Chapter 62: Land of Chaos, Abyss Outpost

Darkness blanketed this chaotic, labyrinthine underground city with absolute dominance, leaving light to cling only to the dilapidated magic-crystal lamps lining the tangled paths and alleys.

One wonders who would bother spending coin to recharge these ancient relics; perhaps only when they finally flicker into total uselessness does someone begrudgingly pay the price.

Amidst the disheveled crowd, a pair of eyes, sharp with both nervousness and cunning, had already locked onto the newcomer traversing the Third Black Street.

Though the stranger had obscured his face with an unfamiliar mask, his demeanor and the way he carried himself were entirely out of place in this subterranean city—leisurely, aimless, lacking the frantic urgency of one who had somewhere to be.

A new resident? Or perhaps some pampered noble’s son from the surface, curious about the underworld? No matter. Either way, he was a rare, fat lamb, and one that simply could not be missed.

No magical fluctuations, his combat aura levels pitifully low—how did such a person dare to venture here? If he didn't fleece him, someone else surely would.

The small, hunched figure licked his lips, a twisted smile spreading across his face. Yorick felt today was surely his lucky day, stumbling upon such a "fat lamb" in this godforsaken place.

There was no need to take his life; human existence was cheap here, and he wasn't a woman of any beauty. No gang leader in this district would want such a foolish, weak male waste.

He exhaled softly, controlling his breath, and infused a sliver of combat aura into his stride. It was faint, yet provided just enough force to suppress the sound of his footsteps to a near-silent whisper.

Relying on his small, wiry frame and stunted stature, Yorick wove nimbly through the crowd, ignoring the hostile glares from other masked figures as he closed the distance to his target.

*Swish.* A tiny blade flicked from his fingertips. His gaze was fixed on the pouch at the stranger’s waist, sensing the familiar, distinct magical ripple of a "magic-crystal card."

That was all he wanted. As for the "fat lamb," he would likely be dead in some corner of this chaotic district before long.

Squeezing between a few passersby, Yorick quickened his pace, his silent steps closing in on the figure moving so calmly ahead.

The blade flashed, darting toward the pouch. In Yorick’s mind, the fabric would tear in the next heartbeat, and his left hand, reaching out in tandem with the blade, would claim the card.

*Snap!* A powerful hand, encased in a leather glove, clamped onto Yorick’s arm. The blade at his fingertips halted in mid-air, inches from the pouch, unable to advance a single fraction further.

Yorick’s pupils contracted to pinpricks; he was stunned by the man’s reaction. He hadn't even turned his head, yet he had reached back with the precision of one who possessed eyes in the back of his skull.

And this strength—damn it, wasn't this guy supposed to have less combat aura than a novice knight?

Wang Yu turned, looking at the gray-haired boy, Yorick, who stared back in shock. Small, thin, and a novice knight at best?

Yorick’s eyes widened, filled with a flicker of terror. What now?

A ruthless thought flashed through his mind, replacing fear with cold-blooded malice. The brutality honed by years of scraping by in the underground took control of his choices.

*Whoosh!* The blade flicked from his knuckles with blinding speed, a silver blur streaking toward Wang Yu’s eyes. The cold, dangerous edge made one’s skin crawl.

Simultaneously, Yorick wrenched his trapped arm, dislocating his own shoulder to break free, then spun his body to deliver a kick toward Wang Yu’s neck, a hidden blade popping from the sole of his thick-heeled boot—equally lethal.

*Clang! Thud! Crack!* The sounds occurred almost simultaneously. An invisible barrier easily deflected the blade aimed at Wang Yu’s eyes, not even showing a scratch.

Faster than the kick, Wang Yu’s fist swung around in a blur, striking Yorick’s chest with devastating, unreserved force.

In an instant, bones shattered and ribs collapsed. Yorick’s thin, frail frame was sent flying, slamming into the alley wall, left motionless, his fate unknown.

"It is quite chaotic... though this place certainly provides a massive boost to sorcery. The barrier's strength and activation speed are greatly enhanced." Wang Yu glanced at the crumpled Yorick. The street remained busy; no one cared about what had just transpired.

The unique nature of this place, where the Void bled into reality, made casting spells much simpler and faster for Wang Yu. The barrier he had just manifested was at least 1.5 times stronger than it would have been outside.

He walked over to Yorick, indifferent to whether the boy who had tried to rob and kill him lived or died; he was likely beyond saving.

