Chapter 41: Ghost Soul City
The chaos in the underground prison quickly subsided. After all, Water Brother and his group had already retreated. A group of criminals wearing restraint devices, even if released from their cells, couldn't cause much trouble.
Inside the third-floor director's office, Irene and several mid-level staff members on duty stood in a row, filled with dejection. Since the asylum's establishment, although vicious criminals had escaped before, those were jailbreaks; no one had ever managed to rescue criminals from here.
"Director, we..."
Irene had just started speaking when she noticed Su Xiao's hand pause as he flipped through documents behind the desk. Her words came to an abrupt halt, and the nearby mid-level staff members didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
"The Hate on the third floor of the dungeon was rescued. Good thing too. From now on, the monthly maintenance costs for the underground prison will decrease by at least twenty percent."
After saying this, Su Xiao tossed the stack of documents onto the desk. Hearing this, including Irene, several mid-level and senior staff members lowered their heads.
"I'll handle this matter. If the Council comes looking for trouble, just tell them to get lost."
"Huh? Director, saying that... isn't it inappropriate?"
Irene's expression was quite complicated. On the surface, she looked guilty, but deep down, she felt an inexplicable thrill.
"Nothing inappropriate about it. I'm giving you ten seconds to disappear from my sight."
Hearing this, Irene and the others wanted to say something but held back. Eventually, they all left with defeated expressions, their anger toward the Dark God Cult having reached its peak.
Su Xiao picked up the phone on the desk, considered his words, and then dialed Mayor Perkins. As soon as the call connected, the other side said, "No money."
"..."
Su Xiao felt the words sounded familiar. He said, "It's not about money."
Hearing this, Mayor Perkins, who was wearing pajamas on the other end, straightened up from his recliner. Glancing at the time, which was already nine in the evening, Mayor Perkins put on a serious expression. He knew that at this hour, unless it was important, neither Bai Ye nor Tessa would call him. Both knew his health was poor. Calling at this time meant either the department urgently needed funds or something had happened. Mayor Perkins preferred the former.
"I'm mentally prepared. Go ahead."
Mayor Perkins's tone lost its usual warmth and became serious.
"Tonight, members of the Dark God Cult infiltrated the asylum and rescued someone."
"Don't tell me they rescued Hate."
"Bingo."
"Huff~"
Mayor Perkins exhaled, his brow twitching slightly before he asked in a calm tone, "Did the asylum suffer heavy losses?"
"Aside from Hate being taken, there were basically no losses."
"How many people did they send to actually hold you off?"
"I wasn't at the asylum at the time. I was drinking with Tessa."
Hearing this, Mayor Perkins thought to himself, 'What a pair.' If either of them had been present, this wouldn't have happened.
"Understood. Looks like I won't have time to rest tonight."
After saying this, Mayor Perkins hung up. Su Xiao directly called Tessa and informed her of the night's events, essentially giving her a heads-up.
After hanging up, Su Xiao had Bubu Wang replay the surveillance footage from various parts of the asylum that night. First was the footage from the third floor of the underground prison, showing Water Brother and his group rescuing Hate.
Previously, when Water Brother intercepted the convoy, his goal wasn't to kill Silver Mask, Red-Eyed Girl, and the others, but to learn the whereabouts of the Twilight Asylum's director. Thinking about it this way, Water Brother had two goals: 1. Kill the Twilight Asylum director, 2. Obtain something from the Twilight Asylum director.
The answer was clearly the latter. But after confirming that the Twilight Asylum director was Su Xiao, Water Brother abandoned that plan and chose a more complicated and time-consuming method to obtain what he wanted. Now it seemed that was the key to the central elevator in the asylum and the identification method for the third floor of the dungeon.
In Water Brother's estimation, the risk of a deadly battle with Su Xiao far outweighed the backup plan.
Water Brother's initial goal was the dungeon key, which made everything logical. But the question was, why did he rescue Hate? This was most likely the core content of Water Brother's mission.
