# Chapter 51: The Lost Bard
Su Xiao pushed open the door of the small wooden hut. He had seen two Holy Cultivators within Dead Silence City, and without exception, they were all in this kind of makeshift wooden hut.
The small wooden hut was filled with a musty smell, covering an area of about forty square meters, with traces of habitation.
Near the inner side of the wooden hut, a skeleton leaned against the wooden wall. Beside the remains was a long strip of rust, on which faint golden light particles could be seen. This should have been the Holy Cultivator's weapon, but due to the passage of time, it had weathered and corroded away.
Su Xiao's hand made a grasping motion, and a crystal long rod formed. He used the crystal rod to touch the Holy Cultivator's skeleton. With just a light tap, it poked a hole in the skull.
Clearly, this Holy Cultivator had left nothing behind. Just as Su Xiao was about to leave the wooden hut, he noticed that this Holy Cultivator's skeletal remains were sitting on a raised stone slab.
This stone slab was clearly an original item from Dead Silence City, with a lower degree of weathering. Su Xiao moved the Holy Cultivator's remains aside and found that the stone slab was inscribed with words.
The stone slab was divided into upper and lower parts. Su Xiao couldn't understand the text on the upper part at all, though the carvings were neat. As for the lower carvings, they were noticeably much more scribbled, seemingly carved forcefully with a sharp tool, with annotations nearby.
The text below was the result of this Holy Cultivator being so bored that he deciphered the text above. The deciphered content was as follows:
'I am Kefilson, a bard, from Lingao. That's right, that magic capital. Clean, prosperous, free, the dream city of elementalists. My pack is very heavy, at least 20 O (approximately 36 jin), so I need to find a place to rest.'
'Although the two kingdoms are hostile in their positions, in my opinion, Dead Silence City is truly beautiful. The people here are simple and honest...'
When Su Xiao saw the four words 'simple and honest,' he almost couldn't resist kicking this stone slab to pieces. What the hell, 'simple and honest' my ass.
'The people are simple and honest, the scenery is beautiful, especially the Supreme Sanctuary at the city center. From an architectural perspective, it can already be called a miracle. Given the construction level of the Modia Kingdom, how exactly did they manage this? It's worth mentioning that this envoy brought wind power generation technology, which might ease the tensions between the two countries.'
'Unbelievable. The Modia Kingdom and my homeland have actually broken into all-out war. Dead Silence City is very wrong. Things I couldn't understand are now explained. This place is called Dead Silence City for a reason, especially those detestable Crow Doctors. Is bloodletting their only treatment? If they can't cure someone, they recommend burning them to death? Utterly absurd.'
'Home... is gone. Leveled to the ground by the Modia Kingdom. I need to leave Dead Silence City quickly. The residents here are very wrong. They are gradually turning into monsters. Although those Crow Doctors have finally wised up, the residents here are not sick. The problem is the entire city. This is a war weapon, the origin of destruction. Compared to this city, elementalists are nothing. They're more like street performers.'
'First day of destruction. Everything... shattered into pieces. The war smashed the star we lived on. The only thing preserved was Dead Silence City. But I am imprisoned here. No one can leave. Where this city will drift to, perhaps only the gods know.'
'The Crow Doctor examined my "condition." I am being assimilated. Even though I am an outsider, once assimilated, the Crow Doctors' attitude changed greatly. They brought me food, blankets, and even asked if I needed "Ice Therapy." I refused. That would turn me into another kind of monster.'
'I've already forgotten what the sun looks like. I've probably lived for over 200 years. After being assimilated, I didn't age. And... I am now a Hunter, a Hunter who has accepted "Ice Therapy."'
'Hunting is to protect those who haven't been fully assimilated. But every time I wake up after sleeping, the first thing I think about is where to hunt today, how worn my weapon is. I've become immersed in it, forgetting my original purpose.'
'Those residents who haven't been assimilated fear me. They kneel and cry, begging me to leave. So... I've long become a monster. And the most powerful kind at that. No wonder. Yesterday, when I cut off the head of the "Serpent King" and bathed in its blood, that exhilaration was indescribable.'
'All useless. Today, I will go to battle. Prey: the Black King. I told them long ago that drifter from the sea is unreliable. He is a living being.'
'I do not regret coming to Dead Silence City. — Mad Hunter Kefilson.'
...
Seeing the records on the stone slab, Su Xiao gained some insight into the origin of Dead Silence City. This place originally did not belong to the Black King Continent, nor was it even a city from this world.
Dead Silence City originally belonged to a country called the Modia Kingdom, which was at war with another country that had relatively prosperous technology. The details of the war were unknown, but the result was that the two countries shattered the star they lived on. Because Dead Silence City was special, it was squeezed onto the Black King Continent.
The difference between the outer area and the central area of Dead Silence City was the difference in assimilation speed. The central area was once the safe zone of Dead Silence City. Those living here were residents who hadn't been fully assimilated. As for the outer area, it was full of monsters.
And that ring-shaped river was a defense mechanism. The Crow Doctors in the central area developed a treatment method called "Ice Therapy," or rather a self-preservation measure. Those who accepted Ice Therapy were called Hunters. They entered the outer area to hunt the residents who had completely turned into monsters.
But not long after, the residents who still retained their consciousness discovered that Ice Therapy not only couldn't save them but actually accelerated the assimilation process. Even worse, Ice Therapy produced stronger monsters after assimilation.
Therefore, the Crow Doctors changed their strategy. Artificial beings like the Moon Maiden and Tree Erosion were born. Their original purpose in being created was also to resist the monsters in the outer area and find a way to leave Dead Silence City. Unfortunately, Tree Erosion couldn't resist assimilation and instead became a guardian of Dead Silence City. There was only one Moon Maiden. By the time she grew up, the central area had already been assimilated by Dead Silence City.
Before being assimilated, the residents of the central area made their final struggle. They imprisoned themselves in their dwellings. Even if they turned into monsters, they didn't want to become like those "beasts" in the outer area.
What happened after that was unknown, because that was the era of the Black King. Dead Silence City was suppressed by the Black King, trapped in a corner of the continent. Without coordinates, it was impossible to enter here at all.
Su Xiao roughly understood what was going on with Dead Silence City. He turned and left the small wooden hut. Dozens of meters away from the small wooden hut was the sacrificial altar.
The sacrificial altar was an oval-shaped building. At the center of the building was a huge iron ring. Although he was still over ten meters away from the sacrificial altar, Su Xiao felt a sense of security.
An energy enveloped the sacrificial altar, giving this oval building vibrant colors, no longer that gray-black tone. It seemed that this place was the only building in Dead Silence City that hadn't been assimilated.
The stone door of the sacrificial altar was wide open. Bubu Wang entered first. Two seconds later, Bubu Wang shot out with a whoosh.
Thump-thump-thump...
Bubu Wang's hind legs vibrated at high frequency, no, it was trembling.
"Woof-ow-woof-ow."
Bubu Wang was "babbling nonsense." It was so scared it almost spoke human language.