Chapter 214, Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Three: The Altar

As more and more people arrived, Yan Shi quietly changed his angle, pressing himself against a broken wall to get a clear view of the street corner next to the shantytown, the area above the shantytown ruins, and the seaside.

To be honest, Yan Shi had never seen the army of the Otherworld before.

As an ordinary citizen of the world, the most orderly and magnificent spectacle she had ever seen in over twenty years was the annual National Day military parade on television: the military songs were loud and clear, and the formations were perfectly aligned.

Neat, disciplined, and aesthetically pleasing.

But I always feel like something is missing.

The armies of the underworld have a completely different style. They are not so disciplined, but their eyes are filled with an indomitable killing intent.

Two groups of people were crammed into this small area of ​​the shed, and for a moment, Ling Yanshi almost forgot what the shed looked like when she last came here.

Although it was also dilapidated, it wasn't as dilapidated; and it was more vibrant.

"Gentlemen, I think this place should still be called Novano Port." Suddenly, a gentle voice came from the rear of the army.

Yan Shi looked in the direction of the sound.

With blond hair and blue eyes, he had the typical appearance of a Western nobleman from the other world. He was wearing a hunting outfit that allowed him to move around easily, and he looked quite familiar.

The lines on both sides made way for the person coming.

Yan Shi thought about it carefully for a moment, and then suddenly realized.

She is Aska, a friend of Yu Youguan, and the eldest daughter of the former governor of Novano Port. Theoretically, she is also the current nominal owner of Novano Port.

It's just obvious that nobody takes Aska seriously.

The commander of the Changyang Prefecture army merely nodded slightly in greeting: "Young Master Garcia." She still addressed Aska as Young Master instead of Governor.

If one is not a governor, one naturally has no authority to interfere in the affairs of outsiders.

Aska did not correct the title of the military commander of Changyang Prefecture. After walking to the front, he said, "Unintelligent monsters from the sea often come ashore outside the port of Novano. Just now, it should have been a few beasts fighting here. I didn't expect to disturb so many people."

"Thank you all for your diligent patrolling." She enunciated each word calmly. "Now that the fighting monsters have left, you can all retreat outside the city."

The officer from the garrison in Kersai sneered again: "Did you hear that? Governor Garcia doesn't need you patrolling here."

The military commander of Changyang Prefecture didn't reply. After staring at Aska for a long time, he shrugged. "I was the one who didn't know the situation." With that, he looked away. "Let's go." Then, he leaped away into the distance.

Both armies arrived quickly and left quickly.

In just a short while, the shantytown was empty again.

Yan Shi followed Aska at a distance, entering the city with her.

Due to the turbulent situation, although not long after, Port Novano is no longer as prosperous as it used to be.

Shops on the street had their storefronts tucked away, and the streets were deserted. The few passersby who did walk by were all dressed warmly and hurried along.

It was afternoon, a time when the sun was shining brightly, yet it only felt desolate.

The staff, attendants, and servants in the governor's mansion had all been scattered.

Yu Youguan sat lazily in the slightly dilapidated garden, counting ants.

Aska entered through a side door, her previously upright back slumping. She quickly walked to the opposite side of Yu Youguan, sat down on a stone bench, sighed, and slumped onto the table: "This is so hard..."

After entering the gate, Yan Shi slowly gestured for Shui Ling to leave, no longer needing to conceal her presence. He then stood at the garden entrance and knocked on the iron gate: "Good afternoon, both of you."

Yu Youguan looked over upon hearing the voice, then paused in surprise: "Yanlan?"

Thanks to the anonymous predecessor who created this magic for housework.

Yan Shi scooped up the mango crepe with satisfaction, the cream filling his mouth, feeling the delicate sweetness bursting on his taste buds.

"So, what's the situation now?" she asked vaguely.

The Bureau of Foreign Affairs' absurd communications have not been restored even after entering the urban area of ​​Novano Port, and Jie Sheng has been unable to contact the enforcement team she sent to Novano Port.

Given the sheer number of outrageous incidents at the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, Yan Shi has become too lazy to even bother criticizing it.

