Chapter 517 - 480: Path of the ’Deep Well

Chapter 517: Chapter 480: Path of the ’Deep Well

Morne’s face was streaked with tears and soot, his eyes so red and swollen he could barely open them. His already tattered clothes were now covered in even more stains and scorch marks from flying embers.

He threw his head back, his frail body trembling violently from his sobs and exertion as his fingers clenched the sleeve of the Guard’s specially-made gray uniform.

His knuckles were white from the pressure, as if the sleeve were the last, illusory link connecting him to his departed loved ones.

"No... please don’t..."

Morne was sobbing so hard he could barely breathe, yet he stubbornly refused to let go, his voice filled with despair.

"They’re my mom and dad... I can’t just let them disappear like this... Please... I just want one look... Just let me see which two they are... Let me remember what they looked like at the end..."

Despite Morne’s tearful pleas and tugging, the Guard did not immediately show any crude impatience.

Instead, he stopped walking and even bent down slightly, forcing a practiced, almost "kindly" smile onto his face.

"Ah, my boy. My condolences, my condolences."

The Guard lowered his voice, affecting a sympathetic tone, but he discreetly rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.

"It’s City Hall regulations, you know. The remains of all the unfortunate victims must be collected and examined. It’s to investigate the cause, and to prevent... hmm, to prevent the spread of disease, of course."

Morne sobbed, his words nearly incoherent.

"I... I just want to see them again... take my mom and dad home... please, sir..."

The Guard’s smile widened, but his eyes seemed to be sizing the boy up.

"Home? Hah, that’s tricky... It requires special procedures, a special... ’processing fee.’ You see, with so many bodies, identifying them, cleaning them, handling them separately... that all requires some extra ’consideration’."

He gestured suggestively with his chin, his gaze sweeping over the boy’s empty, patched pockets.

"Do you have... hmm, anything with which to ’pay your final respects’ to your parents? Even a few Copper Radiance Coins would make things go more smoothly."

Morne froze, his tears flowing even more freely.

He frantically patted himself down but only managed to pull out a few shards of roof tile and a dirty strip of cloth. He shook his head in despair.

"I... I don’t have any money... Nothing at all..."

In that instant, the "kindly" expression the Guard had painstakingly maintained vanished like a receding tide, replaced by an undisguised and cold detachment.

He straightened up and decisively shook off the boy’s hand with a casual flick, as if casting aside a dirty rag.

"Then there’s nothing to be done."

The Guard’s voice returned to a flat, businesslike tone, now utterly devoid of warmth.

"Rules are rules. Don’t interfere with my duties, or else..."

He shot the boy a look, the unspoken threat hanging in the air, then paid Morne no further mind.

Just as the Guard turned to leave, his path was blocked by a tall figure that had appeared out of nowhere.

The Guard’s brow furrowed, and he reflexively started to raise a hand to bark at the person to move. But just then, a brilliant golden gleam burst into his vision, and the words caught in his throat.

It was a Golden Radiance Coin.

Against the dim backdrop of the Lower City District, its shimmering luster and the tiny Crystal at its center, which seemed to contain actual Star Dust, looked utterly dazzling and completely out of place in the dilapidated surroundings.

The Guard’s throat worked as he swallowed hard, gulping down the saliva that had flooded his mouth from shock and a sudden surge of greed.

The cold impatience on his face melted away like snow in the sun, replaced by a smile that was a mixture of awe and obsequiousness.

He cautiously extended a hand, but his eyes flicked upward first to quickly size up this "uninvited guest."

"This... esteemed sir."

The Guard’s voice became exceptionally soft, tinged with a deliberate humility.

"Is there... anything I can do to be of service?"

Roland said nothing, simply placing the Golden Radiance Coin in the Guard’s open palm. He then turned to the side, his gaze falling on the boy who was still kneeling on the ground, silently weeping as he stared toward the trailer. He spoke slowly.

"Go on, child. Go and find... your parents."

The voice was like a stone dropped into a stagnant pool.

Morne jolted and looked up in disbelief, his tear-blurred eyes struggling to focus on the speaker’s face.

When he saw Roland’s face clearly, an incredibly complex expression flashed through his red, swollen eyes.

First came the immense surprise of someone throwing him a lifeline, which was immediately followed by a deeper sense of shock and bewilderment.

"It’s... it’s you?"

Morne’s voice was quiet and choked with sobs, but it carried clearly to Roland’s ears.

Upon hearing this subconscious exclamation, Roland’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. But with the Guard still present, he didn’t ask any questions and simply gestured with his hand again.

"Hurry now, you don’t have much time."

The bewilderment in Morne’s eyes was swiftly washed away by immense gratitude. He scrambled to his feet, bowed deeply several times in Roland’s direction, and muttered constantly.

"Thank you... Thank you, sir..."

Only then did he stagger toward the parked hover-trailer.

Having received the Golden Radiance Coin, the Guard’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. He made no move to stop Morne. Instead, he shot his companion a look, signaling him to wait, and then "kindly" reminded Morne.

"Careful now, child. Don’t disturb the others... Take your time and look."

Morne fought back against the acrid smell and the overwhelming visual shock, trembling as he carefully searched among the charred and twisted bodies.

The search was brief, yet it felt agonizingly long. Every glance brought a new wave of soul-crushing pain.

Finally, he stopped beside two charred bodies huddled closely together. He reached out a trembling hand but didn’t dare to actually touch them. He bit down hard on his lip as large, silent tears rolled down his cheeks, and he nodded.