Disasterless City: "Shelter"

Although the pit city's elevator system had broken down long ago, the stone walkways along its rim were still functional, resembling some recreational mountain-climbing route for keeping fit. However, almost all of Yaxiu and his companions were Sanctuary Sorcerers who had condensed wings. Even if fancy aerial dogfights were beyond them, flying straight forward was easy enough, allowing them to traverse the city directly from above. Except for one person. When Yaxiu hauled Black Crow onto his back, he felt as if he were carrying a frail, lightweight girl. The first time he had carried Black Crow, he had been shocked by how light Tamashi was. After all, setting aside Black Crow's own body weight, his clothes, weapons, tools, and armor added up to over a hundred jin; there was no way he could naturally be that light. Black Crow explained that he possessed a martial technique to counter gravity, offsetting part of his weight. When Yaxiu and the others heard that, they found it unbelievable. How could someone resist gravity without using a miracle? Did you sneak some of Harvey's candy? Yet according to Black Crow, the underlying principle was quite plain and simple. First, he was capable of stepping through midair over short distances, though he could not sustain it for long. His method of treading air was just like treading water. He had discovered that as long as his frequency and force were sufficient when treading water, the reaction force would lift his body above the surface. Wasn't placing a person in air similar to placing them in water? It was just that compared to water, air was slightly harder to catch. Yet Black Crow was a living cultural relic who could unleash explosive shockwaves with his bare hands. Once one concept clicked, a hundred followed. Since he could strike the air to unleash shockwaves, he could naturally strike the air to generate enough counterforce to offset gravity. "Compared to me going through all this trouble just to offset weight, aren't you guys far more impressive for flying directly with your void wings without expending physical stamina?" Although Black Crow had argued this in his defense, and although what he said was entirely reasonable, this supposed "ordinary person" had grown increasingly mysterious and uncanny in the eyes of these sorcerers. Igola had even suspected Tamashi was deliberately spouting counterintuitive claims to keep the rest of the team in awe of him. So although Black Crow seemed to rest his entire weight on Yaxiu's back, his feet were actually treading the empty air at high frequency, which was how he barely counterbalanced over a hundred jin of weight. As for why it was Yaxiu carrying Black Crow... whenever a flying segment came up, someone had to carry him. Yaxiu had carried Tamashi once back in Nightfall, and afterward, it had become customary for him to serve as the Death-Bringer Black Crow's exclusive flying mount. Seeing Black Crow resting his hands on Yaxiu's shoulders, lying there obediently and quietly, the Mercury Trojan showed a faint flicker of strangeness in her eyes, though she said nothing. "You've already captured Silver Lantern?" Igola asked. The Mercury Trojan was an evildoer, fertilizer for Lalafells, and Senluo's foremost calamity, but she was also someone they could trust. Even with opposing stances, they had never received false intelligence from her lips. Besides, a lie as easily disproven as this would bring her no benefit whatsoever. Thus, when the Mercury Trojan claimed to have Silver Lantern under control, everyone's heart sank. Was this game of pursuit finally reaching its endgame? Yaxiu and his companions had not forgotten that they had two enemies in Senluo: Silver Lantern and the Mercury Trojan. If Silver Lantern was their prey, then they were the Mercury Trojan's prey. The Mercury Trojan had aided them with all her might purely to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf, aiming to gather all the trouble in one place. In her plan, Yaxiu and Silver Lantern had to either both live or both die; one surviving while the other perished was out of the question. Because both Yaxiu and Silver Lantern were half-feelers. No matter which one died, the survivor would automatically inherit all the favor of the Four Pillar Gods, not only becoming the new feeler of Senluo, but also seizing command of the entire Four Pillar Cult. And as for the Mercury