Shipwreck Bay.
In this city controlled by underworld factions, evil had never stopped breeding.
Soren had never fully established control here, mainly because the city's factions were deeply entangled, including forces secretly controlled by other deities' churches. Every deity's church possessed considerable reserves of power, and offending other churches for the profits of a single city was clearly unwise. As a result, Port Nyanzaru had only ever controlled the slave trade here, leaving everything else to other factions. Even the Church of Fortune had privately established an extravagant casino here.
Recently.
Port Nyanzaru's forces had run into a little trouble.
The drawbacks of Soren's frenzied expansion had finally surfaced: many factions harbored a degree of hostility toward him. Under these circumstances, they were positively delighted by his misfortune. Had they not feared Port Nyanzaru's power, they would probably have started fishing in troubled waters long ago.
The situation was not yet clear enough.
Many people were secretly watching. Once Port Nyanzaru showed any sign of weakness, it was very likely that the other factions would attack it together.
Some dark forces had already been unable to resist making their move.
For instance, quite a few vampires hiding in Shipwreck Bay had recently joined the covert struggle between Port Nyanzaru and the Shadow Thieves.
Night fell.
Darkness concealed every sin, and not a single figure could be seen on the deserted streets.
The normally bustling taverns had already closed, but through their shuttered windows, many eyes could be seen watching.
The patrols had long since vanished, leaving the entire street empty.
Tap.
A faint landing sounded, and a small, agile figure emerged from the darkness.
"My Lord!"
There was a trace of blood on Ugly Monkey, though it was not his own. He dropped to one knee before the man ahead,