Chapter 36: Sanctuary
The layout of the Holy City was subtly shifting. That afternoon, multiple pieces of good news arrived at the royal palace.
The lords of the Northern Border had withdrawn their troops and sent envoys for peace talks. The foreign tribes in the Western Region were migrating en masse, seemingly retreating back into the Dunba Great Forest. Though the area was rich in resources, it was overrun with wild beasts and highly unsuitable for habitation. Most of the empire's military war beasts had their original mothers captured there before being artificially bred, but after three generations, they lost their wild nature.
The foreign tribes in the Southern Region were attacking even more fiercely. Word had it that those tribes had already allied with two lords, which looked more like a desperate last stand.
Su Xiao paid no attention to any of this. Wu Fu and Wo Ke Li would handle it. Whether they could resolve it depended on their own abilities.
At the Right Imperial Manor, though Su Xiao was now only a duke—and one appointed after the new king's coronation—the manor was still garrisoned with troops. Its defensive strength was no less than the royal palace. In fact, getting in here was harder than entering the palace itself.
Inside a fifty-square-meter council chamber, Su Xiao tossed a pale red crystal in his hand. The interior of the crystal was mottled, filled with cracks and bloodshot lines, but it was a Soul Crystal.
[Soul Crystal (Low Purity, Mottled)]
Origin: Black King Throne Continent
Type: Secondary Rare Item
Effect: A mottled Soul Crystal that has been specially processed. Cannot be used to enhance abilities or as material.
Selling Price: This item cannot be recovered.
...
The old divine stick called this a Sanctuary Stone. According to him, Soul Stones on the continent were extremely rare. They had once been beloved by the "gods," but for some unknown reason, over three hundred years ago, Soul Stones stopped appearing on the continent. Every one used was one less.
Originally, these Soul Crystals were of decent quality. The reason they were so mottled now was due to the old divine stick's post-processing.
The old divine stick had mixed Soul Crystals + the blood of Dead Silence City residents + Eternal Force condensate + Parrot Bird feathers together, then crushed them, placed the mixture in a container, and froze it in a low-temperature environment to create the Sanctuary Stone.
The old divine stick "confidently" stated that with this item, one could enter Dead Silence City. Otherwise, they would be assimilated there.
According to the old divine stick's judgment, Su Xiao could probably hold out for about ten minutes before being assimilated. Amu could last at most seven minutes. Bubu Wang's time was uncertain. As for the old divine stick himself, he would be assimilated in a few seconds.
With the Sanctuary Stone, it was different. Once it made contact with the skin, it could resist assimilation for at least ten to twelve hours.
There were fifteen Sanctuary Stones in total. Split evenly, Su Xiao could get 3.7 of them, meaning he could stay in Dead Silence City for about forty hours.
"Are you sure this thing works?"
Su Xiao frowned deeply. The first three materials for the Sanctuary Stone were somewhat reliable. As for the Parrot Bird feathers, they sounded impressive, but they were just bird feathers. The old divine stick had originally wanted to use goose feathers, but a Parrot Bird happened to land on the small church, so he shot it down and used it as material.
"It should work. The Light God will protect us."
The old divine stick smiled, looking a bit unscrupulous. Ever since he had set down the burden in his heart, the old man had fully become a divine stick.
"Should..."
"Cough, it will definitely work. But the quantity is a problem. Each of us can only carry three at a time."
The old divine stick picked up a Sanctuary Stone. Making more on the spot was impossible; this item needed to be cooled for nearly a month before it could be used.
"What do you mean?"
Su Xiao didn't believe the old divine stick couldn't even do basic multiplication and division within a hundred.
"I mean, we still need one more Transcendent. That Transcendent just needs to have the ability to protect themselves. Once we enter Dead Silence City, we will definitely disturb the residents there. Combat is unavoidable. If we make a loud noise, all the residents in Dead Silence City will be attracted to us, swarming in waves to kill us..."
The old divine stick said this horrifying statement in a very gentle tone. It was easy to imagine that if Su Xiao and the others were surrounded by Dead Silence City residents, they would be dead for sure—unless Su Xiao gave up all his gains in this world and used the [Ancient Clockwork] to force a return.
But the Black King World was not a derivative world, which would slow down the [Ancient Clockwork]'s return speed. Moreover, in a super-high-risk area like Dead Silence City, even if the [Ancient Clockwork] let out a *click* and failed, Su Xiao wouldn't be surprised. In that case, he would be dead, no matter if he was a Hunter or a Shadow of Law Annihilation.
"You've seen Hera, so you should know that the residents of Dead Silence City aren't completely without intelligence. Hera was so rigid and numb because it was being repelled by a force. Inside Dead Silence City, Hera would be much more lucid. Its mind was so sharp that elders like Bloomer wouldn't even dare to breathe loudly in its presence."
When the old divine stick mentioned Hera, he felt both nostalgia and a gnashing hatred. Back then, Hera was the Left Imperial, and he was the Right Imperial. But whenever they worked together, the old divine stick felt like a fool, being schemed against by the other, and he had to swallow his anger.
"So we need a Transcendent who can block sound, perception, and vibrations. Once we engage in combat with Dead Silence City residents, that Transcendent must immediately isolate an area. Only then can we have a chance to delve deeper into Dead Silence City."
"Makes sense. Do you have someone in mind?"
"Of course... not."
"..."
Su Xiao looked at the old divine stick with a full smile. If they hadn't worked together for so long, he would have thrown the guy out the window.
"Zuo Si."
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, Zuo Si pushed open the door and entered. The kid had been beaming lately, his clothes noticeably cleaner, and his messy black hair was neatly combed.
"Go call Wu Fu... invite him here."
"Yes."
Zuo Si quickly left. About ten minutes later, Wu Fu arrived, clad in red armor with several personal guards behind him.
"Your Excellency... Duke Kukulin, what's the matter?"
Wu Fu raised his hand and waved, dismissing his personal guards. His expression changed, and he stood behind Su Xiao with a grin, half-bowing.
"Your Excellency, any orders?"
"Don't call me Your Excellency. You're the Right Imperial now."
"Yes, Your Ex..."
Wu Fu's mouth opened and closed, looking a bit stifled.
"..."
Su Xiao glanced at Wu Fu. Wu Fu shrank his head, still smiling that annoyingly obsequious smile.
"Go find me a Transcendent. No other requirements, but their ability must be able to block sound, perception, and vibrations. The stronger, the better."
"Understood. Two days, no, one day will do."
Wu Fu answered as decisively as ever.
"Mm, go. Remember, you're the Right Imperial now. One below, ten thousand above."
"I..."
Wu Fu hesitated, a mix of emotions churning in his heart.
"Go."
"Yes!"
Wu Fu withdrew. The old divine stick beside him shook his head. He truly didn't understand power.
Wu Fu didn't take a day. The one day he estimated was based on his original authority as a commander. But now he was the Empire's Right Imperial, so it took him only five hours to find a suitable candidate. From the 17,529 Transcendents registered in the empire, he selected five, then further filtered them down to the best one.
"Your Excellency, the person has been found. Should I..."
Wu Fu, standing behind Su Xiao, made a gesture, asking if Su Xiao wanted to inject the Transcendent with drugs or something to control them. But in just seven hours, Wu Fu had already forgotten Su Xiao's earlier instruction not to call him "Your Excellency." Still, Wu Fu had grown somewhat accustomed to the address.