Mystery: The Traveler Who Holds the Star Key

Late at night, in the East District.

The air seemed to have been sucked dry by that brick-red building.

Immediately afterwards, dark red, corrupting light surged out like a runaway flood.

Boom—!

The war between mortals and the afterglow of divinity sparked a spiritual collision in a higher dimension.

In the shadows of distant rooftops, Orion's hair was tousled by the fierce wind.

He didn't look at the collapsed building, but instead glanced down at his pocket watch.

His face only showed the look of impatience and disdain while waiting for food at a restaurant:

"Tsk, so slow. Are all civil servants this inefficient these days?"

He gestured towards the distant battlefield like a stern overseer:

"Only by completely tearing away that wrapping paper called 'God' can I put the rotten meat inside into my plate."

……

The center of the battlefield.

"ah!!"

A piercing scream tore through the night sky.

The sealed artifact of the Church of the Goddess of Night—

The pale white bone sword finally pierced through Lanius's chest, suppressing the rampant and restless divinity of the "True Creator" within him.

At that very moment, Lanius did something that shocked everyone.

Instead of retaliating, he used the power of the sealed artifact to sever the connection.

puff!

Fresh blood gushed out.

He flew backwards like a rag doll.

But on his blood-stained face was a twisted smile.

"It worked... Hahaha! It worked!"

Ignoring his serious injuries, he scrambled and crawled toward the bathroom window.

As he flipped and jumped down, he didn't forget to turn back and wave to the sweat-drenched red-gloved butler, like a customer who had just finished receiving service:

"Hey! You in the red gloves! Your skills are pretty good!"

"If I have the chance next time, I'll give you a five-star review! Even though there's no tip!"

"Hahaha! The feeling of pulling that disgusting stuff out of my body... it's even better than relieving constipation!"

ridicule.

Extreme mockery.

In his view, it was a perfect scam.

He is the winner, the only winner.

……

In the sewers, Lanius ran frantically, clutching his bleeding chest.

Meanwhile, the sleazy tour guide nicknamed "Rat" was running three meters ahead of him, holding a dim kerosene lamp, scurrying around like a live target to scout the way.

"Left side! Sir! The picture shows the left side!"

Orion pointed to a dangerous path that looked like it was about to collapse and let out a pig-like scream.

Without any hesitation, Lanius followed the rat, stumbling and scrambling into the sewage-filled tunnel.

The stench here made him feel at ease; it was the smell of freedom.

"Those church dogs are still dealing with divinity...this is my only chance."

At that moment, a series of rapid footsteps and spiritual energy fluctuations came from above.

The official extraordinary individuals reacted even faster than expected!

"Over there! There's movement!"

The sound was coming from next door.

Lanius's heart pounded, and he instinctively wanted to run back.

"Don't stop, sir!"

Orian, who was running ahead, suddenly turned around and grabbed Lanius's sleeve.

They dragged him into an extremely narrow, moss-covered side road on the right.

A miracle happened.

The footsteps of the pursuers actually swept over their heads.

Completely unaware of the secret passage beneath their feet, a passage only a rat could squeeze into.

"It really works..."

Lanius was overjoyed. Looking at the lewd figure still panting and struggling ahead, greed instantly overwhelmed his fear.

"That greedy good-for-nothing wasn't lying to me! This really is a blind spot only rats would know about!"

The two walked one after the other through the complex network of pipes.

Just as we were crossing an intersection, a strange purple light suddenly appeared ahead.

Then came shouts like "There are people here."

That's the second layer of the encirclement!

Lanius stopped in his tracks, looking surprised and uncertain, and was about to back away.

But then the "ratman" running ahead suddenly pulled a dusty gray glass bottle from his pocket, his face showing a pained expression as if his own flesh had been torn away:

"Damn it! For my bounty... I'll risk it all!"

Orion slammed the bottle into the abyss on his right.

Bang!

A muffled explosion followed, and purple smoke burst forth.

Immediately following, panicked shouts from an official extraordinary individual came from afar:

"Over there! There's a spiritual energy fluctuation! Go after them!"

This is the last card this greedy rat played to save its life!

Lanius watched as the footsteps were quickly lured away, his heart pounding.

What follows is an extreme sense of pleasure from intellectual superiority.

"Well done! You idiot!"

He kicked Orion in the backside, urging the panting guide to keep running:

"You'll get double if you go outside! Run!"

As Lanius ran frantically according to the map, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He won.

He has once again manipulated everyone!

Looking at the back of that person in front of me who was willing to risk his life for money.

He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes brimming with anticipation for the future:

"Once we get to Intis... with my looks and eloquence, I can easily swindle a few more rich women."

"That countess last time was really stupid; maybe we can try tricking a princess this time?"

"Remember to transfer the money out first... Hmm, cash is best, cash smells the best."

He stared at the "extremely hidden dock exit" marked at the end of the map, his eyes glowing redder and redder.

He mocked the official extraordinary as a stupid pig, and ridiculed the "greedy ratman" in front of him as despicable but really useful.

But I never thought of that.

Why are all the "paths to survival" on this map like funnels?

