Chapter 167 - 107: Seen Through
The core of Caster City State consisted of six main districts and twelve major streets or avenues. Golden Street was a secondary area within one of these districts.
Yidrisu District served as the core of the city state’s northern region. It was filled with factories—in fact, the entire North City District was an industrial zone.
However, the residents of Yidrisu District were either high-level factory managers or talented individuals with special skills, while the three streets north of Yidrisu were home to the common laborers.
Wei’en led Tina out of Dumitru District, headed east through the city state’s central region, and then turned north, arriving in Yidrisu District.
But it was obvious that given the sheer size of the North City District, he would have a hard time finding Lisi and her group.
"Tina, can you find Lisi and the others?"
Wei’en had no choice but to ask Tina for help. He had just scanned the area with his Spirit perception but hadn’t found any sign of Lisi or Kali.
The white-haired girl grasped his hand. "Tina. Vision."
When Wei’en opened his eyes again, the world around him had transformed.
In a dark, silent world, only he and the white-haired girl beside him remained. And...
"Hee hee ha ha, we meet again, young Mr. Wizard."
The Demon Clown squatted between them, leaning close to Tina one moment and Wei’en the next. The crimson eyes beneath his mask were filled with excitement.
Wei’en was speechless.
’Fuck, what’s this guy doing here too?’
"Tina, you can see him?"
"Tina, always here." The white-haired girl tightened her grip on his hand, a flicker of color entering her once vacant eyes. "Clown, shut up."
"Hee ha ha... Shut up? Little girl, you don’t know who I... OOF!"
THUD.
Before he could finish, an invisible force seemed to slam the clown violently to the ground.
Wei’en felt countless shadows surge around him, shadows that seemed to embody the boundless malice of this Dark World—terror, despair, chilling cold, and deathly silence...
GASP!
"This is..." Wei’en drew in a sharp breath, staring at the clown who was pinned down completely. "Tina?"
Veins bulged on the clown’s face, his eyes flashing with vicious cruelty. "Make. Her. Let. Me. Go!"
He was dressed in a black formal suit adorned with gold patterns, but his posture was far from dignified. With his head pinned to the ground and his rear end sticking up, he looked like a rooster about to be slaughtered.
"Tina. Shut up."
The white-haired girl’s fingers twitched, and more shadows emerged from the darkness, coiling around the clown’s huge, blood-red mouth.
"Mmph, mmmph mmmph?"
Wei’en stared blankly at Tina, then at the Demon Clown on the ground. ’So the white-haired girl is the most powerful one after all...’
"Mmph-gmmph-rah-mmm-gah!"
Mr. Clown planted his hands on the ground, gritting his teeth as he tried to push himself up, but no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t budge an inch.
Wei’en spread his hands and thought, ’Sorry, Clown—oh, I mean, Mr. Leonard. There’s nothing I can do.’
He then turned his head to the northeast, searching for Lisi and Kali. He quickly spotted them among the shifting shadows all around.
’This ability really is convenient...’
In the Dark World, Lisi and Kali’s figures were clearly visible, as if they were standing under a spotlight.
And it wasn’t just them. Several other distinct objects were also visible.
"What are those things...?"
[You have witnessed "Forbidden Item 0-34, the Reviving Coffin." Your fate has been altered. Current encounter progress: 30/100. Evaluation: I’d really advise you not to look. Special Reward: Survival Points +10, Origin +1, Spirit Level +1, Resilience Level +1.]
[You have witnessed "Forbidden Item 0-78, Rover’s Left Eye." Your fate has been altered. Current encounter progress: 10/100. Evaluation: ... Special Reward: Survival Points +3, Spirit Level +1, Resilience Level +1.]
Noticing the red alerts in his mind, Wei’en stopped looking around and quickly said, "Tina, cancel the Vision."
"Tina. Vision canceled."
As the world returned to normal, Wei’en let out a sigh of relief.
The white-haired girl’s Vision was convenient, no doubt, but it was also terrifying.
’Rover’s Left Eye... that must be the Forbidden Item belonging to the Dawn Church. Could it have been on the statue of the Lord of Dawn back in the chapel?’
’And those other spots of light... surely they weren’t all Forbidden Items too?’
"Let’s go. We’ll meet up with Lisi’s group first."
"Tina, go."
Wei’en took her hand, his eyes falling on the clown doll she held in her other. Was it his imagination, or did the doll’s expression look like it had lost the will to live?
The Clown: Hee, hee hee... It hurts. It hurts so much. My heart... it hurts so much... Ha ha ha...
...
...
"Damn it, Yegor! I already contacted him and told him to get Tina over here. It’s noon already, so where is she?"
Lisi muttered curses as she sat on the roof of a dilapidated house. She glanced at the sky; half the day was already gone, and her expression soured further.
"She’s... probably on her way."
Kali sat beside her, gazing at the high walls in the distance, wondering what it was like outside the city. "Captain, have you ever been outside the city state?"
Lisi followed her gaze and answered casually, "I have. It’s not much different from being inside."
’Not much different?’
Kali asked curiously, "Are there... just as many people with bad intentions out there?"
She had followed Yuan from across the sea to Caster City State as a child and had never left since.
She remembered Yuan once warning her to never, ever go beyond the high walls. It was too dangerous.
"It’s mostly Deviants. Outside the city state, resources are scarce—especially the light of your Dawn."