Su Xiao continued watching the surveillance footage. Soon, he noticed a segment with very faint audio that was barely audible. He turned the volume to maximum. After a moment, the footage finished playing. It showed Water Brother stopping a Dark God Cult member from silencing someone.
Based on Su Xiao's understanding of Water Brother, also known as Enzo, this person indeed didn't have a habit of killing innocents indiscriminately. However, during tonight's infiltration, the guards were clearly not innocent but enemies. Yet he spared the enemies' lives. That was quite meaningful.
Because Water Brother didn't go to extremes, the Alliance, which had been slapped in the face tonight, didn't become a laughingstock. Although a criminal had escaped from the asylum, there were no casualties. The nature of the incident could be downgraded from a prison break to a coordinated jailbreak. One word difference, but the subsequent retaliation would be vastly different.
If it were a prison break, everyone involved tonight would be targeted by the Alliance for elimination. But if it were a jailbreak, the Alliance wouldn't care who specifically executed it. Instead, they would focus on the mastermind, the Dark God Cult.
This way, Water Brother completed his mission from Death Paradise, obtained mission rewards, took the Dark God Cult's payment, used the Dark God Cult's faction reputation to exchange supplies at the faction store in Ghost Soul City, and finally avoided being relentlessly targeted by the Alliance. It was a masterful move.
Su Xiao switched the footage to Black A, showing the moment Black A drew the "Abyss Fall" sword. This improved Su Xiao's mood. In the subsequent battle against Abyss Leader Sirvis, Black A was the most critical part of the plan.
First, Abyss Leader Sirvis deeply trusted Black A. Additionally, this rebellious son, Black A, always longed to defeat Su Xiao. This made Black A's actions under Abyss Leader Sirvis seem genuine—no, it wasn't acting; it was Black A's true thoughts. This ensured that Abyss Leader Sirvis couldn't see through Black A's betrayal. More accurately, Black A himself didn't know he was a traitor.
Black A was the first Devourer Su Xiao created, so of course, he had means to control him. For this reason, Su Xiao's thought was: this rebellious son better not add unnecessary drama. He should just maintain his current style and work under Abyss Leader Sirvis.
Once Su Xiao dealt with Abyss Leader Sirvis, he had over a dozen ways to make this rebellious son obediently comply. Even if Black A still harbored rebellious thoughts, he would do his best to hide them.
Su Xiao checked the time. It was almost time. He had Amu pack some essentials in a handbag. Soon, the phone on the desk rang. He answered. It was indeed the Holy Capital Council calling, asking him to rush to the Council as quickly as possible.
"Baha, go find Irene. She'll come with me to the Holy Capital."
As Su Xiao spoke, a wave of fatigue washed over him. He hadn't slept for days since going to Saint Lan Kingdom. Tonight would be a good chance to catch up on sleep. As for bringing Irene to the Council, she was the vice director and naturally needed to attend such occasions.
Soon, Irene walked into the office with hesitant steps. Seeing the folded vomit bag in her hand, it was clear she knew how they were traveling to the Holy Capital.
Su Xiao, Irene, and Amu stood on the teleportation array in the bedroom. With a bang, the teleportation activated. When the spatial fluctuations subsided, they had arrived in an empty warehouse on a backstreet in the Holy Capital.
They drove to the Council. When Su Xiao walked into the grand hall, he found that three of the four Grand Councilors were already present. Around the central council table sat the Alliance's high-ranking officials. The second row was filled with representatives from various families, and further back were mid-to-high-level officials. Due to the large crowd, the atmosphere was somewhat noisy.
Seeing this setup, Irene's heart sank. Tonight's council meeting would surely put the asylum on the hot seat. In reality, Irene was overthinking. Given Su Xiao's fierce track record since taking office, unless the Alliance had lost its mind, they wouldn't put the asylum on the hot seat.
