Night Journey

Chapter 121 Uneasy Days

After being attacked by the Reverse Falcon, Cirion remained quiet for a long time.

Life returned to how it was before he disguised himself as the Falcon: going to work, patrolling at night, and coming home every day, and spending his days off partying with Mayfune.

At first, Cillian was somewhat uneasy, fearing that the Reverse Falcon might suddenly descend at some point, swinging that strange blade and slicing everything into dust.

Cillian was not afraid of death, but he did not want to involve those around him.

As his emotional connection with the members of the City Guard deepened, Cillian gradually began to care about them.

Similarly, after realizing that he cared about everyone in the City Guard, Cillian felt a little lost.

As a serial killer with antisocial personality disorder, am I being a bit too sentimental?

According to the book, shouldn't I be cold-blooded and ruthless towards everyone?
Perhaps... I'm not as terminally ill as I thought.

In peaceful days, Cillian often reflected on himself in this way, passing the time with contemplation.

Keep thinking, keep pondering.

From the immediate struggle against the evil claws to the future and its uncertainties...

In the end, the Falcon didn't come after them, as if the life-or-death chase that night was just a dream.

It's not a dream.

Cillian stood in front of the mirror, a faint scar running across his face.

After a period of rest, Cillian's injuries have mostly healed, including the wounds on his face.

I thought that the sharp sword strike from the Falcon would at least leave Cirion with a deep and unforgettable scar.

In reality, the wound was very shallow, and the scab fell off in a few days. After a while, even the slight white mark would disappear.

Cillian asked curiously, "Bruce, do you think I'd look more intimidating if I had a scar?"

"Compared to momentum... where's the merchandise!"

Bruce said anxiously, "Let's quickly gather everything, build the vehicle, and leave Hur City!"

Bruce had the strongest reaction upon learning that Cillian had been attacked by the Reverse Falcon.

It barks incessantly every day, urging Cillian to bring over the components.

"I already said, those things are regulated, and even if Mefuni wanted to get them, it would be very difficult!"

Although Maefni was a member of the Love family, in the eyes of her elders she was just a child with little real power, but she was enough to get vehicle components for Ciri, even though the process was quite troublesome.

To date, Cillian has only received one or two components, and they are rusty second-hand goods.

He even rented a warehouse for storing, repairing, and assembling them.

"Only by being well-prepared can we deal with all sorts of possibilities!"

Bruce continued to complain.

Cillian could somewhat understand Bruce's sense of crisis. The oppressive force brought by the Reverse Falcon that night made Cillian taste what powerlessness felt like after a long time.

Even with the blessing of the Ouroboros Seal and the protection of the Blessed Hate and Wrathful Gnashing of Evil, Cirion was still unable to resist in the slightest.

Cillian harbored the same immense sense of crisis, but he never revealed it.

In the days when he no longer acted as the Reverse Falcon, whenever he had free time, Cillian would voluntarily ignite his soul essence, slowly increasing the purity of his blood's soul essence in this clumsy way.

He had only recently advanced to the second rank, yet he was already eagerly craving even greater power.

The torch guides destiny, the third rank is the fiery guard.

Cillian didn't know much about the power of the Blazing Guardians. He only knew from what others had seen and heard that the Blazing Guardians possessed the power to convert source energy into intense flames, and then manipulated the flames to fight.

As for the more detailed characteristics of the Blazing Guards, Ciri had no idea, after all, there were only a few Blazing Guards in the entire city of Hel.

In the many remote city-states of the outer frontier, regardless of which path a transcendent being takes, a third-rank individual is already considered a rare high-end combat force.

A being of rank four like Rolf is a top-tier power capable of influencing the decisions of a city-state.

After spending some time finishing his "morning exercise," Cillian took a shower to clean off the sweat.

"What are you researching?"

"I'm wrapped in a bath towel," Ciri asked curiously.

Bruce was lying on a map, using his energy to control a pen and writing and drawing.

“Study our escape route.”

Bruce explained in detail, “The nearest city-state to us is the City of the Lone Tower, which I suggest as our destination after leaving Hull.”

"Once we arrive at the City of the Lonely Tower, we can follow the Dawn Corridor, leave the Outer Flame Frontier, and head towards the Inner Flame Outer Ring. We'll be much safer then."

Cillian moved closer and examined the route Bruce had described.

"Along the Dawn Corridor...?"

As Cillian's understanding of the world gradually became clearer, the Dawn Corridor, which had been mentioned countless times, also took on a definite form in his eyes.

The Dawn Corridor refers to a route pioneered by the Oathwalking Legions during the Age of Renaissance, which started in the far north, traveled south, and traversed the entire civilized world.

The Oath-Taking Legion paid a heavy price to open this route, but it was through this sacrifice that they successfully reconnected the two lost lands and united the civilized world.

