, plating the city walls in a warm yellow. People were already working in the distant fields, their bent figures appearing one after another, their shadows dragging across the freshly turned soil.
Lu Yuan woke up very early.
He dressed and packed the items in his room, putting what he needed to take into his bag and returning what he didn't to their original places. The two pots of green plants on the windowsill remained in their usual spots, their leaves still and quiet as if nothing had happened.
He glanced at the two plants before turning and heading downstairs.
Someone was already waiting in the courtyard.
Bo Er leaned against the doorframe with his bag on his back, a grass stalk dangling from the corner of his mouth. He looked like he had drunk quite a bit last night but was still in good spirits.
Several Nightwatcher brothers were also packed and ready, standing at the courtyard gate in civilian clothes with their luggage.
“Is everyone here?” Lu Yuan scanned the group.
“All here,” Bo Er said, spitting out the grass stalk. “The wagons are ready too. Those three loads of Oakwood Potion were packed last night.”
“Then let’s go.”
The group exited the courtyard gate, where the two armored knights were still stationed.
The leader’s attitude was much more relaxed today than in previous days. Seeing Lu Yuan come out, he gave a nod.
“The two-day period is up. The City Lord has given his orders.” He paused, then added with a trace of subtle courtesy, “Safe travels.”
Lu Yuan nodded back but said nothing more.
The two knights stepped back, clearing the way. The metallic clinking of their silver-red armor rang out a final time before falling silent.
The surveillance had been lifted.
The group walked along the stone path toward the city gate, encountering Otto along the way.
The old man was wearing his perpetually dusty old coat with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, carrying a cloth bag. He looked like he had just returned from the fields.
“Leaving?” Otto asked, gesturing with his chin toward Lu Yuan.
“Yes.”
“Got everything?”
“Everything.”
Otto nodded and pulled a small packet from his cloth bag, handing it over. “A few bags of herbs. Steep them in water to drink on the road. They aren't worth much, but they're good for refreshing the mind.”
Lu Yuan accepted it. “Thank you.”
Otto waved his hand as if it were a minor matter. His gaze lingered on Lu Yuan’s face for a moment before he suddenly chuckled.
“That old fellow Kraus really does have a good eye.” His tone was as easygoing as it had been in the apothecary yesterday, but his final sentence carried some weight. “Send him my regards when you get back. Tell him he can contact me if there’s a need.”
Lu Yuan glanced at him and committed the words to memory.
“I’ll pass it on.”
Otto waved him off and walked toward the branch with his cloth bag, his dusty figure disappearing around a street corner.
By the time they reached the city gate, Isabella was already waiting there.
Today, she wore a light grey short coat with her hair tied back, her arms once again speckled with mud.
Beside her stood the sisters Ibeya and Ibel. Ibeya held a wooden box, while Ibel stood quietly, her white hair shimmering with a soft silver light in the morning sun.
“Heading out?” Isabella asked with a smile.
“Yes,” Lu Yuan replied.
“Take this with you.” Ibeya stepped forward and handed over the wooden box. “I checked the potions you made yesterday; the quality is good. This box contains a batch of processed oakwood bark herbs. They're ready to use when you get back.”
Lu Yuan took the box and weighed it; it was quite heavy. “Thanks.”
Ibel spoke softly from the side. “Keep the heat a bit lower during compounding. Your batch yesterday was slightly too high.”
Lu Yuan nodded. “I’ll remember that.”
Isabella watched him put the items away, her arms crossed over her chest. The smile on her face faded slightly, replaced by a serious expression.
“Lu Yuan.” She spoke, not calling him “Captain Lu” this time. “When you get back, no matter what the situation is in the Bronze City, if you lack anything, just ask Oakwood City. Herbs, food, manpower—we’ll send whatever we can spare.”
She paused.
“Kraus is my friend, and his people are my friends too.”
Lu Yuan looked into her eyes.
“Thank you,” he said.
Isabella smiled and waved her hand, stepping back. “Go on, stop dawdling.”
Lu Yuan turned and walked toward the city gate.
