Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 77 - 74 Light and Shadow Zone

The Light and Shadow Zone didn’t have a portal, so the trio had to teleport to the nearest Dark Zone 10 and then walk from there. It was said to provide a buffer zone to prevent large-scale riots between the chaotic and orderly factions.

The difference between chaos and order lies in whether or not one cares about the impact on their surroundings. Whether it’s a good or bad deed, the orderly side will always consider the consequences for themselves before deciding on their behavior. The chaotic side acts on impulse.

Dark Zone 10 is a crystalline area within a massive crystal, and the occasional sunlight that shines upon this strange crystal leaves rainbow-colored auroras in the sky above.

Dark Zone 10 is not a residential area; it’s a vast garbage dump. Failed experimental creatures, paralyzed magical puppets, and indescribable substances—that you could hardly comprehend just from their appearance but that no one wants to touch—are piled up here. One attempt might result in an explosion, but most likely it would be a waste of effort. The ones who discarded these items weren’t fools; most of what is thrown away here is worthless, troublesome to deal with, and takes up considerable space.

The dumpsite has its own cleaners, a group of insects the size of cartwheels with stone-like shells. They devour anything in front of them. As for their excrement, it’s a gel-like transparent mucus that they deposit in the corners around them. As it cools over time, it crystallizes.

Indeed, those majestic clusters of crystals are their masterpieces.

The person who brought these insects to the City of Wandering was definitely a genius. He used invisible pheromones to divide the insects’ territory, turning those wastes into part of a spectacle.

Although the spread of crystal blocks occasionally allows insects to run out of their boundaries, causing a series of tragic accidents, the Secret Pivot Society has had to coax and deceive some insect enthusiasts, not afraid of death, to assist in managing the area.

For the moment, things were well.

Lyle and company strolled through the rainbow-colored crystal corridors. The extraordinary aesthetic beauty and novel experiences elicited his admiration.

"The end of this path is the Light and Shadow Zone."

The sky and ground there divided into two realms, with various luminous pillars hanging midair, throwing out disorientating, nausea-inducing light beams akin to a 21st-century night market—but with an unplanned distribution of lights and shadows that conferred an eerie atmosphere, as if a haunted house were throwing a party.

The people on the street cloaked themselves in black robes to both conceal their identity and shield against the man-made catastrophe raining from the sky.

Even with tidy storefronts, masked vendors still ran their stalls on the streets, trading shrewdly on their tiny patches of territory.

"The black market, fifty percent fake goods, forty percent illegal items, eight percent worthless junk, and two percent of what one dreams of, plus a hundred percent markup in prices."

"Here, one person can become rich, at the expense of bankrupting ten others."

"Doesn’t anyone care?"

"Regulations are quite lax here. This place is home to all races, making many rules inapplicable. Local law is worse than no law at all; brute force is the ultimate argument here."

The light pollution overhead made entering a storefront extremely easy. Lyle even suspected that the confusing and haphazard arrangement of lights was a marketing tactic by shopkeepers, designed to plunder clients’ pockets and ensure taking that precious step inside was the first thing they did.

After passing through the black market, they arrived at a relatively cleaner area where the chaos was much more controlled. The Light and Shadow Zone was like a forest, divided and occupied by powerful "beasts" each ruling their territories with their own laws—while the boundaries became as chaotic as the black market itself.

Lyle began to notice other races—Dwarves with thick beards and draped in armor, carrying axes as tall as a person.

There was also an Elf leaning against a wall in the distance, her limited leather armor covering only the necessary parts, with slender, pale legs exposed to greedy gazes.

A few minutes later, a slender human man attempting to get fresh was surrounded by a group of muscular men. After a beating, they departed with the contents of his pockets, performing a street scam in front of Lyle.

Before leaving, the long-haired Elf lady threw a flirtatious wink toward Lyle, the hunter disguised as prey moving on to a new hunting ground.

Glancing at the frozen William, "What were you saying just now, about having an inter-species romance?"

"Who said it had to be me she noticed, maybe it was Candy’s good looks that attracted her."

"Elves all have keen ears, Mr. Surprise, and their memory for grudges is as long as their lifetimes, usually measured in centuries."

"I’m so envious of you, Mr. Surprise. You’ve got someone who’ll remember you for several lifetimes so quickly."

"..."

The storefront of Bloody Rose was very conspicuous.

The shadows of black curtains fell to the ground, turning the sky above the large tavern into night, with deep purple lights arranged in patterns of roses and wine glasses. Upon closer inspection, the lights were fluorescent liquids flowing through transparent tubes.

Graceful and enticing receptionists stood on either side of the wide-open door, representing multiple races: Succubus, humans, Elves, Dwarves, Minotaur, Gnomes, and a moving skeleton?

They wore provocative clothes, smiled the most charming smiles, and in the gentlest of voices, guided the weary travelers.

As Lyle and the others approached, the skeleton actually walked over to them.

Candy bowed to her, "Hello, Miss Dreamy."

The skeleton’s jaw moved up and down, and her voice, as melodious as the heavens, said, "Little Candy, are these your guests?"

Candy shyly nodded.

Completely failing to understand his attitude.

"Another two with a preference for exotic kinds, keep up the good work, little Candy," the skeleton went on her own way again.

Watching the skeleton disappear from view, Lyle spoke up.

"Are there really people into that sort of thing?"

"Miss Dreamy is a Lich. Although, well... her performance is rather low, she’s still a kind-hearted lady. She’s just here to experience life. Occasionally, a gentleman will come to chat with her. Liches seeking pleasure are really too few, but they’re not unheard of."

"I once saw a lich gentleman drinking, watching the drink flow down along his spinal column to the ground. The server accompanying him even had to commend him for his ’large capacity’."

"I thought he would be the most difficult customer to cater to." Candy turned his head back and smiled at Lyle’s bird beak mask.

"Don’t think that he isn’t."

"But there are also some good ones who are understanding and reach out to help the weak. Being able to serve them is my honor."

"Strange thoughts, Candy," Lyle mused, aren’t liches supposed to be monsters that harbor resentment, playing with corpses and souls? "I still don’t know of a single lich who possesses kindness and a sense of justice."

Candy smiled.

"Plague Doctor, sir, you’re really a man of understated humor."