The Decaying World

"Daoist Master, should we go check out this so-called Guo Shengyu? He defeated a mere Blood Ancestor and now dares to proclaim himself a saint?" Pang Jiu asked in a low voice via transmission.

"No need. Each generation brings forth new talent; it’s best to let nature take its course," Lin Hui said lightly. "People like him appear every so often. If we went to see every single one, wouldn’t it be a waste of time?"

"The Daoist Master is right."

Pang Jiu naturally understood this principle. It was just his personality. It wasn’t that he loved a lively scene, but that he loved to show off.

Now that the general standard of the world had fallen, it was the perfect time for him to go out and put on a grand display.

But seeing that his boss didn’t want to go, he could only suppress the idea and focus on helping him finish his business first.

After eating, the two didn’t find lodging. Instead, they went straight to the gate of the Inner City. The security wasn’t as tight as they’d imagined; they simply paid a few silver coins as an entrance fee and went inside.

Mingling with the convoys of delivery carts entering the city, the two passed through the thick, white walls and emerged from a towering gateway.

The first thing that met their eyes was a colossal, magnificent edifice that dominated their entire field of vision.

The gray-white edifice, like a mountain, stretched up into the misty clouds, its top hidden from view.

The edifice was pocked with hollows of various sizes, which served as passageways for the massive streams of people coming and going.

Inside the passageways, they could vaguely see numerous merchants taking the opportunity to hawk their wares.

There were also many protruding platforms on the edifice’s outer walls, where countless street vendors had set up stalls. Their wares were displayed under flashing signs that caught the eye like neon lights.

These myriad colorful signs cast a faint, multicolored sheen upon the entire massive, gray-white edifice.

In mid-air, a slightly curved, black metal track slanted upward from below, extending into the part of the edifice that disappeared into the clouds.

On the track, a train constructed of metal was rumbling along, charging toward the sky.

Lin Hui’s powerful vision even allowed him to see into the train’s windows, where some people were chatting idly, some were looking at the scenery, and one person was trying to open a window.

"This is the Royal City’s Inner City. It’s completely different from the inner cities elsewhere—the density is far, far higher. The population gathered here is at least ten times that of Black Cloud. It’s because they need to support so many of the decadent Original Blood royals... you understand," Pang Jiu transmitted in a low voice.

Lin Hui nodded.

He glanced around. Aside from the wall opening they had just come through, the other three directions were filled with vast crowds of people.

The common people here seemed to be doing alright. Although they looked malnourished, their faces still held a trace of hope, and their eyes still had a spark of light.

In the sky, Moth Cars and Martial Artists were regulated to fly in fixed directions, forming straight and orderly aerial lanes.

They constantly passed through the various openings in the edifice, naturally avoiding any traffic congestion.

The commoners below transported goods, traded, and provided services, with the upper and lower levels existing without interfering with each other, clearly separated.

"What is that?" Lin Hui looked at the railway train.

"That’s the Sky Pavilion Train, the essential mode of transport for officials’ families and public servants to travel to the upper parts of the Inner City," Pang Jiu explained. "Of course, the wealthy can experience it too, but it’s a bit pricey. It’s been around for a long time."

"..." Lin Hui said no more. ’This thing already looks a lot like the maglev trains I was familiar with in my past life,’ he thought. ’Except the propulsion is clearly not magnetic or electric, but some other form of energy I don’t recognize.’

"The Royal City is primarily in the hands of the royal family, but they don’t usually manage affairs. They just live in the highest, deepest parts of the Sky Pavilion. Everything is managed by The Three Greats beneath them, who are responsible for running the city. These three are the Xie, Zhang, and Huang families."

"What about the Rain Palace? And the Shayue Sect?" Lin Hui asked casually via voice transmission as he walked forward.

"The Shayue Sect doesn’t participate in governance; they are only responsible for maintaining the Deep Core and stabilizing the populace," Pang Jiu explained. "The Three Greats control the Royal City’s Taixu Prime Disc headquarters. The Extreme Desire Heaven, on the other hand, is managed by the Shayue Sect. Here, it’s the exact opposite of other city districts."

"Hmm..." Lin Hui nodded.

As Pang Jiu explained, the two picked up their pace and entered a large opening in the wall at the very bottom of the giant edifice.

Inside was a curved, deep, massive tunnel. The walls on both sides were filled with a dense network of hollowed-out shops.

The chaotically stacked shops each had their own signs, and their brilliant, colorful lights illuminated the tunnel as brightly as day.

The flow of people constantly moved in and out of these shops, a clear sign that business was good.

Lin Hui didn’t linger. He gave the scene a passing glance and sped up, traversing the tunnel that stretched for several kilometers.

He had thought he would see the rest of the Inner City upon exiting, but the other side of the tunnel opened into a small square. Opposite and to the sides of the square were more of the same towering, gray edifices reaching into the clouds. There was no natural scenery to be seen, only the structures themselves.

He looked up and found that he was enclosed on all sides by the tall edifices, forming a massive, square courtyard.

But this courtyard was incredibly tall and deep. Looking up, it seemed the only way out would be to fly up into the sea of mist in one go, pass through it, and see if there was an exit beyond.

"It was never this exaggerated before..." Pang Jiu was also a bit stunned. "They must have modified it during the reconstruction after the War of Haiming."

"Let’s go. To Qijue Court," Lin Hui said with a nod.

On the way, they asked a few people for directions. Under the persuasion of silver coins, they quickly determined the location of Qijue Court.

After passing through one square courtyard after another, they finally found the place just before the sky turned completely dark.

