Chapter 52: The Interstice and the Dark Web

After Charles unceremoniously threw open the door, Zieg was already waiting inside for Wang Yu and his companion.

Zieg had shed the knight’s armor he wore at the manor, now clad in an exquisite suit that highlighted his scholarly and knowledgeable air; it was no wonder Charles and the others called him "Professor."

Zieg sat upright at his desk, which was piled high with documents as if he were in the midst of official business, though he had likely learned of Wang Yu’s arrival through some other means.

"Welcome, Wang Yu. You’ve finally come to report for duty. We are severely understaffed here, and your arrival should help shoulder some of the burden," Zieg said with a smile.

"Professor! You were just teasing me earlier, weren't you?" Charles interrupted Zieg’s greeting.

"Charles Lyde, yesterday at 7:49 AM, performing magic at the East City Tavern, inciting a brawl by mocking a drunken patron, and subsequently escaping the scene using the 'Dark Web.'"

"According to the Blade of Night regulations, what is the multiple of the compensation required for the unnecessary financial losses caused during your mission?"

Zieg suddenly began to speak with a beaming smile. Though he appeared gentle and refined, he radiated an undeniable pressure.

"Ah, hahaha, I won't disturb you then. I'll be going now," Wang Yu said, seeing a bead of sweat slide down Charles's forehead, and backed out of the room with a nervous laugh.

The Professor watched with that same eerie smile as Charles retreated and pulled the door shut. He sighed, dropped the smile, and assumed an expression of helplessness.

"Charles and Edward are both a bit unreliable. The boss is the only one who can really hold things together. I hope you can be more dependable."

"I will do my best," Wang Yu nodded.

"Right. Commander Garcia and Father Fang both think highly of you. Ordinarily, even with their recommendation, you would have had to work your way up from the bottom of the Blade of Night."

"However, to cope with the increasingly active Void activity and the unrest brought about by the war, we have formed this Blade of Night Special Operations Unit. Considering all factors and your unique circumstances, we’ve recruited you directly here," Zieg explained, spreading his hands to clarify the current situation.

"I see... so what exactly does this special operations unit do?" Wang Yu was indeed curious about his status. He had expected to just take a job in the capital, perhaps acting as a local officer, but things seemed different now.

"Father Fang mentioned your personality, so I’ll be blunt: we take the highest pay and enjoy the best benefits, but we do the most exhausting and dangerous work. We handle the trivial matters, and when the major crises hit, we are the first ones to stand on the front lines."

"That sounds acceptable. But I must ask, where does your trust in me come from? Aren't you worried that someone like me, with so little experience, might cause trouble or turn traitor?"

Wang Yu was not surprised by the nature of the work; he didn't fear filth, fatigue, or danger.

"I apologize, but I must say we have checked your background. No intelligence organization in any kingdom has information on you, which suggests it is highly unlikely you are a spy cultivated by another nation."

"Furthermore, I must say that we need talent. Endless suspicion toward members is meaningless in an organization; we only care about how well you perform," Zieg explained with a smile.

"Understood. But what about my strength? I don't believe I meet the standard for the capital's power tiers. Even Charles is a formal mage; I am merely a mid-level apprentice knight."

Wang Yu acknowledged Zieg’s point but voiced his own doubt regarding his unremarkable strength.

Comparing himself horizontally to others his age, there were plenty who were stronger. Wendy, for instance, was four or five years his junior, yet her physical prowess might already exceed his own.

"You may lack a proper assessment of your own strength. For example, regarding what you did at the manor: our investigation shows 32 mercenaries died there, one formal knight went missing, and a projection of an evil god appeared and was destroyed. Those were your doing, correct?" Zieg looked into Wang Yu’s eyes.

"That’s right. The evil god's projection was killed by Avia and me," Wang Yu admitted freely; there was no point in denying it.

"Then do you know what would have happened if Charles, a formal mage, had faced the same situation?" Zieg asked with a smile.

Wang Yu pondered the scene. He realized that even a formal knight, without specific preparations or abilities, would have met a grim end against an ambush of thirty-two men and a formal knight on a dark, rainy night. "He would have died?"

Zieg shook his head. "He wouldn't have died. He would have run away. I must admit, he runs very fast."

"..." Wang Yu didn't quite understand why Zieg added that, but he grasped the underlying meaning.

"Strength is not just raw power. Your raw power is indeed weak by our standards, but the combat prowess you’ve demonstrated has long since exceeded what is expected of your level."

"We generally call such people 'experts.' Therefore, Mr. Wang Yu, you will likely be primarily responsible for combat and assault within our special operations unit."

