Night Journey

Chapter 89 Happy Birthday
Before nightfall had covered the entire sky, the lighthouse of Hull City lit up ahead of time.

Tons of soul essence were thrown into the combustion furnace, and through repeated refraction by the array of torches, they transformed into a rising artificial sun, keeping the spreading gray fog outside the high walls.

A series of mournful cries echoed from the murky night sky, as if a flock of strange birds were flying by.

Immediately afterwards, a scorching crackling sound rang out in mid-air, and chunks of charred, foul-smelling flesh rained down from the sky, landing right in front of Cirion.

Cillian glanced at the rotting chunks of flesh, and with a burst of soul light, they were completely burned to ashes in a matter of moments, drifting away with the wind and leaving only a scorched mark on the ground.

"See, this is the downside of living on the top floor."

Sitting opposite Cillian, Daelin said helplessly, "Every night, these winged demons swoop down from the sky to Hel City, only to be burned to ashes by the Lighthouse, just like moths drawn to a flame."

The partially burned remains would fall down, sometimes landing here, sometimes directly against my window.

“It is indeed quite troublesome,” Cillian nodded. “Mainly, it greatly affects outdoor barbecues. Nobody wants to eat half a meal and end up with a piece of demon flesh.”

"Yeah yeah."

Dai Lin responded loudly.

It was a nice night. Cillian gathered on the rooftop of Daelin's house, set up a grill, and had an open-air barbecue.

No beer, no boasting about the past, just quiet grilling, dining, and enjoying the meal.

"Oh, this piece is baked well, you should try it."

Dailin picked up a piece of grilled meat and handed it to Anya, who was standing next to him.

Anya silently accepted and began to eat without uttering a sound.

Anya is not a quiet person; she can joke and tell endless funny stories. But when Ciri is around, she becomes extremely reserved.

She didn't hate Cillian; she just instinctively revered his bloodline.

"What good stuff is this? Let me try some!"

After a strange cry, Bruce emerged, lay down on Anya's lap, and frantically wagged his tail.

Anya's initial restraint turned into embarrassment.

Tonight's outdoor barbecue isn't just about eating, drinking, and having fun; it's also about getting to know each other better so we can better prepare for the upcoming battle against the invisible ones.

Anya had long suspected Cillian's identity and accepted it easily. However, Bruce, a talking dog that could use energy, was too rare, and the shock it brought to Anya had not subsided much.

"Please..."

Anya picked up a piece of meat and handed it to Bruce with exceptional respect.

"Not bad."

Bruce ate heartily and thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

After eating and drinking its fill, it lay down with its belly exposed, and then, feeling it wasn't enough, it twisted its body.

"Good dog."

Anya understood and patted its belly, smoothing its fur. Bruce happily arched its back.

Cillian looked down at the crisscrossing streets below.

No matter how bright the beacon of light was, it still cast many shadows in the city of Hull.

They were densely packed, like maggots crawling on the earth.

After the cataclysmic event of the Endless Day, the Iron Father of the Heavenly Craft rebuilt industry and unearthed lost technologies from beneath the yellow sands. Using his extraordinary power, he liberated production to a certain extent.

Vertical farms are one example of their achievements; they are typically located underground and, through highly efficient automation, provide the city-state with a large quantity of food crops.

Not only vertical farms, but in order to save ground space, the Spirit Craftsmen have moved almost all automated facilities underground, growing abnormally around the Lighthouse.

Today, the Lighthouse itself has become somewhat distorted, with large areas of living space carved out within it. These spaces are narrow, dark, damp, and stuffy, yet countless citizens still scramble to live here.

After we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time to get down to business.

"According to Valerie's intelligence, the Claw's safe house is there."

Cillian raised the Boiling Sword and pointed it at the foot of the Lighthouse, into the sprawling inner city.

"In the inner city, dozens of meters below the surface, there is a vertical farm built by spirit craftsmen. It provides basic food supplies for Hur City, but at the same time, it is also a safe house for the Claws."

He then asked, "During the previous investigation into the Claws, did the City Guard search this place?"

"We tried, but the results weren't good."