Were we led to the same destination, intentionally or unintentionally, by this mouse?

Goodbye, Backlund.

Lanius charged toward the dimly lit iron gate ahead, his face radiating the arrogance of a victor:

"You can't catch me... No one can catch the master charlatan, Laneus!"

Deep inside the sewer, the sound of police whistles was already fifty meters behind them.

The oppressive feeling, like a thorn in his back, pushed Lanius's nerves to their limit.

Ahead was that rusty iron gate.

That's the destination marked on the map—

The "private avenue" leading to the docks.

However, at this critical juncture...

The "sleazy ratman" that had been leading the pack suddenly stopped.

He slumped down in the doorway, clutching the keyhole tightly, and turned his face, streaked with tears and snot:

"No... I quit!"

"That commotion is caused by the Red Gloves! If they get caught, they'll be hanged!"

Orion let out a pig-like wail, which sounded particularly jarring in the highly echoing passageway:

"I need more money! This isn't enough to save my life! I want ten times more... No! I want to go home! Waaah, I want to go home!"

This is the inherent weakness of the lower class.

Faced with immense fear, greed and cowardice can cause them to completely lose control.

A violent red light flashed in Lanius's eyes.

The footsteps behind me grew closer and closer; every second felt like a countdown between life and death.

He didn't have time to haggle with this good-for-nothing, much less to comfort a frightened rat.

"You want to go home?"

Lanius's voice was as cold as the scythe of death.

"Then I'll see you off."

puff!

Without the slightest hesitation.

Lanius's dagger pierced precisely into the heart of the "ratman"—

At least that's how it feels.

Orion let out a scream that stopped abruptly, his body twitched, and he slid into the sewage like a puddle of mud, still clutching the key tightly in his hand.

"idiot."

Lanius kicked the still-warm "corpse" aside, roughly pried open the stiff finger, and snatched the key.

"Your usefulness is over."

He turned the key sharply.

Click.

The door opened.

In the last second before the "pursuers" behind him were about to turn the corner.

Like a slippery venomous snake, Lanius darted into the crack in the door in an instant.

He didn't forget to lock the heavy iron door behind him.

Bang!

The iron gate slammed shut, shutting out the noise and death outside.

Lanius leaned against the cold door, his body slowly sliding down the door, panting heavily.

Sweat mixed with blood dripped onto the dry ground.

After a few seconds of deathly silence.

An immense, overwhelming joy of surviving a catastrophe erupted from his chest.

"Ha...haha...hahahaha!"

He won.

He won again.

Whether it was the demigod of the church or the sewer rat who only wanted to swindle money, they all eventually became pawns on his chessboard.

"A bunch of useless trash... and they think they can arrest me?"

Lanius wiped the blood from his face, and facing the tightly closed iron gate, revealed a contemptuous and twisted smile, the kind of smile reserved for victors:

"And that greedy idiot... Remember in your next life, mortals have no right to haggle with 'gods'."

He patted his blood-stained gloves as if flicking away an annoying fly, his tone full of condescending arrogance:

"Thanks for the map anyway. As for the bag of gold coins?"

"Take this with you to hell and spend it slowly; consider it my gift for your coffin!"

He straightened his disheveled collar and put his gold-rimmed glasses back on.

Turn around, ready to embrace the "dock exit" marked on the map and the glimmer of freedom.

however.

The moment he turned around and took his first step.

That ecstatic smile suddenly froze on his face.

There is indeed a faint light here.

But this is not a dock.

This is a completely enclosed, circular, abandoned water storage tank.

The surrounding area was surrounded by high walls covered in moss, with no exit whatsoever.

This is a complete and utter—

dead end.

"How...how could this be..."

For a moment, Lanius's mind went blank.

The feeling of weightlessness, like falling from the clouds to hell in an instant, made him almost unable to stand.

That is, in this very second.

A whisper, elegant, playful, yet utterly wicked, drifted in from outside the tightly closed iron gate.

It's like a demon whispering through a crack in the door:

"Dear VIP customer, welcome to the maiden voyage of the 'Hell Express'."

Are you satisfied with this "painless funeral service"?

"After you go to hell, remember to give the great magician Orion Abraham a five-star review!"

"take a bow."

That voice...

Lanius's pupils contracted sharply.

The ratman who didn't die... a faked death... a perfect setup...

From beginning to end, there was no divine intervention whatsoever; it was just a magic show that made a fool of him!

"It's you... that bastard! It's you!!"

Shame and rage instantly overwhelmed his reason, and he turned sharply, intending to ram the iron gate.

But he didn't even have time to let out a desperate roar.

A chilling feeling, as if locked on by a natural enemy, instantly froze his throat.

He suddenly raised his head.

In the darkness ahead, on the only path that must be taken.

A person stood quietly.

He was a man of medium build wearing a plain blue worker's uniform.

But what he wore on his face was a mask with an exaggerated smile, upturned corners of his mouth, and a bright red nose.

A clown.

The clown didn't speak, but simply watched the panting Lanius quietly.

It's like watching someone finally reach the finish line, only to find that the finish line is a cliff...

fool.