Night Journey

Chapter 5 Baiya Town

After getting up, washing up, and getting dressed, Ciri left the house into the slightly chilly morning breeze.

Cillian crawled into the Lighthouse and climbed the long ladder, taking several minutes to reach the top.

The top of the tower contains an extremely complex lens system, with countless lenses painted with concentric circles arranged in sequence, like petals stacked and blooming in layers. Gears and machinery mesh precisely, undulating and swaying slightly, resembling a complex self-circulating ecosystem.

The lens system was called the Torch Array, and all that Cillian knew about it was its name; there were no mechanics in White Cliff Town who could repair it.

Cillian couldn't help but worry about what would happen if the torch array broke down.

Nunn claimed that the Torch Array was built by the Spirit Craftsmen of the House of All Machines, and that the equipment they built could run independently for hundreds of years if properly maintained.

The lighthouse can still burn for a long time; it is far from reaching the end of its service life.

Ciri conducted the inspection as usual. The combustion furnace was operating at normal power, the spare soul essence was sealed, and the reserve was sufficient.

After confirming that everything was normal, Cillian leaned over the observation window, looking down at the small town where he had lived for nearly ten years.

Baiya Town, as its name suggests, is a small town standing on the edge of a white cliff.

Beyond the cliff and a short distance further lies a dark world inaccessible to mortals, demonstrating the extremely remote location of Baiya Town in this wild and untamed region of the Outer Flame Frontier.

This is why Baiya Town has not had any new visitors in the past two decades.

Even the most reckless travel group wouldn't risk venturing to such a remote area; if they accidentally fell into the dark world, it would be a journey of no return.

In the dark world, the gray fog, filled with chaotic power, overflows from the ground even during the day and is unaffected by sunlight, existing in purgatory day and night.

Mortals who come into contact with the dark world will go mad and transform into bloodthirsty monsters. Even extraordinary beings like Nunn would find it difficult to endure in the dark world for long.

"Teacher, have you ever stepped into the dark world?"

Cillian had asked this question, but Nunn gazed at the darkness beyond the cliff and remained silent.

He guessed that Nunn must have been to the dark world.

"This is a deadly world..."

The outer frontier is completely unsuitable for human habitation.

Realizing this, Cillian became curious about the origins of White Cliff Town.

Who on earth would build such a small town in this remote place, complete with a lighthouse and packed with complex technology?

Because of his "past life," Cillian is always more curious than his peers.

Cillian wanted to understand the world better, but there were no answers in the library, the mayor didn't know the history of White Cliff, and neither did the townspeople.

We are simply born here, then die, and the cycle repeats itself.

Nuen must know something; he is not only the protector of White Cliff Town, but also the most learned person in White Cliff Town.

On the dimly lit high wall, a flash of light caught Cillian's eye.

Cillian stopped his wandering thoughts and carefully observed the flash of light. It was a signal from Mick, indicating that the night was over.

"Another day has passed, but I don't know when it will end."

Cillian carefully stretched his body to avoid aggravating his wound.

Reduce the power of the combustion furnace, decrease the input of soul essence, and shut down the torch arrays one by one until the pure white flames that had been burning all night gradually went out.

The warm sunlight bathed the earth, illuminating the shadowy corners of Baiya Town.

Cillian admired the town where he had lived for so long, and the first thing that caught his eye was the armory near the Lighthouse of Light.

This is Nunn's residence, next to the armory is an exquisite two-story cottage.

Tim told me that more than ten years ago, a student of Nunn lived here, but unfortunately, he was attacked by a demon one night and died.

In accordance with the student's last wishes, the mayor handed the house over to Nunn, and it became a student dormitory. Now, only the Soflowa brothers live there.

Down from the armory is the mayor's hall, where annual celebrations are held. Next comes the town square, residential area, high walls…

Cillian nimbly climbed down from the Lighthouse and returned to the two-story cabin. As soon as he opened the door, he smelled a delicious aroma.

In the not-so-large living room, Ava was busy making breakfast. The tableware and food were already set on the table, and even the chairs were ready.

Good morning, Cillian.

Noticing Cillian's return, Ava greeted him warmly.

Cillian was deeply moved. "Our Lady is here! How can we live without you?"

Ava picked up the soup spoon and said playfully.

"Then I'll reluctantly take care of you all."

Footsteps sounded outside the door; Tim and Mick had returned.

"Hey, good morning, everyone."

Tim rubbed his sleepy eyes, glanced at Ava, and then looked at Cillian with a smile.

"Thank you so much, Ava."

Tim was extremely grateful to see the breakfast laid out on the table.

