An Chen glanced toward the voice. A father had brought his daughter to pay their respects.
He paid them no further attention and headed straight into the city.
Once on the streets, he wandered as usual, searching for any hint of something amiss.
Everything felt normal, at least on the surface.
An Chen walked through Rock City, watching residents and merchants come and go.
After wandering all afternoon, he found nothing.
Huh? Had this place escaped whatever was happening?
Puzzled, An Chen sought out the city's Spirit Hall.
Its furnishings were much like those in other cities, but it was otherwise empty. Only beggars and vagrants remained inside.
I thought Spirit Hall was still here dealing with the anomaly. Now this really did seem strange.
An Chen found an inn at random and settled in.
The next evening, An Chen sat on the inn's ground floor. He ordered two simple dishes, then waved a waiter over.
"Can I help you, sir?"
"Nothing in particular. Rock City seems pretty peaceful."
An Chen smiled, popped a bite of food into his mouth, then gestured with his eyes for the waiter to sit.
At that, the waiter tossed the towel in his hand over his shoulder and hurried to sit at a nearby table.
"Of course it is," the waiter said with a smile. "Rock City's the most peaceful place for miles around. Nearby towns, big and small, have either been wiped out or caught up in all sorts of trouble."
An Chen set down his chopsticks and picked up his teacup. "Really? That's odd. I just saw that Spirit Hall had been abandoned."
"I couldn't tell you why. Everyone around here has their own theory." The waiter glanced around, then lowered his voice. "But plenty of people in the city say Lord