Night Journey

Chapter 21 Purifying the Soul Essence
Tania stood atop the ruins, from where she could see the distant town of White Cliffs, where swathes of ash rose like a localized snowfall.

She closed her eyes tightly, and a shimmering light enveloped her body.

“If the ‘omens’ are correct, the person you’re looking for is in that small town,” Tania said, opening her eyes. “Based on the detected energy reactions, the person is at least at the fourth rank.”

"Really? We've finally located him. If it weren't for that night of high tide, we would probably still be searching the wilderness for a long time."

The man stepped forward; he was about thirty years old, with slightly pale skin, wearing loose robes, and had a composed demeanor.

Another man followed closely behind him, speaking nervously.

"What's the next plan? A full-scale attack? Toren and I are only at Tier 1, Tania is only at Tier 2, and you're the only one at Tier 4..."

"Gene, I'll handle him. You just need to assist from the sidelines."

The man glanced at Gene, his tone turning cold. "Besides him, there shouldn't be any other superhumans in that town. Dealing with a group of ordinary people shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Gene wanted to say something, but he remained silent and nodded, obeying the man's command. Toren, standing beside him, did the same.

Tania asked, "When will we begin?"

“As a torchbearer who has returned alive from the dark world, Nunn is not so easy to deal with.”

The man pondered for a moment, "Not to mention, a beacon of light stands in that town, and the light of the soul essence will greatly suppress our actions."

He made a decision and commanded, “I need a few days to prepare in order to borrow the power of my Lord.”

"My lord?"

Tania savored the word with curiosity, staring at the man meaningfully.

"Your master is..."

The man returned his gaze with hostility. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little curious..."

The man interrupted her questioning, "Tanya, we're just business partners."

Tania chuckled softly, "Even if you don't say it, I can guess what's going on."

"Before leaving Hel City, I heard rumors about you. You had been investigating a man named Nunn for who knows how many years... Did you discover him this time because you recently sensed that powerful bloodline summoning?"

Tania leaned against the man's chest, her fingernails lightly scraping against his skin, revealing a seductive demeanor.

"Only those people can sense the call of the bloodline of the Torchbearers..."

Tania's words came to an abrupt halt, and the man's expression turned icy cold, as if covered in frost.

“Deathbird, don’t be so tense. We’re on the same side, aren’t we?” Tania chuckled. “I’m just a little tired of life in Hel City. Maybe, after this is all over, I can join you…”

Without warning, the Deathbird grabbed Tania by the throat and lifted her up with one hand.

"Traveling together?"

His voice held a hint of contempt and anger, "How could we be on the same side?"

"Join us?"

The Deathbird slammed Tania to the ground, stomping on her delicate face as a warning.

"You are humiliating us."

Tania silently endured the humiliation. Gene and Toren dared not utter a sound. They did not know the true identity of the Deathbird, but they had already guessed a little from the few words they had heard.

The truth sent chills down their spines.

……

After the night of the tide, Baiya Town spent several peaceful nights.

In the midst of peaceful days, the townspeople became even busier. They gathered by the high wall, braving the scorching sun, wielding hammers and hoes to maintain the wall and build fortifications.

"The energy tide a few days ago was too sudden, which made me a little uneasy."

While directing the townspeople's work, Nunn said to Mayor Paul beside him, "Just in case, in addition to reinforcing the high walls, I think the mayor's hall also needs a new round of construction."

“I have no objection to that, after all, you are a professional in this field.”

Paul, still with that same smiling expression, asked curiously, "But what I'm more concerned about is, White Cliff Town has experienced several source energy tides before, so why does this one make you so uneasy?"

“Perhaps… an intuition?” Nunn asked uncertainly.

“Then trust your intuition,” Paul said, fully supporting him. “As a high-level superhuman, your intuition is often much sharper than that of us ordinary people.”

Nunn fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. Paul, already accustomed to Nunn's occasional silences, waited patiently.

After a long while, Nunn spoke.

"The Night of Tides is merely a byproduct of the Source Energy Tides. Its true terror lies in the fact that the ripples of the tides sweep in from the depths of the Origin Sea, cross the Spirit Realm, and sweep into reality."

Nuen carefully chose his words, “Often, this wave that crosses the real and the virtual will drag things that are dormant in the Sea of ​​Origin and the Spirit Realm into the real world.”

"Oh, is this what sometimes happens when ruins suddenly appear in the wilderness?"

The vast, desolate land is covered with countless ruins. They sometimes appear abruptly and sometimes disappear suddenly. The architectural styles are different and the degree of weathering varies. They are like fragments from different historical eras, twisted and pieced together.

The arrival of the Gray Zone sometimes takes something away, and sometimes it leaves something behind. White Cliff Town, under the protection of the Lighthouse, is unaffected by the Gray Zone.

"I am more worried about those things that return from the spirit world than those things that have sunk into it."

"for example?"

Pol looked at Nuen with curiosity. Although he was the mayor of White Cliff Town, he had only lived in White Cliff Town all his life and had never stepped out of the outside world.

"Some special chaotic creatures? Or some wicked offspring lurking deep in the spirit world?"
In short, those who return from the Gray Realm are mostly chaotic and malevolent beings.

