Chapter Ninety: Zhang Yi?

He did not dwell on the matter of the Lich King with Musu. A couple of perfunctory replies were enough to brush it aside, and in order to preserve his aloof bearing, Musu did not press further into what exactly this upright knight called the Lich King was supposed to be.

After a few more casual exchanges, Zhou Tian learned from Musu that beneath the wagon covered in white cloth were actually certain treasures, painstakingly gathered by their town with great difficulty. As for why they were not stored in spatial equipment—

On that point, Musu said plainly that they possessed no such lofty and expensive thing as spatial equipment. The answer left Zhou Tian rather disappointed. He had thought that whatever lay under the white cloth might be something too precious even for spatial equipment to contain. Things of that sort were true peerless treasures.

As for why those heavenly treasures and rare earthly essences were needed, Musu did not know either. He only knew that the message sent from Sailor City had instructed them to bring some along.

Zhou Tian also heard another interesting piece of news from Musu: in a few days, Sailor City would hold a public trial for those who had been captured.

As for the conduct of those people, Zhou Tian could only say they were courting death. Did they really think that with some so-called divine oracle, they could rise from bondage and turn their fate around?

After that, the two fell silent. Zhou Tian waited quietly for his resurrection count to refresh while slowly shaping the new idea that had just formed in his mind.

Time passed second by second. The alternation of day and night in the Forsaken Land was peculiarly abrupt. It was not a gradual fading of light into dark; rather, the instant the sun sank and the moon rose, day became night in a single stroke. The suddenness of it made Zhou Tian deeply uncomfortable.

The moon was bright as a jade platter, and silver-white moonlight spilled across the earth. By the time it rose, Zhou Tian had arrived at Sailor City with Musu.

Though the name Sailor City sounded ordinary enough, it was in truth the holy city of the Sacred Divine Church. Wretched as it might be, it was still far better than those religions that did not even possess a settlement of their own.

Built entirely of pale white stone bricks and standing roughly a hundred zhang high, it could only be considered a middling city. Two soldiers in silver armor stood guard before the gate. People came and went from time to time, and there was not the least sense of awe one would expect from the sacred city of a major faith.

As they approached the gate, the guards stepped forward to block the way. Two long spears crossed, a milky radiance flared, and a faint pressure spread outward. One of them spoke in a cold voice.

“Who goes there?”

Though they did not usually stop one or two travelers entering or leaving, Musu’s group was a whole convoy and naturally required inspection.

“Escorting the Holy Maiden.”

Musu took out a white token and tossed it over. Carved upon it was a flower-like emblem. The guard caught it, and a pale gleam flickered in his eyes. He nodded, handed the token back, and stepped aside to open the road.

He also glanced twice at Zhou Tian, who sat behind Musu, but said nothing.

Once inside the city, the streets proved fairly broad. White trees lined both sides, and people streamed back and forth. Most wore white robes embroidered with a flower-like insignia, likely the emblem of their religion. The whole city presented a peaceful scene.

“All right, we’ve reached Sailor City. You can get down now, can’t you?”

Not long after entering the city, Musu reined in his warhorse and spoke to Zhou Tian.

“Sure thing.”

Zhou Tian jumped off the horse and slapped Musu on the thigh, only to have his hand ache from the armor plating. He sucked in a breath and said, “Captain Musu, many thanks. And give my thanks as well to that ‘kind-hearted’ Holy Maiden. Farewell.”

With that, he turned and walked away. But after only two steps, he came back. Under Musu’s puzzled gaze, Zhou Tian gave an awkward laugh.

“Well... could you lend me some money?”

Only then had he remembered that he did not possess a single valuable thing. Even the clothes on his back had been bought with his life. He could hardly sleep in the street.

Musu looked at him speechlessly, then drew out a small purple pouch from his robes. A little white flower was embroidered on it. It did not look like something made for a man; someone had probably given it to him. From within, he took out five white crystal coins and handed them over.

Zhou Tian accepted them. He had no idea how their value was calculated, and he had no wish to ask. He tucked them into his robe, turned, and disappeared into the flow of the crowd.

Musu watched his retreating figure for a moment, then urged his warhorse toward the place arranged for them. It was not his first visit to Sailor City; he knew the layout well enough.

Zhou Tian, meanwhile, found a place much like an inn. The purchasing power of the white crystal coins Musu had given him was surprisingly high—one coin was enough for a full night or a day’s lodging. That only strengthened the resolve taking shape in his heart. After securing his room, he spent some time wandering through Sailor City.

After making a full circuit, he discovered that the city had no entertainment to speak of. Nearly everything was related to prayer. Yet the people here did not wear numb or vacant expressions. On the contrary, they seemed full of spirit.

Especially when they emerged from places of worship, the vigor in them seemed as though it might burst through the heavens.

Turning down one street, he came upon a statue. It stood around ten zhang high, white from top to bottom. What struck Zhou Tian as familiar were the six pairs of wings on its back—exactly the same as that bird-man from the other day.

Beneath the statue stood a crowd of people in white robes. In Sailor City, what Zhou Tian had seen most were people dressed in plain white garments. A wave of agitation ran through them.

Only when he drew closer did he hear clearly.

“Those who blaspheme the Lord deserve death!”

“That’s right! They should be left beneath the blazing sun while hawks and vultures peck out their livers!”

“...”

The indignant voices poured into his ears, and the fury in them was unmistakable.

Zhou Tian squeezed his way in and saw a line of writing on the platform beneath the statue:

“These blasphemers against the Lord shall be judged at sunrise. The Sacred Envoy of Judgment shall witness it all!”

Below it was posted a whole row of portraits of bald-headed men.

“What rubbish. They’re still using painted portraits.”

Zhou Tian inwardly sneered, remembering the ultra-long-distance projection technology of Heavenly Qin.

Then he sighed.

He looked over the rows one by one, and at the end of the third row he saw a familiar face.

“Isn’t that Zhang Yi? It really does look like him.”

Zhou Tian craned his neck closer. Though it was only a portrait, it had clearly been painted by someone of profound cultivation, and there was little distortion. After careful scrutiny, he confirmed that it really was Zhang Yi.

He examined the fifteen portraits across the three rows once more and found no other familiar faces. Only Zhang Yi was there.

“How did Zhang Yi get caught?”

Zhou Tian was thoroughly puzzled. By all logic, Zhang Yi should never have been abandoned.

Before he could think further, a burly man beside him clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Young fellow, you agree these people deserve to die too, don’t you?”

“Uh...”

Zhou Tian froze. Seeing the man’s face flush red and the expressions of the others around him begin to sour as well, he hurriedly said, “Yes, absolutely. These bastards dared blaspheme the Lord—they deserve the punishment of fire!”

Only then did the man’s expression ease. Zhou Tian quickly slipped away from the crowd. Fanatical believers really were terrifying.

Zhang Yi had to be rescued, that much was certain. But it would require careful planning. At present, he did not even know where Zhang Yi was being held.

He opened the Undying System and checked. There were still roughly three hours left before his resurrection count refreshed. He needed to hurry and use it up somewhere, or today’s allotment would be wasted when the next refresh came.