Dai Lin, holding his plate, was still not full, chewing on some meat, and spoke in a muffled voice.

"After years of changes by the Spirit Craftsmen, the Lighthouse... or rather, the Inner City, has become so deformed that it has surpassed our imagination."

"No one can count how many people live in that unseen shadow, let alone the Chaos believers."

Dai Lin swallowed hard, and his voice became clear.

"The City Guard Bureau cooperated with the Spirit Craftsmen to launch several cleansings, but the result was that, without our notice, the people living there began to expand on their own. The upper level of the inner city is still okay, but the lower level, and even the deep underground, has completely become a maze. Unless necessary, even we official staff don't want to go there."

After hearing Daelin's answer, Cillian said sarcastically.

"A natural breeding ground for chaos lies beneath a dazzling beacon of light."

Dai Lin gave a wry smile and offered no explanation.

All these extraordinary powers are enough to elevate people's lives to an unimaginable level of satisfaction, yet under the direct and unsolvable threat of chaos, all of this seems so fragile and vulnerable.

"Through a rough comparison, Valerie is probably referring to the No. 46 vertical farm. It was one of the earliest vertical farms in Hull City. Over time, I couldn't find out who was in charge of it, and the people who were recorded passed away several years ago."

Anya also came over and told her about the information she knew.

"I suspect that its management fell into chaos, which gave the Claw an opportunity to turn it into its safe house."

Anya asked worriedly, "We don't know the internal situation of the vertical farm yet... Can you manage on your own?"

"It should be fine."

Ciri clenched the Boiling Sword in his hand. Now that he had reached the second rank, with the Blessing of Hatred and Evil, he was capable of fighting even against a powerful enemy of the third rank.

Not to mention, Cillian had Bruce make preparations in advance for tonight's life-or-death battle.

"Bruce, is everything set up?"

“Of course,” Bruce said, putting on his goggles. “You can trust me to handle things.”

Several days ago, they had already developed a detailed plan and repeatedly rehearsed it to ensure that no unexpected events would occur.

Now, everything is ready, except for someone to take action and burn it all to the ground.

"Well then, the dinner is over, everyone. It's time to get down to business."

Cillian's relaxed posture tensed up, like a drawn sword, its sharpness fully revealed.

“Okay…but, there are still some things I don’t understand, Cillian.”

Anya mustered her courage, looked directly into Cillian's eyes, and spoke.

"Logically speaking, if we prepare for a few more days, the success rate of the operation will be much higher. Besides, even with our assistance from the outside, it's still too much for you to go deep into enemy territory alone, isn't it?"

Anya has always been a cautious person. In order to ensure the success of the operation and to avoid losing this only clue, she offered her own idea, hoping to dissuade Cillian at this last moment.

Cillian did not answer the question immediately, but instead turned his back to Anya and gazed at the brightly lit lighthouse.

"Actually, I wanted to make up a lie, but that would be too much trouble, so I might as well just tell the truth."

Cillian spoke up, "Tonight is not a day I chose randomly."

He turned around, backlit, his face completely black.

Today is my birthday.

Cillian's answer surprised Anya, and Dalin was also puzzled for a moment.

"So, after tonight, I will be an adult, no longer a child."

Ciri gripped his sword so tightly he almost welded his flesh and blood to the metal.

"I want to use tonight's massacre as my coming-of-age ceremony. Do you think that's enough reason?"

Anya nodded stiffly. The reason was strange, yet heavy, so heavy that Anya had no choice but to accept it.

Dailin said, "Okay, then we'll do it your way."

“No, no, no,” Cillian waved his hand, “you shouldn’t have answered me like that.”

He continued, "Today is my birthday, what should you be saying at this time?"

Bruce was the first to react and said.

Happy birthday, Cillian.

Anya and Dailin hesitated for a moment, but then spoke one after the other.

"Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday to you."

Hearing such a blessing, Cillian smiled happily and put on the six-eyed winged helmet.

"Then let's begin the birthday celebration, everyone!"

The six bright eyes shimmered against the backlight.

"May we have a good time tonight."

(End of this chapter)