Chapter 18: Black Tide and Nodes
Smoke City, District 3. The early sun rose from the horizon, and a new day began. The streets gradually became lively, with pedestrians wearing relaxed expressions and street vendors hawking their wares.
Everything appeared peaceful. This was a scene typically seen only in the Eastern Continent, yet it had emerged in District 3 of Smoke City. This was the result of years of effort by the Healing Church, who had managed to heal Districts 1 through 3 of Smoke City.
Tap, tap, tap.
A woman dressed in a black court gown, with black cloth wrapped around her eyes, walked down the street. She held a cane in her hand, tapping the ground ahead of her with each step.
A burly, broad-shouldered man blocked the path of the black-dressed woman. His face and neck were covered in crisscrossing scars. In his hand, he held an oil-paper-wrapped sandwich made of two slices of bread filled with smoked meat and fresh vegetables. It was generously stuffed, almost overflowing.
This fierce-looking man grabbed the black-dressed woman's arm, shoved the breakfast into her hands, and walked away without a word. He knew she was blind; he didn't need her to know who he was. Having once killed women, children, and even infants, he felt unworthy of speaking to her—at least, that was what he believed in his heart.
The black-dressed woman slightly lifted her skirt in a polite gesture, then continued forward, occasionally taking a bite of the breakfast in her hands.
After passing several streets, the black-dressed woman stopped in front of a two-story civilian house. Just as she was about to knock, the door swung open.
"Red Eyes, in the daylight, you're actually quite pretty."
Huxiro looked the black-dressed woman—Red Eyes—up and down. Red Eyes silently took a step back, looking somewhat disdainful.
"Still holding a grudge, huh. Come in."
Huxiro led Red Eyes through the hallway and into the living room. He took a ruby-topped cane from a bookshelf and handed it to Red Eyes.
Red Eyes took half a step back and slowly shook her head.
"It's been washed."
"Oh~"
Red Eyes accepted the ruby cane and gave Huxiro a slight bow.
"I'm always gentle with women."
Huxiro sat down on an old, worn-out sofa, resting his arms on the backrest, ready to start his flirting routine.
Red Eyes raised the cane, pointing it at a large cloth bag in the corner. Huxiro's flirting hadn't even begun before it ended.
"That's a Mystic Arts Master. Mystic Arts Masters are all beasts, scum—everything except human."
As he said this, Huxiro seemed to recall something that annoyed him greatly and let out a cold snort.
"Has your divine envoy arrived yet?"
Su Xiao walked out from the dining room, sat down, and lit a cigarette.
Red Eyes stood the cane she had brought upright on the floor. The cane stood without any support, and a wisp of black smoke drifted from its top.
"So soon we meet again, White Night of the Black Tower."
The black smoke coalesced into a mass. This was the divine envoy of the Healing God Cult. The deity worshipped by the Healing God Cult leaned toward darkness, sedimentation, and turbidity, yet their actions were completely at odds with this style.
"The Falling Pillar Tide will erupt before 12 o'clock. I want to know how the Magic Association and the Steam Alliance collect Primordial Soul Energy."
Su Xiao exhaled a stream of blue smoke. In the next few hours, he wouldn't be looking for nodes but focusing entirely on the Black Tide.
"White Night, you've come to the wrong person. We never collect the Primordial Soul Energy emitted by the Black Tide."
The Black Smoke Envoy's voice was ethereal. What he said was true, but that didn't mean the Healing God Cult had no means of collecting Primordial Soul Energy.
"Then use a promise opportunity. I want your method of collecting Primordial Soul Energy."
"Of course. In that case, you can still make one more request to us."
"Mm."
"Red Eyes, go to the underground of the chapel and retrieve Item 13."
Hearing this, Red Eyes walked out of the house. About ten minutes later, she returned, carrying an old oil lamp in her hand. It was covered in blackened erosion marks.
"Just bring it close to the Primordial Soul Energy, and it will absorb the energy on its own. The absorption speed is fast, with a maximum capacity of 5,000 units. Be careful—it's alive and very greedy."
With that, the cane standing on the floor fell over, the black smoke in the air dissipated, and Red Eyes also left.
Su Xiao checked the time. There were still 5 hours until the Falling Pillar Tide and the appearance of the fifth node. He just had to wait.
Meanwhile, in District 5, still shrouded in night, the full moon in the sky had disappeared. It was so dark that one could barely see their hand in front of their face, with only occasional flashes of firelight illuminating the area.
At least several thousand desperadoes were hiding in the shadows. Don't underestimate them—some were at the top tier of Seventh Rank strength, and a few gang leaders had vaguely reached Eighth Rank.
In addition to these desperadoes, the Magic Association had also arrived. Led by Masked Man Bass, a full 153 Mystic Arts Masters had gathered near Xiwu Street.
The Steam Alliance had also sent a considerable number of people. Their expressions were hostile. Their representative in Smoke City, Iron Skull Kiplin, had died horribly the night before, crushed into a ball.
Besides these two factions, the Fate Church had also sent people, totaling nine. As for their purpose in coming, it was unknown for now. What these people would do was a complete mystery.
Darkness enveloped the area, and the atmosphere was tense. Even the Magic Association didn't dare monopolize the Black Tide—that would invite endless retaliation. To obtain Primordial Soul Energy here was simple: you had to fight for it.
