Chapter 102

“Ryan, what’s the situation around us?”

Sykes returned to the group, his face cold. The Saintess followed behind him.

Suddenly addressed by name by the Crown Prince, Ryan’s red hair nearly bristled upright. He struggled to compose his words. “No. There doesn’t seem to be any aberrant beast activity nearby. Perhaps they retreated very quickly.”

“Your Highness, shall I dispatch a few men to scout the surroundings?”

The knight captain proactively asked Sykes.

“No. Gather the remaining personnel. Continue advancing.”

Sykes’s golden eyes burned as he stared into the white expanse ahead, as though attempting to pierce through the barrier of fog.

Ye Zheng listened quietly at the side. Ryan’s ability wasn’t weak, and he hadn't been holding back, eager to prove himself. If he couldn’t detect any aberrant beast activity, that would essentially rule out monsters from the aberrant realm as the cause.

Judging from the knight’s smooth and precise wound, it appeared he’d been cleaved in half by an exceedingly sharp great blade.

Ye Zheng lowered her head and glanced at the sword at her waist. If she relied on the sword alone, she couldn’t produce such a clean cut. But with her ability, she could.

Her fingers quietly wrapped in flowing water. 【Stream】 coiled around her fingertips like a small serpent, intimate and obedient. Ye Zheng shifted her hand slightly at her side. Her fingers tapped lightly, and the fog condensed into a complete droplet that fell.

A smile flickered across her face. Ye Zheng temporarily withdrew her ability.

At present, she was surrounded by powerful ability users. She didn’t wish to expose her power casually.

The Saintess had drawn the divine sword, yet she wasn’t known for martial prowess. When people spoke of her ability, their impression still centered primarily on healing. If someone investigated deeply into her anomalies as Zhao Mei, they might infer that 【Stream】 possessed other applications.

Ye Zheng lifted her head and continued following the group.

Before departure, everyone had made comprehensive preparations for His Highness the Crown Prince’s expedition. If entering the fog meant stepping into an alternate aberrant realm space, then hundreds of guards should’ve sufficed to ensure safety.

If they hadn’t entered an aberrant realm, or had entered a special one that didn’t replace the original environment, then they could formulate their strategy according to the Western District’s map.

They’d planned more than a dozen routes in advance. The entrance everyone had just passed through was the optimal one. After exiting the tunnel, they were supposed to follow the only road straight ahead. Every intersection had clear signage, visible even through the fog.

The endpoint of the route was the Western District’s municipal office building, the administrative center responsible for governing the district.

But now, the entire group had no idea which area they’d been teleported to. All the original route plans had been rendered useless.

Ye Zheng surveyed the surroundings. For the moment, she couldn’t devise a better solution. They could only continue along the current road until they found a suitable place to halt and determine their location.

The fog wasn’t dense enough to completely obscure vision. The surrounding environment was faintly discernible. The road was wide and impeccably clean. On both sides, colorful shop signs resembled ink dissolving in water. There was no sound whatsoever, only the echo of the group’s footsteps as they advanced.

“This looks like the bustling center of the city. We might be very close to the municipal office building.”

Ye Zheng suddenly said.

Ryan displayed a surprised expression. “How’s that possible? This place looks so ordinary. During our competitions in the lower district, we’ve been to places far more prosperous than this.”

“The Western District is the most underdeveloped area in the entire empire. The Eastern District, where we usually compete, is already the place with the highest per capita income in the lower district.”

Ye Zheng didn’t elaborate further. She stepped out of formation on her own and stood at the entrance of a shop. The door bore only the number 238. Ye Zheng’s gaze swept over the house number before she leaned toward the window to peer inside.

It was a restaurant. A sour, putrid stench drifted out through the window. Tables and chairs lay overturned in disorder. Half-eaten dishes had spilled onto the floor and congealed into something nauseating. Beyond that, brownish stains marked the ground, likely dried blood.

It was evident that the incident had occurred abruptly. The thick fog had enveloped this area within a short span of time, accompanied by lethal danger.

This seemed to explain why such a grave incident had taken place in the Western District, yet the empire’s officials had received no timely report.

After confirming the interior situation, Ye Zheng endured the foul odor, pushed the door open, and stepped inside, ignoring the voices behind her attempting to stop her.

“Saintess!”

“Be careful, my lady!”

“Ye Zheng?”

Ye Zheng didn’t venture deep into the restaurant. She merely searched the front counter briefly and soon found the shop’s business qualification certificate inside a drawer. The document listed the shop’s address. Ye Zheng swiftly identified the key words.

