Chapter 125 - Ridiculous Discovery (Part IV) (Patreon)

Although accessible to commoners, the Sailor School wasn’t located near the docks, slums, or residential districts, but rather near the noble district. =

Rumor had it that when it was founded, the walls of the noble district were expanded as well, almost encompassing the school and ensuring it would remain under the watch of city guards at all times.

Still, because it was a place nobles would never attend, the school could not be placed inside the noble district itself, so the walls never extended beyond it.

Usually crowded, the Sailor School had seen a much lower influx of people since reopening two days ago after the Tidal Massacre. Tragically, some students had died, while others had either been crippled or lost the breadwinners of their families, causing a drastic change in their daily lives.

Some of the workers had also been affected, leaving the school’s staff at an all-time low.

The Tidal Massacre had taken more than people's lives. It had also strangled their sense of peace and made them doubt whether they could ever have a better life. In the Golden Peng Empire, few places remained untouched by chaos, war, or bloodshed. Three Feathers City had been one of those places, but now it wasn't.

Around the Sailor School, dozens of rats observed it from hidden spots, moving through shadows and avoiding people’s attention.

I should bring my main body here, Lucian thought. He detected nothing of significance while observing the few people walking in and out of the school grounds.

He was cautious about making any moves, as he could not sense Qi in his current form. This made it difficult to gauge the strength of those around him. Cultivators could be strong no matter how they looked, after all.

Nonetheless, Lucian knew something was wrong.

Grandmaster Miao had spoken about the Sword Vein beneath the school and how Bai Xiaomeng had been investigating a taboo, while Wang Chen had informed him that she had made discoveries regarding Sword Qi and had disappeared shortly after sending a message for Little Crab to meet her.

All of this pointed to the school being a place of tremendous importance, one that should be filled with spies and high-ranking cultivators at all times.

However, apart from city guards watching the school grounds from the walls in sheer boredom, and young teenagers entering in small groups of three or four, nobody else seemed to pay attention to it.

The more Lucian watched, the more sure he was that this place had a hidden danger.

Very interesting, he thought. There may be someone watching. Someone powerful enough that I can’t detect them with physical senses. But setting that aside, given how important this place is, how could Bai Xiaomeng find information and steal books so easily?

Lucian had once been a ruler, and knew how spies worked. In fact, he had a spy network under his command. It was not unusual for his spies to be nurtured from childhood and spend fifty years completing a single assignment.

Truth be told, infiltrating magical fortresses and heavily guarded locations, uncovering secrets protected by only a handful of people, often required decades of preparation and hard work.

She hasn’t been here for more than half a year, yet she managed to steal parchments and report on the mystical Sword Qi, Lucian thought. Besides, Little Crab managed to place her inside without any difficulty. All of this is too suspicious. How come such a place is full of holes?

Remembering that the smuggler was recovering from life-threatening wounds in the Merchant Chamber’s warehouse, Lucian made a mental note to visit him and learn exactly how things had unfolded. He wasn't even sure how his whereabouts were leaked.

He still needed to determine whether Little Crab had revealed the location of his slumber to Prince Xuan or whether there was another cause for him being discovered. If Little Crab had not betrayed him, Lucian intended to reward the crippled smuggler for his loyalty and turn him into a ghoul.

Storing those thoughts away, Lucian left the rats observing the Sailor School and shifted his attention to the other mischief. There, a few rats were modifying the mental seeds he had previously planted on a few commoners, reshaping them to better suit his plans and redirecting the blame away from the Bo Merchant Chamber.

Meanwhile, aside from the rats monitoring the warehouse, the remaining ones were searching for corpses to drink blood and replenish the Blood Essence being expended. The last ones were inside a dark attic.

Dividing one’s mind to multitask at this level would have been impossible for most people, but Lucian had accomplished far more challenging tasks throughout his life.

Besides, every time he enhanced his body through the Curse of Sloth and overfed on Blood Essence, his powers grew, making possible things that previously would have demanded far more from him.

After he made sure that everything proceeded without issue, he focused on six fused rats, surrounded by five others, in the attic of a destroyed shop.

It would be more accurate to call them two monstrosities rather than six rats, as the six had merged into two masses of flesh, Qi flowing through their veiny muscles.

One amalgamation of rats emanated Water and Wood Qi, appearing to possess a Qi deviation so severe that it had reached two chakra points at the Qi Refining realm.

The other amalgamation, in turn, emanated a much weaker Qi wave, but this one was natural, belonging to the Qi Gathering realm, with Fire, Earth, and Metal Qi mixed within it.

Inwardly sighing, Lucian thought, It’s a blessing that my cultivation base wasn’t affected, but I need to test later whether I can dissipate it without issue. And separate it. These things are too easy to target and kill.

Lucian was aware that one of his greatest advantages was the fact that cultivators could not easily detect him when he completely dissipated his Qi.

While observing and reflecting, his attention was drawn to the rats near the warehouse. There, bronze-armored guards were pushing boxes inside while speaking with servants of the Merchant Chamber.

Lucian overheard them discussing how the materials had been sent by Vice-Lord Verdant Creek as gifts for the recently discovered heir of the Merchant Chamber, Young Master Bo Xian.

Recognizing the gifts as an attempt to apologize and display sincerity, Lucian was ready to inspect what he had received when he returned.

Then it happened.

The sunny sky darkened as black clouds billowed from the Feathered Serpent Castle and spread over all of Three Feathers City. Then, a pressure descended upon everyone, making commoners freeze and lesser cultivators kneel as they perceived the overwhelming flood of Qi.

The rats that served as Lucian’s body also froze, watching the darkened sky with crimson eyes.

This pressure, Lucian thought, and every rat gnashed its teeth. It’s from a being at the level of an Archmage! A being at the A-Tier!

After the dark clouds settled, a voice echoed from above, genderless and authoritative.

“Greetings, citizens,” the voice said.

Lucian felt a wave of intent crash into him, ensuring that he understood the speaker.

It can use intent to communicate, Lucian thought.

“This Seat, Vice-Lord Obsidian Sea, is honored to announce that in one month, the True Feathered Serpent, City Lord Kun Fei Xing, will leave his seclusion and bring justice to the wrongs inflicted upon you,” the voice continued.

No one cheered or reacted in any way, as the overwhelming pressure prevented them from doing so.

“A festival shall be held afterward, during which Three Decrees will be bestowed,” she said. “This Seat expects utmost loyalty, temperance, and diligence. We shall punish anyone who dares threaten the peace of the festival.”

After she finished the last sentence, the clouds receded, returning to the Feathered Serpent Castle and allowing sunlight to once more fall upon the streets.

It took a few moments for people to recover, and the city was soon thrown into turmoil.

Ignoring everything else, Lucian turned the rats’ gazes toward the Feathered Serpent Castle.

Such pressure is beyond what a normal Archmage could achieve, he thought, smiling inwardly. Core Formation cultivators are truly interesting beings.

Every rat blinked before scurrying back toward the attic where Lucian’s two monstrous rat amalgamations waited, rejoining into a single body.

Given what had just happened, every other plan could wait, because Lucian was certain that both he and Grandmaster Miao would want to speak with one another.

Beyond the fact that Vice-Lord Obsidian Sea had hinted that the City Lord would soon make an appearance, Lucian was extremely curious about the Three Decrees.

A few seconds after Lucian departed, a figure appeared in one of the Sailor School windows.

Covered in blood, Bai Xiaomeng ran frantically through the empty corridors, holding a sword and slashing at a window. Before she could finish the sword strike, however, she was seized and dragged away by an invisible being.

No matter how much she screamed, no one could hear her.