Instead of contacting her unreliable subordinates, it's faster to ask the person directly in Port Novano.

Aska paused in his hand as he poked at the mango crepe.

Yanlan's eyes were always bright, unlike Yanju's insightful understanding of everything; they were always casual yet enthusiastic.

"Didn't Director Yan tell you?" Yu Youguan's eyes lit up, and he immediately perked up.

Yan Shi: "Hmm?"

She looked at Yu Youguan, somewhat bewildered.

What should Director Yan know?

"Half of the execution team sent by Director Yan has defected. They are said to be former subordinates of the former head of the execution department." Yu Youguan didn't keep him in suspense and finished speaking in one breath, then stared at Yan Shi's expression. "Director Yan probably knew they were traitors, which is why he sent them to Novano Port, this powder keg. Director Yan didn't tell you this before."

Yu Youguan felt at peace.

Half of them were Sheng Chunqiu's former subordinates who have now defected?

Yan Shi tried to understand what Yu Youguan was saying, and then everything went black.

Yu Youguan was still lamenting, "Otherwise, how could the city have fallen into such chaos?"

She observed Yan Shi's expression, trying to glean something from it, but all she received was an overly indifferent face. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, and with a slight smirk, she said, "It's just a pity about the Garcia family's century-long management. I'm afraid Novano Port will never be able to return to its former glory for decades to come."

Aska remained calm; she had long accepted the fact: "The strong prey on the weak; I cannot stand up for myself."

"Sister." Aska's younger sister, Lily, emerged from the shadows of the garden and ran to Aska's side, grabbing her hem. "East."

Yan Shi: "What east?"

“East of Novano Port.” Aska patted Lily’s head and explained, “It’s the main campus of Novano Academy, and also the closest place in the entire Novano Port to the Dono Sea.”

"Since my mother's passing, Novano Port has no longer been under the control of the Governor's Office. Since when, the academy has been isolated by layers of large-scale formations and spells, and no one knows what has happened inside the academy."

Yan Shi guessed, "Did the turmoil cause Novano Academy to activate its protective formation on its own?"

“No.” Aska shook his head, his expression grave. “Novano Academy itself does not have an independent protective formation; instead, it relies on the protection of Novano Port. Furthermore, the academy’s teachers and students cannot enter the academy, and the professors who remained inside have been missing ever since.”

"Lily," Asuka asked, looking down at Yan Shi who seemed lost in thought, "What's going on in the east?"

Lily didn't explain, she just stubbornly repeated, "East."

Aska sighed.

Yan Shi also sighed.

Although Yan Shi was unaware that half of the executive team she sent to Novano Port had defected, she now knew.

Furthermore, considering the context—Sheng Chunqiu's former subordinates defecting and the eastern part of the city being artificially sealed off—Yan Shi could almost deduce who was responsible for the Novano Academy incident, even though no investigation had been conducted yet.

It's highly likely that Sheng Chunqiu will once again engage in her explosive art in the circled area, taking action against the fragile world barrier.

Meanwhile, the Changyang Prefecture army and the Kesai garrison were still in the city, and the situation remained deadlocked, making it difficult to handle the matter in a large-scale manner.

If the General Administration has one execution team loyal to Sheng Chunqiu's defection, then there will be a second, a third...

Yan Shi suddenly felt a headache coming on, and his future seemed bleak.

She looked at Aska with a rather distressed expression, then silently began to devour the desserts on the table.

Since things have come to this, let's have afternoon tea first.

But troubles don't disappear just because you run away from them; they'll always reappear on their own.

After Yan Shi used his fork to stab the last piece of cream cake, he slowly took out his phone and sent a message to Jie Sheng, asking him to find out the situation at the Novano Port branch.

However, Jie Sheng has not responded.

Lily stayed in the garden all afternoon, squatting next to them and muttering "east, east" over and over again.

The voice was soft and fragmented. By the end, Yan Shi felt that every time he lifted the covers to sleep at night, Lily was still talking to him.

The sun gradually slanted, its light shifting from intense to a hazy yellow. As evening approached and the sky was just beginning to darken, a sudden, deafening roar echoed throughout the port of Novano, shaking the entire city.

