"Have you heard? Something huge happened in the Northern District last night."
"What was it? Some blind fool tried to rob the Thunder Talismans newly delivered to that venue at a time like this? Wasn't it said that sect cultivators were guarding the place?"
"It was far more explosive than that. A bunch of brats appeared out of nowhere, wielding special Spirit Guns that spat lightning. Right in front of everyone, they burned all the Thunder Talismans into ashes, wounded the sect cultivators who tried to stop them, and ran off."
"No, who the hell were these people? I've been in the Outer City for so long, but I've never heard of Spirit Guns that shoot lightning. Wasn't lightning said to be too violent in nature to be used as ammunition for Spirit Guns? What's with this thing? With a background like that, could they have come from the Inner City?"
"None of that is important."
"That's not important? Does someone have to put a blade to our throats before something counts as important?"
"You're actually close to the point. Haven't you grasped the key part of that news?"
"What?"
"That batch of Thunder Talismans was destroyed by lightning in full view of everyone. Weren't those things supposedly specially refined to withstand lightning tribulations? How did they turn out to be completely useless?"
"You've got a point there. But if those things are useless, does that mean we don't need to think about getting one anymore?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Throughout the streets and alleyways, people were discussing how the Thunder Talismans had been burned away by lightning.
Inside a shabby-looking pavilion in the Outer City.
"Damn it! A pack of useless wine sacks and rice bags! Even now, you still haven't caught those bastards?"
A lavishly dressed