“Karissa,” Salif bowed.
“You’re late, Salif.” She held a thick book bound in iron. The old, yellowed pages glittered slightly in the light of the torches, fastened to the book with chains. “Why is the material damaged? You and your people don’t look good either...”
“We had some problems along the way, Karissa, but it was nothing serious.”
Her expression made it clear that she didn’t want to hear any excuses. Karissa pointed at an empty spot at the side of the crowd. Salif bowed again and nodded to the servants. They dragged the strangers to the indicated spot and turned the handles of the rods.
Hadjar and Einen tensed reflexively, but instead of pain, they heard mechanical clicks. The rods separated from the collars in some strange way. However, this alone didn’t give them any false hope or delusions of escape being possible. They were still prisoners and attempting to escape would be absolutely pointless.
“Well.” Karissa gave the audience an appreciative look. Hadjar, accustomed to it after years of traveling with the freak show, wasn’t insulted. However, Einen gritted his teeth. “All of you ended up here by the will of the Evening Stars. Some by accident, while others have been looking for our city for many decades to find out if there is any truth behind the myth, or to look for treasures and secret Techniques, or to beg for a grain of the Sage’s wisdom.”
The crowd kept silent. Hadjar also had nothing to say, as he didn’t understand what was happening. The crowd gathered here was very ragtag: there were men and women both, young and old. Bronze-skinned desert dwellers, swarthy southerners, tanned northerners. Everything from strong practitioners in slave collars to those who were considered so harmless that they’d never even been collared.
“You all went through a month and a half of acclimatization,” the witch continued. Einen and Hadjar looked at each other. So that was what their imprisonment was called — ‘acclimatization’. “The atmosphere in our city is harmful to those who come from the surface. The same principle applies in reverse as well. We couldn’t let you into our city until everything you brought with you was destroyed.”
The people nodded, listening to the witch attentively. Hadjar couldn’t stop examining the surrounding area. Against his will, his mind continued to search for escape routes. It failed repeatedly, but didn’t give up and kept trying.
“We might not be the most hospitable hosts in the world, but the laws of cordiality aren’t alien to us either.” Karissa looked at the crowd like an appraiser looked at goods in a warehouse. “We didn’t invite you, but you are still here, and we must do something with you. We can’t just let you go. Each of you has seen the entrance to Underworld City, and this alone is enough for many of my fellow citizens to want to send you to meet your forefathers.”
A wave of whispers passed through the crowd, but as soon as the chains on the witch’s book rattled, it immediately stopped.
“So, we will give you all a choice.” Karissa waved her hand and various amulets flew out of her caftan and hovered in the air. There were three types of them. “Each of you will voluntarily come up here and choose an amulet. Red ones will make you servants. You will wear energy-limiting collars. After working for Underworld City for 35 years, you’ll become a full citizen...”
The witch wasn’t even finished speaking before several dozen people took a step forward. Each of them received a red amulet and an order to follow one of the servants (there were still several other ‘head servants’ there, in addition to Salif). The people who’d elected to wait watched them with contempt, especially the ones who wore slave collars.
What was 35 years at the very beginning of one’s path of cultivation? It was like a whole lifetime. Those who voluntarily sacrificed this period, even if they received unique resources and knowledge later, would probably never be able to catch up. They would have no strong inner core that would allow them to reach the higher levels of cultivation.
“The next amulets are the black ones. After receiving these, all restrictions will be removed and you’ll be sent to the lower levels of the city. There, under strict surveillance, you’ll mine Blue Stone Ore. You’ll serve for five years. After that, you’ll also receive the status of a citizen.”
This time, only seven or nine people stepped forward. All of them had collars. They were also given the same judgmental looks, full of contempt and condemnation. Not for their choice, but for their hastiness. After all, if they’d done the same after listening to all the options, then no one would’ve said a word about it. Indeed, in addition to cultivating, one had to survive, and to do so, you had to assess your opportunities soberly and with great care.
“And the last color is blue. After you take these, all your restrictions will also be removed and you’ll even get your property back. In exchange for your citizenship and freedom, you’ll be at the disposal of the Research Chamber for a period of one year. I’ll warn you right now: nine out of ten servants receive citizenship; four out of ten miners earn their freedom; but only one out of ten that choose the Research Chamber do the same. You’ll have an hour to think it over. I’ll assign amulets at my discretion to anyone who refuses to make a choice by the time your deadline is up.”
As soon as the witch finished speaking, two men separated from the group: the tall and broad-shouldered northerner, whose bald head glistened ridiculously with pinkish-white skin, and the islander, easily recognizable thanks to his people’s characteristic eyes. They both simultaneously chose a blue amulet.
Chapter 338
The people who chose the blue amulets had to follow Karissa, so she waited for everyone to make their choice. Hadjar and Einen observed the final result: most of the strangers had chosen the red amulets — about fifty of them. About twenty people had chosen black amulets, and only five people had decided to take the blue ones. Therefore, after everyone had dispersed, only six people remained in the hall.
“I don’t like wasting time. I’ll bring you up to speed immediately.”
