Divine Skin Manor

As he ventured deeper into Zion City

Yi Chen became increasingly impressed by the city's astonishing design,

The Street District alone that he had seen so far was divided into upper, middle, and lower levels,

The different levels were connected by elevators, stairways along the edges, and some indoor corridors.

One thing worth noting was that the area entered through the main gate in the city wall corresponded to the upper district.

In other words, the middle and lower levels were embedded within the mountain.

In addition,

Because the district was divided into three levels,

There were considerable cracks and gaps in the ground between the upper and middle levels, which were connected by circular arched bridges.

The residential buildings in the Street District were still primarily Gothic in style, with towering, slender spires, distinct vertical features, long vertical windows, and so on—dark and oppressive.

Some buildings possessed an obvious stacked structure, running from the lower level all the way to the upper level.

In addition,

Most of the streets were poorly designed,

They lacked convenient access,

And some corners and dead ends were even fitted with iron gates, giving the place a convoluted, deliberately segmented sense of disorder.

Moreover,

The entire Street District had no clearly defined main road. It was more like a multilayered nonlinear labyrinth,

Between inconspicuous houses, winding paths would occasionally appear out of nowhere. Some might lead directly to the other end of the street, saving dozens of minutes compared with other routes.

As Yi Chen observed the complex streets, he offered his analysis.

There are probably two reasons for this street design.

1. This city isn't a tourist area to begin with. It's only open to members of the organization.

No matter how complicated the streets are, as long as the members are familiar enough with them, there won't be a problem. It might even be more convenient in some situations~

2. If one day the disease spread throughout the entire world, even reaching Zion.

If an infection entered the Street District after crossing the city walls, this complicated structure could be used to rapidly divide and isolate the infected areas.

In addition,

Thanks to his enhanced senses,

Yi Chen discovered that the people living in the Street District all walked lightly, moved with precision, and carried themselves elegantly. Even their small gestures were filled with strength.

Their clothing was also extremely refined, with every detail able to withstand scrutiny.

The humans who can live in Zion City must all have passed the basic assessment... Even the most ordinary residents may be far stronger than us.

As he traversed the streets that rose and fell,

Yi Chen also noticed many secret shops. They had no signs, but were clearly engaged in some kind of business.

Some other paths were closed off, with people dressed as gentlemen standing guard. The reason was unknown.

He also discovered

That some gentlemen walking along the streets seemed to keep rather unusual pets.

Apart from relatively normal pets such as parrots and cats,

There were also small creatures that could be labeled monsters, such as a "dog" fastened with an iron chain, whose mouth was shaped like a chrysanthemum and which had no other facial features, or a huge spider with human legs.

There were also rather mysterious pet shops along the streets. Although their doors were tightly shut, strange cries could be heard coming from within.

No wonder Yi Chen, with Little Grape perched on his shoulder, did not provoke much surprise when he met the other examinees.

It seemed that within the organization,

It was very common for gentlemen to carry pets to assist them in battle.

Half an hour later,

As everyone followed their guide, Mr. Jeff,

They stepped onto a stone-built arched bridge connecting to the opposite street. At the far end of the bridge, an oddly dressed individual was walking toward them.

He wore the distinctive bird-beak mask of a medieval doctor.

The leather used for the mask was highly unusual, and faintly visible within it were flowing, starry scars,

while its eye sockets and breathing apparatus were reinforced with metal structures.

Mysterious and noble.

However,

On top of the bird-beak mask, the person was actually also wearing a white coat symbolizing modern medicine, and walking barefoot.

This appearance naturally made Yi Chen think of one profession—a doctor.

When their guide, Mr. Jeff, saw this person, he immediately removed his hat and performed a gentleman's salute.

The accompanying examinees also stopped and bowed.

However.

When the mysterious doctor passed by them, he suddenly stopped.

He tilted his head,

and the metal eye sockets of the bird-beak mask fixed their gaze on Yi Chen at the end of the group,

while a sinister, even somewhat viscous voice seeped from the breathing filter:

"Death... You carry a faint but genuine Death Aura within you. Where did it come from?"

Yi Chen steadied himself and answered in a low voice, "I came from the Cemetery in Easton Town. I used to work there."

"Simply working in a cemetery shouldn't be enough to make death flow through your body... What is your name?"

"William Berens."

After obtaining the name, the mysterious doctor said nothing more and turned to leave.

After this exchange,

Everyone, including their guide, Mr. Jeff, turned their gazes toward Yi Chen.

The blond Edmund even placed a hand directly on his shoulder.

"Wow! Mr. William, you actually caught the doctor's attention... That hardly ever happens. As expected of you."

The word "doctor"

immediately made Yi Chen think of the organization's name, G&D. Doctor was one of its important components.

He did not continue pretending to understand nothing, and tried asking,

"I spent most of my life in the Cemetery isolated from the outside world, so I don't really understand what a doctor means. Could you explain it?"

"Gentleman & Doctor,

"To put it simply, it's this:

"Gentleman refers to spiritual purity: preventing and eliminating the negative spirits brought about by disease in this world, while also constantly examining oneself to ensure the perfection and purity of human nature.

"Doctor refers to bodily purity. Using the most direct methods, they employ Medical Equipment to remove the roots of disease spread throughout the world.

"Within the organization,

"Any gentleman awarded a Doctor's Certificate is a true powerhouse who has severed the Root of Disease.

"Of course, some of them are also skilled at treating injuries and illnesses. As long as you aren't completely dead, even if one foot has already stepped into the River Styx, they can still drag you back.

"In short, they're extraordinarily powerful.

"Keep it up. With your talent, William, perhaps one day you can become a doctor too."

"Thanks."

"We're from the same cohort, so we'll have to look after each other from now on."

After some casual conversation, they continued walking.

Zion City was not particularly large, but truly exploring every corner of it was by no means easy.

After walking for approximately an hour and a half,

The buildings along the streets gradually became sparser,

and the winding paths slowly broadened and straightened, transforming into a clear main road.

On both sides of the road stood unusually shaped "Gargoyle Streetlamps"—the gargoyle statues were about five meters tall, and each held a perpetually burning Kerosene Lamp that emitted white light.

At the end of the main road stood a Black Bridge,

Wide, straight, and long,

It was completely different from the circular arched bridges they had seen earlier, and its scale was on an entirely different level.

A layer of mist also blanketed the bridge deck.

Clearly,

This bridge served as the "dividing line" separating the Street District. The other end perhaps connected to an important area of Zion.

After crossing the nearly thousand-meter-long Black Bridge,

The gate at the bridgehead already stood wide open.

A gigantic manor in the style of an Ancient Castle stood within,

The large, roughly hewn stones used to build its walls gave the surface an appearance that seemed to lie somewhere between stone and skin.

As Yi Chen stared at the manor's skin-like structure,

A feeling of heart palpitations arose spontaneously. For an instant, it reminded him of the Fish Scale Abyss that his consciousness had once visited... The two seemed to share some hidden resemblance.

Or perhaps it was a sense of antiquity,

An ultimate antiquity far beyond Yi Chen's ability to comprehend.

"Is this the 'Divine Skin Manor'?"

The reason the pace slowed here was mainly to provide a detailed introduction to Zion City's peculiar structure and architectural style, so everyone could develop a stronger sense of immersion upon entering the city... I spent a lot of time studying this city introduction, after all (sob).