Nuen took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, a smile appearing on his weathered face as he comforted her. "Perhaps I'm overthinking it. It's already quite an achievement that White Cliff Town managed to survive this night of the tides."

He continued, "If Baiya Town hadn't survived that night, the entire town would likely have been completely swallowed up by the Narrow Gray Domain and sunk into the Spirit Realm."

“Sinking into…the spirit world?” A chill ran down Paul’s spine. “What will happen then?”

Paul was just an ordinary person; the spirit world was too distant and too mysterious for him.

Nunn shook his head and didn't continue. "This is not your concern."

"Ok."

Nunn didn't say anything, and there was nothing Paul could do to force him.

“I’ll leave the work here to you for now,” Nunn gestured. “I’m going to check the reserves of Soul Essence. We used up quite a bit that night, so we need to be more careful with our resources.”

"Well, please."

After bidding farewell to Pol, Nunn returned to the armory, where Cillian had been waiting for some time.

"teacher."

Seeing Nunn enter the armory, Ciri nodded to him.

"follow me."

Nunn beckoned and led Cillian into a room deep within the armory.

Cillian looked up at the plaque on the door, which read "Refining Room".

The refining room was large but also very empty. A chair was placed in the center of the room, and behind the chair was a complex mechanical device with winding pipes connecting various containers, like a grotesquely growing mechanical tumor.

Nunn turned on the power switch, and the equipment started running with a roar. The mechanical noise and electrical hum were constant, the indoor temperature rose noticeably, and large plumes of dust were kicked up.

After the equipment warmed up for a while, it entered a stable operating state. Cillian knew what to do next. Without needing Nunn's instructions, he sat down in the chair, rolled up his sleeves, and showed off his clean wrists.

“This Soul Essence Refining Machine is quite old, but thankfully it can still run,” Nuen said, turning the screws on the machine. “I don’t know how those spirit craftsmen managed to make something so complex run for so long.”

The needle pierced the skin, and a crimson stain emerged from the IV tubing, connecting to the Soul Essence Refining Machine.

"The Soul Essence Refining Machine can extract soul essence from your blood and refine it to a certain extent, purifying it into the powdered soul essence we commonly use."

In the past, Nuen often came here to purify his own blood in order to replenish the soul essence lost in White Cliff Town.

Ciri's blood exchanged between the various containers, and the rising steam slowly permeated the air.

"After the purification is complete, a large portion of the soul essence in your body will be consumed, which will make you feel somewhat weak. This is normal, so don't worry."

"Just like burning away the essence of the soul within the body during battle?"

Cillian recalled his all-night struggle during the night of the tides.

“Pretty much,” Nunn added, “your soul marrow regeneration speed is related to your rank.”

Legend has it that some torchbearers of the highest rank can achieve a near-perpetual motion machine effect, constantly burning and generating new energy, like an inextinguishable sun.

"For example... the explorers and traitors?"

Cillian remembered this powerful being at the end of the Torch's fate.

The end of the path of destiny is the existence of the giants, but the three sages, the Sage of Secrets, the Iron Father of the Heavenly Craftsman, and the Pioneer of the Conquerors, in order to distinguish themselves from the giants of the old era, do not call themselves giants, but are called the Three Sages.

"Who knows? I've never seen the explorers with my own eyes."

The deeds of the explorers have become legends, and only a very few torchbearers who have survived since the year of the rebellion have a clear memory of them.

Cillian sat obediently in the chair. During the purification process, apart from some pain in his wrist, the noise from the Soul Essence Refining Machine was quite loud and hurt his ears.

Nunn left the refining room, while Cillian patiently waited for the purification to finish, recalling what Ava had mentioned to him that morning.

"We plan to hold a celebration."

In the soft morning light, Ava said excitedly, “Celebrating White Cliff Town’s safe passage through the night of the tide, and congratulations on becoming the torchbearer.”

"Did the mayor and the teacher agree?" Cillian asked.

“Of course,” Ava nodded vigorously. “White Cliff Town hasn’t had a celebration in too long. It’s time for one to rekindle everyone’s passion for life.”

"Dress smartly, you're my designated dance partner."

The noise from the Soul Essence Refining Machine suddenly stopped, followed by a long whistling sound.

Ciri removed the needle from his wrist and opened the output box of the Soul Essence Refining Machine. Inside was a small box of crimson powdery crystals, which were the Soul Essence that had just been purified from Ciri's body.

"Phew... I do feel a bit dizzy."

Cillian blinked, his head spinning.

The thought of feeling tired and weak after only a short time of purification makes it hard to imagine how Nuen has endured so many years.

After resting for a while, Cillian stood up and swayed as he walked out of the refinery.

Just before the door closed, Cillian looked at the empty refining room, and this scene involuntarily appeared in his mind.

Nuen sat alone in the chair, amidst the silence and noise, letting the Soul Essence Refining Machine extract blood from his body, day after day, until now.

Cillian wasn't sure if this counted as a form of punishment, but he roughly understood why Nunn had remained in White Cliff Town.

Baiya Town was founded by the Yangkui clan, and this is one of the few things they left behind in the world.

How lonely Nuen will be once Baiya Town also disappears into the yellow earth.

(End of this chapter)