Chapter 900: Shadow Alley
Chapter 900: Shadow Alley
"A Resurgent Demon God..."
Yana Fien's mind was sharp and perceptive.
She looked around, and under the cover of night, the Law Guardians were still dealing with the captured followers they had just apprehended. They were determined to interrogate these people to uncover their true intentions and origins.
"Tell them..."
"No, I can't just say it like that."
"I lack direct evidence, and this situation is different from the attackers on the mountain. I can't just speak without any basis."
Yana Fien quickly made up her mind.
She was well aware that the respect she received from the Law Guardians and the Righteous Ones was not for herself, but for the blood that flowed in her veins, or rather, for her father who had already disappeared.
These followers who had attacked the mountain.
She had given advance warning, and after the Law Guardians took action and found their target, they could immediately verify it, which would also enhance her credibility.
But for this enemy without concrete evidence.
It would be difficult for Yana Fien, as an 'ordinary person,' to gain the true support of the Awakened Ones with her statements. As for going further, it would expose Lindsey's existence, something Yana Fien was absolutely unwilling to do.
"..."
"Lindsey, I'll leave it to you then."
Yana Fien sighed softly and turned towards the palace, only to be embraced by the head maid who had rushed to greet her.
...
On the other side, the Capital City at the bottom of the City of Law was shrouded in darkness.
It was still night, and the battle on the mountain did not extend to this remote location.
The residents of the City of Law were resting.
Except for the patrolling Law Guardians, there were hardly any people on the streets at night.
Lindsey, however, was underground, making his way towards the residential area in the city.
His destination was a place with a completely different scenery from the rest of the city.
Countless small houses seemed to grow from the ground, packed tightly together, yet barely preserving narrow alleys wide enough for a person to pass through, spreading out like a spider web.
Above this layer, wooden and rock structures supported new layers of houses on top of the small houses.
These buildings were stacked upon each other, and even moonlight struggled to penetrate them.
Only the black edges of the dilapidated tiles were brushed with a vague silver light.
Swish—
Lindsey emerged from underground.
He sniffed, and the damp, musty smell in the air wasn't too strong. It seemed to originate from inside the houses, contrasting with the chaotic construction.
"It's because the Law Guardians maintain order here."
"So even the slums are a little better than I remember?"
Lindsey shook his head slightly.
There were no Law Guardians patrolling at night, and the complex, multi-layered streets accommodated even more darkness.
He ventured into this chaotic neighborhood alone.
As he walked, occasional whispers drifted across the night sky, some complaining about life, others cursing their own survival.
"..."
Lindsey's ever-open Puzzle Game was also automatically collecting nearby clues.
[Bloodstained Tiles - During the day, a fight occurred here, leaving behind bloodstains. The injuries were not severe, but the blood was quickly cleaned up, and both parties were taken away by patrol officers.]
[Broken Eaves - The eaves were cut off by Essence Skills, and as they didn't affect the structure of the house, they were left unrepaired.]
[Shaky Upper Foundation - A privately built upper-level house supported by only a few pillars. A minor earthquake would be enough to completely destroy it.]
Lindsey effortlessly pieced together the clues.
What unfolded before his eyes was the appearance of this district before its reconstruction.
Decades ago, the City of Law relocated its original residents, designating the area as a temporary district, and proactively built new houses for the displaced.
However, the war raged on longer than anticipated.
The initial plans were evidently inadequate for such an extended period.
As more people arrived in the City of Law, they found no place to stay, so they gathered materials within the third wall and constructed new houses.
Layer upon layer, this phenomenon gradually emerged.
This district is now known as the Dark Alley, a place where all sorts of people mingle, and fights, gambling, and debauchery are not uncommon.
Only when the Law Guardians patrol does the area regain its tranquility.
The streets' cleanliness is maintained by the city's cleaners, preserving a superficial tidiness.
Lindsey proceeded along the dark alley.
As he ventured deeper, he could sense the shadows lurking in the corners of the surrounding houses, and people were watching him.
But as soon as he revealed a hint of Essence, no one dared to provoke a Night Walker.
Lindsey followed the skill's guidance and soon arrived at the marked location.
Before him stood a layered square building complex.
From the Adventure Map's perspective, Lindsey could see tunnels connecting the houses, allowing residents to move between them, facilitating escape and providing a vantage point to observe their surroundings.
The only surprise for Lindsey was the attitude of the people here.
On the map, he saw over a hundred people, mostly marked in yellow, symbolizing neutrality, rather than the expected red for hostility.
"Should I use the skill to scout stealthily or infiltrate and gather information?"
"Let's try infiltrating first."
"Scouting with the skill can be done simultaneously, and pretending to be someone else might yield unexpected intelligence."
"..."
Lindsey had a plan and took a step forward.
"Hey, mister!"
"It's late at night, don't wander around outside. You might accidentally get into trouble!"
Lindsey heard a warning from above.
He looked up and saw a dirty-faced child speaking to him through a peephole in one of the houses.
The child was clearly part of the building complex.
"Friend, I'd like to take a look inside."
Lindsey didn't make a move, nor did he use his skill of deception. He fully displayed a peaceful demeanor and shouted back.
If possible, he didn't want to cause a big scene.
After all, he bore the Sinner Mark, an enemy of the law.
If he fought here and attracted the attention of the Law Guardians, he might become the city's target for cleaning before the refugees who lived here.
"It doesn't seem like there's a Demon God here."
"Gathering information is the primary task of this trip."
Lindsey contemplated as the child at the peephole moved away, leaving only darkness visible from the outside.
Lindsey activated his Atmospheric Sense and discovered the child had retreated to a room at the back, talking to another person who was tall but very thin.
"Bro, the guy outside wants to come in. Should I turn him away?"
"Sigh..."
"It's so late; let him in."
"He might be a fellow sufferer. We can't turn away our fellow man."
(End of Chapter)
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