Chapter 160

"Ahead is our main area of activity; I'll go check it out first." Luo Ge pointed to a cave ahead.

The Dark City is enormous; this red soil region spanning over a hundred kilometers in diameter falls within its territory, and the caves interconnect in a complex, labyrinthine network.

Yet officially, the entire city houses only eighteen thousand people, over three thousand of whom are undead—already taken away by Luo Ge—and most of those remaining are alive.

Since they are alive, they require economic activity: farming, production, mining, trade.

Economic activity requires concentration, leading to settlements or markets; once external conditions grow safe, the city's diverse inhabitants will quickly gather to exchange or purchase necessities.

The red soil caves produce several specialties; the most common is iron sand—a metal resembling iron, existing in elemental form throughout the red soil region. With careful sifting, one can always extract some; once accumulated, it can be traded for food.

This is the primary economic source for Dark City residents.

When added to iron ore, iron sand enhances the hardness and ductility of iron products—remarkably so, since hardness and ductility are opposing properties; increasing one typically reduces the other, yet iron sand improves both simultaneously.

This makes iron sand extremely expensive—sometimes exchangeable for its volume in gold coins. Of course, that's the outside price; in Dark City, a day's yield of iron sand might barely suffice for a day's food, for here, food is more valuable than gold.

Besides iron sand, there is mud mushroom—a fungus growing underground, often reaching half a person's height and as thick as a thigh. Experienced residents can simply touch the red soil and discern whether mushrooms lie beneath.

One such mushroom, mixed in equal proportion with white clay into a mushroom cake, can stave off hunger and avoid the bloating caused by eating white clay alone, preventing death from overconsumption.

Food is grown in small quantities, but mostly imported; Dark City's vast area and labyrinthine caves make it impossible for even a single Silver Knight Order to blockade all routes. With determination, food can always be smuggled in.

Once food prices rise high enough, even transporting it via spatial artifacts becomes profitable.

Of course, besides smuggling via spatial artifacts, larger quantities are moved by caravans—all flying the "Invisible" flag, the very same flag Marcus flies on his airship, which even he pretends not to see.

The Silver Knight Order needs to eat too. Iron ore sells for such high prices outside; here, they buy it for a few bags of food, then sell it outside at one magic crystal per jin—food supplied by the Church, often nearly moldy and uneaten. It's pure profit with zero cost.

With Luo Ge leading the way, An Ge's group passed unimpeded into a bustling cluster of caves. Above, no sky was visible, yet sunlight refracted in, providing ample illumination.

Along the cave walls, many people laid out goods on the ground for others to choose from. The largest crowd gathered around a cart, flanked by burly guards. A merchant shouted from atop the cart: "Three jin of food for one jin of iron ore! Three for one! Three for one! Hurry, hurry!"

Surrounding residents groaned or cursed loudly: "You greedy merchant! Yesterday it was five for one—why is it three today? Are you raising prices to starve us to death!?"

The merchant on the cart sighed helplessly: "It's not my doing! The day before yesterday, the Silver Knight Order's camp was blown up by their own men. They're in chaos now—no one knows what's coming. Prices might rise again in a few days. Buy now if you can, or wait if you can't bear to spend."

Nai Ge Li Si and Luo Ge froze, exchanging glances. How could the Silver Knight Order's camp being blown up cause food prices in Dark City to rise?

"That greedy merchant—I'll cut him down. I explicitly forbade food price gouging in Dark City. The Silver Knight Order was blown up the day before yesterday, and he raises prices today? Even if his procurement cost rose, it couldn't react this fast to retail prices!" Luo Ge drew his blade, ready to march over.

Nai Ge Li Si grabbed him: "No need, no need. This merchant is a good man. Under these circumstances, he's still willing to sell food. Real greedy merchants would hoard everything, waiting for prices to climb."

Luo Ge scanned the area, furious: "Indeed. There were three regular food sellers. The other two are gone. I just asked—yesterday they were still here."