Yan Shi was looking down at his phone when he noticed the commotion and looked up suspiciously.

She had just finished going through her director's email inbox and roughly categorized the documents recently submitted by the branch offices and various departments. She planned to pick out the more urgent ones tomorrow morning and deal with them at the headquarters meeting.

The city initially only experienced a slight tremor.

The sky remained the usual golden hue of dusk, and the clouds in this coastal city always hung low.

There was nothing unusual.

Perhaps he'd been looking at documents all afternoon and was starting to hallucinate. Yan Shi looked down at his phone again.

The next moment, there was another violent tremor.

This time, the tremors were much stronger than the first, and the ground shook violently. The shaking was accompanied by the deafening sound of crashing waves. Not only the city, but also the distant sea was experiencing the violent tremors.

The air was filled with panic and trembling as Shui Ling expressed her unease to Yan Shi. Lily, who had been muttering to herself all afternoon, screamed, "Sister, let's go! Let's get out of here!"

Yan Shi suddenly stood up and looked up at the horizon.

She usually couldn't tell east from west, but at this moment Ascado didn't need to say anything, because to the east, which should be the east, a huge wave surged up and instantly obscured her view.

The sea and sky merged into one in an instant, threatening to engulf the entire city.

"Sister," Lily's cry was almost drowned out by the roar, "the protective formation of the Governor's Mansion!"

Aska snapped back to her senses and almost instinctively reached into her robes, quickly pulling out the Governor's Seal from her pocket. The heavy seal rested in her palm; she took a deep breath and poured all her spiritual energy into it.

Runes lit up one by one, and in an instant, a semi-transparent protective screen suddenly opened up, centered on the Governor's Mansion, covering the entire Novano Port.

The next moment, a colossal wave crashed into the barrier, creating cracks.

We need to find out what's going on.

Yan Shi gestured to the water spirits around her to lift her up, but before she could take off, the water spirits fell back to the ground.

"I can't go."

'I'm scared.'

'There's danger.'

Yan Shi: ...

No, she has to go see him today no matter what.

Since he couldn't command Shui Ling, "God said," Yan Shi murmured to himself, "Let me fly."

As soon as she finished speaking, her feet felt light. Heaven and earth seemed to lift her upwards, the wind howling.

The further you go in the direction of the rising waves, the louder the sound of the tide becomes, and the smell of the waves cannot mask the pungent fishy odor.

The buildings in Novano Port City are not tall, and the view from above allows for a panoramic view of everything. Yan Shi doesn't even need to walk all the way to the side to see clearly.

Blood was everywhere.

The sign for Novano Academy was still hanging, but the "layers of large-scale arrays and spells surrounding the academy" that Aska had mentioned had been broken. Almost all the buildings within the academy had been razed to the ground, except for one in the center, which was clearly not a building within Novano Port.

A giant platform made of black stones.

It stands in the center of the academy ruins, with countless runes winding across the giant stone. Blood continuously flows from beneath the platform, permeating the rune marks and casting an eerie crimson glow over the entire platform.

It's obviously not some heretical cultivation practice that complies with the regulations for the peaceful management of the Inner World.

Yan Shi slowly exhaled, suppressing the nauseating feeling brought on by the strong smell of blood.

Dozens of figures stood scattered around the altar, all draped in black robes and silent. The one at the very front was not wearing a hood, and from behind, he had neat, short black hair.

Yan Shi narrowed his eyes slightly.

He doesn't quite resemble Sheng Chunqiu.

Yan Shi moved closer: "God said, hide."

The laws silently concealed her presence, and Yan Shi landed on the outer wall of Novano Academy to observe.

The leader looked up at the giant platform, remaining motionless for a long time. Then, she finally turned around and whispered something to the black-robed man beside her.

Yan Shi did not listen.

Her gaze fell on the man's face.

With black hair and black eyes, her expression was always cold and restrained, and she had eyes that were very similar to Yan Shi's own.

To be precise, Yan Shi only resembles her in the eyes.

He was drunk on the verge of it.

It turned out to be Lin Zizui.