“Jin Yun Street, No. 238.”

If she remembered correctly, the municipal office building was located at Jin Yun Street, No. 132.

The sudden spatial displacement had actually spared the team some distance. Could the coincidence truly be so precise?

Ye Zheng exited the restaurant. As she pushed the door open, Sykes’s face appeared at the entrance. Ye Zheng raised the certificate in her hand. “It seems we’ll reach our destination very soon.”

“You truly are capable.”

Sykes turned and strode back to the front of the group. He had the knight captain retrieve the original route map. After roughly confirming their present location, the team finally regained a clear direction.

Not long after, through the white fog, they spotted a large clock suspended high upon a certain building. Its hands continued ticking normally. This was the landmark of the municipal office building.

The office structure had been constructed in a luxurious and imposing style. Even within the hazy fog, it stood out prominently. Sykes fixed his gaze on the tightly shut main doors. The knight captain beside him had already led three men forward to scout the way for the Crown Prince.

They pressed against the doors cautiously and attempted to push them open, only to find them firmly locked. The few exchanged glances. The knight captain knocked first, then cleared his throat and called out toward the interior.

“Is anyone there? We are the empire’s rescue team!”

“If you can hear us, please open the door! Otherwise, we’ll force entry!”

Ye Zheng took a stack of documents from the knight captain and remained where she was, quietly reviewing the contents. The documents detailed the personnel structure of the municipal office and thoughtfully included photographs.

The central authority figure was the municipal director, Yuan Xianming. Not only was his photograph placed at the top, but his file was also the most comprehensive, even including information about his wife and daughter.

Ye Zheng had only intended to glance casually, yet she suddenly realized that Director Yuan’s daughter, Yuan Yuan, appeared somewhat familiar.

She reflected briefly. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. This Yuan Yuan had once been a candidate in the Saintess selection.

As Ye Zheng’s gaze grew intent, the noise at the doors ceased. The heavy entrance emitted an aged creak and was abruptly pushed open.

Ye Zheng lifted her eyes. Through the dense fog, she discerned a blurred female figure standing at the doorway.

“I am sorry. I truly did not dare open the door casually. I’ve kept you waiting. The situation here... Please come in, my lords. I’ve finally been able to wait for you.”

The middle-aged woman’s voice, weary yet courteous, echoed within the silent fog. The long-awaited sound of a living human voice prompted many to exhale in relief. Along the way, they’d either lost hundreds of companions or inexplicably lost companions. There had been nothing but white fog throughout. Now, they’d finally encountered living people.

Some remained cautious. For instance, the knight captain. In a place where all the original residents seemed to have vanished, encountering people was instead highly suspicious.

Sykes cast a brief glance at the middle-aged woman at the door and stepped into the office building.

Within the dim and spacious hall, chandeliers emitted faint illumination. Several men in rumpled clothing huddled in corners and behind desks. Upon seeing the newcomers, living people, their expressions stiffened dramatically. They hesitated before slowly stepping forward.

Once everyone had entered the hall, the knight captain carefully secured the main doors once more. There was something abnormal about this dense fog. They couldn’t allow it to seep inside as well.

Sykes stood at the very center and surveyed the entire office hall. His brows knitted sharply. He addressed the middle-aged woman who appeared to be in charge.

“Is this building occupied only by you people?”

“And who are you?”

The middle-aged woman offered a fatigued smile. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes deepened. There wasn’t a trace of light within her gaze.

“Only us.”

“...As for me, I am Yuan Xianming’s wife, Zhou Yun.”

A flicker of impatience passed through Sykes’s eyes. He didn’t care whose wife she was. He only wanted to know why she was here and why so few people remained.

“Your Highness, this lady’s husband is the municipal director, Yuan Xianming.”

Ye Zheng reminded him gently. She glanced at the woman’s photograph in the documents in her hand, then at the woman before her.

In the photograph, Zhou Yun wore a polite and dignified smile, a very familiar image of an upper-district noblewoman, much like her own mother.

But the Zhou Yun standing before them appeared exhausted, without even a trace of a smile. She seemed to have endured immense suffering, both mentally and physically. It was enough to evoke sympathy.

After Ye Zheng’s reminder, Sykes finally recalled who Yuan Xianming was.

He continued his questioning. “Where is Yuan Xianming?”

Zhou Yun lowered her head, covering her face with her hands. In anguish, she said, “Gone. All gone. Only the few of us remain.”

Sykes stared at the suffering woman without emotion, as though still attempting to discern something from her demeanor. Suddenly, something was placed into his hand.

