The Decaying World-Chapter 60 - 55: Exploration 3

Watching his master’s back, Lin Hui narrowed his eyes, hesitated for a moment, then followed.

As he stepped into the white light, his eyes were momentarily dazzled, but they quickly adjusted.

An endless plain, predominantly brown and white, unfolded before him.

He appeared to be standing on a gray, shovel-shaped precipice.

Looking out from this vantage point, he realized the color of the plain below came from vast, dense arrays of alternating brown and white buildings.

The buildings stretched like weeds to the horizon, their numbers impossible to count.

Between the buildings, neatly planned white roads divided the architecture into blocks, like pieces of tofu.

"This way down," Master Mingde reminded him from the side. "The permit allows us to stay in the Inner City for two hours. We must leave when time is up, or our bodies will suffer damage."

"Right." Lin Hui followed his master, joining a line of cargo vehicles heading down the mountain path to their right.

"The Inner City is divided into nine districts, each with nine towns. The closer a district is to the core, the greater the harmful effect on ordinary people, so fewer people live there. What we’re seeing now is the outermost periphery, which is also the most populous and densely inhabited area because the effect is weakest," Mingde explained. "Go further in, and you’ll see the core residential district centered around the Moon Tower. I guarantee it’ll be a real eye-opener."

"Why is that?" Lin Hui’s gaze swept over the countless city blocks in the distance below.

From a distance, he noticed that the people on the streets seemed to be dressed very revealingly. Many men wore only trousers, a shawl, and a belt.

Many of the women wore nothing but tube tops and hot pants. Some, barely covered in bikinis, lounged in carriages, chatting idly and sipping tea.

On some street corners, he could even faintly make out couples having sex, completely out in the open.

’In broad daylight, on the busiest streets, they’re actually getting it on!’

The sight left Lin Hui utterly dumbstruck.

"The Inner City encourages procreation. The more children you have, the more benefits you receive. Besides, the Inner City itself has an atmosphere that stimulates human desire," Mingde said. "But back to our earlier topic, once you reach the Moon Tower and see those colossal towers, thousands of stories high and piercing the heavens, you’ll understand the true gap between the Inner City and the Outer City."

"Thousands of stories...!" The corner of Lin Hui’s eye twitched. He felt that the Inner City was a completely different world compared to the Outer City.

’The Outer City is like an abandoned ruin—backward, dangerous, and desolate. This is the true world of the new age.’

After descending to the base of the precipice, the two of them followed the convoy of vehicles onto the streets that wound between the vast complexes of buildings.

The people on the streets were sharply polarized.

The majority hurried along, their steps and carriages swift, as if driven by an invisible whip.

A small minority, however, were incomparably leisurely. Even when traveling, they moved as if on a stroll, leading pets like cats, dogs, and foxes. Some rode in carriages, others walked, all with an air of reserved nobility.

"Military patrol! Everyone, make way!"

Suddenly, a shout echoed from the street ahead.

In the distance, Lin Hui caught sight of a squad of imposing figures, ranging from two to three meters tall, clad in full silver plate armor. Wielding Horse-Cutting Sabers, they marched slowly down the street in formation.

Trailing these towering figures was a gray, rhinoceros-like monster.

The beast stood six meters tall and over ten meters long. Faint red patterns on its skin pulsed intermittently with light before fading.

At the sight of this troop, everyone hurried to the sides of the road.

Master Mingde pulled Lin Hui aside as well.

"Be careful. That’s the Government Office’s Peacekeeping Army on patrol," he whispered.

"The Peacekeeping Army..." Lin Hui fell silent for a moment, staring at the troop that towered over the common civilians.

Compared to them, the onlookers, who stood at two meters tall at most, looked like bean sprouts. There was simply no comparison.

"You must be careful about everything in the Inner City. One careless mistake could lead to real danger. It’s safe here—an absolute No-Fog Zone, free from the encroaching mists of night—but Summoners have license to kill, to say nothing of the Original Blood Nobility," Mingde cautioned in a low voice.

"Also, apart from The Three Greats and the Original Blood Nobility, the masters from the Three Sects and Six Gangs are another major source of danger."

"Because they cultivate Extreme Martial Arts?" Lin Hui caught on immediately.

"Precisely. It’s a result of their environment. The Inner City is safe, but its people still need to venture out on various culling and gathering missions. These require a large number of people. If they fail to meet the demands of the nobility, their status will plummet until they’re deemed worthless, eliminated, and cast out of the Inner City."

Mingde sighed as he watched the Peacekeeping Army pass by. "And once you’re cast out of the Inner City, it’s nearly impossible to ever return."

"The Outer City doesn’t seem so bad to me. Why are the people here so terrified of leaving?" Lin Hui voiced his confusion in a low tone.

"You really think the Outer City isn’t so bad?" Mingde glanced at his disciple. "Is that because you’re not one of the people who disappear every year, so it doesn’t matter? Or do you actually believe that Jade Talisman hanging in your home will work forever?"

"Master... Are you saying...!?" Lin Hui understood instantly, his expression turning grim.

"It’s exactly what you’re thinking." Mingde’s voice dropped even lower as he bowed his head. "Whenever the powers in the Inner City need live subjects for... tests, they come to our Outer City and grab people. Those are the so-called ’disappearances.’ And the Jade Talisman? It’s controlled by The Three Greats. They can remotely activate or deactivate it anytime, anywhere. The population of the Outer City is maintained simply as a buffer, to shield the Inner City from the encroachment of the Fog Area and the mists of night."

"So, you’re saying the Outer City is just a buffer zone? A place to test the effects of the mist and the Fog Area on living people?" Lin Hui whispered.