The night patrols every day drained the energy and strength of the three Soflovai brothers. After their night shifts, they would either eat a quick bite or go straight to bed to catch up on sleep.

A bowl of hot mushroom soup and freshly baked bread were a rare comfort for the three brothers.

"I'm going back to my room to eat." The youngest, Mick, yawned, picked up a few plates, and headed upstairs.

Tim devoured most of the food in a flash, finishing his breakfast.

"See you in the afternoon."

Tim waved to the two of them and went up the stairs. Soon after, a sound of a body falling freely onto the mattress was heard, followed by annoying snoring.

Cillian picked up his spoon, just about to take a sip of the mushroom soup, when Ava sneakily brought over a plate of roast meat.

She raised an eyebrow at Cillian. "Try it, it's a treat for the patient."

"My Holy Mother Ava..."

Ciri's stomach rumbled, and he clasped his hands together in devout praise.

"You!"

Ava said helplessly.

Although it has been cut off from the outside world for nearly twenty years, Baiya Town is rich in resources.

The huge underground storage space has stockpiled a large amount of supplies, and the three-dimensional farm maintains the fragile production cycle of Baiya Town.

When Cillian first saw these facilities, he was filled with doubt, to which Nunn simply gave a casual reply.

"These were all left behind by the Wanji Tonglu Academy."

Let's return to the present moment.

“Eat up, I got this from the farm.” Ava raised her arm, showing off her non-existent muscles. “I wasn’t just doing this for free.”

"Thank God!"

After hearing this, Cillian didn't hold back.

"This is your blood."

Cillian took a big gulp of juice.

"This is your meat... I'll give you half."

Cillian cut the roast meat in half, forked it onto another empty plate, and pushed it toward Ava.

Seeing that Ava was trying to decline, Cillian asked.

"What's wrong? My Holy Mother Ava, it's like the believers are paying taxes for you."

Ava knew she couldn't win an argument with Cillian, so she took a bite of the roasted meat, and the aroma of the fat burst in her mouth.

As the safety guarantor of Baiya Town, the townspeople did not mistreat the Soflova brothers, giving them priority in receiving supplies.

However, under Nunn's tutelage, the Soflow brothers rarely indulged in pleasure, like a group of ascetics constantly battling desires.

After eating and drinking his fill, Cillian poured himself a glass of milk.

He prefers this drink to juice or beer.

After finishing breakfast, Cillian put the washed dishes back in the cupboard, tidied up the kitchen utensils, and cleaned the living room.

Tim and Mick lived on the second floor, while Cillian lived on the first floor. The room was spacious, but it only contained a bed and a bookcase. The walls were covered with various illustrations, maps, and cut-out text fragments.

In the upper corner, there is also a black and white group photo pinned to the wall.

The front row of the group photo features the Soflowa brothers and Ava, with Nunn standing behind them with a serious expression, like a dignified statue.

The remaining space was filled with all sorts of books, some related to geography, some to culture and art, but mostly fantasy novels.

Since the cataclysmic event of the Endless Day, human history and civilization suffered a severe blow, and it was not until millennia later, with the rise of three sages, that this lost knowledge was retrieved from beneath the thick yellow sand.

The recovered knowledge does not include these fantasy novels; they cannot provide for production or teach learning, and can only exist as a form of mental entertainment.

In a crazy era, entertainment is an unnecessary luxury.

Moreover, due to the gap in civilization, many books only have one volume and no second volume, and the story ends abruptly halfway through.

Cillian rummaged through the pile of books and found a "Mechanical Repair Manual". The book was worn out from Cillian's frequent reading, and every page was filled with annotations.

Pushing open another door to the room, Cillian arrived at his workshop, or rather, his warehouse.

The air was thick with the metallic smell of rust, like a steel skeleton rotting there for years… and in fact, it wasn’t far off.
The shelves were piled high with all sorts of rusty parts, and in the very center hung a patched-up, battered motorcycle.

He spent several years collecting these items.

"The world outside..."

Cillian murmured to himself, his eyes filled with longing.

To reach the outside world, the most important thing is a vehicle that can travel across the wilderness.

There are no vehicles capable of long-distance travel in Baiya Town, nor are there any professional mechanics.

Under Cillian's repeated questioning, Nunn helplessly admitted that he knew nothing about this, and that only the spirit craftsmen of the House of All Machines were skilled in it.

However, there are no so-called spiritual craftsmen in this remote Baiya Town.

Cillian was not defeated by the difficulties. He chose to learn from scratch and repaired most of the motorcycle using the discarded parts he had dragged back from the wilderness.

　Bonus chapters for donations from patrons will be released together with the book's official release. Thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)