Trojan—this "interim proxy," this "rehired retiree" of an old favorite—she would naturally be put out to pasture, cast into the cold palace, and pushed off the stage to make way for the new favorite. Yaxiu naturally had no desire to become the Four Pillar Gods' pleasure organ. Whenever he had free time each day, he cursed the Four Pillar Gods as four pyramid-scheme peddlers, hoping to lower his favorability with them. Yet just as money flowed to those who did not lack money and love flowed to those who did not lack love, Yaxiu, who never staged any performances, continued to receive steady sponsorship from his four divine benefactors. Setting aside the fact that a power-hungry villain like the Mercury Trojan would never willingly surrender the Four Pillar Cult she had painstakingly built, more importantly, Tamashi had been hunting her relentlessly. If she lost the protection of the Four Pillar Cult, she would never escape Black Crow's pursuit. Therefore, the conflict between the Mercury Trojan and Yaxiu was irreconcilable—a fight to the death. The sole reason they had cooperated earlier was that Silver Lantern was still on the run. Yaxiu needed to catch Silver Lantern to resolve the blood seed and half-feeler problems. The Mercury Trojan needed to seize both Yaxiu and Silver Lantern to thoroughly crush these two little wretches who were attempting to vie for the Four Pillar Gods' favor. To make matters worse, Yaxiu had to help Silver Lantern become a full feeler so he could shake off the threat of being a half-feeler—not only because of the occasional "curse affixes," but more importantly because if Silver Lantern died, he feared he would be twisted into a deformed feeler himself. Yet Yaxiu had no idea how to accomplish this; only the Mercury Trojan claimed to know a way. However, the Mercury Trojan insisted that both Yaxiu and Silver Lantern had to be present simultaneously before she could help one of them become a feeler while keeping both alive. On that point, the Mercury Trojan might not have been lying, but her intent to dispose of both of them at the same time was equally genuine. Still, Yaxiu and his companions were no longer the weaklings of the past. Even Igola had preliminarily condensed his Sanctuary. Sanctuary Sorcerers were called tactical weapons precisely because they possessed the confidence to flee even if they could not win. Even if the Mercury Trojan harbored malicious intent, their group boasted three Sanctuary Sorcerers plus an out-of-bounds warrior attendant, and Yaxiu could host a god at any moment. Even if they had to clash head-on with the Four Pillar Cult, they were by no means without a chance of victory. Therefore, if Silver Lantern truly had fallen into the net, the next step would be breaking ties with the Mercury Trojan. Yet the Mercury Trojan shook her head. "Not caught yet." Hearing this news, Yaxiu's heart skipped a beat, filled with an inexplicable tangle of emotions. Black Crow seemed to sense Yaxiu's unease and shook his head slightly. "But she's already trapped; surrender is only a matter of time," the Mercury Trojan said with a smile. "Unless she wants to die in this city." "Pardon me, but you should know that Silver Lantern is also a Sanctuary Sorcerer, right? And a weaver of conspiracies skilled in illusion and disguise at that," Igola said. "Can you really keep her trapped?" Yaxiu suddenly thought of something. "Don't tell me there's some mechanism here that seals sorcery spirits and sorcery power too?" "There is indeed a mechanism, but it isn't a seal. On the contrary, it's an enhancement," the Mercury Trojan said. "You might understand it better by experiencing it firsthand..." *Whoosh!* Mid-sentence, the Mercury Trojan abruptly pointed a finger at Yaxiu's head, and a streak of faint blue starlight shot from her fingertip! Yaxiu's instinctive reaction was to raise his Sanctuary, but right then, a chill washed over his body, giving him the illusion of being submerged in the Flowing Gold River. More importantly, he realized the entire world had changed. The world had slowed down. He watched astonishment and fury slowly surface in Igola's calm eyes, watched Harvey's left hand begin to turn to mist, and watched a razor-sharp speck of starlight shoot from the Mercury Trojan's fingertip. Yet the starlight was creeping toward him at an agonizingly sluggish pace, rippling across the air in blooms of distortion. Yaxiu seemed to be the only person moving at normal speed in the entire world. He tilted his head with effortless ease, slipping out of the starlight's trajectory, and in the very next instant, the world snapped back to normal. *Crack!