Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Lost City of Mist

[As daylight fades, you halt your advance.]

Chen Qi takes a deep breath. After a day of riding hard on the Shadow Lantern Fox, he finally reaches the City of Mist.

[This new land fills you with both excitement and unease.]

[You gaze at the distant, massive black city walls, as if they sever the city from the rest of the world. Piled against the base of the walls are countless shattered stone statues, heaped like small mountains.]

[In the distance, a towering spire pierces the clouds. At its pinnacle, you can clearly see an enormous lantern!]

[With just a glance, you glimpse the prosperity this fallen land once enjoyed.]

[Boom—]

[As the day dies, a deep, ancient chime rings from that high tower, reverberating across the land.]

[Your spirit recovers.]

[After ten years, the beacon atop the high tower is rekindled, scattering the mists that shroud this ruined city!]

[It’s as if those stone statues are watching you, hoping you might bring an end to an unfinished story.]

Chen Qi reads through the text.

This city must have fallen long ago, yet even in ruin, it preserves a final ember of hope.

Now, with the arrival of the Sinner and the Hunter of Prisoners, this ruined city breathes anew!

[You and the Shadow Lantern Fox pause outside the city walls, gazing from afar.]

[O wanderer, you have come to a land where disaster’s embers have not yet died.]

[You look upon this lost land, the fire in your heart burning bright. Lantern Aspect +1.]

[You cannot help but wonder: can the lantern in your heart extinguish the lingering embers of disaster?]

Lantern Aspect +1?

Chen Qi studies the text. This must be due to his continual exploration.

To increase an Aspect, the character must act in accordance with it.

Conversely, neglecting actions related to an Aspect may cause it to decrease.

Every five units marks a new stage; there are four stages in total. If it exceeds ten by too much, there is a chance of slipping into madness.

His previous explorations, and now this venture into the unknown, are enough to raise his Lantern Aspect.

Chen Qi continues reading.

[As the day wanes, you stand alone in this place, wanderer. Make your choice.]

[1. Charge directly into the City of Mist to witness its sights.
2. Use the White Dove’s Eye to observe the city.
3. The thick white mist fills you with dread—leave this place.]

Given the current situation, barging through the main gate is hardly wise.

If he rushes in, he may be swarmed by Sinners and disasters alike.

Option two it is: observe the city with the White Dove.

[You close your left eye. A white droplet slips from your eye, transforming into a white dove that soars through the mist.]

[The dove flies over the city walls, surveying the inner city.]

[Within, under the beacon’s glow atop the high tower, the mist has not invaded the city.]

[At the foot of the walls, you see fresh heaps of corpses, likely would-be treasure hunters, and beside them, crazed Sinners shackled in chains.]

Chen Qi starts. It seems many adventurers have recklessly entered the City of Mist and have been ambushed.

He must proceed with caution.

[You fly on.]

[Within the city, you see a ruined Temple of Prayers, a half-crushed carriage abandoned mid-road, the market, the Calamity Tower that foretells disasters… In all these places, clusters of moss-covered statues stand still, as if they still dwell on this land.]

Statues…

Chen Qi reads on.

[You fly further.]

[You see relic crows and tree-eating monsters hurrying towards the center.]

[In the distance, chains like blades slash through the air.]

[At the heart of the City of Mist, beneath a colossal statue of a Calamity Hunter, nearly two hundred figures stand in a vast ring, challenging the Hunter of Prisoners at the center.]

[Spells of frost and flame, corpses, puppets—all surge toward the Hunter!]

[The Hunter of Prisoners, like an immortal beast, lashes out with his chains, turning one foe after another into a mist of blood!]

[High above, a figure in white robes wields a long staff, conjuring more mist.]

[Within the white fog, the Hunter’s attacks grow wild and unfocused, as if he’s lost his sense of direction.]

They’re treating the Hunter like a boss, Chen Qi thinks.

The white-robed one’s mist seems to suppress the Hunter, preventing accurate attacks.

Wait…

Why are there over two hundred people?

Even counting the unlisted monster prisoners, there shouldn’t be that many!

[You look closer: each person wields their own unique abilities, living power coursing through them.]

So, some Sinners have allied with others and entered the City of Mist as a group.

Chen Qi grits his teeth. The scene is even more chaotic than he imagined.

Beyond the Sinners and the Hunter, there are many third parties like himself mixed in.

[You scan the skies, sensing that many more are on their way to the City of Mist.]

[You turn your gaze back to the assault on the Hunter.]

[Suddenly, the Hunter spreads his arms wide, raising his head in a furious howl!]

[In your spirit vision, a surge of black energy erupts from him like a volcano, shooting into the heavens.]

[He issues the warning engraved on his armor:

“You shall be buried by your deeds. You shall suffer eternal torment for your sins.”]

[The Hunter unleashes a torrent of flames, burning several people alive, then shifts into a defensive stance.]

What one Hunter cannot do alone will surely summon ten more!

This is the true terror of the Hunter of Prisoners.

Chen Qi reads further.

[Seeing the Hunter wounded and taking a defensive stance, the surrounding attackers cheer.]

[You watch from above. Some disasters, attracted by the chaos, now threaten the crowd. They must face these flesh-eating calamities at full force!]

In the next instant, a new line appears.

[The moment their attention leaves the Hunter, a crimson gaze falls upon your white dove!]

[An arrow whistles through the air, piercing your dove.]

Discovered…

Though the White Dove grants vision, it is easily spotted.

No matter. He’s seen all he needed to see.

The dove has fulfilled its duty.

Chen Qi considers his next move.

It seems that with the Hunter now in a defensive position, the Sinners and their allies have taken over the City of Mist.

Should he try to blend in?

Chen Qi checks his inventory. He holds the Sinner’s Token taken from the Puppeteer.

No, he decides, shaking his head. Although he possesses the token, he looks nothing like the Puppeteer, nor does he have a puppet wife.

At best, he could deceive Sinners unfamiliar with the Puppeteer, but if he encounters someone who knows her, it would be like a lamb throwing itself to the wolves.

Chen Qi unrolls the treasure map he took from the Puppeteer’s tomb.

The location it marks is not in the city center, but near the outer walls, at the edge of the City of Mist.

There, treasure lies buried within a tomb!

With the crowds congregating in the center, nearby aggressive disasters will be drawn to them, giving him the chance to search for treasure undisturbed.

This is the perfect opportunity!

Let the Hunters and Sinners battle it out—he’ll check in after he’s finished his business.

Chen Qi clicks the map, selecting the tomb as his destination.

Set out!

[You stow the map, crouch low, clutch the Shadow Lantern Fox, and use the chaos wrought by the Sinners and their allies to slip toward the tomb at the edge of the City of Mist!]

A line in dark red appears.

[Daylight is gone…]

[You faintly hear the distant, scattered voices of women behind you…]

(End of chapter)