Chapter 64: A Mission Beyond the Scope

"Do you feel nothing?" Zig asked with a hint of hesitation, watching Wang Yu release his sensory abilities only to remain unresponsive for a long time.

"Hmm... nothing but endless darkness and a vast void. There doesn't seem to be anything else. I haven't sensed any hallucinations or mental corruption. I don't have any particular feeling."

Wang Yu’s calm expression remained unchanged. Although he knew exactly what had transpired, there was no need to voice it; as long as he appeared immune to mental corruption, his uniqueness would remain hidden from others.

"It’s terribly rude of me, but please, let me run a quick check." Zig relaxed his tense muscles slightly.

Zig had not been merely watching; had Wang Yu shown any sign of abnormality, he would have restrained him and immediately severed his connection to the abyss.

"By all means." Wang Yu maintained his relaxed, expressionless state, allowing Zig to proceed with the test.

While he could not perfectly control his micro-expressions, he could maintain a mask of indifference with ease, making it impossible for anyone to discern his emotions or detect a lie through his heartbeat or facial cues.

A tiny magic circle appeared at Zig’s fingertips, and he pressed the rotating wizard runes against the center of Wang Yu’s brow. The light flickered once, then slowly faded.

"Phew, no issues. Your mental resistance is terrifying. Honestly, if I were one of those traditional wizards or alchemists, I might not be able to stop myself from wanting to tie you up for study."

Zig relaxed completely. All was well; the Wang Yu before him was still himself, not some unknown entity that had usurped his body.

"Then it's fortunate you aren't a traditionalist, Professor."

Wang Yu smiled, though he pondered whether he should actually ask Zig to help study his soul. Whether he possessed a soul at all remained one of his current research goals.

"I'll take that as a compliment. In any case, I'm glad you have this level of mental resistance. If possible, I wouldn't want any new colleague to end up in the Frontier Sanitarium."

"Frontier Sanitarium?" Wang Yu noted the term in Zig’s words.

"It’s not a pleasant place. Every member who suffers a mental breakdown is sent there."

"To be honest, the environment is quite nice, but that oppressive atmosphere hides beneath the beautiful scenery and the forced cheerfulness maintained by the staff..."

"I truly don't believe anyone can recover in such conditions, and the facts seem to bear that out." Zig spoke, clearly unwilling to dwell on the topic; he seemed to have a deep aversion to the place.

"I see." Wang Yu did not press further. After a moment of thought, he decided against asking Zig to help investigate his soul for now.

As a colleague in the Blade of Night, his trust in them hovered around sixty percent—above average—but he had no intention of exposing more secrets until he had a deeper understanding of them.

Father Fang, bolstered by his standing in the Church of Light, held about eighty percent of his trust, similar to Garcia and Lilia, whom he had known for a long time.

As for Avia, their shared life-and-death experiences left no room for distrust.

"Since your mental resistance is so high, this job will be quite easy for you. Usually, this is the most difficult part."

"There are three such lighthouses. You, Sharl, and Edward are each responsible for one. Captain Shuguin handles the external overflow, and I serve as the backup should any of you run into trouble."

"All you need to do is place this lantern into the slot at the top of the lighthouse in the middle of every month to release the madness and chaos from this sea of psychic energy."

Zig took the lantern and placed it into the slot atop the lighthouse. As it settled, the sound of grinding mechanical gears echoed, and the lantern was slowly raised to the summit by the complex structure.

The top of the lighthouse opened, releasing the lantern. Wang Yu did not retract his ripples, noting that a vast amount of discrete psychic energy in the surrounding space began to converge, pouring into the lantern.

A strange, faint roaring sound reached Wang Yu’s ears—not a hallucination, but a real sound. Were those vengeful spirits inside the lantern?

Zig frowned slightly. While the discrete, maddening psychic energy had no effect on Wang Yu, the impact on him was significant. Though his willpower was strong enough to resist, the discomfort was unavoidable.

The process lasted about two or three minutes before the faint roaring ceased and the chaotic energy stopped converging.

As the mechanical structure retracted, the lantern returned to Zig’s hand. He looked with confusion at the thin layer of powder inside—Wang Yu recognized it as the dust left behind by extinguished spirits. Was that lantern truly filled with vengeful spirits?

"Strange, the madness this month seems much less than usual. These spirits haven't even been half-consumed." Zig muttered in bewilderment.

He didn't dwell on it, however, and after handing the lantern to Wang Yu, he led him away from the lighthouse.

Wang Yu’s task was simple: bring the lantern to this lighthouse in the middle of every month to release the madness, preventing the sea of psychic energy from reaching the critical point of void manifestation.

As for the contents of the lantern, Zig admitted it contained not only vengeful spirits but also the souls of death-row prisoners. Wang Yu had no objection to these sinners making a final contribution.

It was a brilliant idea: using spirits and the souls of the dead to attract the madness, then leveraging the process of their collapse under that pressure to disintegrate the chaotic energy.

The hardest part of the job was the massive influx of madness during the release, which could easily erode the person at the top of the tower. But since Wang Yu ignored it entirely, the job was effortless for him.

Wang Yu had a pretty good idea why the madness was less than usual this month; he had absorbed a significant amount of it when his consciousness intersected with the abyss, though there was no need to mention that.

Zig’s next destination was the Blade of Night’s stronghold in this underground city.

Beyond serving as a base for Wang Yu, it had another important role: the "church" Father Fang had mentioned, where Wang Yu would help spread the teachings of the Lady of Night.

...

