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墨書 Inktalez
Warden appeared to be under fifty, with a hooked nose and hawk-like eyes, giving off an impression that he was not a good person. However, there was another side to him—cold, calm, and silent. He was not flamboyant; on the contrary, he was restrained and low-key. The two of them had lunch in Dawnmoon City, where Boss took advantage of them. Warden paid without a word and showed no sign of displeasure afterward. To him, Boss was like an ant, unworthy of his energy to argue with.
The two had hired a boat from Dawnmoon City to set out to sea—a medium-sized fishing vessel with six sailors and a captain. Since they were not fishing, only three sailors accompanied the ship. The vessel was sizable, providing ample space to move around. To show his trust in Cui Ming, Warden had refrained from using Mercury Force Restraint. While sitting together, they discussed many topics, even delving into politics.
Warden had lived a life somewhat isolated from the world, possessing limited knowledge and a certain curiosity about matters concerning the Three Continents. Apart from reading newspapers, he relied on Cui Ming for information. Additionally, Warden took daily baths, revealing that his waist injury was severe; he often habitually rubbed his lower back with his left hand.
Despite their numerous discussions, the days at sea did not bring them closer or foster greater trust between them. During this time, they drafted some plans and established a life-and-death alliance. Although both understood that this so-called alliance was entirely fictitious, they still enthusiastically researched its details. It seemed that the more seriously they took the details, the more it demonstrated their belief in the alliance. Overall, traveling with Warden was quite an unpleasant experience.
The ship docked in the southern part of the Western Continent. They needed to traverse through the Western Continent to reach Northern Western Continent before sailing over a thousand miles to reach Shadow Island. Shadow Island was located near the Arctic Circle. In recent years, there had been signs of large creatures migrating outward from the Arctic. According to Warden, Shadow Island had experienced several large-scale creature invasions, all of which ended with them being eliminated by Lich.
Warden believed that the Arctic was originally a paradise for large creatures—not too cold and uninhabited—while the seabed was rich in fish resources and vast territories allowed for non-interference among them. However, as these large creatures faced no natural enemies and proliferated, food began to dwindle, prompting them to move southward solely in search of sustenance.
Upon reaching the Western Continent, they hired a vehicle heading towards the northernmost town of the continent. Money made things easier; transportation in central and eastern Western Continent was relatively good. However, traveling with Warden did not bring Cui Ming any joy.
Thus their journey became simpler; upon arriving at the town, Warden purchased a small fishing boat. After sailing for a hundred miles, Warden produced Mercury Shackles. Although Cui Ming did not believe Warden would wait until now to act against him, he still exhaled deeply at the sight of Mercury Shackles.
When Cui Ming first donned the Mercury Shackles, he felt curious. After confirming that Warden showed no signs of betraying their alliance, he began to experience the shackles. The shackles were a chain no longer than three meters that encircled his body; the lock automatically adjusted itself. In a state of Force Restraint, he could still feel the flow of Force within him; his protective abilities remained intact but could not be utilized for offense. Mercury Shackles were even more formidable; once locked on, practitioners were no different from ordinary people. However, due to their high cost and high failure rate during production, most people like Evelyn opted for Force Restraint instead.
At Cui Ming's request, Warden unlocked the Mercury Shackles for him to feel again; it felt like just coming out of a state of suppression—the Force levels were very low without any other side effects. Mercury Shackles differed from Force Restraint in that they could easily be opened by a third party if that person was also a practitioner who could use Force to interact with Force Restraint—unlocking it could take merely seconds if skilled enough. In contrast, Mercury Shackles were treasure-level items requiring meditation to integrate with them; only Warden could unlock Cui Ming's shackles. External forces could break them but required time; moreover, Warden would know if someone attempted to tamper with them. There were drawbacks as well: because Mercury Shackles were treasures, their owner could not stray more than one hundred fifty meters away; otherwise, they would automatically detach. On the other hand, Force Restraint remained effective regardless of distance.
The North Sea was Cui Ming's first visit; compared to the southern seas, there were more large animals in the North Sea and storms replaced by blizzards. The closer they got to Shadow Island, the colder it became; when they could see Shadow Island from afar, icebergs drifted around them in sight.
However, what Cui Ming did not expect was that Shadow Island was such a beautiful place.
Shadow Island was neither too large nor too small, covering an area of about ten square kilometers, and it was nearly circular in shape. At its center stood an active volcano, its crater capped with snow, creating a stunning sight. As one approached the volcano, the temperature rose significantly; it was unclear whether this was due to the magical formations set up around the area or the volcano itself creating such a peculiar landscape. Regardless, Cui Ming had to admit that this was indeed a wonderful place. In an instant, he even entertained thoughts of murder and seizing the island. When confronted with beauty, dark thoughts often emerge within human nature.
