Night Journey

Chapter 40 The City of Convergence, Hel
It was already dawn when Cillian left the city guard checkpoint.

“They’ve detained us for so long,” Bruce said, following behind Cillian, shaking his head. “But it’s better than kicking us out.”

Bruce had been holding it in for too long, and he just kept rambling on and on.

Cillian didn't respond. Since leaving the checkpoint, he hadn't uttered a word and had simply walked quickly away.

Following the road signs, Cillian climbed to a rusty steel observation deck on the edge of the city. By then, night had ended and dawn was breaking.

The torches and lighthouses that had burned all night gradually went out, revealing the true face of the city to Cirien.

Cillian picked up the binoculars, and the city of Hull gradually awoke in the twilight.

Three rivers flow from the wilderness, passing through high walls and rushing along man-made channels to the horizon.

Rivers divide the city into different districts. The industrial area in the northeast quadrant breathes out the smell of sulfur. Towering chimneys pierce the smog, spewing out coal ash and sparks day and night. When the steam blowers roar at the same time, even the copper railings of the observation deck vibrate and hum in resonance.

Adjacent to the industrial area is the riverside commercial district. Under the cast-iron arched bridge, brass bells jingle on the bows of boats as spice merchants from other city-states open their leather trunks.

Due to the division of the city, the three rivers have distinctly different appearances.

The river near the industrial area is known as the Grey River; its water is murky and gray, filled with heavy metal residue.

The river adjacent to the commercial district is called the Commercial River. Numerous barges are moored here, navigating the city's intricate network of waterways and undertaking the main transportation work.

The last river was called the Flower River, but Cillian didn't know much about it and was unaware of the origin of its name.

Looking towards the city's core area, a rising high wall divides the city into inner and outer zones.

The buildings in the inner city were almost piled up together, like a twisted and deformed living thing, growing wildly and intertwining with each other to form a huge platform.

Standing atop the high platform is the towering beacon, a beacon of light reaching into the clouds. It is like the heart of the city, the engine that drives everything, and also like a majestic statue for all to worship and pray to.

Cillian lowered his binoculars and watched as the city gradually awoke, a multitude of complex emotions welling up within him.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you so sad!"

Bruce noticed Cillian's unusual behavior and asked with concern, "Such an ordinary city, how could it move you so much?"

Cillian said with a half-smile, "Ordinary?"

“Isn’t this normal?” Bruce stood up, his front paws resting on the railing. “It’s just a few more rivers.”

It tried hard to recall.

"I seem to have visited many city-states and seen many strange cities. Some cities are built on floating boulders and are called 'floating cities'; some are located on lakes and seas and are called 'marsh cities'; some are built on giant moving machines and are always on the move; and some are built on the corpses of giants and possess strange powers..."

Bruce commented seriously, "Compared to other cities, Hull City is indeed quite ordinary."

Cillian smiled with relief, offering no further explanation.

He didn't mention his past to Bruce, so Bruce naturally didn't know what Hull City meant to him.

This city was once seen as the hope of White Cliffs, appearing countless times in the Soflowa brothers' fantasies about the future. It can be said that it formed the cornerstone of Cillian's life.

Now, after overcoming countless difficulties, Cillian has finally arrived in the city that he has been longing for, but the original goal that drove him forward has long since changed.

A cool morning breeze swept over him, and Cillian composed himself before speaking.

"I'm quite lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"I've always thought the outside world is crazy and chaotic, full of hidden dangers. Even if you meet other people, they all have their own agendas and can't be trusted..."

Cillian was lucky to meet Bruce and also lucky to pass Dalyn's examination; everything went more smoothly than he could have imagined.

Bruce commented, "You sound a bit paranoid."

"Haha."

Cillian's smile faded, and he asked calmly, "Bruce, are you still coming with me from here?"

“Otherwise?” Bruce the dog barked. “Although I hate to admit it, I’m a dog now. Do you think a dog can rent a house, can find its own identity?”

"Hello, I'm a person, but I've been stuffed into a dog's body. Can you help me?"

Bruce answered himself, his voice shrill, "My God! This dog can talk! It's a monster!"

"Haha."

Cillian laughed heartlessly.

……

After successfully entering the city, Cillian spent a morning getting a general understanding of Hel City and how to survive as a stranger in a foreign land.

As Nunn said, Torchbearers are highly sought-after superhumans everywhere, and the soul essence generated in their blood is a form of hard currency, although its value varies in different city-states.

Ciri first found a place to exchange the remaining soul essence he had for city-state currency.

It was not issued by the city-state council of Hel, but was the unified circulating currency of the Holy City of the Day, and the coins were printed with the torch symbol representing the Fire Guardian Cult.

With his meager start-up capital, Cillian rented an apartment in a remote corner of the city. Apart from being a bit old, it had everything he needed.

The remaining city-state coins were used by Ciri to buy some changes of clothes and some necessary daily necessities.