* *Clang!* *Boom!* Resting on Yaxiu's back, Black Crow lightly flicked a finger; the burst of wind caught up from behind, shattering the starlight. The Swindler fixed his gaze on the Mercury Trojan, the air suddenly erupting with the keen whine of swords, and bloody gashes burst across the Mercury Trojan's body. The necromancer's left hand dissolved into a giant ghostly claw of eerie green mist, seizing the Mercury Trojan directly in its grip! "If scrapping this body can soothe your anger a little, I don't mind," the Mercury Trojan said, still utterly unruffled. "But if you're willing to listen to an explanation, I can spare myself the loss of a Two-Wing Sorcerer." This was the most sickening thing about the Mercury Trojan—her feeler ability allowed her to turn the vast majority of people into her puppets. No matter how viciously Igola and Harvey struck, they wouldn't harm a single hair on her real body. Igola glanced at Yaxiu. Yaxiu nodded to indicate he was unharmed, and only then did Harvey release the ghostly claw. The Mercury Trojan even politely nodded in thanks to Harvey, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and explained, "This is the Disasterless City. The grand power of a Grey Fox legacy still covers the entire city. As for this legacy's effect... Yaxiu Heath, would you mind describing your experience?" "When I am subjected to mortal danger, my perception of time is stretched to the absolute limit." Yaxiu pondered for a moment, then answered seriously, "And the trigger timing probably isn't 'the moment right before I'm about to suffer mortal danger,' but rather 'when I enter a timeline of death.' To put it simply, if someone fired a gun at me from far away and the bullet needed one second of flight to pierce my head, the mechanism would probably trigger the instant the bullet left the barrel." The Mercury Trojan clapped softly. "An extremely accurate analysis; I basically have nothing to add. That is the effect of the Disasterless City's legacy, 'Shelter.' Whenever you face danger, whether you are conscious of it or not, your perception of time is stretched to the limit until you escape that danger, at which point it returns to normal." The Disasterless City's Shelter! The sorcerers instantly grasped the power of this Grey Fox legacy. It truly lived up to its name, serving as a sanctuary for all who were sheltered by it, blending high-tier miracles from at least the destiny faction, prophecy faction, time faction, and frailty faction—the last of which accelerated physical senses! It thoroughly consigned the word "accident" to history, allowing everyone to avert disaster! Although Yaxiu had already seen Black Robe Town's "Kaleidoscope" legacy, Blind Town's "Blindsight" legacy, and Nightfall's "Gemini System" and "Flowing Gold Canal"... those legacies were either tailored for recreation or could only be used by sorcerers. Yet this "Shelter" benefited everyone, keeping ordinary people shielded by miracles at every moment, thoroughly insulating them from danger! "Wait." Yaxiu immediately noticed an issue. "If that's the case, how did you trap Silver Lantern?" The others caught on as well. Right—if any encounter with danger stretched one's perception of time, attacking one another here was practically impossible. "Being trapped is still a bleeding distance away from danger," the Mercury Trojan said with a faint smile. "This rule benefits Silver Lantern, but naturally, it benefits us as well. When neither side can strike, it comes down to a contest of miracles." By now, they had nearly reached the city center. In the distance, they could see a glowing prison of Four Pillar feather shackles cordoning off an entire district, with numerous Two-Wing Sorcerers roaming and patrolling the perimeter. Without any prompting, Yaxiu and the others knew Silver Lantern was trapped inside that radiant enclosure. Black Crow stared at the layers of black-feather iron chains wrapped around the glowing cage, momentarily dazed. "This is..." "You pray to the grand laws, and we can pray to the Four Pillar Gods," the Mercury Trojan said. "While we can't host four pillars in a single person like Silver Lantern, having four Sanctuary Sorcerers each host one