Dead City

"But what is the point of trapping the Silver Lantern like this?" They landed on the rooftop of the tall building nearest the cage of light, where Igola went straight to the heart of the matter. "Trapping her day and night—do you really think you can trap the Silver Lantern to death?" Without a doubt, this prison was completely sealed off from both the inside and outside; attacks from outside could not breach within. Even if they rallied an army here to prepare a miracle outside and wipe the Silver Lantern out in one go, the Grey Fox legacy 'Shelter' would stretch subjective sensory time to its absolute limit. Over an infinite span of time, no matter how dense an onslaught was, she would inevitably find a gap. Not to mention that the Silver Lantern was a Sanctuary Sorcerer—even if there were no gap, she could tear one open herself. Moreover, the Silver Lantern possessed god-hosting. Her burst of instantaneous combat power surpassed Legends, and her transformation forms were diverse enough to handle any situation. That was precisely why, even after half a month of pursuing and cornering her with the Four Pillar Cult, they had not managed to catch so much as the tip of her tail—the woman was practically a walking natural disaster. Her combat prowess ranked in the first tier across Senluo, and she was exceptionally skilled at counter-reconnaissance and disguise. Were it not for the Mercury Trojan's prophetic miracles, they would never have caught even a trace of her. In contrast to their futile efforts, the Silver Lantern had scored victory after victory during this period, snatching away grand laws preserved by the Four Pillar Cult. Within the Four Pillar Cult, the grand laws of extinct cults were used as mediums for the descent of the Four Pillar Gods. If the Mercury Trojan used believers as trojan hosts to possess, the Four Pillar Gods used grand laws as trojan hosts to descend. However, these grand laws lacked believers to replenish their energy, so they would vanish once exhausted—serving as disposable shells for the Four Pillar Gods. When the Silver Lantern appeared before them, they naturally preferred laughing in the arms of a beautiful girl to weeping in the shrines of the Four Pillar Gods. Yaxiu and the others were more than happy to watch the Silver Lantern and the Four Pillar Cult tear at each other's throats. No matter who suffered a loss, they lost nothing—it was best if this bunch of scoundrels beat each other's brains out. "It is indeed impossible to directly harm the Silver Lantern," the Mercury Trojan admitted frankly. "Yet she will certainly surrender." "Why?" "Because in the Disasterless City, besides 'Shelter,' there is another mechanism." "Wait." Black Crow suddenly chimed in, "I remember now. Could this place be... the Dead City?" "Precisely." The Mercury Trojan looked at Yaxiu and his companions. "Haven't you ever wondered? Since such a wonderful Grey Fox legacy exists here, why does this city remain in ruins?" *Right.* Even 'legacy cities' with glaring flaws like Blind Town and Black Robe Town had become some of the rare trade hubs in the Harp Sun Alliance simply because security was guaranteed. A place like the Disasterless City should undoubtedly have been claimed by a major cult, radiating its influence across the surrounding lands to stand as the premier metropolis aspiring to rule Senluo! "By day, the Disasterless City is indeed a 'Shelter' that keeps everyone far from harm. But when night falls, it becomes a dead city." The Mercury Trojan gazed toward the gloomy, overcast sky. "Anyone who remains here until dark, without exception—" "—will die within the city." "More than one cult has attempted to station themselves here and establish a base camp, only for everyone to be dead by the next morning." "So, far more than the protection of the Shelter, the deeper impression people have of it is 'the impassable Dead City.'" Yaxiu asked, "How do the people who stay in the city die? Didn't you say that encountering danger stretches sensory time to evade it? Does 'Shelter' cease functioning at night, no longer protecting them?" "I don't know," the Mercury Trojan replied. "I once conducted repeated experiments, accounting for various factors such as race, age, strength, and faith. I was able to retrieve the subjects' corpses from the city and found they bore no injuries whatsoever. Their bodies were thoroughly healthy in every regard, with no trace of greening, and yet they were simply dead." *Repeated experiments...* Yaxiu and the others chewed over the phrase, reminded once again with chilling clarity that the entity speaking beside them was merely a monster wearing another person's skin. "If there was any discovery at all, it was that they all seemed to carve words before dying." *Carve words?* Yaxiu and his companions froze. Looking around at the written symbols and markings scattered across the city, an incredulous dread rose in their hearts—had all these writings been left by those devoured by the Dead City? "Still, there is no need for me to investigate how the Dead City devours people," the Mercury Trojan remarked lightheartedly. "I only need to exploit this mechanism to achieve my goal." "So," Harvey asked calmly, "you intend to trap the Silver Lantern until nightfall? And perish together with her?" "I said, what I want is her surrender," the Mercury Trojan replied. "Even if my people pull back, the Four Pillar Prison can still hold for three minutes. My plan is to confront the Silver Lantern until three minutes before nightfall, then leave the Disasterless City and pitch camp outside." Following where the Mercury Trojan pointed, Yaxiu and the others could faintly see an encampment on the western rim of the massive crater. "If the Silver Lantern surrenders before then, it will naturally be a joyful outcome for all," the Mercury Trojan said calmly. "If she surrenders before the final minute, I will still have time to pull her out. "But if she holds out until the final minute..." Her voice carried a hint of mockery. "Then she can only pray for the favor of the Four Pillar Gods. "You have no objections to this plan, do you?" The others turned to Yaxiu. Looking at the Four Pillar Prison before him, Yaxiu drifted into thought for a moment. In all fairness, the Mercury Trojan's plan was impeccable. Even Yaxiu had never imagined capturing the Silver Lantern alive while ensuring her safety—that would be trifling