Night Journey

Chapter 48 Night Patrol in the City
The arrival of night, in the eyes of the citizens, is just the beginning of nightlife, but for Cillian, it is completely different.

Every night in White Cliff Town was a calamity. The Soflow brothers fought demons on the high walls, while the townspeople locked their doors and windows and did not leave their homes until dawn.

Therefore, even after living in Hel City for a month, Sirian still couldn't get used to the tranquility of the night.

"..."

Cillian stood on the street corner, watching people come and go.

Amidst the bright lights and revelry, men and women embraced each other, their laughter turning decadent under the influence of alcohol, while faint singing drifted from the streets and alleys.

The city's hustle and bustle continued until midnight before finally quieting down.

The streets became deserted, most shops had closed, leaving only trash in the corners and drunken slumbering men.

Ciri placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, his muscles tense, his mind highly focused.

"It's safe to patrol the city at night; it's just wandering around the streets and alleys."

Not long ago, when he learned that he would be rotating to another position, Dailin shared his work experience with Shirian.

"But this safety is only limited to the first half of the night."

"In the latter half of the night, when the citizens have all gone home and the city gradually quiets down, the rats that have been hiding in the corners will rustle out and enjoy a moment of freedom."

After thinking for a while, Daelin spoke softly to Cillian.

“Cillian, you’re a newcomer. You don’t need to work so hard. Just do your best within your capabilities.”

Cillian didn't understand Daelin's meaning and asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

Dai Lin hesitated, and after much deliberation, he offered a reminder.

“When we patrol the high walls at night, the demons attack us out of necessity, and we have to fight back. But it’s different in the city. If you don’t take the initiative to risk yourself, danger won’t bother to come looking for you… They’d rather hide themselves even deeper.”

Cillian knew that Daelin was looking after him, but he was clearly unaware of his own hatred for Chaos.

The lighthouse illuminated the entire city, but many streets and alleys remained dark due to the obstruction of buildings.

Ciri strode into a dark alley, and even after he had completely walked through it, the Ouroboros Seal did not react at all.

Picking up the map, Cillian marked the area and headed to the next region.

One of the biggest obstacles preventing Hur City from eliminating the Chaos cultists was their inability to effectively screen the citizens. Cillian, however, was different; he was practically a mobile Chaos radar.

With the help of the Ouroboros Seal, Cillian is extremely sensitive to any fluctuations in chaotic power, making it incredibly easy for him to find traces of Chaos cultists in the city's hidden corners.

As he reached a street corner, Cillian felt a stinging pain emanating from the Ouroboros Mark.

Based on the intensity of the pain, Cillian constantly adjusted his position.

After some trial and error, Cillian gradually left the area he was supposed to patrol and arrived at a riverbank.

Three rivers flow through and converge in the city of Hel, and the one that now appears before Sirian is the Flower River, one of these three rivers.

After some investigation, it was found that the name Huahe (Flower River) comes from its upstream area, where there is a grove of naturally growing flowering trees. Every year when they bloom, large amounts of flowers fall into the river with the wind, flowing downstream and filling the entire river.

It wasn't the season yet, and only a few small boats were moored on the riverbank. Xilian looked around but didn't see anyone.

After walking around for a while, a commotion came from the narrow alley, and a faint light appeared.

"Haha, really."

"Would you like to have a few more drinks?"

"Ah...ah..."

At the end of the narrow alley is an old ditch, long abandoned and dried up, now filled with candlelight.

Amidst the flickering firelight, vendors hawked contraband in a corner, while a mysterious fortune teller played with prophetic cards.

It was as if Ciri had crossed some kind of boundary and arrived in the dark side of Hel City.

People were lost in some kind of illusion and did not react to Cillian's arrival. Some even embraced each other on the spot, emitting waves of decadent moans.

In the atmosphere of hedonism and debauchery, the Ouroboros Seal burned fiercely.

"What are those city guards doing in this alley? Looking for some fun?"

A man blocked Cillian's path, shirtless, covered in intricate tattoos, and with his face studded with silver nails.

Cillian remained silent, his gaze icy as he stared at the man, his hand resting threateningly on the hilt of his sword. "Are you going to kill me?"

The man burst into laughter, drew a dagger from his waist, and pressed its cold, sharp edge against Cillian's throat.

After a brief standoff, Cillian withdrew his hand and spoke.

"I want to go there and take a look."

Cillian pointed to a corner in the dark alley, from which a sweet, cloying aroma wafted.

The man shook his head, without moving the dagger. "If you weren't wearing these clothes, I might have let you pass."

The City Guard's uniform allows Ciri to move freely within Hel City, but here, the uniform becomes a huge obstacle.

"You're new here, aren't you?" the man said. "Only a complete newbie would swagger in like that."

"Tonight is the first time I'm patrolling alone."

"As expected, you are a stranger; I've never seen you before."

The man slowly moved the dagger upwards, gently cutting open Cillian's skin, and drops of blood flowed out.

"I...sigh, never mind."

Cillian organized many thoughts, but ultimately held them back, letting out a sigh.

The man's eyes showed a look of doubt.

Cillian said slowly, "I intended to tell some lies to resolve the current predicament, but unfortunately, I am not good at lying, nor do I know how to be flexible."

Before he could finish speaking, the Boiling Sword was swiftly drawn from its sheath. The man felt a slight pain in his wrist, and then his entire wrist broke off, spraying blood.

Before the man could even cry out in pain, Cillian grabbed the dagger that was flying through the air and shoved it into the man's throat.

"Well……"

Blood filled the man's throat, and he let out muffled sobs.

Ciri raised the Boiling Sword high, his tone indifferent.

“According to the city sanitation bureau’s public security regulations, I believe you have just posed a threat to my life, and therefore I have made a reasonable counterattack.”

After he finished speaking, a chilling glint of light severed the man's head.

The headless corpse lay sprawled on the ground, blood flowing freely and pooling into a large puddle.

From drawing his sword to killing, it only took Cillian a few seconds. His expression was as calm as if he had just swatted a fly. The people around him were stunned for a while before they reacted and fled the scene with gasps of surprise.

Many people remained where they were, and Cillian couldn't tell whether they were drunk or had taken some kind of hallucinogen.

Following the steps down, Cirien arrived at a wide underground passage. The river flowed by, its rushing sound mingled with the low moans of a woman, as if reciting some ancient incantation.

At the end of the underground passage, Cirion glimpsed the faint candlelight and several swaying figures.

Ciri slowed his pace and moved forward quietly.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my ankle.

Ciri looked down. The damp ground was covered with green fungi, which were growing rapidly at a visible rate, climbing up his body and corroding his flesh.

The mycelium was stained with a scarlet color, and the rustling sound of large leaves scraping against each other filled the air.

Not only the ground, but all directions were covered with these strange fungi, densely packed and almost covering the entire underground passage.

In an instant, it was as if Cillian had mistakenly entered the body of some monster. As his intestines writhed, the fleshy buds were swallowed, swayed, and moved about.

Such a terrifying sight would be enough to break down the psychological defenses of most people, but after witnessing it all, Cillian laughed insanely.

It wasn't tension, nor fear, but a kind of almost pathological... ecstasy.

In that dark night, Tania was able to stitch up her tattered body and save her life thanks to the wildly growing mycelium.

"I... I've finally found you."

After many days, Cillian finally saw his long-lost enemy again.

The enemies also noticed Cillian's intrusion, and the power of Chaos expanded rapidly, like an encroaching darkness.

(End of this chapter)