Wan Quan yawned as he emerged from a dilapidated house, still picking at his ears. No matter how many times he came to Black Sand City, he could never get used to its ceaseless noise. Even sleep brought no peace.
The defensive ward array erected during the previous calamity was still running, leaving Black Sand City perpetually shrouded in dark clouds. Yet the portion that blocked sound had long since failed. Wind and sand battered the cloud barrier generated by the ward array, producing a strange droning noise, like ten million wild bees in flight, making the scalps of those "newly arrived in this esteemed land" crawl.
The cloud barrier had long since become riddled with holes, with many sections missing. Grit poured through the cracks like black hailstones, carrying force enough to bore through gold and pierce stone, sweeping away the houses below. No one could live in such places anymore. Before long, they became dead zones known as "sand pits."
The number of "sand pits" grew every year. At first, for convenience of reference, the sect governing the city had numbered them using the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. But in the end, that sect came to its senses. The sand pits, Black Sand City included, were simply not worth the trouble of managing. In a fit of anger, it relocated, and Black Sand City completely degenerated into a wild city.
Yet Black Sand City was by no means desolate. Brokers who operated half in the light and half in the dark, like Wan Quan, truly depended on Black Sand City for their livelihood.
He had just concluded a deal in "Yihai Pit" of the South City. Both sides were satisfied, and he had earned enough to cover the next few months' expenses. Everyone was happy. He was