That horrific indentation in his chest was no joke; even if he looked intact on the outside, his internal organs were surely reduced to a ruin.

"Quite wealthy, aren't you?" Wang Yu fished several small pouches from Yorick’s person. The boy had hidden them in various nooks and crannies of his clothing, masked by layers of fabric and his own anatomy, but such tricks were meaningless against Wang Yu’s ripples.

"Twenty gold coins. Not bad." Nodding with satisfaction, Wang Yu tucked the pouches into his own belt. A quick scan with his ripples confirmed the count—twenty gold coins. A decent windfall.

Leaving Yorick in the corner, his life slowly ebbing away, Wang Yu continued along the complex, narrow paths of the Third Black Street toward his destination.

"You just killed him?" Ziegler’s voice resonated in Wang Yu’s ear.

"And if I hadn't?" Wang Yu used his ripples to transmit his thoughts silently to Ziegler, who was maintaining an invisibility spell.

"He was actually quite pitiful. Look at the black snake tattoo on his arm—that’s the mark of this street’s master. It means he worked for the local boss. Usually, these children are kidnapped when young and trained brutally to serve as enforcers."

"They have monthly quotas. If they fail... first time, a broken hand; second time, their life. His actions were likely just a desperate bid to survive, enslaved by the masters of this place since childhood."

"So what? No reason justifies an attempt on my life. If he had only tried to steal, I might have beaten him, but I wouldn't have killed him. But clearly, he went for the kill, so I gave him no chance to do it again!"

"I am no god. I cannot know or understand everyone’s plight. I only live by the rule: do not harm me, and I shall not harm you. If someone tries to kill me, they shouldn't be surprised when I ensure they die instead. If I were slow to act, it would be my life on the line."

Wang Yu found Ziegler’s questioning odd. In his view, the Night’s Edge was hardly naive or stubborn. If they had taken root in such a chaotic place, how could they be so conflicted?

"Fair enough. I knew you wouldn't have an issue with it. It’s just that Edward and Shael might struggle a bit. Not that they lack resolve, but their so-called kindness is perhaps a bit too broad."

"Hmm... in this line of work, one can't be too rigid." Wang Yu nodded.

Shael and Edward were indeed different from him—partly due to their life experiences, partly their nature. The professor was likely just testing his reactions to such situations.

"You are certainly suited for this work. And your physical strength seems to exceed your current knight rank."

"I’ve always been persistent with physical conditioning. To me, the body is perhaps a bit more important than combat aura..."

"That reminds me of an old friend’s granddaughter, Wendy. Her physical strength also far outstrips her aura, perhaps even more drastically than yours. You two might have a lot in common."

"Wendy Lanchi?"

"Yes. You know her?"

"Yes, Avia is studying under her grandfather, Weber Lanchi."

"Old Weber? What a coincidence. I suppose I can look after Avia a bit more; I am an honorary professor, after all." Ziegler’s tone held a hint of amusement. He hadn't expected Avia to be a student of his old friend.

"Given Weber’s strictness, Avia’s talent must be significant. I was too busy dealing with nobles and the Void to pay much attention to her before, but for the sake of her potential and our friendship, I’ll keep an eye on her..."

The professor silently reviewed his upcoming arrangements as they continued to weave through the streets.

Above the winding, twisted, and narrow alleys, a vast network of metal pipes distributed various substances. The unique environment of this region had fostered a peculiar evolution of alchemy.

The integration of the Void into reality made the randomness and success rate of alchemy here quite uncanny, and the emergence of powerful alchemical artifacts was far more frequent. The alchemy industry was one of the greatest assets of the City of Shadows.

With a low barrier to entry and a high probability of creating mutated, potent artifacts, the industry had shaped a unique ecosystem.

Large quantities of alchemical goods were funneled through special channels, controlled in the shadows by nobles or the royal family, and after layers of taxes and skimming, were transported to the surface city in exchange for vast amounts of gold, which flowed back into the dungeon.

On the surface, the two seemed unrelated, and ordinary citizens were unaware of the vast territory beneath the capital, yet their interaction never ceased. Interests and needs bound them tightly together.

This unique ecosystem had even birthed standardized alchemical workshops. Compared to the traditional, small-scale workshops of the surface—which required high precision, professional skill, and integrity—the alchemy of the City of Shadows was wilder, more systematic.

Raw materials coursed through the pipes spanning the city, delivered to their designated ends. Steam hissed, ready to erupt from the walls at any moment, while blazing furnaces simultaneously smelted minerals and fused materials.

