Chapter 750: Crisis
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 750: Crisis
The disparity between Gutons Fortress and this place could no longer be measured simply in terms of wealth and poverty.
Above, on the surface, stood towers that pierced the clouds and palaces of magnificent, ancient design. Even in their ruined state, those creations bore witness to a former glory that the passage of time could not erase.
But here, there were only cramped houses, huddled together like tiny cubicles.
This congestion wasn't a natural result of urban growth; it was clearly the product of deliberate planning, designed to achieve the highest possible density.
To use a metaphor... it was like the difference between a landlord’s grand, sprawling villa and his old, dilapidated pigpens.
"Master... and slave?"
Ariel let out a soft sigh. Having grown up in the streets, it was easy for her to deduce the living conditions of an area based on its external environment.
Even though a thousand years had passed and the place was now deserted, Ariel could tell at a glance that those who once lived here could never have been described as "comfortable."
"Even the material of these buildings is just common stone, and the craftsmanship is crude. Aside from providing a place to stay, I doubt they could even provide basic shelter from the wind and rain," Ariel noted, observing the stone walls closely.
No, on second thought, this was underground. There was no need for "shelter from the wind and rain."
That was why the houses were built in such a strange fashion, using materials sourced right on the spot—nothing more than ordinary stones excavated from this very cavern.
It was... "rational" to an extreme.
"So, what exactly was the relationship between Gutons Fortress... and this massive slum?"
Ariel frowned, murmuring to herself:
"I remember Miss An saying that a thousand years ago, the Demon Race spent their entire lives trying to rebel against those towers... The towers... Could the word 'towers' not refer specifically to the structures themselves, but to the Gutons Fortress where they stood? If that's the case... were the people who once lived here the ancestors of today's Demon Race?"
Ariel shook her head, pushing aside that deduction for now. It seemed hard to believe, yet it was the most logical conclusion.
Her teacher had told her that when facing events from the distant past—especially those shrouded behind a veil of eerie mist—one must never speculate based on mere "logic." If one actually managed to "deduce" something... it could be fatal.
Taboos were inherently irrational things, much like how an Evil God might inadvertently notice you simply because you called upon its True Name.
Besides.
"Now is not the time to be thinking about this."
Ariel sat down against the base of a wall and pulled aside the coat Miss Muse had put on her, which was slightly too large for her frame.
At her thigh, the tightly wrapped bandages had been stained red with blood once again. This meant her wound had not only failed to heal but had torn open once more.
"Is it because of the long trek? I didn't even notice when we were at the edge of the Flower Sea."
What a shame—Miss Muse had wrapped those bandages herself!
Ariel pouted, reluctantly unwinding the blood-soaked cloth.
However, she didn't rush to apply a new bandage. Instead, she pulled out a silver needle and thread. After a quick disinfection using her own flames, she lowered her head and began to stitch the wound herself.
With her Fighting Spirit and Magic yet to recover, she couldn't heal the wound rapidly. Stitching was the best way to prevent it from tearing open a second time.
Even if it did sting a little.
Without anesthesia or any way to dull the sensation, Ariel kept her head down, focusing calmly on sewing her own flesh.
No pain showed on her face, though a light sweat beaded on her forehead. Her hands remained steady, her movements fluid and practiced.
Clearly, this wasn't her first time doing this. Despite being a Martial Artist with a powerful physique, she was forced to use a method of treatment usually reserved for ordinary people.
Fortunately, once her strength recovered and the stitches were removed, the wound would heal without leaving a single scar.
"So, what should I do next?"
Having finished the basic treatment, Ariel leaned against the wall and began to consider her next move.
Now that they had entered this complex cluster of buildings, it wouldn't be easy for Zagu to find her and Miss Muse.
Furthermore, based on what she had seen so far, this was the place Miss Muse had pointed toward. She hadn't come to the wrong place.
The question was whether to continue deeper into this "slum" following Miss Muse's direction, or if she could finally stop running and take a rest...
"Heh."
In an instant, it felt as if she had stepped through thin ice and plunged into a frozen lake.
It was a laugh that should have sounded full of genuine joy, yet when it reached Ariel's ears, it turned her entire body cold.
Holding her breath, she rose slowly. Pressing herself against the wall, she peeked around the corner.
Sure enough, on the narrow path not far away, a "Ghoul"... or rather, a Corruptor, as the damned old loli called them, was wandering about.
Its lidless eyes were wide open, and that mocking, eerie grin that stretched almost to its ears was as hair-raising as ever.
"Dammit, why is there one here..."
A faint mist drifted through the cramped streets. Perhaps the area illuminated by her flames earlier had been too small to see them, or perhaps the mist had only just returned from somewhere else. Regardless, Ariel suddenly realized that she was once again enveloped in it.
I see...
It wasn't that there happened to be mist here. It was that... the mist was supposed to be here.
And by extension, the Corruptors who wandered within the mist were supposed to be prowling these narrow, oppressive streets.
"Give me a break. I thought I'd escaped the tiger's jaws, but did I just walk straight into the tiger's den?"
Ariel gave a self-deprecating smile. Then, supporting Miss Muse's perky buttocks with both hands, she gently straightened her back.
She had to be light, slow, and silent.
The only advantage she had now compared to before was that she didn't seem to have been discovered by the Corruptors yet.
As long as she stayed away from that wandering "Laughing Ghost" and found a safe place to hide in this vast area, it shouldn't be—
Ariel's movements froze.
Because as she turned around, she suddenly realized that at the end of the very alley she was in, a Corruptor was poking its head out from the darkness.
It only showed its head, tilting its neck as it stared at Ariel. Its bloodshot eyes were wide, but its lips were pressed tightly together.
From its appearance, this was likely an... "Angry Ghost."
Just as Ariel had been watching the "Laughing Ghost" from the shadows, this "Angry Ghost" was hiding in the corner, stealthily watching her.