"Ah, your Dark City's situation is dire. Many have no food even for the night—they buy and eat immediately. If the other two stop selling, and this one does too, someone will starve to death." Nai Ge Li Si sighed.

Luo Ge frowned: "So now, the ones selling food at high prices are the good ones?"

"Perhaps. Go ask him." Nai Ge Li Si said.

Since arriving in this area, everyone's gaze had subtly drifted toward them—after all, their group was extraordinarily conspicuous.

A pure white, gleaming hornless beast, a young copper dragon, a pink little angel—if not for Luo Ge leading them, the marketgoers would have fled in terror.

They watched from afar, daring not approach, for Luo Ge had never been a popular figure.

The merchant on top of the food cart saw them too. Seeing Luo Ge wave him over, he immediately grimaced, fearful but dare not refuse, climbed down, and ran over, eager to explain from afar:

"Forgive me, Lord Mayor, I didn't mean to raise prices—it's out of necessity. My small business struggles with cash flow. If I don't follow market prices, I may run out of funds on my next purchase. Please forgive me." The merchant bowed repeatedly.

"Don't be nervous. I called you over just to ask about the situation—not to blame you." Nai Ge Li Si quickly reassured him:

"We mainly want to know: since the Silver Knight Order's camp was blown up, food supply will surely tighten. Why don't you hold onto your food, wait a few days until prices rise further, then sell?"

Nai Ge Li Si's question startled the merchant. He cautiously glanced at Luo Ge.

Luo Ge's eyes glowed dangerously red. "Answer truthfully. This is the most wise, most knowledgeable Copper Dragon—she can see through your lies instantly."

Nai Ge Li Si smiled faintly, secretly delighted: See? Someone still remembers the most knowledgeable Copper Dragon.

As the Black Knight Emperor, Luo Ge held an extraordinary status in common minds. If even he called the dragon the wisest, the merchant dared not lie. He grimaced: "I thought the same…"

Luo Ge clenched his fist, barely restraining himself from drawing his blade.

"But when I came out, I saw everyone else thought the same—today, not a single food merchant opened. So I hurriedly dragged my cart out. Many households have no reserves. If I don't sell today, in a few days, I might not have customers left at all. Lord Mayor, when the ancestors were still here, things were better. Now that you've taken them all away for treatment, some people have no restraint." The merchant ended by subtly slandering his fellow merchants.

The "ancestors" referred to the undead, for many liches were the ancestors of these living people.

Previously, Dark City was governed by liches. Now, nearly all undead had been taken away, leaving the city effectively disorganized, functioning only by inertia. Gradually, rule-breaking behavior increased.

It still functioned by inertia, rather than collapsing immediately, because Luo Ge and the undead had gone for treatment, not death. Everyone expected their return, so even those with ill intent held back—for now.

Luo Ge drew his blade with a metallic clang, furious: "I'll cut down those two merchants."

Nai Ge Li Si pulled him back irritably: "Is this how you govern a city? Always slashing people? Phelin's far better than you."

"Phelin? Lisa's husband?" Luo Ge's demeanor turned solemnly respectful.

Lisa—who she was, Luo Ge had come to understand these past days. To marry such a woman and remain her husband for over a thousand years without being purified—Phelin's abilities were unquestionable.

"Phelin faced far worse conditions. Dark City at least has food constantly coming in. The Lich City was far worse—he nearly triggered a Necrotic Catastrophe, just to kill everyone together." Nai Ge Li Si sighed.

"All problems boil down to food. Solve this, and Dark City's vast territory could thrive. Now, after all this, do you know who solved the Lich City's final food crisis?" Nai Ge Li Si smiled faintly.

An Ge reached into the Palace of Rest, rummaging constantly. He had no interest in Nai Ge Li Si's words—he didn't understand them. The only phrase he grasped was "food problem"—a problem he excelled at.