Although Su Xiao was qualified to sit in the first row around the council table, he chose to sit in the fifth row. Irene, who accompanied him, didn't understand but sat down beside him. She leaned in and whispered, "Director, you must stay calm later."
"?"
Su Xiao gave Irene a puzzled look before telling Amu to take the kettle from the handbag and get some hot water. The hall was about to close.
"Director, what should we do later?"
Irene was still hesitant. In terms of ability, Irene was competent enough to be the next asylum director. But she had too little experience with such occasions.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. Seeing this, Irene felt even more uncertain. She looked down at the handbag by her feet. Out of curiosity, she picked it up, hoping it contained some winning strategy. When she opened it, she saw a blanket, tea bags, and even a box of pastries as a midnight snack.
Over ten minutes later, the hall doors slammed shut. A Grand Councilor seated at the head nodded to Mayor Perkins, signaling that tonight's council could begin.
Under Mayor Perkins's leadership, the council atmosphere was extremely serious. But when they started discussing how to respond to the Dark God Cult's infiltration of the asylum, the hall became lively. Soon, it escalated into mutual accusations among the family faction, the merchant alliance, and the bureaucratic faction. The core issue was how to handle this matter—more specifically, how to retaliate against the Dark God Cult and who should carry out the retaliation.
Mayor Perkins, usually gentle and smiling, was now pointing at the old fox from the family faction across from him. The four Grand Councilors seated at the head all looked like they were dozing off, pretending not to hear anything.
"What do you mean it's our responsibility? For years, we've been dealing with the Dark God Cult so you can make money in peace. Now that something's happened, you're saying you have nothing to do with it?"
The old fox was furious, and the family faction officials and high-ranking members voiced their support.
"You're full of—"
Mayor Perkins swallowed the rest of his words but managed to send the old fox's blood pressure skyrocketing with just a few sentences.
If the camera shifted to the four Grand Councilors, the intense atmosphere would immediately calm down. These four were long accustomed to such scenes and had perfected the art of looking awake while actually half-asleep.
If the camera shifted to Su Xiao, it would show him leaning back in his seat, covered with a blanket, fast asleep. Beside him, Irene was holding a pastry box with one hand, eating a midnight snack.
It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Su Xiao felt someone gently nudging him and heard a soft voice: "Director, Director, wake up."
"Hmm?"
Su Xiao opened his eyes. Honestly, this nap was exceptionally solid. With the four Grand Councilors present, the Council's defense was at its peak. Sleeping here didn't even require releasing perception.
"Bai Ye, where's Bai Ye?"
A bearded councilor's shout came. Hearing this, Su Xiao stood up and walked to the council table to take a seat. As soon as he sat down, many people in the first and second rows around the table were stunned. Their expressions clearly said: 'So he was here all along, taking a nap in the back row.'
Grand Councilor Ording at the head locked eyes with Su Xiao. After a brief exchange of glances, Grand Councilor Ording had already made a judgment. Tonight's matter could be resolved by providing a large amount of supplies.
"Bai Ye, this happened at your asylum. Give us your stance."
Grand Councilor Ording said what everyone wanted to say but dared not. After all, who would want to confront someone who had first killed the Nightmare King, then beheaded the Radiance God, and finally destroyed the Sand King?
"An eye for an eye against the Dark God Cult."
"Oh?" Grand Councilor Ording said with a hint of a smile. "How exactly do you plan to retaliate?"
As he said this, Grand Councilor Ording had already guessed what Su Xiao would say next—cleaning out the Dark God Cult's branch in the Alliance's border region. This was a low-risk, high-reward way to retaliate.
"Go to Ghost Soul City and destroy the Dark God Cult."
As soon as Su Xiao said this, the hall fell silent. If anyone else had said this, there would have been uproarious laughter. But given what Su Xiao had done in the past half-month, everyone present felt that this asylum director was truly capable of launching a campaign against Ghost Soul City.
"It's an excellent proposal. But who will go?"
Grand Councilor Ording looked around at everyone. The three Grand Councilors beside him now had a strange glint in their eyes.