By now, they had lost track of how many tunnels they had passed through, how many turns they had made, and how many courtyards they had crossed.

The chaos and complexity of the Royal City’s Inner City far exceeded their imagination.

Qijue Court was also located in a square courtyard, situated in a corner of its plaza and heavily guarded.

It was situated right next to the Peacekeeping Army’s Tenth Courtyard Division. A fair number of people milled about in front of the gate, some even stopping like tourists to point and comment.

Lin Hui and Pang Jiu blended in with the crowd, completely inconspicuous.

Just as Lin Hui was wondering how to get inside, Pang Jiu went forward to negotiate with the guards. He handed over some gold beans and obtained a pass to enter.

"There haven’t been any researchers inside for a long time. It’s now a semi-exhibition hall for storing important equipment. I asked around; the latest selection round for Super Adaptables just ended last week. For previous rounds, they published lists of names and their destinations. We can just go in and check."

Pang Jiu said via voice transmission upon his return.

"As the headquarters for dispatching Super Adaptables everywhere, there must be a lot of people to account for," Lin Hui mused briefly before nodding.

"Daoist Master, why don’t you grab a bite to eat nearby and rest? I’ll go find what we’re looking for and come back for you," Pang Jiu suggested.

"Alright," Lin Hui agreed.

The two quickly split up. Lin Hui found a late-night snack stall that was just opening for the evening, sat down, and ordered some skewers.

There was no night mist here. Surrounded by man-made structures, it was bustling and lively even at night.

Looking at the spicy meat and vegetable skewers before him, he momentarily felt as if he had returned to the urban life of his past incarnation.

He ordered a pot of sweet tea and drank alone, pouring for himself as he watched the crowds outside begin to thin. A sense of inexplicable loneliness washed over him.

"Daoist Master, I have news!" Pang Jiu didn’t keep him waiting long. He quickly returned with another person in tow, stopping beside Lin Hui at the stall.

"He’s a registrar in charge of the Super Adaptable registry. I asked him about Miss Han, and he said..." Pang Jiu sighed and paused, then patted the man’s shoulder, motioning for him to continue.

The man was short and stout. A pair of brown goat horns grew from his head, and his mouth was that of a goat. He wore a dark gray, hooded, robe-like tunic, cinched at the waist with a wide, silver leather belt. His eyes were filled with caution.

Receiving Pang Jiu’s signal, he quickly began to speak.

"Sir, the Miss Han Xiaoyue you’re looking for... I checked the records. She was in the fourth-to-last batch selected to enter the Deep Core near the Royal City. By now, I’m afraid not even her bones are left..."

He had received a hefty sum, and looking up information for people was his primary side hustle, so he gave the clue quite readily.

"The Deep Core..." Lin Hui froze, the teacup in his hand hovering in mid-air. "She... how could she have been selected for the Deep Core so soon?"

"At that time, the surrounding environment was unstable, so the royal family dispatched two teams of Super Adaptables into the Deep Core to stabilize it all at once. Han Xiaoyue was among them. In fact, Miss Han was the captain of one of the teams. Normally, she wouldn’t have been sent into the Deep Core near the Royal City, but under those special circumstances, there weren’t many other suitable candidates, so..." the Sheepman sighed.

The moment he saw Lin Hui, he understood. ’Another one,’ he thought, ’looking for an old friend or relative who was a Super Adaptable.’

"Which specific Deep Core?" Pang Jiu asked from the side.

"There’s only one Deep Core nearby, located directly beneath the Royal City’s Inner City. A massive edifice named Ting Yuan has now been built over it to seal and suppress it," the Sheepman answered quickly.

He glanced at Pang Jiu, then at Lin Hui’s pale expression, and sighed.

"Since I’ve taken so much from you, let me offer a bit of advice. The Ting Yuan Deep Core is different from the others. It’s life-threatening for ordinary people to even get close. Although it was barely stabilized before, it still constantly leaks a large amount of a decaying aura. You’d best not try to approach it... It’s located directly beneath Courtyard 118. If you can’t find it, you can hire a guide to take you."

"Thank you. Regardless, we still want to go and see," Lin Hui replied.

The Sheepman shook his head, knowing he couldn’t dissuade them. He added a few more details about Ting Yuan’s external features, then turned and departed.

Leaving Lin Hui and Pang Jiu in silence.

"Daoist Master... what should we..."

After a long while, Pang Jiu asked cautiously.

"Let’s go. Since we’ve found the location, let’s pick up the pace." Lin Hui stood up, overpaid for the meal, and walked out of the stall amidst the owner’s smiling thanks.

The two rose into the air, no longer taking the ground-level paths for commoners, but entering the dedicated mid-air channels for Martial Artists on the second level.

This time, they found a professional guide near one of the building’s openings and headed straight for Courtyard 118.

*

*

*

In the square courtyard, the four surrounding edifices were adorned with black-and-white memorial plaques of various sizes.

A dense tangle of white silk ribbons was tied everywhere. Some were already yellowed and torn, but they still fluttered endlessly in the slight breeze.

On the ground, a massive, black tunnel entrance, like the maw of some unknown beast, continuously spewed forth a cold, sinister wind.

The entrance was guarded by members of the Undead Race clad head-to-toe in Black Armor. The cold green light in their eyes seemed to be one of the only two sources of light in the dim courtyard.

The other source was the bonfires of varying sizes, lit by the living who had come to mourn their friends and family.

Lin Hui and Pang Jiu paid their guide and sent him away. Then, they stepped out of the building’s opening and into the gloomy, eerie courtyard.

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