"Yes. It’s said to have other functions I’m not aware of, but that’s its primary role. I’ve heard that over a hundred years ago, the Outer City was even abandoned entirely." Mingde sighed. After the Peacekeeping Army had passed, he continued to lead the way.

"Come on, time is short. I’ll take you for a walk through the small market here. You can find some interesting little things sold by the other races."

The two continued on, making a few turns and crossing two streets before arriving at an unusually bustling and crowded market district.

In the center of the district were several circular stone platforms. On one of them stood a Lion-man, over two meters tall. He wore a gray robe, a black belt at his waist, and a Blue Jade Scholar’s Hat. His golden mane fluttered in the wind as he stood with arms outstretched, loudly giving a speech.

Below the platform, passersby would occasionally stop to listen. Among them were ordinary folk, as well as a number of lizard-men holding Wooden Staffs, dressed like dusty, travel-worn monks.

Lin Hui studied the Lion-man closely and realized he was loudly preaching about how all living things must band together for mutual support against the mists. His speech was interspersed with mystical and superstitious doctrines, urging everyone to worship a deity named Pan.

"This is the Junk Street, a special district you can find in every town of every district. It’s a place for all races to trade. Nothing you do here is monitored, and nothing is illegal," Mingde explained quietly. "That’s why it’s also the best place to strike gold..."

"And these other races..." Lin Hui was still gazing with fascination at the Lion-man and the lizard-men, sights he rarely ever saw in the Outer City.

"That’s how Lion-men are. Their race is small, but they are all gifted orators and absolute chatterboxes, so they’re often hired to preach doctrine here. This is just how the Inner City is. You’ll get used to it after a while," Mingde explained.

"And what about them?" Lin Hui asked, looking toward the group of lizard-men.

The lizard-men’s robes were tattered and caked with dust, yet their eyes held a profound clarity, as if they had seen through the ways of the world.

"Those are Ascetic Monks from the Xi Race. They follow the merchant caravans here every year to purchase supplies for their return journey," said Mingde.

"It’s common to run into other races on Junk Street, but you’ll see fewer of them the deeper you go. Tuyue’s Original Blood Nobility are Pure-blood Humans, so the Pure-blood Human Race is held in the highest regard here. If other races venture too far in, they risk being attacked and captured as slaves. It’s not safe for them."

Lin Hui followed Mingde, skirting past the crowd, the Lion-man’s booming voice still echoing in his ears.

"Then why do we rarely see them in the Outer City?" he asked quietly.

"It’s not that you never do. You can run into them occasionally, but they don’t enter the Outer City’s towns. They use other gates to go directly in and out of the Inner City, so encounters are rare. To them, only the Inner City is the real Tuyue City. The Outer City is a desolate, backward, and dangerous wilderness. Naturally, no one would wander around there for fun." Mingde smiled. "The Lion-men, the Xi Race, the Python Race... these are all common sights in Tuyue. You’ll get used to seeing them."

The two of them browsed the shops on one side of Junk Street. The small storefronts sold a hodgepodge of monster parts and local specialties from other races, such as Python Race Snake Shedding, hand-woven goods from the Xi Race, and Blessed Protective Talismans.

Lin Hui bought a few items as souvenirs, then followed his master out of another exit of Junk Street and began to loop back.

Watching the hurried Inner City People on the streets, he saw that ninety-nine percent of them were normal-looking humans. Non-human Races were extremely rare and looked more like outsiders just passing through. Most of them had a distinct, rustic air, some craning their necks to look around, their faces full of awe and shock at everything they saw.

Master Mingde had said that among these Non-human Races, only the Python Race, Lion-men, and Xi Race were somewhat developed. The rest were still in a tribal stage of development, extremely backward, so the contrast upon first arriving in the Inner City was naturally a great shock to them.

But aside from these ordinary crowds, Lin Hui also noticed some unusual details.

As they sat down to order at a cold drink stall, he noticed an emaciated young man in a dark street corner far to their right. The man was facing a stone wall, kneeling and repeatedly prostrating himself.

The man was dressed in tatters. His gray robe was riddled with holes and stains, he wore only one shoe, and the skin visible at his wrists was so grimy that its original color was impossible to discern.

"Master, what is he doing?" Lin Hui asked from the bench, gesturing toward the man.

"Just a madman. Pay him no mind. He’ll disappear on his own in a few days, so don’t worry about it." Mingde’s expression was impassive as he took out the Jade Permit and inspected its color.

"’Disappear on his own’?" Lin Hui narrowed his eyes, keenly sensing the hidden meaning behind those words.

"People without a permit, without Feather Blood, with expired identification, or whose bloodline has degraded to a certain point will lose their Inner City status and end up like that within a few days. Members of the Three Sects and Six Gangs who assist the Government Office will quickly clear them out and drive them to our Outer City," Mingde replied. "These are the ones who are ’eliminated’."

"And what happens to them in the end?" Lin Hui asked quietly.

"Those who are only lightly corrupted can remain normal and live as commoners in the Outer City. Those with severe corruption might fall ill... The mutated, blood-fleshed beings you’ve killed before—that’s what becomes of them," Mingde said.

He sighed and was about to say more when a large, furry hand suddenly slapped him on the back.

THWACK.

It was a heavy blow. Mingde’s whole body jolted, and he almost had to circulate his Internal Strength to brace himself.

He was about to lose his temper and turned to see who it was, only to be pulled into a crushing hug.

"Mingde! When did you get to the Inner City? Why didn’t you tell me?"

The one hugging him was a powerfully built, black-furred Lion-man.

He carried a Longsword on his back and wore a tight black outfit that accentuated his powerful physique. His eyes shone with unmistakable delight.

"You’re... Ouyang Kai?" Mingde’s voice also held a note of pleasant surprise. "I thought you had returned home."