"I personally recommend Tessa."
Su Xiao spoke. When he later went to Ghost Soul City, he would need Tessa's intelligence department. He was laying the groundwork now to prevent Tessa from playing tricks when he requisitioned the Hunter Force's intelligence department. Knowing Tessa, she was capable of that.
Hearing this, Tessa, who was sitting next to Su Xiao, immediately perked up. Everyone in the hall looked like they wanted to laugh but couldn't. Seriously, you propose attacking Ghost Soul City yourself, then send Tessa? Is that something a person would do?
"Tessa is indeed a suitable candidate, but she holds multiple positions and isn't fit for an expedition to Ghost Soul City."
An elderly but robust Grand Councilor in a loose white robe spoke. This was Tessa's great-grandfather, so naturally, he wouldn't let Tessa take the blame.
"Then I'll go."
Su Xiao's words immediately lightened the atmosphere in the hall. But soon, it returned to its previous state. Everyone supported the campaign against Ghost Soul City, and Su Xiao, as this expedition's representative, was unanimously approved.
In the final stage, opinions diverged again. The campaign against Ghost Soul City required a massive amount of funds and resources. The asylum couldn't bear this alone, but even the Council alone couldn't cover such a huge sum. It had to be shared among multiple parties.
At four in the morning, when Su Xiao walked out of the Council's main entrance, Tessa walked alongside him. The reason was that, following the Grand Councilors' example, the Twilight Asylum had received a large sum of funds for this campaign. Meanwhile, Tessa's Hunter Force was perpetually underfunded.
It wasn't that the Council allocated too little. No matter how much they allocated, it wasn't enough for Tessa to distribute among her people. The Hunter Force was different from other departments. It was the most dangerous department in the Alliance, bar none. They dealt with all kinds of monsters and demons, so their members naturally needed higher pay. Besides, Tessa was famously protective of her subordinates in the Alliance.
Su Xiao didn't stay long in the Holy Capital. He returned to the asylum before dawn. Shortly after returning to his office, someone knocked on the door.
Bubu Wang opened the door to find no one there, only an alloy box left in the corridor. It was clearly sent by the four Grand Councilors.
The large sum of funds from the Council was both the budget for Su Xiao's campaign against Ghost Soul City and, in large part, meant for him to distribute to his subordinates and collaborators. Without sufficient benefits, no one would willingly go to a place like Ghost Soul City. Su Xiao was never good at making empty promises. He preferred to first let his subordinates share a pie, then point to a bigger pie in the distance.
At that point, his subordinates would naturally find ways to get that bigger pie because they knew Su Xiao wouldn't hoard it. Instead, it would be divided according to each person's contribution. Besides, only with a full stomach could one work effectively. When hungry, all kinds of thoughts arise, leading to betrayal or backstabbing.
A large portion of the funds from this campaign against Ghost Soul City was used for this purpose. The alloy box sent by the four Grand Councilors had a different meaning. It was an additional reward prepared specifically for Su Xiao. After all, no one else could undertake a campaign against Ghost Soul City. The four Grand Councilors were also worried that Su Xiao might change his mind, which would be a huge embarrassment.
The door closed. Su Xiao opened the alloy box, and a prompt appeared.
[You have obtained Soul Crystal Core × 87.]
[You have obtained Supreme Moonlight (Sale Price: 3 Golden Attribute Points, or Soul Chest × 1).]
[You have obtained Star Pendant (World Valuable Item, Sale Price: 42,900 Soul Coins).]
[You have obtained Faith Left Eye (Equipment/World Valuable Item, Sale Price: 39,000 Soul Coins, or find the Zeal Right Eye to activate this pair as special equipment).]
[You have obtained Elf Will Chest (Opening this chest guarantees an Origin-level, full-rating Charm attribute equipment).]
...
The four Grand Councilors were generous. These items had pleasing prices. But when he saw the last chest-type item, Su Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly. After checking its attributes and finding its origin was Apocalypse Paradise, he confirmed something.