“Your Highness, these are the documents of everyone in the municipal office. If you’re not at ease, you can verify the remaining individuals against them.”

Ye Zheng suggested, her dark eyes shifting subtly toward the middle-aged woman not far away.

Sykes’s brows remained tightly drawn. He disliked being instructed, yet what Ye Zheng proposed was correct.

The knight captain assembled all seven individuals present. Simultaneously, he dispatched five men upstairs to check for additional survivors. He compared each person’s face carefully against the photographs in the documents.

At times, aberrant realm monsters disguised themselves as humans. They had to proceed with caution.

“Confirmed, Your Highness. These six are municipal office staff. That woman is indeed the director’s wife.”

“These individuals hold significant positions, Your Highness. They may possess considerable information.”

Sykes nodded. His expression remained cold and unyielding. His gaze swept across the six trembling men, noting their panicked and shaking state. This wasn’t unusual. Sykes was accustomed to being feared and revered. Moreover, these individuals had been trapped for an extended period. It was reasonable that they’d be so frightened.

After the five dispatched knights returned and reported that, aside from disorder, there were no abnormalities, those who’d maintained vigilance finally relaxed somewhat.

Sykes flipped through the documents in his hand and abruptly read out a name.

A middle-aged man in a wrinkled suit stepped forward tremblingly. His eyes darted nervously, as though he wished to glance behind him but forcibly restrained himself.

“You are the guild councilor here. Tell me, what happened in this place?”

Confronted with the Crown Prince’s inquiry, the man spoke haltingly, his gaze fixed upon the floor, not daring to raise his head.

“Two weeks ago, I was working on the third floor. Suddenly, most of the people around me disappeared. I attempted to send messages, but nothing would go through.”

“Some were cut in half. Some vanished. There were screams outside. I didn’t dare step out.”

Ye Zheng listened quietly from the side. After a few sentences, she lowered her gaze. Her line of sight gradually shifted to behind the man.

Zhou Yun leaned against a desk, her expression weary and pained. The knight captain had originally intended to question the director’s wife, but he felt it inappropriate to disturb this noblewoman who had just endured profound loss. Mentioning her husband’s death would reopen painful wounds. Thus, he chose to question other high-ranking officials instead.

“Lady Zhou, may I trouble you for some water? I’m a little thirsty.”

Zhou Yun looked at the girl who stood a full head taller than herself. She paused briefly, then tugged at her downturned lips in what resembled a faint jest.

“Your rescue team has traveled such a long way, and they didn’t even prepare water for a cute child like you?”

“Oh, I don’t want to ask those smelly men for water.”

Ye Zheng blinked lightly.

“I once heard Yuan Yuan mention you. She said you’re a very kind lady. It’s truly fortunate that you’re safe.”

When Zhou Yun heard the girl mention her daughter, she merely smiled before turning and gesturing for Ye Zheng to follow.

She led her into an unoccupied office. Scattered documents lay quietly across the floor, along with one or two fallen leather shoes, silent testimony to the panic that had erupted when disaster struck two weeks earlier.

Ye Zheng smiled radiantly as she accepted the water the woman handed her. Before the woman’s eyes, she tilted her head back and took a sip. As though she had drunk too hastily, she suddenly choked violently. Covering her mouth, she coughed, and the cup slipped from her grasp, crashing to the floor. The spilled water splashed across the woman’s chest.

Zhou Yun hurried forward and patted the girl’s back. The gesture nearly drew the girl into half an embrace. Her expression brimmed with concern, and the hand stroking her back was gentle yet steady, like that of any devoted mother.

“Are you all right? Truly, no matter how thirsty you are, you mustn’t drink so quickly.”

Ye Zheng lowered her hand from her mouth and offered the middle-aged woman an apologetic smile. “It was discourteous of me, Madam. I truly had no alternative.”

For a fleeting instant, the air congealed into silence. Zhou Yun’s hand, which had been patting the girl’s back, gradually stilled.

The concern in her eyes faded, leaving behind cold, indifferent whites. Her pupils fixed unblinkingly upon the girl’s face.

“You truly are an ill-mannered child.”

“To threaten an elder like this upon our first meeting. When Yuan spoke of you, she praised your impeccable etiquette.”

Zhou Yun lowered her head. The damp stain upon her chest had, at some unnoticed moment, condensed into a slender blade, its tip pressing squarely against her heart.

“Madam Zhou, no offense is intended, but for my own safety, I had no choice but to act so.”

“Next, please answer each of my questions honestly, all right?"