Pitch-Black World

Linsey's figure suddenly appeared in the clear blue Clear Sky.

Just as he had predicted.

The Ninth Stage awakener who created the City of a Thousand Sails indeed left behind her own Hallucination Dream.

And the Fallen Artist of Black Tide Island.

The opportunity to break through the shackles of the Eighth Stage lies here.

As for Linsey...

Candy serves as a token, and the sky as Impression Channel.

He seized a possibility that should never have existed in his original destiny and successfully entered this special world.

brush--

The blinding sunlight shone down from the boundless sky.

Linsey shielded his eyes, and the accelerating upward airflow beside him made him realize his current state—he was falling!

"I... I don't think I can fly?"

"What should we do?"

Common sense from normal people made him momentarily speechless.

Immediately afterwards, Linsey's expression calmed down.

He began to appreciate the air resistance and his own strong Constitution.

An ordinary person falling from a great height would likely die—but Linsey wouldn't!

"..."

"Mere gravity? Watch me withstand it with my powerful Constitution!"

Linsey was very defiant.

But his hand movements were still very honest.

He took out the "Cliff Fall Immortality" item and activated its effect.

Looking down again at this moment, the azure sea comes into view.

As the view gradually cleared, a hexagonal city shadow vaguely appeared on the sea. The towers of the seven districts stood there, like anchors stabilizing the sea, fixing it in place in this vast ocean.

"Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple..."

"These towers, this shape, the City of a Thousand Sails?"

Linsey immediately recognized the familiar city.

But as his gaze zoomed in further, he shook his head:

"No, that's not right. There are no huge stone statues here, nor any of the changes that happened during the Art Festival."

"The world of actors is a reflection of the City of a Thousand Sails."

"So, this artist, who was once at the Ninth Stage, not only painted this city in reality, but also created a world based on it?"

"..."

Linsey fell through the air.

He speculated about the current situation while pulling up a map.

"There are many Green Marker —this population size is on par with the real-world City of a Thousand Sails."

"However—the city's size and specific structure differ somewhat from reality. This is because subsequent urban expansions employed different designs..."

Linsey's analysis abruptly stopped.

As he falls, the City of a Thousand Sails in this parallel world draws ever closer.

When he was still several kilometers away from the city, the scene before him suddenly changed.

The city, bathed in sunlight, turned pitch black.

The city, divided into seven colors, is also marked with pure black.

The city seemed to be shrouded in some kind of concept.

All color was stripped away, and the cold air rushed into the lungs with each breath, making one want to cough.

At the same time, a somber and oppressive mood permeated the atmosphere.

Linsey immediately recognized that this was the Emotional Source Material that had suppressed everyone on the Abyss Whale, the power of the Eighth Stage Fallen Artist from Black Tide Island!

"I knew it! It's right here!"

Linsey adjusted her body in mid-air, trying to lie flat to slow her descent.

However, after a moment's thought, he switched to the [Horror Game] module, crouching in mid-air to enter stealth mode.

Boom!

Black waves crashed against the sea, creating a high wall.

Linsey's body plummeted into the water like a cannonball, but thanks to the protection of "Cliff Fall Immortality," he didn't even feel any impact.

It's as easy as stepping into your own bathtub.

After falling into the dark sea, he quickly turned around and rose back to the surface.

Linsey surfaced in the sea at the edge of the city, while a fresh corpse sank into the sea beside him.

It was the body of a young man.

No wounds were visible on his body. Blood from his mouth and nose flowed out at the time of his death, mixing with the dark seawater and eventually losing its color.

"..."

"Dead people? Fighting?"

Linsey cautiously climbed to the edge of the city, crouching throughout to ensure he was in the perfect stealth position.

This City of a Thousand Sails...

In the streets, people were fighting each other like madmen.

Musicians played shrill, piercing sounds, Emotional Infection, and people who were originally passionate about artistic creation turned violent against each other.

The body that just fell into the sea is a consequence of this vicious art.

"..."

Linsey pulled up the map with a subtle expression.

Then, an even more astonishing scene unfolded before him.

Everyone in the city is marked in green on the map, symbolizing friendliness, even those who are fighting.

In other words, according to these people's common sense, their actions even represent friendliness!

"Just how distorted have the laws of this world become?"

Linsey carefully avoided these fights.

He actually smuggled himself into the city, and it was best if no one found out.

Men and women on the street, whether awakened or ordinary, attacked each other, their shouts echoing frequently.

"Don't think that just because you're an awakened one, you can look down on others!"

"You vulgar thing, get out of my way!"

"As long as I pierce your heart, you will still be lying on the ground, returning to the Netherworld!"

"The essence of art lies in creation. You are mixing Essence into it, which is a misguided path and a desecration of art!"

"If you are unable to set foot in this world, how can you expect to experience true art?"

"Return to the true Essence of Art!"

"Why won't you even glance at my work? Is it just because I'm not an awakened one?"

"Fool, let me go!"

"..."

Linsey took in all this madness.

He even had a premonition that these negative emotions were the distracting thoughts in the hearts of everyone in the City of a Thousand Sails.

Here, all negative emotions are activated and amplified, driving everyone into a frenzy.

"..."

"The top priority now is to confirm Wala Wala's location."

Linsey remained calm and quickly identified three locations in her mind.

The first is the Fimbul Theater.

It is a massive theater located in the heart of the Blue District, and there is a corresponding building in this world as well, a fact that Linsey had already confirmed from the air.

This is the place where Wala Wala once performed and became famous.

If the goal of Fallen Artist needs to conform to a certain artistic concept, then there is certainly a huge possibility here.

Second, there's the seaside cottage in Wala Wala.

However, the structure of this expansion is different from that in the Real World, making it less likely.

As for the third...

Linsey looked up and around; the city's seven towers stood tall.

These buildings symbolize the supreme status of art in this city, and are also the tallest and most eye-catching places in the spatial structure.

If the goal is to create a dramatic setting, this is naturally a strong suspect.

"How would an artist, especially an artist at the Eighth Stage, break through their own technical limitations?"

"To alter the world? To seize control of the world? To imitate the creative trajectory of Ninth Stage Artist?"

Linsey pondered.

As I stepped into this pitch-black city.