Chapter 196: Beginning

The carriage passed through the city, reaching toward the railway station of Ciradyl, where they bought their ticket and moved in.

The surrounding air turned colder from the Autumn wind. As they settled into their seats, and a few minutes passed, the train finally left Ciradyl behind.

The blending air of yellowish fog remained attached to their thoughts. Hissing through the track, the train entered into the Parisian Cave — the one used to travel faster, used by the central government.

It was a simple hole built beneath the Parisian mountain. Its peak extended toward the endless spires of the space, threatening to tear the clouds and fog.

Alongside the narrow pathways, various regional trees were planted around. Some mountain animals shifted under the artificial subterranean lights, their eyes reflecting sharp glints of amber and silver when the railway train passed.

Stalking along the subterranean rock ledges, heavy-furred chamois and mountain panthers looked down upon the tracks, long accustomed to the vibrations of the central government’s train. The yellowish fog rolled inward from the cavern mouth, cloaking the beasts in ghostly silhouettes before the train plunged deeper into the mountain’s absolute dark.

Within a few minutes, dark cast shadows inside the train.

Mo Fei looked outside, his expression remaining unfazed. The last night incident was still attached to his mind; even then, his right arm began to throb when it caught the spiritual infection.

The shadows finally retreated into the cave when the train entered the boundary of Ciradyl. Piercing through the air, it roared with the same mechanical tone. Mo Fei watched the world with the eyes of someone else. The whole world seemed more distant to him from last night... it almost seemed as if he were a mere witness, using the body of someone else to look upon the different worlds.

Although at that moment he couldn’t risk being distracted. Of course, certainly it’d cause him to be careless of his surroundings.

He finally glanced at Old Bai who was half asleep in his seat, and then he took a brief glance at his surroundings.

Couples, old men, old women, and kids were all going somewhere; they had a destination after all...

At least four hours passed. Mo Fei pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time. 9:00.

The train groaned one last time before its speed started to drop to zero. In the deep industrial smog of Yureshia, he could smell the metallic scent mixed with chemicals and dirt.

All three of them exited the train as their eyes darted around to find Benson and Miss Rose.

Looking around another industrial city with the same curiosity, the first thing he noticed here was that no one actually seemed to care about anyone else. All of them were busy with their daily routines, buying tickets, food, and sometimes water bottles. None of them talked to each other; they only worked.

It was the kind of city that resembled the heavy duty of late workers and the catastrophic load of employment. No beggar could be seen asking for money, no poor man muttered prayers, only people who worked in shops, restaurants, and bakeries.

Finally, near a tea shop, Lionel gradually found someone standing there. His mind instantly matched the figures through his memories and pointed toward it. "There."

Old Bai looked before him, where both Benson and Miss Rose were buying bread and tea cups.

Benson looked worse than he used to be in the organization. His eyes were red-rimmed, his coat was still damp from the morning mist, and his hand didn’t move toward his teacup. He just stared at the three of them as they approached. Finally, with a slow movement, he took a sip that didn’t taste good this time.

"You’re late, Lionel." He spoke first.

"Ah, well, Captain...we were finding Old Bai." Lionel replied, his usual smirk now absent.

Miss Rose spoke next, her voice quieter than usual. She was holding a small silver compass, its needle spinning erratically. "We’ve been monitoring the northern plains. The artifacts are being synced at an unusual point."

Mo Fei frowned. "Synced?"

"Coordinated," Benson clarified and paid for the expense and started walking. "Someone is performing a ritual. A large one, and they’re using the artifacts as anchors... it’s unusual since the radical Cathedral of the Great Mother didn’t really care much about awakening the Ancient Chaos."

Old Bai’s hand tightened around his cane, while Mo Fei finally asked. "Ancient Chaos?"

"Spiritual explosion that awakens the proclaimed deity of a region. They are entities capable enough to bring chaos throughout cities due to their large bodies."

"How many artifacts have been awakened in total?" Lionel asked.

"We count at least ten awakened by now, and twenty partially awakened, it’ll take them three hours to fully awaken." Benson’s voice turned grim as they entered a narrow street. "And that’s just the ones we can detect. There could be more in underground markets."

"Thirty Grade 3 or higher artifacts." Miss Rose added, "Awakening at the same time, in the same place, while being actively coordinated by an unknown ritualist. If they reach full awakening, the spiritual backlash will tear through the ley lines and awaken the Proclaimed deity. Yureshia will become a mutation zone within hours. The churches will respond within a day, and the blame may even shift to Midnight Wings..."

Mo Fei followed silently, thinking of something. What could they possibly obtain from mutation, as Lionel said that they didn’t need particular reasons, but even then just for a fleshy ascension? "Who is behind this?"

"We suspect they have inside information. To be more precise, it could be someone from our organization."

Mo Fei’s eyes widened at the revelation, and suddenly he recalled the shadow he had witnessed when he visited the Midnight Wings late at night... that man was listening to their words about Death Angel... who was he?

"A traitor..." Lionel murmured to him that sounded almost bitter, an organization of that level that was controlled by the government had traitors. "Then they must be someone who knows our patrol routes, our seal placements, our protocols. Someone who’s been feeding information to the radical faction."

"If there’s a traitor in the organization, then no one is safe. We can’t trust anyone even within our own organization."

Benson turned to Mo Fei. "That’s where you come in, Mr. Sherlock. Even though as a Captain of such an organization, I shouldn’t be trusting a new member... but I noticed that you are good at things others miss. I need you to find the traitor as soon as possible after this mission."

Mo Fei lifted his top hat and bowed slightly. "Leave it to me, Captain."

Lionel rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Mr. Sherlock, what if you end up becoming a traitor."

Mo Fei shot him a glare that made Lionel shrug as if he had won a successful reaction.

"Don’t give me that look." Lionel chuckled annoyingly.

"Ah yes, I may not be a traitor yet, but don’t blame me if I become one because of you." He said and placed his top hat back into his head.

Benson glanced at Lionel. "Lionel, it’s not time for jokes. Also, it’s your duty to keep an eye on Sherlock. I do trust him, but as responsible for things, I can’t simply ignore the worst possible outcomes."

Mo Fei glanced at Old Bai. The old man was staring at the ground, his expression unreadable.

"I don’t have any problem with that. What about the ritual?" Mo Fei asked. "If the ritualist is coordinating the artifacts, then stopping the artifacts won’t be enough. We need to stop the ritual."

"That’s the second part of your assignment." Benson replied. "Find the traitor. If we can figure out who’s behind this and how they’re doing it, we might have a chance."

He adjusted his top hat and stepped forward. "I’ll be prepared for it. What’s the plan?"

Benson pointed at Miss Rose. "We both will manage to get past the church and find their current leader of this radical group." He pointed at Old Bai, then Lionel and finally at Mo Fei. "You and Lionel will protect Old Bai and fight against outer members who are awakening the artifacts. There must be around 20 members in each direction, you will handle the west. Other Midnight Wings members will take on each side."

"I’m prepared." Mo Fei finally replied and glanced at his spiritual ribbon that burnt with a faint itch. The phantom thread was still there, and without any suppression or Anchors...