The coiled cables transmitted not electricity, but magic and other exotic energies. Crowded and chaotic, a style distinct from the surface defined this underground city.

"Steampunk style..." Wang Yu mused, looking at the peculiar city. Who would have thought he’d see this familiar aesthetic in a fantasy world?

"Quite unique, isn't it? To us scholars, the development here is actually of great value. It appears chaotic, but in reality, the efficiency of much of the research and alchemy here far exceeds that of the ancient workshops in the capital."

Ziegler watched Wang Yu observe his surroundings, speaking with a smile.

"Indeed. Technology is the primary productive force, after all. Perhaps the most unique thing here is that even ordinary people can participate in alchemy. The masters above, without the precise reflexes of a knight or the mental fortitude of a mage, could never achieve this."

"Technology is the primary productive force... hmm, a very sound point. You certainly have many such unique maxims where you come from. Ordinary people participating... yes, that is indeed a significant breakthrough."

Ziegler nodded, his tone carrying a hint of deeper meaning.

"Anyway, we’ve arrived. This is where you’ll be staying." Ziegler stopped talking and brought Wang Yu to a halt before a building.

As they moved forward, they had reached the very edge of the city.

The end of this strange metropolis was a massive cliff. The city’s perimeter was protected only by a simple fence of iron and wood, barely a meter high—hardly a deterrent.

Standing at the edge and looking down, there was only endless, deep-black chaos. No light, no sound, no matter. The abyss—a word that perfectly encapsulated the feeling of the void beneath the cliff.

"This underground space is called the City of Shadows, and this city’s true name is the Abyss Outpost. The space beneath this cliff is the very thing this outpost is tasked to guard."

Zieg led Wang Yu toward the only structure perched upon the precipice: a towering lighthouse.

The lighthouse stood at the cliff's edge, its height exaggerated, its crown emitting a dim, lackluster glow that failed to pierce the depths of the so-called abyss.

The metallic body of the tower shimmered with a dull, somber luster under the faint light, lending it a mysterious and singular aesthetic.

A heavy iron door yielded to the verification of Zieg’s credentials, revealing the cramped confines of a lift within.

Stepping inside, Wang Yu and Zieg ascended amidst the roar of mechanical gears; the intricate engineering ensured a smooth, vibrationless, and remarkably swift climb.

"Built with goblin technology, I presume? There seems to be no trace of sorcery or magic here..."

Wang Yu cast out his ripples, discovering that the lighthouse was composed entirely of complex mechanical structures, devoid of any magical arrays or wizarding runes.

The prevailing architectural style of this world relied heavily on magical arrays and runes; only the goblins favored systems built purely upon the laws of chemistry and physics.

As the lift reached its zenith, Wang Yu and Zieg arrived at the summit, a chamber that remained far from spacious, save for a single groove in the center designed for an unknown object—upon closer inspection, it mirrored the base of the lantern Wang Yu possessed.

"Wang Yu, are you confident in your mental fortitude? I wish to gauge the extent of your resistance, though you may decline if you are unsure."

Zieg’s solemn voice drifted from the side as Wang Yu surveyed the chamber.

Wang Yu nodded without hesitation; there was one area where his self-assurance knew no bounds, and that was his mental resilience.

"Do not worry; should you falter, I shall immediately pull you from the observation. Now, I ask you to gaze into the depths of this abyss."

"No matter what you perceive, remember that it is a fabrication—a projection of the chaotic, disordered thoughts within this sea of psychic energy, mere tentacles and traps designed to ensnare and devour your mind."

"Understood."

Wang Yu did not hesitate, casting his gaze toward the seemingly bottomless abyss.

Darkness—it was truly nothing but darkness; even with the keen vision of a squire, Wang Yu could not penetrate that endless, obsidian ocean.

Yet, there were no illusions, no whispers, no grotesque entities; Wang Yu saw only the dark, and nothing more existed beyond it.

"Professor, I see nothing, but I would like to attempt a probe with my own psychic energy, if I may?"

"You see nothing? Are you certain?"

"Certain."

"Your uniqueness exceeds my expectations. Observation and psychic probing are essentially the same; if you wish, proceed. I, too, am curious to know where your limits lie."

"Very well."

With Zieg’s consent, Wang Yu prepared himself; since he was to work here for a time, he felt it necessary to understand this chaotic neighbor of his.

His ripples carried his consciousness, surging out into the abyss as Wang Yu stared into the void.