Karissa ran her fingers over her book. It soared into the air obediently. Its chains rattled, then the pages rustled and froze on the information they needed. There was a short flash and the amulets turned into long strands of something akin to rope that wound around their hands like tourniquets, looking almost like bracelets. They were still blue and glowed slightly while squeezing their wrists hard.
“Those aren’t slave collars,” the witch said, “you’ll still be able to use your power, but as soon as you think about harming a citizen...”
Hadjar suddenly felt a terrible pain assault him like the worst migraine imaginable. Unable to stand it, he howled and struck the floor. Since he’d only gotten his energy back recently, he didn’t hold back and ended up punching a hole in the floor. The ground shook and long cracks spread out from the point of impact. Only Einen watched Hadjar’s actions with a calm expression on his face. The rest grimaced or shouted. Even Karissa raised her right eyebrow slightly.
“…you’ll immediately feel a most unpleasant sensation,” she finished. “Thanks for the demonstration, Northerner.”
The captives spent a while trying to get used to their new ‘decorations’. Everyone suspected that the witch hadn’t told them everything the rope bracelets were capable of, but nobody said anything.
These supposedly ‘not very hospitable hosts’ were actually ruthless exploiters. They most likely had to choose their amulets voluntarily for a reason — such a powerful spell probably couldn’t be cast on someone against their will... Hadjar didn’t understand the ‘true’ path of cultivation, but he suspected that if he hadn’t chosen the amulet himself, it wouldn’t have been able to attach itself to his arm.
“Now that we’ve sorted out the most important thing, let’s move along. I don’t like wasting time. By the way, you’d better remember that. From this day onward, I’m your highest authority. If you have any questions, ask me. Actually, all your problems will most likely also involve me in one way or another. Remember, I dislike pro
blems just as much as I dislike wasting time.”
As if to confirm what she’d just said, the witch held her hand out over the book again. The pages rustled, and then a spear made out of golden and green light appeared in Karissa’s hands. Power equal to the might of a Heaven Soldier at the initial stage emanated from it.
Everyone got the hint. It was better to not cause trouble and thus avoid getting struck in the back or chest by the spear. There were at least two people among the five of them who could’ve dealt with this Technique — Hadjar and Einen — but they were powerless to do so because of the bracelets.
Karissa, without saying a word, turned and walked toward one of the seven stone doors. Apparently, not every group of strangers was honored with a choice. The city must’ve replenished its ‘reserves’ according to what was needed. Only time would tell whether this was good for them or not.
After walking through the next corridor, the group, still silent, arrived at a wide parapet. Everyone reacted with surprise, defeat, and admiration. The witch eyed the strangers with a triumphant look and kept going.
Hadjar tried to keep up, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the view that had appeared before him. Until that moment, he’d always believed Underworld City was just a beautiful and poetic name. Like the Sea of Sand being a fairly ordinary desert in reality. Instead, it turned out that it really was a city: wide streets full of people hurrying about their business, merchant stalls, stores, libraries, and other features common to any city. Carts and carriages drove down wide avenues. Bodyguards dressed in heavy armor escorted some of them. People tried to avoid those vehicles.
Some wore caftans and trousers while others wore robes more familiar to the northerner.
Brick houses stood in long rows and the various areas of the city were separated by rivers and canals. One of the captives — a desert dweller — realized something shocking: he hadn’t seen so much water in one place in his entire life. Most surprisingly, boats sailed along these canals and rivers. They were either large, loaded with crates, barrels, and goods, or small, used for pleasure cruises.
Streams of black and white smoke curled up from the chimneys. Climbing up to the top of the cavern that was so distant it looked more like a green sky, they disappeared and dissolved, leaving no trace behind.
In the center, there was a building with round roofs and an observatory. The sight gave Hadjar hope. The huge telescope was directed somewhere toward the ceiling. This meant that there was at least one more exit from Underworld City.
“Keep up,” Einen whispered.
They went down the huge stairs and found themselves in the midst of the bustling city. It was probably daytime, as the people were fussing about, settling their urgent affairs. According to Hadjar’s estimates, up to ten million people could live in such a big city. Ten million people living in a gigantic cave! Now he understood why Serra had never talked about her homeland: Nero and Hadjar would’ve laughed at her, unable to believe such a thing could ever exist.
Passing through a few streets and avenues, where Einen was almost run over by a real horse, Karissa brought the group to the river. It was wide enough for two loaded barges to spread out comfortably.
A ferryman stood at the pier. Like many others in the city, he didn’t look as fit and slender as most people on the surface, but Hadjar wouldn’t judge him by his appearance. However, the ferryman wasn’t emanating any energy.
After paying him a few coins, Karissa waited until everyone came aboard.
“Take us to the Research Chamber,” she told the ferryman. He pushed off from the bottom with a stick. The witch turned to the strangers. “You’ll have time to settle down in your barracks today. In addition to you, about a hundred other strangers live there. In the evening, you’ll get your belongings back. I would advise you to rest up tonight, because you start work in the morning.”
Einen raised his hand.
“Yes, Islander?”
“What will we be doing?”