Su Xiao wasn't curious about how the Alliance obtained this chest. But through his interactions with Platinum Bishop and the Ghost Clan Prophet, he discovered that the natives of the ninth-rank world weren't completely unaware of the Paradise factions. They knew even more about the Void.
The four Grand Councilors sending this [Elf Will Chest] was both additional payment and a test. It subtly indicated that they suspected he was from a Paradise faction. But this didn't affect their cooperation or the campaign against Ghost Soul City. As long as they dealt with the Dark God Cult in Ghost Soul City, everything else was fine.
Su Xiao put away the items. The rulers of the ninth-rank world were indeed formidable, but that had nothing to do with him. From start to finish, he hadn't participated in the Alliance's factional struggles. At most, he had dealt with the hostile Vice Director Yesinger. The councilors clearly wanted to continue cooperating.
Su Xiao checked the time. The original plan was to depart for Ghost Soul City at eight in the morning. But he decided to go there first with Bubu Wang. There was something he wanted to test. If successful, it would bring a significant advantage.
A dragon's roar sounded. Su Xiao leaped out the window and landed on the back of the Storm Flame Dragon Dis. Wind pressure surged. The high-altitude morning scenery was pleasant.
Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the dragon's back, the wind whistling past his ears. His trip to Ghost Soul City this time wasn't to deal with the entire city. He already had some understanding of it. First, Ghost Soul City was built by the Ghost Clan, constructed on the scale of a war headquarters.
This made Ghost Soul City the largest city in this world. More accurately, it was like a small to medium-sized nation.
If Ghost Soul City were completely controlled by the Dark God Cult, this great city would have long perished. The Dark God Cult was the strongest force in Ghost Soul City, and it was indeed their headquarters. But that didn't mean Ghost Soul City entirely belonged to the Dark God Cult.
Within the entire Ghost Soul City, the Dark God Cult was the strongest, followed by the Yogg Family, then the Merchant Alliance, then the Ghost Clan, and below that were various second-rate forces. In summary, Ghost Soul City was a chaotic mix. There were no rules here, only survival of the fittest.
The commoners living here didn't want to leave but had no means or channels to do so. Behind Ghost Soul City was the Dark Sea, and to the left, right, and front were "Remnant-level" Abyss Erosion Zones. In short, aside from the city's major forces, commoners leaving Ghost Soul City would only face death. That vast area had only Ghost Soul City as a place where commoners could live.
The wind whistled past his ears. Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the dragon's back in meditation. Beside him, Bubu Wang was bored and took out a terminal to play puzzle games. From the bite marks on Bubu's terminal, it was clear that his puzzle-solving process wasn't going smoothly.
Time passed quickly in meditation. After more than twenty hours of the Storm Flame Dragon Dis flying at full speed, Su Xiao felt the temperature drop. It wasn't the cold of the Northern Border but a kind of damp, dark chill. He opened his eyes to find the sky was pitch black. Ahead, an iron-black city with towering walls appeared. The hundred-meter-high walls were very conspicuous.
Su Xiao didn't choose to conceal his tracks. He had the Storm Flame Dragon fly directly into Ghost Soul City, landing in an abandoned courtyard in the eastern district. It was clear this place had been abandoned for a long time. This was the Alliance's former outpost in Ghost Soul City.
Su Xiao planned to renovate this place as a temporary base camp. Just as he was about to start, a prompt appeared.
[Prompt: As the Hunter has personally arrived at Ghost Soul City, and it has been detected that the "Devourer Battle Royale" is about to enter its final phase, would you like to conduct an expanded notarization based on the current faction situation?]
[If you choose this notarization, the 103.6 ounces of Space-Time Power previously paid by the Hunter for the initial notarization of this "Devourer Battle Royale" will be refunded. The scope of the notarization will be expanded to include the Alliance faction represented by the Hunter, the hostile Dark God Cult faction, and the non-hostile local forces: the Yogg Family, the Merchant Alliance, and the Ghost Clan.]