Since then, the Oathkeeping Legion has traversed the civilized world along this route, launching expeditions into the dark world, with the city-states along the way providing the Oathkeeping Legion with a continuous supply of provisions.

Over time, this route, filled with blood and fire, came to be known as the Dawn Corridor.

Due to the outbreak of rebellion and the split of the Oathkeeping Legion, the Dawn Corridor was in decline for a long time until the Centipede Merchant Guild returned to this route and started operating trade lines connecting various city-states.

The prosperity of Hull City today is largely due to its geographical location near the Dawn Corridor.

“The Dawn Corridor is more than just a trade route,” Bruce cautioned. “It is currently the only vital route in the civilized world that allows for a fast and safe journey from the Outer Flame Frontier to the Inner Flame Core, and even through the City of the Sun to the far north.”

"Then I'll leave these matters to you."

Cillian cleaned himself up and changed his clothes.

"I'm going to work now. I'll take this opportunity to urge Meifuni to see if we can get things done as soon as possible."

Dressed neatly, they went out onto the street.

Cillian no longer acts as the Reverse Falcon, the real Reverse Falcon has vanished without a trace, and even the Claws have disappeared.

Hull City returned to calm. Young people no longer called out the name of the Reverse Falcon, but instead threw themselves into the next hot spot. The graffiti on the streets and alleys was also covered with fresh paint by the staff.

It's as if nothing happened, and everything has returned to how it was at the beginning.

As he scanned the faces, a variety of expressions came into view. He was not used to this peaceful life, but he was powerless to change it.

There were moments when Cillian would even feel a surge of anger.

The evil claws still lurk in the shadows of Hull City. The city's crisis has not yet been resolved, but the people are enjoying this tranquility, even though they themselves are aware of the storm brewing beneath it.

This feeling is really strange, like...

Just as the city of Hull sits atop a volcano about to erupt, and the end is nigh, no matter how much Cillian runs around shouting and warning people, no one pays attention to his commotion; they just drink and make merry by themselves.

Cillian couldn't tell if this was numbness or escapism, but he felt a chill run down his spine.

Looking up at the gray sky, the sun was obscured by thick clouds, leaving only a huge halo.

"Reverse Falcon, since you haven't left, what exactly do you plan to do in the face of this city of Hel?"

Cillian muttered to himself, "Are we just going to stand by and watch it be destroyed?"

He clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it.

Stepping inside the City Guard Bureau, the tense atmosphere from not long ago dissipated, and the staff drank coffee, chatting with smiles.

Only Cillian still wore a gloomy face from time to time, looking out of place like an outsider.

Cillian arrived at his workstation, his frustration still lingering.

Just then, a sigh came from beside me.

Cillian turned his head in confusion and saw Elton looking lost and blankly staring at the pile of documents in front of him.

"Elton, why do you look so gloomy?"

Cillian chatted idly, trying to distract himself.

"I...sigh..."

Before Elton could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a long sigh.

"It's just some pointless complaining, nothing serious."

Cillian pressed for more details.

Tell me about it, maybe I can help you in some way.

During this period, the only good news that Cillian felt was the incident that night, inexplicably leading him to hold a hasty wedding for Paul and Wensey.

If this really counts as a wedding.

Amidst Winsey's drunken ramblings and Paul's earnestness, Cillian experienced a long-lost, inexplicable joy.

This joy was so pure, just like when Cillian sought revenge, but the ways in which they were achieved were quite different.

Elton, who was the cause of the incident, indirectly made Cillian feel more favorably toward him, and he casually showed concern for him.

"Um……"

Elton racked his brains, scratching his head in frustration.

After a long period of deliberation, he cautiously spoke to Cillian.

“What I’m about to say might make you think I’m crazy, but it’s true, and I really intend to do it.”

"Uh-huh."

Cillian crossed his arms and glanced at the workstation next to him; Maefuni hadn't arrived for work yet.

"I want to leave Hel City and go to the City of the Lonely Tower."

"Uh-huh?"

Cillian stared wide-eyed at Elton in disbelief.

Elton anticipated Cillian's astonishment and answered immediately before he could finish speaking.

"Are you serious?"

"I was serious!"

Their voices overlapped.

Cillian swallowed hard and looked Elton up and down again.

Elton is just an ordinary person, without any supernatural powers. When faced with the narrow gray area in the wilderness, he will instantly turn into a hideous monster upon contact.

At the same time, his financial situation was not good; even if he emptied his family's land, he might not be able to buy a ticket to the Lonely Tower City.

Most importantly, Cillian couldn't understand why Elton wanted to leave Hull.

Could it be that Elton has also become aware of the crisis in Hull City, lost hope in the city council, and intends to take the lead?

(End of this chapter)