Chapter Thirty-Four
“Yesterday, while you were discussing matters, a battle broke out in the city. The participants and the outcome are unknown. It was a very brief, close-quarters engagement. As for the damage, the only confirmed loss is that the buildings where the paladins lived collapsed. The clergy are currently busy salvaging supplies,” Denos said methodically, taking a sip of coffee.
Is the news reliable?
"The more you trust the intelligence gathered by Chrisson, the higher its reliability."
"That seems quite credible, which is good news. At least it means that the Church also has no way to deal with the demon's attack without suffering losses."
"They confirmed it was the demon's doing so quickly?"
"Do you have any other guesses? It can't be that you tore down one of your own houses."
"It's hard to say. Maybe it's an illegal building. In that case, the residents inside could make a fortune from the demolition compensation." Ghost Duke yawned, looking at his new clothes.
"What is demolition?" Yak felt he had heard some strange words and needed to expand his vocabulary.
"Too lazy to explain, just think of it as demolishing a house. Speaking of which, this outfit looks really nice. Are you really so comfortable giving me such a good outfit? Let me warn you, I could easily damage it." Ghost Duke clutched his clothes. The material was an unfamiliar fabric, not particularly attractive, and the color was unrefined, just a simple gray tone.
It's because bright colors make one an easy target, especially for monsters outside, so wearing normal clothes can effectively prolong one's life.
But I digress. Anyway, Ghost Lord had suffered severe injuries, including his clothes, which were completely unusable. They couldn't leave him naked, so Ark found him one of his own clothes. Luckily, their builds were similar, so they could swap.
Although Ark didn't have a habit of spending money recklessly, as a businessman he had a considerable budget. So he used that money to buy himself some decent clothes, at least comfortable to wear. However, Ghost Duke had always lived a tragic life, so these clothes were already quite good for him, something he could never afford otherwise.
“Just wear them. If they get damaged, there are always new ones,” Ark replied, watching Ghost Duke sitting in the chair looking outside, trying to observe his aura.
He could sense the malice in others, so he was absolutely certain that the guy in front of him seemed to hate no one. He was just sitting there, not thinking about hurting anyone, and not even wanting to find out who had just cut him into pieces to make him suffer unbearable pain.
He was just sitting there, completely detached from everyone else. An indescribable loneliness flowed from him, forming an illusory barrier around him, separating him from the rest of the world.
If Ark hadn't been paying close attention to this guy, he probably wouldn't have noticed this guy who was always in the corner. When he spoke, it was as if he was familiar with everyone, but as soon as he sat down, it was as if he had transcended this world.
It was as if he didn't belong here at all.
Ark didn't intend to think about it any further, because now that they had the intelligence, they needed to respond.
Fighting has broken out in the city; this should be the time to turn the tide.
How many people are looking forward to this moment? In any case, everyone will definitely try to conduct the first wave of reconnaissance.
They also need to obtain firsthand information, and time is of the essence; they absolutely cannot waste such a golden opportunity.
"I'm going out with Denos. Are you three okay watching the house?" Ark hesitated for a moment before asking the guy by the window.
"Hmm? You mean I can sit here and chat with this lovely girl until you come back? Of course I have no objection." The gloomy expression on Ghost Duke's face vanished instantly, and he stood up cheerfully.
Ark no longer wanted to pay attention to such nonsense. He looked at Denos and responded with a nod.
As soon as the door opened and closed, they left the hotel.
The area outside hadn't been cleaned yet; monster corpses and a chilling aura lingered everywhere. Ark looked at the snowdrifts stained red with blood, then turned to Denos behind him and said:
"When do you think I'll end up like them, cut into pieces and lying on a snowdrift?" Yak joked. "Maybe by the end of this trip, you'll be able to find a new boss."
"Stop joking, boss. What kind of joke are you playing on me?" Denos said helplessly, "My dad already said that no one else will die but you won't. This guy has a good reputation and his abilities are so outstanding. If you're worried about dying, then I'll have to prepare a coffin."
However, as he spoke, Denos suddenly felt a little uneasy, and after a slight sigh, he said softly.
“If it really comes down to it, let’s leave. It’s too dangerous here,” Denos said softly. “I know what you’re looking for here, but give up. It’s too chaotic right now.”
“It’s precisely because of the chaos that there are opportunities. Otherwise, where would I find such a good opportunity?” Ark turned to Denos and made a shushing gesture: “And don’t mention that matter outside. I’m still in the sunlight right now, so I can’t talk to you about this topic.”
"Hehe, yes, you're still under the sunlight." Denos looked up at the sun still hanging in the sky.
This thing has a deeper meaning for Ark, but he can't say it outright. This sun is really annoying; there's hardly any opportunity to do anything bad under it.
Ignorance is indeed a good thing; at least you won't get caught up in things that seem to have nothing to do with you. Ignorance is bliss—that's certainly true.
Are you really sure that thing is here?
"I've said before that we shouldn't be discussing this topic now."
"I know, I know, but I doubt anyone can actually read our lips to understand what we're talking about these days, right?" Denos said helplessly. "We've been looking for that thing for a while now, why would we think it's here?"
"I don't know, but I have a gut feeling about it."
