Chapter 1317: Four Hours
Qi Xuansu naturally knew the best approach would be to perfectly impersonate the Baron and avoid alerting anyone. Once the Baron returned, Qi Xuansu would simply take his gains and leave.
If he detained everyone, it would inevitably alert the forces behind them and introduce unnecessary complications.
But Qi Xuansu had little choice. Whether it was Enforcer Ross, the four vampires, or that priest, each had arrived aggressively with a clear objective. If he merely continued acting within the limits of impersonating the Baron, he could not possibly drive them away. Thus, Qi Xuansu resorted to force and imprisoned them all, temporarily turning the place into an information black hole.
Those outside would have no idea what had happened here. Suspicion and uncertainty would make them hesitant to act rashly, forcing them to prepare before making a move. Back and forth like this could delay matters by at least a day.
The best outcome would be for the Baron to return within that day, allowing Qi Xuansu to take the artifact and leave before anyone else got there.
The worst outcome would be that the Baron had not yet returned while the powerhouses of St. York had already come knocking.
Qi Xuansu had anticipated both possibilities and had already prepared his escape.
The Lower District’s unique geographical position made it too fragile for large-scale conflict. Thus, the people of St. York would not dare wage a full battle here. If things went out of control, the lightest consequence would be the destruction of countless workshops and factories. The worst consequence would be the collapse of the entire city.
After all, directly above the Lower District were the surface districts of St. York itself. The destruction of the factories would be a secondary loss. The real disaster would be a massive collapse, causing the surface districts to sink into the ground. The losses would be immense.
In the East, a building’s foundation was most important. That was why the concept of underground cities was rare. A tall tower could never be built without a stable foundation.
Of course, the Westerners had considered this problem. They reinforced the underground city through various means, including divine arts, arcanum, alchemy, and magic.
However, internal structures were always more fragile than external defenses. If necessary, Qi Xuansu could unleash a strike nearly equal to that of an Immortal by using the sarira.