Chapter 594: Kardelon City

Kelei'en's reaction was a bit larger than Leikedun had expected; even the secret companion, the "World", displayed an unexpectedly strong emotional fluctuation.

After Kelei'en had steadied his own emotions, he manipulated the "World" and looked at Leikedun, asking, "Where is he?"

Leikedun leaned his body back, rested against the chair back and chuckled lightly:

"The capital of the Northwestern State of Xibailang, Hitron, but he should have left by now; barring any mishap, he will most likely head to Beren's Port afterward."

"Beren's Port. Got it." The "World" murmured and gave a slight nod.

"Beren's Port?" Anderson looked at Leikedun with a hint of surprise, his eyes full of doubt.

Sensing Anderson's gaze, Leikedun turned his head toward him and asked, "Is there a problem?"

"No, it's just that I happen to be at Beren's Port as well, which is a bit surprising."

Anderson shook his head; something felt off to him, yet he couldn't pinpoint what.

He thought, "Why did I come to Beren's Port? And I haven't even considered leaving." One thought after another floated through his mind, but he subconsciously brushed the questions aside.

When the topic paused, "The Hanged Man" A'erjie turned his head toward "Sun" Dailike and asked, "How is your Silver City faring in the exploration of the former chief's tomb?"

"Sun" Dailike gathered his thoughts briefly, then said, "The Chief led a team to hunt vampires; the remaining elders of the Six-person Council have not yet opened the gate leading underground."

"However, dense and strange plants have sprouted in the stone crevices of the tomb's outer layer, resembling human hair."

He paused, scanned the crowd, and asked, "Has anyone seen or knows about this kind of plant?"

The members of the Tarot Council exchanged glances, then shook their heads, all stating they had never seen such a bizarre plant.

After a brief exchange of information, today's Tarot Council concluded quickly.

Crimson light flooded Leikedun's vision like a tide; when he regained his senses, he was back in the forest woven with teal vines.

His gaze pierced the overlapping weave, unable to see the forest canopy, and looked toward the nearby Beren's Port.

The architecture here favors a pale stone, with walls painted in garish colors, and human or animal skulls hung as decoration; skulls are a popular motif, much like Indis's gold.

On the streets, mail carriers or technicians rode bicycles among the crowds, and some dockworkers rode tricycles converted from bicycles to haul cargo and luggage for cargo ships or newly arrived outsiders.

Scanning the scene, he spotted Anderson dressed like a street performer, and beside him, Daniz, who had been dispatched by Aidewenna to gather data.

"Heh, the thing inside Anderson didn't attract the Red Angel demon, but it did draw Daniz over first."

"The thing inside Anderson is highly attractive to the Hunters; from my observation, two Hunters have already passed by here."

Muttering to himself, Leikedun suddenly sensed something amiss; the information observed through the "Eye of Secret Peeking" showed gaps.

"Psychological Invisibility." If not for my sensitivity to information, I might not even notice the problem. Leikedun's gaze swept around Anderson again, still finding nothing unusual.

"I can detect the problem, but cannot locate it."

While muttering softly, Leikedun raised his hand, attempting to summon a gust in the city, using airflow changes to locate the hidden Adam.

"What would I do with Adam? He's not my target; Medici will come on his own." After a moment's hesitation, he lowered his right hand.

Above the gray mist, Kelei'en, who had just learned the coordinates and information of Kardelon City from the "Red Light" Ai'er Moria and intended to go there as a spirit form to hunt the spirit‑world raider, suddenly halted.

Beyond the ancient grand palace, over the boundless gray mist, the deep crimson star representing "Sun" Dailike quivered, expanding repeatedly.

He immediately set aside the Black Emperor card he held, extending his spirit to touch that deep crimson star.

Crimson light surged like a tide, and the slightly youthful voice of "Sun" Dailike echoed over the gray mist: "Esteemed Mr. Fool, the Chief wishes me to ask you how we should use the Time Worm left by A Meng's clone?"