Someone prodded him. He looked down: the little angel was poking his arm. Seeing him look, she pointed ahead and let out an "Ow!"

The little angel pointed to a thin, seven- or eight-year-old child, clutching a bundle, staring wide-eyed, timid yet hopeful.

An Ge tilted his head, puzzled.

The little angel let out another "Ow!" then mimed eating—cheeks puffing out as she chewed, watching An Ge.

An Ge understood, pulled out a beet.

The little angel snatched the beet, dashed over, handed it to the child, then snatched the bundle from his arms.

The child's eyes lit up at the beet—but when the angel took his bundle, he panicked, clutched the beet and lunged to grab his bundle back, refusing to let go.

"Ow!" the little angel cried.

"Ah! Aaah! Yiya!" the child shouted back, though no one understood his words.

"Ow!" The little angel clenched her fist, fixing her gaze on the child's eye socket—but hesitated, then didn't strike.

In her early days, she might have struck without thought. But having "lived" so long, she knew clearly: this creature couldn't withstand one punch—even a rough tug might injure him. An Ge would beat her.

After a brief struggle, she gave up, slumped back to An Ge: "Ow~"

An Ge patted her head, walked toward the child, and pulled out a sack of food.

The child timidly poked the sack, hesitated, bewildered, then shook his head—even the beet he'd grabbed was carefully placed atop the sack.

An Ge pulled out another sack.

The child hesitated again—immediately, another sack appeared at his feet.

The child no longer hesitated. He shoved his bundle into the little angel's arms, tucked the beet into his own chest, then strained to drag one sack away, leaving the other two behind.

A seven- or eight-year-old child, clearly malnourished, struggled to carry a twenty-jin sack of food—only able to drag it, moving urgently.

An Ge tilted his head, puzzled at the two remaining sacks on the ground: Didn't he want them?

Nai Ge Li Si had been boasting to An Ge, turned to find the main subject gone, flew over just in time to witness this—and sighed: "Take the food and follow him. Otherwise, you'll kill him."

Kill him? Why?

An Ge didn't understand—but soon he knew why. He caught up quickly, hearing a harsh voice from ahead in the cave:

"You mute bastard! What did the big man give you? Hah! Food! Pure white premium food? So much food—you planning to eat it all? Don't you know to honor your elder brother?"

Then came a dull thud of flesh striking flesh. The child's frail body was kicked out of the cave, spitting blood as he rolled to An Ge's feet.

An Ge now understood why he'd be killed.

"Food is scarce here. You give a child a whole sack in public—of course someone will rob him." Nai Ge Li Si said.

The child spat blood, his gaze complex: he looked at An Ge, then the little angel, finally settling on the two remaining sacks An Ge held, his breath weakening.

An Ge knelt, cast Purification Spell into him—one, two, three. Each strike made his body convulse violently, spewing dark blood. Then, suddenly, he sat up, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Huh… huh… I—" His voice was hoarse, as if he'd never spoken before. He strained to utter the sound: "I…"

"I… can… speak." He forced out a full sentence. Tears streamed down his face.

"You couldn't speak before? He called you mute—was that because you never could?" Nai Ge Li Si asked. Had An Ge somehow healed his voice?

"Fiv—fiv—five." The child struggled to answer. Though speaking was hard, his expression was excited, determined.

"Couldn't speak since five? Injured? How old are you now?" Nai Ge Li Si guessed, silently thanking An Ge—without his habit of this dialogue style, he couldn't have communicated with the child.

The child nodded: "Ten—"

Ten? He looked no older than seven or eight. Malnutrition stunted his growth?

Luo Ge had already seized the food thief, dragging him over—a muscular young man in his twenties. Held aloft by Luo Ge, his legs trembled, unable to stand, utterly lacking the ferocity he'd shown kicking the child.

"Forget it. Deal with this first. Luo Ge, robbery resulting in serious injury and death—what crime should he be sentenced for?" Nai Ge Li Si asked.