with their own lives. Now that the burden of risk fell entirely upon the Silver Lantern, nothing could be better. The only risk was that if the Silver Lantern were devoured by the Dead City, Yaxiu would automatically be promoted to Touch. If he wished to object, that would be the only reason, and Igola and the others would likely agree, but... Yaxiu closed his eyes in contemplation for a few moments, then opened them. "I have no objections." The Mercury Trojan asked, "In that case, will you be camping at our outpost tonight?" "Thank you for the kind offer," Igola answered at once. "We haven't slept under the open sky in days and our skin is itching for it, so we won't be using your bedding." Over the past dozen-odd days, Yaxiu and his companions' greatest breakthrough had been attempting to traverse the night. The results were worth celebrating: every member of the group could resist the Strangling Green. From then on, they no longer feared spending the night even without a town nearby. It was only natural that Tamashi and Harvey could endure the Strangling Green, but Yaxiu and Igola were somewhat surprised by their own iron will, having always considered themselves relatively weak-willed. Harvey had pierced through their confusion in a single sentence: *"Look at the suffering you've been through lately."* Setting aside their adventures before Senluo, pursuing the Silver Lantern across this realm had already been extraordinarily arduous. Compounded by their ordeal at Nightfall—where Yaxiu had been forced apart from them and endured the sweeping torrents of the Flowing Gold River, while Igola had combed through records without sleep for days to unearth the secret key to opening the Abyss passage—they had unknowingly learned to allow themselves to endure suffering, to accept that eight or nine times out of ten, things in this world do not go one's way. Thus, the night also 'permitted' them to survive within the darkness. They no longer needed to rely on the Four Pillar Cult for nocturnal shelter; enduring a single night in the dark posed no issue. The Mercury Trojan merely murmured an acknowledgment and fell silent. Instead, Yaxiu suddenly asked, "Was that a star sorcery miracle you used earlier?" "Yes. What of it?" "I was just a little curious. After all, that faction is rarely seen." "Oh, that's normal. There weren't many sorcerers in that faction to begin with, and a while back, some of the star sorcery spirits suddenly self-destructed, sharply diminishing the power of star sorcerers," the Mercury Trojan stated placidly. "That is also why I used this body to meet you." As time slipped by, dusk gathered from all sides, and the light in the sky sank low. Far off, lights flickered on at the Four Pillar Cult's camp, and the vast Dead City was gradually swallowed by shadows. The Four Pillar Prison became the greatest source of light. "Silver Lantern, as long as you walk out, sever your own limbs, and drain your silver blood, we will unbind the prison and pull you out..." The calls for surrender continued to echo within the prison. The conditions were exceedingly harsh, yet when considering that their quarry was the Silver Lantern, they still seemed insufficiently absolute. Yaxiu watched the fading brightness at the horizon, narrowing his eyes. "How much time until dark?" "About forty-five minutes," Black Crow answered. "You should leave first; I need to have the perimeter patrol pull back as well," the Mercury Trojan said. "You aren't coming to our camp anyway, and as for the result... Yaxiu, you will certainly know before I do." Everyone understood the implication: if the Silver Lantern did not die, Yaxiu naturally would not become Touch; if she died, he would immediately advance to Touch. The companions exchanged glances. Yaxiu took Black Crow onto his back, then unfurled his void wings and took flight. Once they had drawn away from the Four Pillar Prison, Yaxiu asked, "Can this really succeed?" "Logically speaking, the Silver Lantern should surrender," the mind sorcerer Igola analyzed. "She does not possess the temperament to choose death over submission. Rather, she will fight to her very last drop of blood in desperate straits to seek out a miracle." Black Crow noticed Yaxiu's frame shudder faintly at the mention of 'fighting to her very last drop of blood.' "It just feels too easy," Harvey remarked. "It is hard to imagine the Silver Lantern being captured with her hands tied like this... Perhaps she has a spatial miracle, a way to instantly teleport out of the Dead City." "The Four Pillar Prison must have an effect that anchors space; an oversight like that is impossible," Yaxiu said with a frown. "Still, it really is a bit strange—" *Boom!* Suddenly, an ear-splitting rumble erupted from behind them! The shockwave nearly knocked them out of the sky. Turning around, they saw that the Four Pillar Prison had collapsed! As they turned to inspect the situation, they found the Mercury Trojan rushing after them. "Quick! The Silver Lantern found the core of the 'Shelter' legacy and is trying to seize it! Two of my four Sanctuary Sorcerers have been crippled—hurry over and help!" The group exchanged looks, glanced at the horizon which was still bright, and turned back to charge into the fray without hesitation! The power of 'Shelter' was simply terrifying. If the Silver Lantern obtained it, no one in Senluo could rival her unless an angel descended from the heavens! Yet when Yaxiu and his three companions reached the scene, they discovered that although one corner of the Four Pillar Prison had collapsed... three pillars were still functioning. As everyone knew, three points define a plane. Though the area covered by the Three Pillar Prison had diminished considerably, it could still contain a portion of the urban district. Looking upon this sight, Yaxiu and his companions instantly realized something was terribly wrong! "Too late." They raised their heads and saw that the horizon, which should have been bright, abruptly turned pitch black. Or rather, it had long since been engulfed by night. It had been the Four Pillar Cult camp to the west, using light sorcery miracles to manufacture the illusion that dusk had not yet fallen! Yaxiu and the others turned, looking at the Mercury Trojan as she flew leisurely back toward them. "I have no need to know how the Dead City devours people," she said. "I only need to exploit this mechanism to achieve my goal."