Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Is the Dog Chain Really This Short?
“Afraid of heights?”
Ling Xi’s voice carried a smile, as if she had discovered a new toy’s weakness.
Ling Xi’s voice was muffled against the surface of the boot: “...No.”
This wasn’t a matter of being afraid or not.
Your flying speed and altitude have already broken through the sky.
And this flying tool doesn’t even have a guardrail or anything.
Scarlet Moon didn’t expose her. She simply withdrew her hand and lazily propped her chin up, looking ahead.
The full view of Ashen Harbor finally unfolded completely.
Ling Xi secretly raised her eyes. She only glanced once, and then she was completely dumbfounded.
...Where the hell is this some town?
This is a damn super metropolis!!
In the game, a town only had a pitiful single main street, one auction house, one arena. Players could finish strolling through it in five minutes!
And now?
Below lay seven circular districts. Each layer was like an independent city, stacked upon one another, spanning hundreds of kilometers!
The Shadow Throne began to descend.
Ling Xi could feel the change in weightlessness, that oppressive sensation of falling growing stronger and stronger.
She clutched Scarlet Moon’s long boots tightly, not daring to move.
The ground rapidly approached. The steam chimneys of the Iron Ring District, the mountain-like ruins of the Gray Ring District—every detail in her field of vision rapidly magnified.
Then, a slight jolt.
The throne landed steadily on an open stone plaza.
The shadow skeletal horse let out one final neigh, then dissipated into black smoke.
The throne, the platform, all shadow constructs dissolved in an instant, leaving only a faint layer of black mist flowing along the ground.
Ling Xi lay flat against the cold stone pavement, both hands still maintaining the posture of hugging a leg, frozen stiff in midair.
“We’ve arrived.”
Scarlet Moon’s voice came from above her head.
Ling Xi raised her head and found that Scarlet Moon had already stood up and was looking down at her from above.
The gazes around them pierced over like needles.
The flow of people in the plaza came to a halt the instant they landed.
Merchants, mercenaries, spellcasters in robes of various colors—everyone lowered their heads in unison.
But Ling Xi could feel it. Those furtive glances all fell on her.
“Get up.”
Scarlet Moon extended her hand.
Ling Xi bit her lower lip and pushed herself up from the ground.
A bit of dust had stuck to the hem of her skirt; she reached out and brushed it off.
Scarlet Moon didn’t wait for her and had already begun walking forward.
Ling Xi hurried to follow.
After three steps, she instinctively tried to put some distance between them.
Her neck tightened.
The silver ring on the collar was suddenly yanked backward by something. Ling Xi stumbled and nearly fell.
She reached up to grab the collar. She couldn’t feel anything, yet the pulling force was undeniably real—and as she continued to step back, it tightened further and further.
“Don’t run around.”
Scarlet Moon turned her head, a sweet smile hanging on her face.
She raised her right hand and crooked her index finger.
The thin thread that had just been connecting her had not broken. One end extended from Scarlet Moon’s fingertip, the other attached to Ling Xi’s collar.
Only at a specific angle, under the sunlight, could the outline of that thread barely be seen.
"Five meters." Scarlet Moon said, "That is your range of movement."
Ling Xi’s face instantly burned red.
Lowering her head, she quickly walked to Scarlet Moon’s side.
Even the sway of her skirt became much smaller, afraid of drawing more attention.
But the more she acted like that, the more she resembled a pet truly being led on a leash.
What activity range?
Even a dog leash isn’t this short, right?
Ling Xi lifted her head, her neck tilting back to its limit.
Seven layers.
Each layer was an independent circular district, like seven cities forcibly stacked together.
The outermost “Gray Ring” was shrouded in mist. Collapsed buildings and rusted ship skeletons could be seen within it.
Further inward was the Iron Ring. Countless chimneys spewed steam, and the sounds of gears and conveyor belts drifted from afar, blending into a continuous roar.
The closer to the center, the taller and more refined the buildings became.
This was clearly a super metropolis with a complex structure and orderly design, a fusion of steampunk and magic!
Scarlet Moon seemed to greatly enjoy the inexperienced shock written all over her face.
She said nothing, merely stepping forward leisurely along the uneven stone road of the Iron Ring District.
Ling Xi hurried to follow. The invisible shadow thread around her neck constantly reminded her of the five-meter safety distance.
At a roadside stall, small metallic trinkets clinked against one another.
A gear-shaped pendant inlaid with a blue crystal reflected a faint glimmer in the grayish air.
She stopped and reached out, picking up the pendant.
It felt cool in her hand, the craftsmanship delicate and precise.
“Honored guest, you truly have a good eye. This is no ordinary item.”
“And the material of this gear is alloy. Over in the Steam District, it can sell for three times the price!
I could tell you’re following this lady, so you must be someone of status, so…?”
The stall owner had still been calling out enthusiastically when his gaze swept past Ling Xi to Scarlet Moon behind her.
He lifted his head and, by accident, met those blood-red eyes.
In an instant, the world collapsed.
No… this is…?
The stone slabs beneath his feet split apart. Countless black arms stretched out from the cracks, grabbing his ankles, calves, thighs.
An icy touch crawled up along his skin, burrowing into his pores, invading his veins.
He wanted to scream, yet no sound came out.
Those arms were dragging him downward, deeper, to an even lower place.
The edges of his vision began to blur, turning into viscous black liquid that dripped down.
The surrounding crowd was still moving, but their faces had melted, their features twisted into indistinct lumps of flesh.
Only those red eyes remained clear, suspended at the center of the collapsing world, coldly watching his struggle.
(Going to die going to die going to die.)
Something pressed down on his chest, and breathing became more and more difficult.
Those arms had already climbed to his neck and began to tighten.
He felt his consciousness being stripped away bit by bit, drifting toward that boundless darkness.
There was nothing there.
Even fear would disappear.
Then, everything stopped.
The stall owner knelt on the ground, his entire body drenched in cold sweat.
The stone slabs were still intact. The crowd continued walking normally. Those terrifying illusions had vanished without a trace.
All that remained was the violent pounding in his chest and the lingering sense of despair in his mind.
He lifted his head. Scarlet Moon had already withdrawn her gaze, as if nothing had happened.
“Y-If you like it…”
The stall owner’s voice trembled. “Please take it as a gift. Your presence at my humble stall is—an honor…”
His words came out haltingly, his fingers still trembling uncontrollably.
Ling Xi froze.
Her gaze moved back and forth between the stall owner and Scarlet Moon.
She had seen nothing and heard nothing.
Yet the stall owner, who had been passionately promoting his goods a second ago, was now kneeling on the ground, shaking like a sieve.
What happened?
What did Scarlet Moon do?
Ling Xi still held the icy gear pendant in her hand, unsure whether to put it down or not.
Scarlet Moon paid no attention to the stall owner kneeling on the ground, nor did she look at Ling Xi. She simply stepped forward on her own.
“Let’s go.”
Ling Xi snapped back to her senses, hurriedly stuffed the pendant into her pocket, and quickly followed.
“That pendant, you liked it?”
Scarlet Moon suddenly turned her head and asked.
“Ah… N-No, it was just… it looked alright…”
“Keep it.”
Scarlet Moon said, “We didn’t pay for it anyway.”
“……”