By evening, Cirien had finally settled in Hel.

Cillian completed all of this in less than a day, much faster than he had expected, which was also related to the fact that Cillian didn't pursue a high quality of life.

After so many days of living outdoors, having a soft mattress to sleep on was a luxury for Cillian.

After Cillian finished showering, he also helped Bruce clean his fur. The two of them sat on the balcony, spacing out as they dried themselves.

They chatted about this and that. When it was almost time, Cillian collapsed onto the bed and drifted off to sleep, while Bruce curled up on the sofa in the living room, equally sound asleep.

The hectic life is finally over.

In the following days, Cillian's mental state improved considerably.

In between, he would stand on the balcony in a daze, wondering if he had moved on from his grief.

After much reflection and self-examination, Cillian was certain that he had not yet emerged from his grief.

He's just a bit carefree.

The sadness still exists, but it seems to be blurred, separated from Ciri by a layer of mist, intangible and unclear.

Like walking on damp, soft sand, each step brings a varying degree of sinking.

Cillian stopped thinking about these things.

In the morning, Ciri wandered around the various districts, experiencing the local customs and culture of Hull, while also learning more about the city's past.

The City of Convergence, Hel, was established during the sixth expedition in the Age of Renaissance.

At that time, the explorers led the torchbearers, marching triumphantly along the Dawn Corridor. One expeditionary force, which had been dispersed from the main force, opened up this land, and city-states sprang up from the ground.

In the afternoon, Cillian immersed himself in the public library, reading through world history in one go, learning about the major events that occurred from the Dark Ages to the present city-state era, and constructing a complete picture of the world in his mind.

The more perfect the world in his mind became, the more he realized its incompleteness. Many historical periods had obvious gaps, as if they had been deliberately erased.

He belatedly realized that this history was not deliberately erased, but rather that the history could not yet appear in public libraries open to the public.

Like a year of rebellion.

Realizing this, Ciri began to investigate which extraordinary forces existed within Hel City.

He thought this would be a very troublesome matter, but Cillian discovered that in some expensive areas of the city, there were branches of various extraordinary forces, including the Fire Guardian Cult.

After careful consideration, Cillian gave up on contacting the Fireguard Cult. If his bloodline were discovered, the resulting trouble would be beyond what Cillian could handle at his current level.

Unlike Cillian, who was always out and about, Bruce stayed at home and never went out.

Bruce took over the living room and turned it into his workspace. Every day when Cillian came back, he would see Bruce secretly studying something.

Cillian tried to find out what Bruce was up to, but after listening to Bruce's explanation, Cillian felt completely lost.

With only the limited technical knowledge he had learned on his own, Cillian was completely unable to understand what Bruce was saying.

After several attempts, the only thing Cillian could figure out was that Bruce was trying to repair his memories.

This peaceful life lasted for a week.

"Bruce," Cillian said with concern, "we now face a serious problem."

"what happened?"

Bruce took seriously the matter that caused Cillian such distress.

"We're out of money."

Cillian placed the few bills he had on the table.

Bruce said, "Aren't you the Torchbearer? Go sell your soul essence!"

"Do you know how much of the Soul Essence Refining Machine in Hel City takes away each time it's used?" Sirian said with deep resentment. "Besides, how many times can I refine it even if I work my life away in a month!"

Big cities have their glamour, but they also have their darkness, and now Cillian is truly experiencing it firsthand.

"But you, Bruce, as a spirit craftsman, aren't you capable of transforming matter?"

Cillian's eyes lit up. "Can't you just offer some gold that's been transformed?"

"Do you know how much energy and how complicated the steps are required to transform gold into gold?"

Bruce argued, "And, although I can't recall the formula for transforming gold, I clearly remember that, according to the Primal Code of Forging, unauthorized transformation of precious metals to disrupt the market is a serious crime."

"The amount of money involved is too large; they could be beheaded!"

This world is not only home to extraordinary individuals, but also to countless ordinary people. In order to restrain the extraordinary individuals, each extraordinary force has its own internal laws.

After arguing for a while, the two collapsed helplessly onto the sofa, forced to confront the harsh reality.

"We need to find a job," Cillian said.

“Only you,” Bruce corrected, “you can’t expect a dog to go out and work, can you?”

Cillian was furious. "Now you're not going to talk about your human dignity?"

This extraordinary dog ​​is very concerned about its dignity as a human being most of the time; for example, it refuses to use a dog bowl and insists on sitting at the table with Cillian to eat.

Bruce shamelessly retorted, "One thing at a time!"

Cillian was amused by Bruce's words.

“I’ll see if I can find a suitable job. I can’t just stay cooped up at home forever.” Cillian’s eyes darkened. “I need to integrate into this city.”

Cirian came to Hel not to live a good life.

He was investigating Natania's true identity to avenge the blood debts of White Cliff Town.

Cillian never forgot this point.

(End of this chapter)