As they docked and disembarked, Cui Ming spotted a young and beautiful woman in her twenties gathering food along the shore, targeting crabs among other things. She wore green military attire, favored by laborers for its thick layers and good quality. The woman glanced at Cui Ming and his companions before returning to her task.
The Warden had previously mentioned that these women were consorts of the Lich, most of whom had been captured.
After capturing these women, the Lich had personnel record their ovulation cycles and arrange them accordingly for his visits. Currently, there were twenty-five ordinary women living on Shadow Island. They had their own settlement located on the southeastern side of the volcano, gathering food and water from the island and sea. Whenever it was time for ovulation, a woman in charge named Flower Aunt would notify one of them to go to the southwestern side of the volcano to meet with the Lich. Flower Aunt had once shared their status; however, once she turned thirty-five without any heirs, she would cease participating in these monthly events. Among the twenty-five women, there was one manager—Flower Aunt—and fifteen young women; the remaining nine were older women who continued to live on the island. However, those not needed for reproduction would not receive any supplies. While they generally supported each other out of sympathy, only those designated for reproduction received medical treatment when ill; non-reproductive women were left to fend for themselves.
In addition to these women, the island also housed the Lich, Lich Daughter, Warden, Lich Son, and three female doctors. One of the doctors came from a family of physicians and was a renowned obstetrician and gynecologist from Dawn Empire who had been captured by the Warden. The other two doctors were twins who had been taken at just fourteen years old upon strong insistence from this doctor; she had threatened the Lich into compliance to secure their roles as her assistants.
This was a lawless land where the Lich reigned as the supreme overlord; those at the bottom could only fight for minimal privileges. Even if Force Alliance or Eternity Alliance knew about this place or that the Lich was abducting people, they were powerless against him because no one could challenge his absolute authority.
Cui Ming and the Warden continued forward along a narrow path where Cui Ming saw bamboo huts lined up like a small village filled with women. Some were tending fires, others washing rice or grooming their hair; laughter echoed among them as they seemed accustomed to this way of life—at least on the surface. They needed laughter to sustain their spirits. Soon enough, some noticed Cui Ming and the Warden; it was their first encounter with men brought to Shadow Island. They stepped out from their village to watch Cui Ming with mixed expressions—some wore looks of schadenfreude while others displayed concern for him, hoping he would not share their fate. There were also those who remained indifferent.
"What are you looking at? Go back," said Flower Aunt as she appeared on scene. This palace manager was in her forties but still bore an attractive face despite having lost her waistline. She shooed the women back into their village.
Cui Ming continued onward; they were about five kilometers from where the Lich resided. In the distance, he could see another cluster of bamboo huts that looked quite imposing compared to those in the village. In front of these huts lay a small lake that revealed itself as a hot spring; near the volcano, steam rose from a small section while most of it remained tranquil—a rather pleasant spot where one could soak in hot springs while choosing their preferred temperature. The area also boasted abundant fish resources—he began contemplating again about murder and seizing control of this island.
Sounds emanated from a nearby bamboo grove; Cui Ming turned to see a pair of fifteen or sixteen-year-old female twins crouched on a small hillside watching him from over ten meters away. Behind them stood a woman in her late twenties dressed in military attire as well; she carried a bamboo basket on her back and held a small pickaxe in her hands—clearly engaged in gathering plants. If he guessed correctly, this must be the only doctor on Shadow Island. She was quite beautiful as well; it seemed that the Lich had no interest in women beyond mere reproductive needs.
By the lake, an Elder Sister was playing in the water with her little brother. She wore an exquisite swimsuit from the Three Continents. Upon noticing someone approaching, she glanced over, her expression devoid of any emotion, as if she were merely observing two cabbages walking by, with a hint of curiosity about why they were moving.
The Warden stepped forward to greet them. "Good day, Miss. Good day, Young Master."
Paralysis, you really are a loyal servant... Cui Ming thought as he looked at the Warden, who had mastered the art of humility and adaptability to perfection.
The young lady stepped barefoot onto the shore and looked at Cui Ming. "Is he Cui Ming?"
"Yes," the Warden replied with a nod.
"You may go now."
"Understood." The Warden left, leading Cui Ming toward the central Big Bamboo House.
Cui Ming took a few steps before turning back to see the young lady gently embracing her oblivious little brother, lost in thought. My arrival signifies your demise, yet you seem so calm about it. It seems that the people of Shadow Island are truly extraordinary. (To be continued.)
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