The morning Mist of Dawn enveloped the courtyard of the duke’s mansion as Julius stood on the stone steps, adjusting the collar of his black uniform.
Dew dampened the tips of his boots, leaving faint water marks on the cobblestones.
“Yo, Julius, getting up early, huh?”
Kyle’s voice came from behind, carrying his usual cheerful tone.
Julius turned around to see the red-haired youth lazily leaning against a porch pillar, with Selina standing beside him, wrapped in a gray cloak.
“You too, Mr. Kyle.”
Julius nodded slightly, his black hair swaying gently in the morning breeze. “What’s our destination in the Lower City this time?”
Kyle grinned, the fiery red tips of his hair shimmering under the sunlight.
He raised a finger and waved it in the air:
“Eh, don’t rush.”
The young man’s voice suddenly lowered. “Remember, this time, we’re going ‘shopping.’”
Julius furrowed his brow:
“You mean… a disguise mission?”
“Exactly.”
Kyle nodded, the smile on his face fading a little. “Based on our experience in the Western Diocese, these poisons usually start spreading from the lowest layer of idle crowds.”
He straightened up and stepped toward Julius. “Those loafers who waste their days drinking, the laborers who sell their backs… they’re the easiest targets.”
Selina gently pulled back the hood of her cloak, her ash-gray hair glinting faintly in the morning light:
“They mix the poison into the drinks and food, sometimes even disguise it as painkillers.”
Her voice was deeper than usual. “Like boiling a frog in warm water—the victims don’t realize until they’re already trapped, unable to escape.”
Julius’s gaze flickered between the two, his black pupils contracting slightly.
“But we don’t have concrete evidence, and Olivias City is just too big.”
“So we have to start investigating the most suspicious places,” Kyle took over, then suddenly turned to Selina. “Right?”
The vampire girl nodded slightly, a sharp gleam flashing in her pale gray eyes:
“One more thing, Julius.”
The morning breeze suddenly picked up, rustling the leaves in the courtyard.
Selina’s voice mingled with the wind, carrying a chill:
“From our investigation these past few days, we suspect the Abyss Cult’s goal isn’t just profit and controlling the masses.”
Julius stiffened.
His mind flashed back to that night—the black-robed man’s sinister grin as he tried to attack Eleanor.
“Looks like you remembered.”
Selina’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Right. We now suspect… their target might be Miss Eleanor.”
Julius’s brow furrowed deeply, his shoulders tensing beneath the black uniform.
“Then shouldn’t they have tried to attack the duke’s mansion already?”
The boy’s voice was tense.
Kyle suddenly stepped forward, lowering his voice with a dangerous edge:
“Knowing the Abyss Cult’s nature, if they had enough people, they would probably have directly planned an attack on the duke’s mansion—no matter how terrifying the duke’s strength is.”
“After all, human lives don’t mean much to them.”
Julius could smell the scent emanating from Kyle, a faint trace of blood mingled in the air.
The youth’s breath brushed against his ear, warm and intense:
“But since they haven’t done that, it only means they lack the manpower.”
Kyle took a half step back, his sharp gaze locking with Julius’s:
“Have you figured it out yet?”
The courtyard suddenly fell silent; even the wind seemed to freeze for a moment.
“Could it be that they want to…”
Julius’s pupils contracted a little more. “Create chaos in the city by controlling the populace, then take the chance to attack the duke’s mansion?”
A satisfied smile curved at the corner of Kyle’s mouth, his eyebrows raised high:
“That’s right.”
He patted Julius’s shoulder with enough force to make the boy flinch slightly. “That’s what we suspect too.”
Selina had quietly moved to stand beside them, a gleam of steel flashing in her pale gray eyes:
“Therefore, we must… crush their conspiracy in the cradle.”
As dawn broke, the Lower City of Olivias slowly woke beneath the mist.
This was the city’s underbelly; narrow, crowded streets with worn cobblestones, their crevices filled with years of grime and sewage.
The air was thick with the aroma of baking bread, the briny scent of the fish market, and the stale odor of cheap alcohol and mildew wafting from shadowy alleys.
Along the main street, merchants had set up their stalls early, their shouts rising and falling.
A long line formed in front of a Bread House, the freshly baked Rye Bread exuding an irresistible fragrance.
The blacksmith’s workshop echoed with the clang of hammer on anvil; apprentices worked shirtless, their sweat glistening in the firelight.
The owner of the general store haggled with a regular customer, barrels piled high with fresh apples and onions.
Outside the tavern, several workers just off their late shift raised wooden mugs in hearty drinks, the foam of their ale dampening their beards as they loudly joked about their day’s wages.
At the street corner, a bard plucked his harp, singing a folk ballad about adventurers; a group of children gathered around, their eyes sparkling with wonder.
Yet, just a few turns away, the bustle faded like a receding tide.
Near the city walls, low shacks leaned crookedly against one another, their roofs patched with worn tarps and thatch, rustling noisily in the wind.
Sewers in the alleys gave off a pungent stench; rats scurried through the shadows.
Tattered beggars curled up in corners, hollow eyes fixed on passersby.
Several emaciated children rummaged through piles of trash, searching for anything to trade for coins.
Deep in the dark alleys, drunks slumped in the mud, clutching half-empty bottles of murky, cheap liquor.
Occasionally, a white-robed cleric hurried by, offering black bread and thin gruel to the poor—but soon, more outstretched, skeletal arms overwhelmed the charity.
Silence.
Breath.
Life.
Julius, Kyle, and Selina blended into the bustling crowd, slowly making their way along the main street.
Julius had changed out of his conspicuous black uniform, now clad in a plain brown leather armor, but his upright posture still made him stand out.
Kyle was as flamboyant as ever, his fiery red hair casually tied back, the Short Sword hanging at his waist swinging gently with each step.
Selina remained wrapped in her gray, dusty cloak, her face shadowed beneath the hood.
The three of them looked like an adventurer’s party, not too conspicuous.
“This place is even livelier than I imagined.”
Julius murmured, his gaze sweeping over the densely packed shops lining the street.
Since following his mentor to Olivias City, he’d rarely come to the Lower City.
Usually, he only visited when there was something important—like the Adventurer’s Guild, which was located near the border between the Lower and Upper Cities.
Kyle grinned and bought three skewers of grilled meat from a street vendor, handing them to his companions.
“The Lower City might be rundown, but this is where people truly live.”
He took a big bite, grease dripping from the corner of his mouth. “Compared to those pretentious noble banquets… I actually prefer the hustle and bustle here.”