Three horse-drawn wagons filled with Oakwood Potion were already waiting outside. The dark green glass bottles were neatly stacked on the wagon beds, wrapped in thick cloth and tied down tightly. Bo Er jumped onto the driver’s seat of the lead wagon, while Dunn and the other brothers dispersed onto the two behind them.
Lu Yuan climbed onto the lead wagon and sat down next to Bo Er.
Bo Er flicked the reins, and the horses’ hooves hit the stone road outside the city as the wheels began to turn.
Lu Yuan looked back at the gate of Oakwood City.
Isabella was still standing where she was, Ibeya was waving to him, and Ibel remained still, just standing there watching.
The city walls were greyish-white and heavy in the morning light. The silhouette of the circular tower above the gate stood solemnly in the sunlight, the secrets hidden within its ringed structure still obscured.
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and turned around.
The imperial road ahead stretched straight to the west, toward the Bronze City.
Three days’ journey.
He didn't know what had happened there over the last few days; his communication crystal had been dead silent, with no messages coming through.
But no matter what it was, he had to go back.
Bo Er glanced at him from the side without speaking, then cracked the horsewhip, picking up the pace.
The sound of wheels rolling over the road echoed dully in the morning air. The outline of Oakwood City shrank bit by bit behind them, eventually melting into the green of the horizon.
Lu Yuan leaned against the side of the wagon, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.
The western sky was heavy.
Meanwhile, within the abyss beneath the Bronze City, the silence between the group lasted only a few breaths.
The Great Ascendant was the first to speak.
His mechanical voice echoed in the void, tinged with gravity.
“We can’t keep wasting time like this.” He looked down at the stump of his bare right wrist, where gears and conduits were still hissing steam. “Should we retreat to the surface first and come back later?”
No one answered immediately.
Lake stood his ground, his Swarming Worms clinging tightly to his body as the dark red tide of insects crawled slowly beneath his feet. He didn't look at the Great Ascendant, instead keeping his eyes fixed on the surging sea of corpses ahead.
“We can’t retreat,” Lake said in a low, vicious voice. “We can leave, but it has to stay down here.” He turned his head, the pale portion of his face visible beneath the hood looking cold. “At the very least, we must wound it severely and pin it below the sinkhole. We absolutely cannot let it follow the corpse tide up to the pipe network layer.”
He paused, his voice dropping even lower. “An entity comparable to Rank 4 that carries its own pollution and can turn a living person into a new mutant with a single touch... Once it reaches the city, any place without a Rank 4 expert to guard it will become a one-sided slaughter.”
The only sounds in the void were the shrieks of the ghouls and the crackling of alchemical fire in the distance.
No one argued.
They truly had no way out. Unless they were to completely abandon the Bronze City, leaving now would only be delaying the inevitable.
The Great Ascendant’s mechanical eyeball swiveled twice, landing on Lake’s face for a moment.
“Then we fight.”
The attendant said nothing, his right hand clenched tightly as purple light coiled frantically around his entire arm. His expression was grim, but the coldness in his eyes signaled his agreement.
The hooded Nightwatcher retreated to the middle of the group, his breathing beneath the hood becoming slightly heavier, but he didn't mention retreating either.
Lake began to assign roles.
“We can’t touch it in close quarters.” He glanced at the attendant’s purple-wrapped arm and then at the Great Ascendant’s empty right wrist. “We’re changing tactics. Everyone switch to long-range; absolutely no more direct contact with that thing.”
He turned to the attendant. “You, come to my side. Your long-range capabilities are the strongest among us. It’s up to you.”
The attendant nodded.
“Great Ascendant, do you have long-range capabilities?”
The Great Ascendant’s mechanical eye flashed. “I do.”
“Use them.” Lake’s gaze turned to the hooded Nightwatcher. “And you?”
The hooded Nightwatcher remained silent for two breaths before his muffled voice came from beneath the hood. “I can’t help much. All my methods are for close quarters.”
“Then you and the Great Ascendant focus entirely on clearing out the ghouls. Once the ghouls are dead, it’ll have nowhere left to hide.”
The hooded Nightwatcher didn't make a sound, effectively agreeing to the plan.
Rate on N.U.