[If you choose this expanded notarization, you will lose the material deployment authority and all temporary marks will be withdrawn. This area (Ghost Soul City) will have two major notarization factions: the Alliance faction and the Dark faction. The Hunter will be the leader of the Alliance faction in this area, and Abyss Leader Sirvis will be the leader of the Dark faction.]
[After completing the expanded notarization, this "Devourer Battle Royale" will involve areas such as Ghost Soul City's Danger Zone: Family Manor and Danger Zone: Ancestral Underground Palace. The "Ancient Emblem" will remain the final contested item of this battle royale.]
[As this battle royale was initially drafted by the Hunter, the subsequent expanded notarization requires the Hunter's personal approval. However, by accepting this clause, you will lose most of the special permissions in the notarization but will have a chance to obtain unique materials from this world.]
...
Seeing these prompts, Su Xiao pondered for a few seconds before deciding to proceed with the expanded notarization. The reason was that this would yield higher returns and better showcase the Devourers' abilities.
[It is estimated that the expanded notarization will officially commence in 3 hours.]
[You have obtained 103.6 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
...
Su Xiao closed the prompts. He walked into the temporary base camp. Ghost Soul City's environment was already somewhat dim, and it was even darker inside. He took out a torn piece of cloth and had Bubu Wang track a certain person based on the scent. That person was most likely in Ghost Soul City.
Bubu Wang blended into the environment. The person he was looking for was none other than Water Brother.
The reason Su Xiao came to Ghost Soul City early was both to test the Dark God Cult and to eliminate a major hidden danger. If he were to fight Abyss Leader Sirvis, he had to deal with Water Brother first. Otherwise, fighting both Abyss Leader Sirvis and Water Brother simultaneously in a deadly battle would be impossible to win.
Su Xiao took out a translucent tentacle and held it with both hands. The next moment, a mysterious fluctuation spread out.
After completing this, Su Xiao began meditating with his eyes closed. Half an hour later, a fluctuation appeared. He interrupted his meditation, put away the suddenly appearing item, and resumed meditating.
Inside the dim building, aside from the wooden chair Su Xiao was sitting on, there was only a square table in front of him and a wooden chair opposite.
Two hours later.
Tap, tap, tap~
The sound of a blind cane tapping against the ground came. A figure emerged from the darkness and sat on the chair opposite Su Xiao. The newcomer said, "Bai Ye, our factions are now hostile. Did you call me out to kill me or to negotiate?"
The person who sat down was Water Brother. He spoke with a smile, just as before, not giving off a sense of danger.
Su Xiao ended his meditation and opened his eyes. He said, "Enzo, if I eliminate you..."
"You won't do that. If I die, the Primordial Source Mirror will cling to you. Being the holder of an Original Sin Object is very dangerous. One misstep and you'll lose your life."
As Water Brother spoke, his smile became even more humble.
"It seems you know that killing the holder of an Original Sin Object means inheriting their Original Sin Object."
"Of course I know."
Water Brother's answer was firm. Hearing this, Su Xiao nodded. Under Water Brother's suspicious gaze, he took out the "Soul Crown" and placed it on the table. This immediately froze the smile on Water Brother's face, and his expression gradually turned serious.
When Su Xiao then took out the "Necronomicon" and placed it on the table, Water Brother's expression began to stiffen.
Su Xiao didn't stop despite Water Brother's nearly cracking mentality. Finally, he took out the "Nether Bone Ring." Three Original Sin Objects were now laid out on the wooden table in front of him. He looked at Water Brother across from him and asked:
"Enzo, are you sure you want to join forces with Sirvis to deal with me? If you win, these Original Sin Objects might all be yours. It seems you're quite eager for Original Sin Objects."
Hearing this, Water Brother's cheek twitched. The plan he had already arranged was now completely abandoned. His mentality had cracked.