Wang Yu rubbed his chin. That was true; combat effectiveness was never solely linked to raw strength. Strategy, the use of terrain, and even the nature of one's specialization could drastically alter a person's lethality.

Much of Wang Yu’s talent was poured into combat. Though his raw stats were inferior to many, the synergy of his various abilities allowed his combat effectiveness to stand out within his tier.

"No problem. Improving my strength is something I have to do anyway."

"Very well. Let’s register your identity."

After clarifying Wang Yu's doubts, Zieg immediately began organizing the documents on his desk. He moved a stack behind him, clearing the crowded surface in an instant. He searched a drawer and pulled out a piece of parchment edged in gold.

"This is a contract of the God of Order. It contains the regulations you must abide by. If you have no issues after reading it, sign it," Zieg pushed the gold-edged parchment toward Wang Yu.

"Hmm..." Wang Yu looked at the paper. His memory retrieved the details: at the top of the parchment was an emblem of a scale, with a feather on the left pan and a gold coin on the right—the holy symbol of the Order of Order.

Once this symbol was imprinted, one would be bound by the God of Order, and the regulations would carry magical weight. The higher the quality of the material used for the contract, the greater its capacity to hold divine power, and thus, the more potent its effect.

Wang Yu confirmed the reliability of the contract and read it carefully. The terms were quite lenient; most of the text consisted of job descriptions and promises of compensation.

He hadn't expected the Blade of Night to include those details. As a special operations unit, the base monthly salary was fifty gold coins, along with various special benefits.

The final three clauses were the truly important ones. Wang Yu summarized the complex and detailed text:

1. Do not betray the Blade of Night before it betrays you. The threshold for this was clearly defined, which was acceptable.

2. Do not maliciously sabotage the Kingdom. This, too, was clearly defined; essentially, as long as he didn't break the law too egregiously, there would be no issue.

3. Never summon an evil god. This... was not explicitly detailed, but it was the most absolute rule.

"Everything seems fine," Wang Yu nodded. He was satisfied with the contract. The restrictions were minimal, and aside from the last three, they were merely there to ensure his basic security. While they had an impact, it was negligible.

"Then sign your true name here," Zieg pointed to the space left at the bottom of the parchment.

"True name..." Wang Yu thought for a moment. Everyone had a true name, though one rarely needed to write it down when signing a contract; simply acknowledging it in one's heart was enough to give the signature the weight of a true name.

The most famous were the true names of dragons and devils. Dragons had to chant their true names to cast Draconic magic, while devils could be enslaved if their true names were known.

"So, my true name? It’s just Wang Yu, right..." Wang Yu suddenly realized he didn't actually know his "true name." Everyone was supposed to intuitively know their true name from birth.

But Wang Yu hadn't been born in this world. His name had been given to him by his parents, and it had remained the same since childhood.

"But as long as I acknowledge it, it should be fine." With that thought, Wang Yu signed his name—in Chinese characters.

"What script is this? Are you from some remote kingdom? The scroll didn't react, so it has the effect of a true name rather than a forgery. You should feel a sense of restraint soon—a faint shackle of divine power. Don't worry about it."

Zieg glanced at the name Wang Yu had signed. He couldn't read it, which piqued his interest as a scholar, but he didn't forget his duties and explained the sensation to Wang Yu.

"Hmm? I don't feel anything." With a shift of his inner eye, Wang Yu sensed no trace of divine power or shackles. Was this another special case? Seeing that Zieg didn't notice anything amiss, Wang Yu chose to remain silent.

"If possible, I would like you to tell me about your language and script sometime. It seems to be a very systematic language; as a scholar, I am quite interested," Zieg said, having carefully studied the Chinese characters. As he tucked the contract away, he made the request.

"Sure. By the way, I have something I need to convey to Bishop Fang. Can I reach him from here?" Wang Yu felt that was fine, then brought up the second important purpose of his visit.

He assumed the Goblin Chamber of Commerce would report the issue of the Sevuntan armor plates among the goblins to the Kingdom, but Wang Yu still felt it best to speak with Bishop Fang directly.

Furthermore, he needed to ask about the Lady of the Night, Eunice. His knowledge in that area was virtually zero, and Bishop Fang was the true expert.

"You can, but it is better to ask in person. It will also give you a chance to familiarize yourself with our 'Dark Web'." Zieg didn't ask what Wang Yu wanted to say; he simply agreed. Since the contract was signed, there was no need for further suspicion.

"Dark Web?" This was the second time Wang Yu had heard the term, the first being when Zieg intimidated Charles.

"Follow me." Without directly answering Wang Yu’s question, Zieg stood up and led him out of the room.

