Chapter 137 -137-Is the Abyss Realm Going to War Too?
The familiar cityscape came into view.
The streets were bustling.
Shops lined both sides of the road.
Players and NPCs mingled among the crowds.
Compared to the tense atmosphere on the front lines,
things here were noticeably more relaxed.
The moment Aya stepped out of the teleportation formation,
her eyes began darting around.
To the left—
a merchant had a bulging coin pouch hanging from his waist.
To the right—
half of an exquisite pendant was sticking out from the edge of a player’s equipment slot.
Farther ahead,
a noble-looking NPC was strolling leisurely down the street.
Several attendants behind him were carrying ornate boxes.
Aya’s fingers twitched instinctively.
They were itching.
Really itching.
She had just taken half a step forward
when the corner of her eye caught John standing beside her.
Her movement froze instantly.
No.
She was running with Boss now.
Those old habits had to change.
Besides...
the scene inside Dawnstar City’s treasury was still painfully fresh in her mind.
The moment she remembered that purple gemstone falling out of her hair,
the corner of Aya’s mouth twitched.
She silently tucked her hands back into her sleeves.
John didn’t notice her complicated internal struggle at all.
He was checking the locations of several people he knew in Sunset City.
Aya leaned closer.
"Boss."
"Where are we going next?"
"City Lord Mansion."
John thought for a moment.
Then pointed toward a tavern across the street.
"You wait there."
"I need to take care of something. I’ll be back soon."
Aya blinked.
"I don’t need to come with you?"
"No."
"Got it, Boss!"
She agreed with suspicious enthusiasm.
Then turned and headed toward the tavern.
Her steps were light.
Almost bouncy.
John glanced at her.
For some reason,
she suddenly seemed extremely happy.
But he didn’t think much of it.
Only after she turned the corner
and confirmed that John could no longer see her—
did Aya slowly stop.
She looked down.
Rubbed her hands together.
And revealed a long-lost smile.
"Hehehe..."
Boss wasn’t here.
That made things much easier.
She looked toward the bustling street.
Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Treasures.
Here I come.
...
At the same time—
Sunset City Guard Barracks.
During a shift change,
Rudy sat beside a long table.
Several City Guard captains were seated around him.
Simple food and a few cups of already-cold wine sat on the table.
Ever since the first Dark Realm invasion had ended,
Rudy had returned to Sunset City from Dawnstar City.
He had originally been an officer here.
He had only joined Dawnstar City’s defense because the front lines had been desperately short on manpower at the time.
Now that he was back,
his main responsibility had become something else.
Recruitment.
Constant recruitment.
Every day,
new recruits in Sunset City completed basic training
and were then sent to different front lines.
One captain rubbed his temples.
"By the timing..."
"Today’s batch of recruits should have arrived already, right?"
"They left this morning."
Another man sighed.
"We’ve been recruiting too aggressively lately."
"People in the city are getting angrier by the day."
"Several groups came to cause trouble outside the barracks this morning."
"One family said they had three sons. Two have already been sent off, and now the last one received a conscription order too."
The atmosphere immediately turned heavy.
Rudy lifted his cup.
Took a sip.
"There’s no other choice."
"The front lines are always short on people."
"No matter how much pressure you’re under, you still have to hold."
The captain sitting across from him couldn’t help complaining.
"I just don’t get it."
"The human race has so many powerful experts."
"Why are small fries like us the ones getting sent out every day?"
"What can people at our level even do in a war like this?"
"At the end of the day, aren’t we just cannon fodder?"
Someone beside him gave a bitter laugh.
"If you’re weak, then cannon fodder is exactly what you are."
"If you were strong enough..."
"You’d already be enjoying yourself in Winterhold."
"You wouldn’t be stuck dealing with all this trivial crap every day."
Rudy slammed his cup onto the table.
"Enough!"
The others fell silent.
Rudy swept his gaze across them.
"Who told you Winterhold is enjoying itself?"
"The situation over there is much worse than Sunset City."
One of the captains froze.
"What do you mean?"
Rudy was silent for a moment.
Then he lowered his voice.
"The Abyss Realm has already opened a spatial passage near Winterhold."
"They could invade the Human Realm at any time."
The table went completely silent.
Everyone looked up at once.
"What?!"
"The Abyss Realm?!"
"They’re coming too?"
One man’s face went pale.
"The Dark Realm is already bad enough."
"Those monsters from the Abyss Realm are even worse!"
Another captain leaned back in his chair.
His expression was utterly lifeless.
"No wonder armies have been redeploying so frequently lately."
"So we’re opening a second front too."
"Just destroy the world already."
"I’m tired."
The captains all looked miserable.
Whatever envy they had felt toward Winterhold vanished instantly.
Rudy looked at them.
He was just about to say something to raise morale
when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
A City Guard quickly entered.
"Sir."
"Someone outside is asking for you."
Rudy frowned.
"Who?"
"He said his name is Endbringer."
"He also said he knows you."
Rudy froze for a split second.
Then his eyes lit up instantly.
"Endbringer?!"
He shot to his feet.
"Quick!"
"Bring him in!"
"No."
"I’ll go myself!"
Rudy immediately walked around the table.
He had barely reached the doorway
when a familiar figure approached from outside.
Obsidian Guard Helm.
Void Staff.
Rudy knew that face far too well.
"Haha!"
"Endbringer!"
Rudy’s face lit up with surprise.
"What brings you here all of a sudden—"
Halfway through the sentence,
his voice gradually died away.
John’s expression was calm.
Almost cold.
He had walked all the way over without showing much emotion.
For some reason,
Rudy’s heart skipped a beat.
Based on what he knew about this guy—
whenever John wore an expression like that...
someone was usually about to have a very bad day.
The pleasantries Rudy had prepared instantly disappeared from his mind.
John stopped in front of him.
And said only one thing.
"Take me to the City Lord Mansion."
Rudy was silent for half a second.
"...All right."
He didn’t even dare ask why.
He simply turned and led the way.
...
City Lord Mansion.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
There was silence inside for a moment.
Then a weak, listless voice finally answered.
"Who is it?"
Rudy replied,
"Me."
"Come in."
The door opened.
Rudy led John into the office.
Sunlight streamed in through the window.
Behind the large desk—
Raymond was slumped in his chair.
His hair was slightly messy.
His eyes were barely open.
There was even a pillow sitting on the desk.
He had clearly just woken up.
Raymond raised his head.
He stared groggily at John for several seconds.
"Rudy."
"This is..."
Rudy’s expression stiffened.
His direct superior was sleeping like this in front of an outsider.
It was somewhat embarrassing for Sunset City.
He was just about to remind him
when realization suddenly dawned on Raymond.
"Oh."
"I remember now."
"Endbringer."
"Right?"
John nodded.
Raymond stared at him for a moment.
Then suddenly let out a long sigh.
And collapsed back into his chair.