Forgotten City

Forgotten City

Pit Number Two.

Dense yin energy gathered into black smoke that shot straight into the heavens, one end linked to the sky, the other hooked deep underground.

The yin energy howled, sweeping across the surrounding area.

Three figures clad in heavy armor stood at the edge, hazy halos blooming around them to resist the erosion of the yin energy. Though the gale battered their bodies, they remained utterly unmoving.

They were the backbone of the City Guard, Black City's nominal rulers—the captains of the City Guard's knights.

Through the dense yin energy, a shattered city seemed to lie at the bottom of the pit.

The city was like a colossal beast coiled beneath the earth. Though scarred all over and frail with age, it remained as majestic and imposing as ever.

"Forgotten City."

Hal, commander-in-chief of the City Guard, murmured, "Who would have thought there truly was a Forgotten City here?"

"Legend says that before the Goddess of the Moon fell, there were many cities in this world built specifically to worship her." Squad captain Barnard spoke up. "Within them lay endless treasures and boundless knowledge. So long as one received the god's permission here, one could enter the divine realm and attain eternal life."

His voice brimmed with envy.

"Hmph!"

Hal snorted coldly.

"Even gods can fall. What eternal life could there be?"

"Still, the Forgotten City must hold countless treasures. No matter what, we cannot let this chance slip away."

He then waved a hand.

"Bring them in!"

"Yes."

The squad captain acknowledged the order and gestured behind him. At once, over a hundred ragged miners were driven inside.

"Move!"

"Move faster!"

Crack!

A group of fully armed City Guard soldiers lashed their whips, beating and driving the miners onward.

In the blink of an eye.

Forced onward with no other choice, the miners stepped into the black smoke where yin energy had gathered. The yin energy pounced upon them on instinct, and shrill, despairing screams immediately rang out.

Visible to the naked eye.

The miners' flesh began to shrivel, their eyes turned crimson, and the living vitality belonging to them vanished. A savage, vicious aura burst from their bodies.

"Fire!"

Hal's expression was grim and icy as he lightly waved his hand.

Twang!

Whoosh...

Bowstrings trembled behind them as countless burning arrows rained from the sky, falling among the miners.

Then—

Raging flames spread across the entire field.

The miners screamed as they fell one after another. At last, the blazing fire reduced them to ash, which scattered on the yin wind and vanished completely.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the black smoke gathered by the yin wind had dimmed somewhat.

The city within also became clearer.

"Not enough."

Hal remained expressionless.

"Far from enough!"

"Commander," Barnard said in a low voice, "there aren't many miners left. If this continues, I'm afraid the people below will begin to resist."

"Resist?" Disdain flashed in Hal's eyes, but he did not press the matter. "How long until the slaves arrive?"

"Madam Butterfly said two months. The quantity we need is large, so purchasing them will take some time. There is no way to speed it up," Barnard replied.

"One month!"

Hal spoke in a muffled voice:

"Tell her I want to see enough slaves within a month. As for the price... she can raise it."

"Yes."

Barnard nodded, then added:

"There's one more thing. A few strange giants escaped from Forgotten City two days ago. I'm afraid they'll cause some trouble for the people above."

"Should we deal with them ourselves?"

"No." Hal lowered his eyes.

"If they can't even handle that, what use are they?"

"Also..."

"Send down those who meet the requirements as well. The stronger they are, the more Yin energy they consume. That way, we can enter Forgotten City sooner."

"Yes." Barnard acknowledged.

In the course of their conversation, they had settled all manner of major affairs concerning Black City. It was as though Hal were the City Lord—or perhaps the so-called "mysterious City Lord" had never existed in the first place.

The group had a clear division of labor.

Aya and the other five took turns scouting ahead and drawing the targets' attention, while Karl stood in the middle of the group as their main firepower, ready to provide support at any moment.

They began clearing the area around their stronghold, gradually pushing deeper into the city.