pillar is no problem. Then, all we had to do was locate Silver Lantern and pray for the Four Pillar Prison to trap her within. "The Disasterless City allows me to dispatch Sanctuary Sorcerers into battle without holding back, completely free of worry that Silver Lantern might find an opening to pounce on them." Black Crow suddenly asked, "If it's a divine miracle of the Four Pillar Gods, why is it wrapped with the feather shackles of Slay All Crows?" The Mercury Trojan gave him an expressionless look. "Because I was the one who prayed for it, and the Four Pillar Gods responded to the image in my mind," she said. "Well, if thinking 'this detail means I still cherish the past' makes you feel better, I don't mind you thinking that." Then she glanced at Yaxiu and the others. "Should I thank you for making this Black Crow turn soft as well?" "Do you know the steps to forging a blade?" Yaxiu replied immediately. "Quenching and hammering are certainly important, but cooling is indispensable too. It is precisely because there is a soft place in one's heart that one's hands become indestructible. "Every night, I hear the sound of a blade being whetted," he said coldly. "Just listening to it makes me shudder." Black Crow said nothing, merely lying quietly against Yaxiu's back. The Mercury Trojan smiled faintly and said in a soft voice, "I can hear it too." "Can you two finish your bird talk?" Igola asked. "Has Silver Lantern not tried to destroy this prison?" "Right now, she can host at most one grand law, which falls far short of the Four Pillar Gods' power." The Mercury Trojan looked at Yaxiu. "On that point, you should know better than anyone." Yaxiu's face darkened. On his first day in Senluo, he had hosted one of the wasteland's mightiest grand laws, "Myriad Calamities Fire," only to be beaten into submission with a single punch by Silver Lantern hosting all four pillars. Igola said, "The Four Pillar Gods don't mind you bullying their new favorite?" "Don't I have another candidate right beside me?" the Mercury Trojan said leisurely. "Besides, the Four Pillar Gods might also want to use my hand to 'forge' Silver Lantern. They certainly aren't entirely satisfied with Yaxiu and Silver Lantern, or else they would have chosen a new feeler long ago. "Both of you possess qualities that draw the attention of the Four Pillar Gods, but you aren't good enough yet, not perfect enough." She spoke as if evaluating merchandise. "That is why the Four Pillar Gods are letting you continue to endure the wanderings and torments of fate—or rather, letting you 'grow' a bit longer. "After all, becoming a feeler means your form is permanently cast." "I've actually wanted to ask this for a long time," Yaxiu said. "Exactly what quality of mine earned the favor of the Four Pillar Gods? Is it too late for me to turn over a new leaf?" At these words, the others could not help looking toward Silver Lantern—everyone wanted to know how the evil Four Pillar Gods actually selected their chosen. "How could I fathom the Four Pillar Gods' far-reaching vision? Their gaze doesn't look at a day or two, or a year or two, but across grand plans of centuries and millennia," the Mercury Trojan said. "Yet according to my shallow understanding, what the Four Pillar Gods value should be a feeler's potential." "Potential?" "For instance, my potential was probably to destroy the cults and overturn Senluo. Beyond that, I couldn't imagine anything," she said. "For the Four Pillar Gods to value the two of you so highly only proves that your potential far exceeds my limits. "Silver Lantern's potential is easy to grasp; she has never concealed her desire to destroy reality. I was so wary of her in the past because her potential was far more likely to draw the Four Pillar Gods' attention, and that turned out to be true. "You, on the other hand, Yaxiu Heath." The Mercury Trojan looked at Yaxiu. "Even now, I cannot understand why the Four Pillar Gods dote on you so much. What unspeakable desire do you harbor in the depths of your heart that could possibly rival Silver Lantern's intent to destroy the world?" Now the pressure shifted to Yaxiu. Whether it was an illusion or not, Yaxiu felt Black Crow's hands creep slightly closer to his neck. "I swear, the most unrealistic desire in my heart is nothing more than wanting to be with the people I love." "Heh," the Mercury Trojan chuckled. "It seems your taste is rather peculiar."