After about half an hour of investigation, Su Xiao had roughly figured out the situation around the outskirts of the Highhold of Redeemers. The outermost slums were a free zone with no guards. Pickpockets and bandits were everywhere, and even the trafficking of intelligent races was commonplace.
Not everyone living in the Highhold of Redeemers was powerful. More than 80% of its residents had little combat ability, and the various races were heavily interbred. Clearly, these residents had been born in the Highhold of Redeemers. In the dangerous Black Abyss, they had no choice—the Highhold of Redeemers was the only place where they could survive.
The residents of the outermost area were not only poor but also extremely cheap labor. In fact, the area they inhabited occupied nearly four-fifths of the entire Highhold of Redeemers. The remaining less-than-one-fifth consisted of the outskirts, the inner court, and the central region.
Su Xiao had not only figured out the general terrain of the Highhold of Redeemers; he had also gained some understanding of its ruling powers. There were three ruling factions here: Black Marsh, Asaka, and Ancestor.
These three were all the major factions in the Highhold of Redeemers. As for the other medium- and small-sized factions, there were too many of them, and they were a mixed bag, so Su Xiao did not consider them.
Black Marsh occupied the outskirts of the Highhold of Redeemers. The people who had blocked Su Xiao earlier were members of Black Marsh. Every one of their members wore a "token." Some were tattoos, some were rings, and some might even be hats. According to Su Xiao's guess, these were probably some kind of energy-identification device.
Black Marsh was the largest faction in the Highhold of Redeemers. More than 80% of the residents in the outermost