"Ha! You think I believe that? You suddenly insist on coming here from half a world away, even venturing into forbidden zones. You're telling me it's because you intuitively sense something you want here? And it has to be at this time? Please, it took us years to get here. You can use that excuse to fool Spider-Man, but tell me the truth." Denos looked helplessly at the guy walking ahead. "Besides, you've never actually told me what that thing is. You always use strange metaphors to distract me."
“I suddenly feel like everyone around me is talking a lot.” Ak paused, then suddenly stopped.
Denos also stopped, watching as Ark drew the dagger from his hand, muttered a few words, and then stuck it into the ground.
Subtle changes occurred in the surrounding soil; several tentacles emerged from it, coiling around the short sword and rising upwards. Finally, an eye appeared on top of it, a greyish-gold eye, contrasted against the black parts of the tentacles.
“Every time I see you using so much magic so skillfully, I lose hope for my future and wait for you to ruthlessly fire me at any moment.” As he said this, Denos took a piece of paper out of his pocket and stuck it on the hilt of his sword.
And so the sword vanished from there in the blink of an eye, disappearing so quickly that it was as if there was nothing there at all.
"Then let's learn something that looks high-end, like asking Nina how to use Black Lightning."
"Ha, I told you that thing requires bloodline."
“You need a girlfriend too. You should socialize more with girls instead of running around with me.” Ark waved to Denos. “If you don’t have anything else to do, I suggest you go talk to Nina. She’s a very beautiful girl with good blood. If you work hard to get her, I’ll be waiting for you to have an excellent child.”
"I was wondering if this was the same way you persuaded my dad to pursue my mom."
"Of course! At least he caught up."
“But you have to know that I’ve probably seen my mother fewer times than I can count on two hands.” Denos frowned and looked at Ark, saying, “That’s a lame excuse. What are you planning to investigate on your own?”
“If you understand, hurry up and leave. I’m too lazy to waste time talking nonsense. I still have coffee, or tea and brown sugar in my jar. Take it with you and go ask that girl what she likes to drink. Making her some and chatting about life’s ideals is much more interesting than being annoyed by me.” Yak waved his hand, which was his farewell.
A moment later he disappeared from sight, without even having time to say goodbye.
Because he just used a spell that could create a barrier, the space here is now sealed off, and no living thing can be seen from the outside.
It looks like an empty street.
Ark stopped caring what Denos would do next. Denos was a guy who could take care of himself, and Ark wasn't worried about him having any problems.
He didn't care about that; he had other things to do.
Before arriving, Ark had already gathered most of the information about this place. With his abilities, he was able to find out more than just that the salt here could fetch a good price.
The pretense of buying information from that guy was just a show for Lady, it, and the guy following behind. That way, at least they wouldn't be too wary of Ark.
Ark had planned his trip here long ago, but his purpose was not for the demon.
Although he really needs a demon right now, not right now.
He slowly reached his hand behind his back, where his real weapon was kept.
Unlike the weapons that looked like they were picked up from the ground before, this time he brought his own weapons that he actually used for fighting.
He seemed to be walking aimlessly through the streets, but inexplicably, it felt like there was no end in sight.
He was circling the buildings aimlessly, as if taking a stroll after dinner.
As he walked, he even started singing.
As expected, most people with facial paralysis are tone-deaf, and Ark is no exception. His singing voice is almost like a duck's quacking, utterly devoid of beauty and rhythm. It's like a child playing a musical instrument without any rhythm.
But it was strangely eerie because there was no one on the road.
This shouldn't be the case; there should be a lot of people here. Well, by "a lot," I mean at least a few others like him gathering intelligence.
But the temperature in the air gradually dropped, and the surroundings slowly became desolate.
He was still circling the city, but it seemed to become more desolate with every step he took.
The place was deserted; it was as if everyone who lived in the rooms had moved out. Although the bloody sun had just passed, this was still too much.
It was like a dead city; the oppressive atmosphere made one feel as if indescribable monsters were standing in the surrounding darkness.
But there were only cats and crows around. I don't know how these guys survive here. The cats wandered around watching Ark, while the crows were not so quiet and kept cawing.
About half an hour later, when the crow landed on the house next door and curiously looked at him, Ark stopped, and his singing also came to an abrupt halt.
It was an extremely bizarre scene; no one would think of moving forward at that moment.
Because countless crows landed on the surrounding houses, stood with the cat, and watched Ark together.
Anyone would find it eerie to have countless people like that staring at them.
And in front of the road stood a small monster.
It was a cat, but it didn't look like a cat.
Spider legs, four in total, pierced out from its back, covered with some webs. They spread out behind it like wings.
Compared to that, what lay before it was far more bizarre. Starting with its paws, the cat slowly began to rot, revealing its clean, white bones, a stark contrast to its black flesh.
The sun shone brightly in the sky, but its light was insufficient to cast a shadow on the ground for the cat. It was as if the cat had no physical form, but was merely a ghost.
Yak looked at the crows around him, then at the cat in front of him.
“So there really is a door here,” Ark said softly. “I wonder what’s hidden inside.”
"Who are you?" the cat hissed, like an old bellows starting to work: "An unfamiliar face, you've come to a place you shouldn't be."
“In fact, I traveled a long way just to get here.” Ark slowly pulled out a weapon from behind him. It was a strange bone, probably a sharpened bone from a human arm, with black patterns wrapped around it. “Please, don’t disappoint me.”
The hoarse meows and the cawing of crows grew agitated; these creatures, seemingly from the world of the dead, were enraged and swarmed together to attack their enemy...
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