"Hmm... are you sure this is our stronghold?" Wang Yu asked, looking at the building before him with a sense of helplessness. Though he doubted Zig could make such a mistake, he felt compelled to ask.

"This... I truly didn't expect it to be this bad." Zig looked embarrassed; he hadn't anticipated the stronghold would be in such a state.

Zig and Wang Yu were standing on one of the main streets of the underground city, Black Street No. 7.

Aside from the extremely rugged architectural style common to the surrounding buildings, and the pipes and makeshift elevated floors everywhere, it bore a striking resemblance to the royal city above.

The street was lined with various shops. Pedestrians covered their faces with hoods and cloaks, while those who didn't bother to hide their features moved in groups, causing others to step aside—these were the gangs, the self-appointed masters of this place.

The spot where Wang Yu and Zig stood was their stronghold: a dilapidated shack.

It sat on the edge of the street, half of it suspended in mid-air, supported by crude steel brackets anchored to the rock, with iron plates laid down that looked far from sturdy.

Even this meager space was encroached upon; a neighboring potion shop had stacked boxes of low-quality, expired potions right at the stronghold’s door, marked with low prices to attract bargain hunters.

"The conditions are a bit too poor, aren't they?" Wang Yu rubbed his chin.

"Indeed. I will contact our informant in the Blade of Night to help you expand and renovate this place. The area extending outward from here is also our property."

"Though, come to think of it, I suppose the quality of the stronghold doesn't really matter. My job doesn't require me to stay here; I only need to ensure the monthly processing of the madness."

Wang Yu pondered, and even he, an optimist, realized that the state of the stronghold was not a major concern.

"The poor environment of this stronghold is actually due to the Blade of Night having little involvement in this underground city, and the royal family has taken a laissez-faire attitude as well."

"But now that the war has begun, the Blade of Night needs to consolidate the power of the shadows in the royal city. If possible, we hope to gain some influence and insight into this underground city."

"Wang Yu, since handling the madness is no problem for you, we can move this plan forward. I hope that by whatever means necessary, you can establish some influence and intelligence channels here."

Wang Yu looked at Zig, staring at him with an inscrutable expression, remaining silent for a long time.

Even with Zig’s refined upbringing, he felt a bit uncomfortable under that gaze. He knew his request was demanding; Wang Yu was a newcomer, and the task he was asking for went beyond the scope of a veteran.

"Apologies, I know this is difficult, but your uniqueness makes me feel you have a chance. At least you can try. Here is your funding; don't worry about the costs."

Zig explained awkwardly. Wang Yu’s calm attitude and unflappable nature always made those around him feel he was reliable.

Zig hadn't intended to give so much responsibility to a newcomer, but since Wang Yu had handled the madness perfectly without needing any adjustment, it seemed a waste not to share the next phase of the Blade of Night’s goals.

After all, with the war looming and the royal city becoming increasingly chaotic, the Blade of Night’s shortage of time and talent was becoming apparent.

The Professor pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment. The royal city needed change, this era needed a variable, and he himself... perhaps he needed to change as well.

Not lingering on his own emotions, Zig handed a magic crystal card to Wang Yu.

"There are three thousand gold coins inside. Two thousand is for the base, and the remaining one thousand is my investment in you."

Zig shook his head, a helpless smile appearing on his face.

"I know it might be difficult, but it doesn't matter if you fail. Just go for it. While these times are chaotic, they are also full of opportunity. We need some radical individuals, and I have high hopes for you."

"That is all for your mission. I must go guide Sharl and Edward. You are free to act as you see fit. Of course, your safety is paramount. Take care."

Zig patted Wang Yu on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Wang Yu tossed the magic crystal card in his hand, not bothering to watch Zig walk away.

"In such a rush... he is certainly generous with his coin. Three thousand gold pieces—though it would be a struggle, it is not entirely impossible to carve out a name for myself in this wretched place."

From Zig’s demeanor, Wang Yu read between the lines; by thrusting a task so clearly beyond his station upon him with such urgency, it was evident that Zig held no real expectations of success.

This suggested, first, the mounting tension of the current situation, and second, revealed something of Zig’s own hidden agenda. A professor whose combat prowess appeared unremarkable on the surface, yet who could produce such a sum of money and command such authority...

Zig’s identity was surely far more complex than that of a mere academic.

But that was no concern of Wang Yu’s. He had only to focus on the task at hand: the first step, establishing the Church of the Lady of Night.

This place was a chaotic sprawl, a melting pot of every imaginable sect. The wretched conditions drove the desperate to seek solace in faith.

Consequently, beliefs that found no purchase in the upper city flourished here, gathering a surprising number of devotees.

The Cult of Suffering and Torment, the Sect of Chaos, the Ring of Equilibrium—all manner of inscrutable faiths lurked in the corners of this bloated, labyrinthine city.

By comparison, the faith of the Lady of Night that Wang Yu sought to spread seemed almost absurdly mundane.

Glancing around, Wang Yu casually retrieved the statuette of the Lady of Night and placed it upon the windowsill of his hideout. It was perhaps a gesture of profound irreverence, but he was no believer himself, and the spot was the only one that seemed remotely suitable.

"Hm?" Wang Yu noticed a ripple in the void surrounding the statue the moment he set it down. In this environment, where the subterranean void bled into reality, such disturbances were impossible to miss.

He turned toward the source of the tremor. The figure of the Lady of Night, shrouded in veils of darkness, stood before the door of the hideout, her gaze fixed intently upon the crooked, teetering statue on the sill.

Wang Yu scratched his head; it seemed his sacrilege had been caught in the act.