"Careful!"

As they advanced, Dana's pupils contracted.

"It's an Earth Wolf pack!"

Once Earth Wolves formed a pack, there were at least four of them, along with a larger alpha wolf.

Some alpha wolves had even awakened special bloodlines, making them mutated beasts.

"Back away slowly. Don't panic."

Xiao Nan's injuries had mostly healed. Shield in hand, he began retreating bit by bit.

The wolves in the corner of the ruins let out low whines, one after another stopping their feast on flesh and blood to look toward them.

Their cold, savage green eyes stood out especially clearly in the darkness.

"Awroo!"

With a wolf's howl, three Earth Wolves launched the first attack.

Two more Earth Wolves lurked in the darkness, circling around their front and attempting to ambush them from the flanks.

These Earth Wolves actually understood a certain degree of tactics.

"Fall back!"

In the flawless version!

Xiao Nan shouted in a low voice:

"Lure them backward."

"Hausman, grip that shield tightly. Don't even think about attacking. Just lure them out."

The three of them each held a shield, backs pressed together, protecting themselves with their shields as they slowly retreated.

From afar, they looked as though they were wrapped inside a massive turtle shell. The ramming of ordinary Earth Wolves was nowhere near enough to break through their defense.

"Awoo!"

The alpha wolf growled, seemingly growing impatient. In a blur, it charged out of the darkness and slammed into Dana's shield.

Bang!

The tremendous impact forced a muffled groan from Dana. Both her shield-holding hands went numb, nearly losing all feeling.

Just then—

Whoosh!

Whoosh, whoosh!

Several powerful arrows shot through the air toward the wolf pack.

Two fireballs were mixed among them, flying straight for the alpha wolf.

Pfft!

The arrows pierced into the Earth Wolves' bodies.

Boom!

The fireballs exploded, sending the alpha wolf flying to the ground. Flames also engulfed the Earth Wolves guarding its side.

"Attack!"

Karl waved a hand, sword in hand as he charged toward the lead wolf struggling to rise.

Lesser Force Field!

Eagle Step!

Rage Strike!

Even a lion used its full strength to fight a rabbit; Karl dared not let down his guard. His broadsword came crashing down at the lead wolf.

Slash!

Slash!

Gale Slash!

The howling sword shadows swept through. The sickening crunch of blade shattering bone rang out without pause, and the lead wolf was blasted flying.

When it hit the ground, it had stopped breathing.

Things ended quickly on the other side as well. Aya and the other five surrounded the wounded wolf pack, greeting them with arrows and heavy axes.

Before long, the pack had been reduced to corpses strewn across the ground.

Aya skillfully dissected the bodies. "Every Earth Wolf has a Nameless Tooth. You can exchange them for things with the City Guard."

"What a pity..."

"The meat on Earth Wolves is heavy with yin energy. There aren't many parts that can be eaten. Otherwise, the meat alone would sell for quite a bit."

"Big Sis." Dana called from nearby. "Come take a look!"

"What is it?"

Aya stopped what she was doing and went over with Karl.

Several mangled, bloody corpses lay in a corner of the ruins. What the wolf pack had been devouring earlier must have been the flesh of these bodies.

"Mm..."

Karl crouched down and turned over the shattered corpses, his expression grave. "Their clothes have cuts made by sharp blades. It wasn't the wolves that killed them—it was people."

"No wonder!" Dana lightly slapped her forehead. "No wonder they didn't leave anything valuable behind. Someone had already picked them clean."

Living in Black City, they had seen plenty of killing and bloodshed. None of them found it strange; there were countless people blinded by greed.

"Let's go." Karl rose to his feet. "Good things are bound to draw covetous eyes, but there are enough of us. I doubt anyone blind enough would dare provoke us."

The group could not help but laugh.

True enough.

There were seven of them, and Karl was such a "great expert." They would be lucky if they did not go looking for trouble with others.