“I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. I don’t like wasting time, and not all of you will survive tomorrow. But… I suppose it can’t hurt. Once dawn comes, you have to go down to the Pit. Our hunters will bring in rare creatures that aren’t in our catalog. Your task is to fight them until you are told to finish them off.”
Hadjar didn’t quite understand what was happening. The only thing he’d learned was that he would have to fight against some monster tomorrow. He wouldn’t be surprised to see the red-haired witch among the hunters, the girl who was his late friend’s sister. May the forefathers be kind to her.
It was a pity that he didn’t have a whole year to become friends with her. Somewhere out there, under the Evening Stars, a little girl, Serra, was waiting for him. And even if the entire Sunshine Army, with Sankesh at its head, stood against him, his sword wouldn’t waver. After all, he’d given his word. Hadjar Darkhan had his sword, which was as reliable as his word, and his word, which was as strong as his sword.
Chapter 339
The ferry docked at the stone pier and Karissa was the first to climb up the embankment. Despite knowing perfectly well what kind of thoughts were swarming in the prisoners’ minds, she defiantly turned her back to them.
Hadjar exchanged a glance with the others. What choice did they really have? Try to dive into the underground river and somehow survive? They’d been given their power and free will back, but no one among them knew how to get out of Underworld City. The river could potentially go on for many miles. Even if there were air bubbles to be found along the way, only the gods knew where it would bring them once they reached its end.
Einen followed right after Karissa. He brushed off his torn slave robes as if they were the best and worthiest armor.
“You made the right choice,” the witch nodded. “As you might’ve guessed, the amulets don’t just protect the citizens from you... They have many other properties. For example, they protect you from the citizens as well.”
After hearing these words, which had clearly been addressed to Hadjar, the northerner felt relieved.
“I hope you don’t have to find out about the rest of the functions.”
Following the islander, Hadjar also left the ferry. The first thing that caught his eyes was the fact that there wasn’t a single living soul on this embankment. In comparison to the left, much busier bank of the river, where the streets were full of scurrying people, this area looked abandoned and slightly intimidating.
The tall, imposing buildings, the sparse lighting provided by flickering white lights, the pavement covered in strange purple moss and light hoarfrost all combined into quite an unnerving display. Hadjar had already seen something similar in one of the Lidish cities. However, that had been an abandoned port and river dock.
“We’re in the territory of the Researcher’s Guild. You can only get here if you have special passes. In your case, your amulets act as your passes.”
Karissa nodded to the strangers’ bracelets, once again confirming that they really had a lot of additional properties.
“Can we really walk around Underworld City freely?” One of the youngest ‘suicidal strangers’ asked. That’s what the rest of the prisoners had called the ones who had chosen the blue amulets and the fate of becoming ‘guinea pigs’.
“Those of you who survive tomorrow will be able to walk around wherever and whenever you want,” the witch nodded.
Judging by how all of their eyes flashed, many new questions had come to mind. Alas, Karissa really didn’t like wasting time. She made it clear with everything from her posture to her frown that she wouldn’t be answering any more questions and proceeded to walk down to a row of narrow streets.
For a moment, Hadjar felt like he’d returned to his former world, Earth.
They saw narrow paths paved with round, heavy stones; silent granite walls on either side; very rare window slits, somewhere very high above them. Only sometimes was the grave silence of the area disturbed by the lone cry of an unknown animal or a h
uman. Whenever that happened, Karissa stopped and ran her fingers over the pages of her book for some reason.
When they rounded the next corner, which led from the alleys into the street, Einen nudged his friend’s shoulder. He silently pointed at the crimson stain on the sidewalk. None of the other prisoners paid attention to it, and the witch was diligently pretending that it didn’t exist. Hadjar had seen a lot of blood in his life and immediately recognized it.
The shape and size of the bloodstain clearly hinted that a murdered creature had died in a less than peaceful manner. The creature had most likely been tortured or even torn apart by someone or something powerful and large.
“Maybe it was Azrea,” Einen said in his native language.
“She could’ve done it for sure,” Hadjar smiled broadly.
“A group of our best hunters has been sent after your tigress,” suddenly, surprising both of them, Karissa inserted herself into their conversation. “I think she’ll be delivered to the Pit soon. Who knows, maybe you’ll have to fight her to the death, Northerner.”
His icy calmness cost Hadjar greatly. His body tingled with a slight pain. His knuckles crunched as he clenched his fists. He wanted to stick a sword into the witch’s heart, and the hearts of the hunters who were now tracking Azrea.
“Honorable Karissa,” Einen even bowed slightly as he spoke, “I’ve seen Azrea in action, so I can only wish for one thing — that your hunters find her as soon as possible. I hope their screams will help me sleep better during the cold nights that plague this city.”
Hadjar, whose virtues didn’t include eloquence, couldn’t have said it better himself. Karissa’s gaze snapped toward them like the tip of a whip soaked in oil.
“Follow me,” she said in the desert language.
They stopped in front of a massive building made from some animal’s bones that had been yellowed by the passage of time, and massive gates supported by vertical shutters buried in the ground. There was no fence or guards.
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