Wang Yu followed, walking down the corridor that looked no different from the hallway of any ordinary mansion.

Zieg didn't speak at first, and Wang Yu simply followed. But after a few minutes, Wang Yu noticed something wrong: the corridor was far too long.

They had been walking at a brisk pace; by Wang Yu’s rough estimation, they had covered several hundred meters, yet there was no sign of the hallway ending. No building could be this long... and the decorations and wall details were identical, as if the corridor were repeating itself.

It was peculiar. Combined with the resistance he had felt when trying to use ripples to peek outside the corridor earlier, it seemed the space he and Zieg were in had its own unique properties.

Wang Yu’s contemplation caused his footsteps to falter slightly. Zieg, walking ahead, clearly noticed and began to introduce the space.

"This space is known as the 'Interstice.' It is a special dimension, a technique within the field of barrier and spatial magic. It covers roughly the entire capital, using the mana projection nodes on the Floating Island as its core. Within this space, for those with permission, distance becomes a relative concept."

With the proper authorization and a resonance with the arcane array, one may utilize vast reserves of mana to perform spatial displacement within this unique dimension, yet the immense energy cost restricts access to only a select few.

By harnessing the power of certain wizarding schools to alter the internal laws, this space no longer permits simple teleportation; instead, it compresses distance at a ratio of sixteen to one, meaning movement within the "Interstice" translates to sixteen times that distance in the outside world.

Furthermore, through structural modification, this space has been manifested as you see it now—the interior of a manor—and we may petition the Royal Court for further renovations, such as the addition of my office.

Naturally, the only entities currently qualified to traverse the Interstice are select royal organizations and high-ranking members of the Night’s Edge, whom I shall introduce later; for now, you need only understand this clandestine transit network known as the "Dark Web."

Zieg gestured toward the corridor, which appeared repetitive and endless, while Wang Yu marveled at the nature of this special space referred to as the "Interstice."

While high-level magecraft includes spatial displacement and the creation of spatial bubbles, such techniques are severely limited; Wang Yu could not help but admire the sheer power of a permanently stabilized, independent space like this.

These corridors seem straight and infinite, yet in terms of external spatial scale, they are woven into the city’s various mana nodes, twisting and winding into an invisible web of transit.

Only these mana nodes can support the entry and exit of personnel, and the gateways they form, combined with these corridors, constitute a "Dark Web" buried deep within the city’s foundations.

Wang Yu arched a brow, Zieg’s explanation allowing him to construct a mental map of this special transit network spanning the entire city.

Imperceptible to the common man, people might be flashing past you in a parallel space even now, and you would never know from where they might emerge; these routes interlock to form the very fabric of this "Dark Web."

The implications are profound; the mobility provided is immense, offering sixteen-fold speed and the ability to traverse the city without obstruction.

"The Dark Web—a truly fitting name," Wang Yu mused, once again realizing the unique nature of this world, where miracles unimaginable on Earth seem like mere commonplaces.

Many vital and restricted locations are linked by the Dark Web, and though some are shielded for security, the destination we seek—Father Fang’s residence—remains covered by the network.

This is quite convenient, and as a member of the special operations team, you must memorize every entry and exit node in the city; Shale has mastered them, though he never uses them for anything productive.

Pay attention to the doors along these corridors; the number on each door corresponds to the node’s exit code, and I shall provide you with a map later that you must commit to memory.

Wang Yu nodded, looking at the door that had suddenly appeared as Zieg indicated; it was a wooden door identical in style to the corridor, much like the one Shale had opened, save for a plaque at the top bearing a unique serial number.

Let us press on; the Dark Web node for the Church of the Light is not located here, Zieg said, quickening his pace into a sprint down the corridor.

Wang Yu followed, finding that the scribe’s physical prowess was exactly as Shale had described—far from the frailty of a bureaucrat, he moved with the vigor of a knight, forcing Wang Yu to exert seventy percent of his speed to keep pace.

Passing door after door that manifested along the walls, Zieg stopped before one that had just appeared, saying, "This is the place; I shall explain the method of use, and since you already possess the credential, I need not issue you another," before turning to point at Wang Yu’s right hand.

This? Wang Yu raised his right hand, upon which rested the gauntlet bearing the mark of the Night’s Edge, left to him by the old knight.

Exactly; channel your mental energy into it and press it against the door, Zieg confirmed, answering Wang Yu’s unspoken question.

Feeling a renewed curiosity about the old knight’s true identity, Wang Yu touched the mark with his mental energy, causing the carving of the sword piercing an eye to pulse with life; as he pressed his hand to the wood, the door gave way, swinging open amidst a surge of ambient mana.