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墨書 Inktalez
The caravan received no notifications and continued on their journey. After a day and a half, Evelyn arrived at the location of five corpses. She was quite irritated; if it was poisoning, why did she have to make the trip herself? Strictly speaking, this area did not belong to Dawn City, and the dead had nothing to do with her.
After dealing with Evelyn, Beiyue and the other three caught up with the caravan and resumed their role as vanguards. First, they returned to the camp guarded by Mote. It must be said that Mote was very diligent, lingering around the camp to watch over the belongings of Beiyue and his companions. Of course, all the food had been completely consumed by Mote. In Mote's community, there was no concept of private property; when it came to food, they simply rummaged through packages and ate whatever they could find.
The most tragic part was that Beiyue and his group had brought food from the caravan to the camp, only for Mote to show up... This meant they had to invite someone to eat again, especially since Mote had repeatedly stated that food on the Eternal Sphere tasted better than rocks. Beiyue didn't have as thick a skin as Cui Ming, so after Mote had a hearty meal, the four of them found themselves in a state of food scarcity once more.
They could only return to the caravan for more food. This time, Beiyue was smarter; after obtaining the food, they took a detour around Mote's territory. Ding Ze went empty-handed to say goodbye to Mote.
On the fourth day of the caravan's journey, they faced their greatest challenge: twenty-five kilometers of rocky terrain slowed their progress significantly. Beiyue and his companions had already reached the border of Dawnmoon City, and during this stretch of road, they found no signs of Force. On the fifth day, bad news arrived; Shan Bo signaled that scout Cui Ming had received word, prompting the four to return to the rocky area.
Last night, someone had poisoned the horses' feed, resulting in dozens of horses dying. Why not poison people? Because there were strict guards over human food due to concerns about sabotage from the Fire Cult. The oversight on horse feed was much weaker. The suspect had already been captured; he was an attendant from City Hall who confessed under security interrogation that he was a follower of the Fire Cult and actively sought to join the caravan. From this incident, it could be concluded that earthquakes and fires were indeed part of the Fire Cult's conspiracy.
After discussions, the caravan split into two groups; one group set off first while Beiyue contacted Xiaoyue City officials for assistance in transporting trapped supplies from Dawnmoon City. This was merely a minor episode; that follower had initially planned to set fire to destroy the supplies but lacked the capability for such a crime and could only settle for less.
After eight days of transport, Dawn City's caravan finally arrived at Dawnmoon City. To stabilize public sentiment, Xiaoyue City officials arranged some minor deceptions; when reaching the border, they used long trucks to transport supplies while reporters interviewed caravan members who inflated the amount of food being transported. Regardless of how it happened, the safe arrival of the caravan calmed Dawnmoon City. With subsequent maritime shipments arriving and Cui Ming and others taking it upon themselves to conceal the identities of five practitioners, this conspiracy by the Fire Cult was thwarted before it could take root.
Dawnmoon City is a nation with a significant wealth gap; its middle class is relatively small, resulting in a social structure resembling a dumbbell shape—one of the most unstable forms of society. Sociologists believe that pyramid-shaped or rugby-shaped social structures are relatively stable.
Public safety in Dawnmoon City is poor; Beiyue and his companions checked into a hotel while waiting for their ferry two days later. On their first night, they encountered robbery just five hundred meters from their hotel on a busy street where a car stopped and two men got out with guns demanding all cash from Beiyue. The outcome is easy to imagine. The wealthy areas benefit from strong security forces due to their resources and generally enjoy better safety conditions. The poor in Dawnmoon City often harbor resentment towards the rich—not because they dislike wealth itself but because they cannot attain it.
The root cause of this wealth disparity lies with the Fire Cult; Dawnmoon City has been under sanctions from Eternity Alliance for years—rich in mineral resources yet unable to engage in market transactions. However, freedom of belief is explicitly stated in Dawnmoon City's constitution, and there is no precise legal definition for cults in judicial terms, leaving Xiaoyue City officials at a loss. Additionally, with Fire Cult's free propaganda demonizing Eternity Alliance, it has led to hostility among Dawnmoon City's impoverished classes towards the alliance, believing their poverty is caused by Eternity Alliance itself.
In the evening, the four of them gathered for dinner at the hotel, casually discussing the recent robbery, and shared a light laugh. Li Qing remarked, "There is a well-known practitioner in Dawnmoon City who is also a criminal."
"Zhao Wei," Beiyue replied, clearly aware of her. Turning to Cui Ming, he continued, "Zhao Wei is one in five hundred thousand. She became a member of a local gang in Dawnmoon City at the age of eight and gained significant notoriety by eleven. During a heist at a mining site, she chose to rescue trapped miners, which led to her being punished by the gang. A practitioner saved her and discovered her exceptional talent. To reward her for saving the miners, he taught her Force and Six Elements but did not impose any moral constraints on her actions. After becoming a practitioner, Zhao Wei began to turn against her own kind, robbing local gangs, plundering the wealthy, stealing from banks, and even raiding the gold reserve of Dawnmoon City. In desperation, Dawnmoon City sought help from the Force Alliance a year ago, and they agreed to assist in capturing Zhao Wei. However, Zhao Wei got wind of it first and vanished from Dawnmoon City. Over the past year, she has been robbing across the Eastern Continent, gaining infamy. Fortunately, she vowed before her teacher not to harm ordinary people with her abilities; thus, the Force Alliance canceled their pursuit after she left Dawnmoon City."
The Force Alliance does not represent the law; they merely uphold certain boundaries. Just like when Weir stole Magic Stones at Lincoln Manor, Beiyue's attitude was indifferent. The Force Alliance operates under this same principle; hence, even the notorious Weir did not harm ordinary people. Practitioners do not kill ordinary people; this is a fundamental rule for the Force Alliance. As long as this boundary is not crossed, they will not hold practitioners accountable.
Beiyue said, "Evelyn mentioned that Zhao Wei has a hero complex, which can be seen from her act of saving the miners. At the same time, Zhao Wei is also a dangerous criminal because she does not care about material possessions; what she enjoys is the thrill of each robbery. Her vow not to harm ordinary people complicates her heists and makes her obsessed with them."
Li Qing tapped on the table and looked at Cui Ming. "Junior Brother, you come from a thieving background; do you know Zhao Wei?"
"Senior Brother, we are technical thieves who rely on our brains for survival. Zhao Wei's gang is more about brute force—strong limbs but simple minds," Cui Ming replied. "Aside from robbery, these people know nothing else. When Thieves Guilds arrive in an area, they have to pay respects to the local gangs and seek out fences for their stolen goods. From our perspective, gangs are among the lowest tier in terms of criminal skill; they originated from ruffians who banded together to bully individuals and extort money. Although I haven't heard of Zhao Wei specifically, if my guess is correct, she's definitely a violent woman."
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