Time passed slowly. Suddenly, a flash of light pierced the darkness. Everyone present tensed up, only to see a massive searchlight turn on atop a tall building.
"We did it!"
"Black crystals can generate electricity! You stupid donkeys from the Steam Alliance, look!"
"Ahahaha!"
Cheers came from the top of the building. It was a few members of the Fate Church, celebrating as they rotated the crude searchlight, its metal parts screeching.
Seeing this, the highly strung desperadoes were furious enough to kill. They had thought the Falling Pillar Tide had erupted in some special way.
The several hundred people from the Steam Alliance were dumbfounded. They were torn between competing for the Primordial Soul Energy that was about to erupt and seizing the black crystal power generation technology. That thing looked impressive—even they, known for their technology, didn't have such a technique.
It could be said that the Fate Church members, aside from being not particularly devout to their worshipped deity, were quite capable in other areas. Their style was just rather ridiculous.
Boom~
A dull rumble came from above. Everyone looked up. The darkness enveloping District 5 was contracting, converging toward the sky. Soon, sunlight streamed in from the surroundings, and the darkness above formed a circle, like a black hole.
Energy resembling iron sand poured down from the black hole, forming a black pillar several meters thick. When it hit the ground, Primordial Soul Energy spread outward. This was why the Falling Pillar Tide wasn't dangerous—the signs were too obvious.
Figures rushed out from the surrounding buildings, some shouting, others laughing wildly.
All the contenders swarmed toward the Primordial Soul Energy. No one noticed that a node had appeared on a street in the distance.
Younis stopped in front of the node and tossed a temporary coordinate into it. Without any complications, she occupied the fifth node.
Reincarnation Paradise nodes occupied: 3.
Apocalypse Paradise nodes occupied: 2.
Remaining empty nodes: 1.
Compared to Younis's situation, the scene below the Falling Pillar Tide was brutal. The originally spreading Primordial Soul Energy, due to too many people seizing it, had shrunk to a range of only a hundred meters. People kept charging in, and bodies kept flying out.
The Primordial Soul Energy surged. Inside, visibility was less than 2 meters, perception was useless, and using soul energy would result in instant death. The only option was to fight with cold weapons in brutal close combat. The closer to the center, the higher the concentration of soul energy.
The struggle for Primordial Soul Energy lasted from noon until around 3 PM before showing signs of subsiding. By around 4 PM, the Falling Pillar Tide hanging in the sky dispersed, and the carnival ended.
The setting sun cast its light from the horizon. Masked Man Bass walked down the street, reeking of blood, followed by nearly a hundred Mystic Arts Masters.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time."
A voice came from the side of the street. Masked Man Bass's gaze sharpened. He was carrying 6,275 units of Primordial Soul Energy and couldn't afford any mistakes.
"White Night of the Black Tower? Are you here... to take the soul energy?"
Masked Man Bass's body tensed. For him, Su Xiao was an absolute formidable enemy. If they fought, he would have to stake everything to deal with him.
"No."
Su Xiao tossed out an old oil lamp. With a clatter, the lamp landed at Masked Man Bass's feet. The soul energy inside the lamp's casing wavered.
These 5,000 units of soul energy had been obtained by Bubu Wang. From the moment the Falling Pillar Tide appeared, he had been lurking inside, using the old oil lamp to secretly absorb soul energy. During that time, he was kicked four times, had his tail stepped on twice, and took a crossbow bolt to the rear.
"This inside..."
Masked Man Bass pressed one hand onto the old oil lamp. Soon, the black gloves on his hands tightened.
"5,000 units of soul energy. They're all yours."
"Such a good deal? Tell me, what do you want us to do."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak, just smiled faintly.
5:53 PM, District 5, Xiwu Street.
All five previous nodes had appeared here. The probability of the sixth node appearing here was over 90%.
When the clock struck 6:00 PM, a node appeared on the street.
Su Xiao, accompanied by Bubu Wang and Baha, walked from the end of the street. His pace wasn't fast, but he headed straight for the node.
"Oh, you actually dared to come."
Younis stood on the roof of a small building by the street. Spiders crawled over the building beneath her feet—a nightmare for anyone with arachnophobia.
Younis had to be here because if Su Xiao occupied four nodes, she would lose.
Younis, with spider eyes growing on her forearms and forehead, looked down at Su Xiao and said, "So, you think you can deal with me using the Magic Association?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He drew the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist, its scabbard tip resting on the ground.
Footsteps came from all directions. Masked Man Bass led nearly a hundred Mystic Arts Masters into the area.
Clang, clang, clang.
Metal rods struck iron railings. Several hundred desperadoes wielding various weapons emerged from a narrow alley to the south, nearly filling it to capacity.
On the eastern street, a cane tapped the ground rhythmically. Red Eyes stopped a hundred meters away and lightly pulled down the black cloth from her eyes. Behind her were nearly 300 clergy members of the Healing God Cult.
Younis surveyed the encirclement around her, her eyes narrowing. She suddenly felt that the situation was turning unfavorable. Where had all these people come from?
Baha swooped down from midair, landing on Su Xiao's shoulder. It raised a wing, pointing at Younis, and shouted, "Go get her!"