To use the Time Worm—this is because the chief of Silver City ended the vampire hunt and plans to explore the former chief's tomb, yet worries about unknown contingencies, so wants extra measures in advance? After a moment's thought, Kelei'en swiftly decided, converting the production process of the "Thief Transporter" talisman into light and shadow, injecting it into the deep crimson star symbolizing "Sun." Having done so, he murmured thoughtfully, "The Thief Transporter talisman is indeed powerful; I could also prepare some for myself. Yinsi Zangweier is already a demigod, having attained divinity; compared to mid‑low‑rank extraordinary beings, he has undergone a qualitative change and is not easily slain."

"Write to Lunnade; he should be able to ask his own grandfather for a few Time Worms. Hmm. He could also get a few Spirit Worms from A'erjie; since the paths are adjacent, the Spirit Worms from the Umbral Demon Wolf can surely craft decent talismans."

After two seconds of silence, Kelei'en quickly readjusted his state, inhaled deeply, grasped the Sea God scepter, and also lifted the inverted Tyrant card from the table, integrating it into his spirit.

A teal‑blue light floated by, and his spirit instantly transformed into an imposing pope image: three crowns upon his head, papal robes, and the Sea God scepter in hand.

He tossed Kardelon City's coordinates and some information from the spirit realm into the deep crimson star representing Leikedun, then, by summoning and responding to himself, left the gray mist above, descending to reality in spirit form.

Deep in the spirit realm, at Kardelon City's location, a barely visible light surged from afar at extreme speed.

As it approached the city, the hazy light contracted inward, reconstituting Leikedun's body from tangled pure knowledge.

From a distance he gazed at the city, a deep, pure radiance flowing slowly in his eyes.

In his view, the upside‑down‑pyramid city was shrouded in a dead‑gray white; the deeper one went, the heavier the silence, and at the apex of the inverted pyramid lay a bottomless abyss of darkness that could swallow even light, rendering his "Eye of Secret Peeking" unable to gather any useful information.

Whoosh—whoosh—an ethereal, airy water sound gently echoed in his ears, bearing a sense of peace and stillness.

He blinked, and sparkling starlight fell, scattering pure, clear radiance that dispelled the sudden drowsiness on his body.

As the drowsiness vanished, Leikedun's body instantly dematerialized, breaking into streams of tangled knowledge, becoming a pure information‑flow entity that surged toward the depths of Kardelon City.

He encountered no obstacles; in less than half a minute, the information‑flow Leikedun reached the heart of Kardelon City, arriving beside the river that flowed from the endless gray‑white mist.

About 300 meters from the river's surface, countless tangled pure knowledges reassembled into a body; Leikedun whispered something softly to the water before him.

The next second, the previously calm river violently surged, layers of spray flung aside, and a massive strange bird emerged from the pitch‑black water.

Its body was cloaked in pale flames and feathers woven with mysterious patterns; its eyes seemed bronze‑cast, harboring layers upon layers of illusory doors.

Staring at the giant bird rising from the river, Leikedun's eyes flashed with cold, pure light, meeting its gaze as he murmured:

"The Immortal Bird Ancestor, Gerkelly."

It is the death mark Gerkelly left in the Ever‑Dark River, the deepest imprint the being, once a true god, left upon this world.

Within Gerkelly's bronze‑like eyes, layers of illusory doors floated, reflecting a colorless, hazy light.

That light seemed able to encompass all things; whatever form you imagine it as, it becomes that form, as if everything you know is absorbed by it.

Whoosh—whoosh— the river's raging sound grew louder, and on the pitch‑black river, a non‑existent illusory gate swayed.

In an instant, the bronze‑hued gate, covered in mysterious patterns beyond description, cracked open.

Within the fissure lay an endless, dead‑silent darkness.

Beyond the fissure, countless writhing, strange, still‑indistinct things multiplied madly, while also dying bit by bit.

Gerkelly's pale flames interwove, weakening considerably, as if summoning the gate had drained the death mark's power.

"Help me"

"Help me"

A voice whose gender and age could not be discerned came from that bronze‑colored gate covered with mysterious, indescribable patterns, and the voice echoed in layers across the river surface, seeming utterly illusory.

Lei Kedun, who had been expressionless all along, finally let a slight curve appear at the corner of his mouth; he ignored the lingering, struggling figures by the river and stepped forward slowly.

As he moved forward, one illusory star after another fell, dense and dazzling.

(End of chapter)