Chapter 718: Lord of Chalk and Lord of Night

No one was unwilling to receive treatment.

Especially when they felt their own body was about to die.

But this human, identified by the System as an [Assassin], had made an extremely rare choice to refuse.

"Damn knight! What ability did you use! I won't accept any treatment from someone like you who plundered our land! And don't think you can use this method to turn me against my own side!"

Ye Qiyan felt surprised.

This was... a hatred for that place called the Eternal City that surpassed his own life?

Interesting.

But this was only a surface-level inquiry~

[Defiance × Bewitchment]

A shadow of an inverted cross flickered in the depths of Ye Qiyan's eyes.

He patiently asked once more:

"Hmm, you've got spirit. So let me ask you again, do you want to live?"

This time, the man's anger couldn't suppress the instinctive longing for survival deep within his heart. Helplessly, his mouth opened uncontrollably, and in a trembling voice, he forced out:

"I... I want to live."

Wanting to live was the deepest desire buried in every human heart.

No one wanted to die.

Under the influence of [Bewitchment] amplified by [Defiance],

Ordinary people couldn't go against their true nature.

Unless someone could truly transcend instinct, not care about their own life, and have no desire to live at all.

But this assassin's conviction clearly hadn't reached that level yet.

"As long as you want to live, that's fine. People can't just die casually, right?"

Pale [Salvation] shone upon the assassin's body.

Whether it was old injuries left from the past or fresh wounds from Eve's rifle butt, they all healed completely within that radiance.

"You?!"

"Captain! We're here to save you!"

A group of youths wearing skull masks, both boys and girls, ran over under Eve's lock-on.

They too were assassins.

They knew they were being locked onto, so they simply gave up on hiding.

They appeared before Ye Qiyan, daggers in hand.

And the moment their captain was healed, they saw it all.

"Captain? You!?"

"Don't come over!"

The assassin captain's tall, lean body slowly rose to its feet.

Beneath this icy rain-filled night, the skull mask on his face fell to the ground.

A bolt of lightning flashed.

And his face was laid bare before Ye Qiyan.

It was... a human face.

But on that human face, there was a brand scar in the shape of a lion.

"Who exactly are you?"

Ye Qiyan still smiled.

"I told you, I'm just an adventurer passing through, not some knight you mentioned."

[Bewitchment~]

Every word he said was believed by all the assassins~

"An adventurer? What adventurer would come here? The world outside the Eternal City and a few nearby regions has all turned to scorched earth. And you say you're not a knight? Then where did your power come from? And what about your mount?"

The assassin captain slowly raised his arm, extending a finger to point at Ye Qiyan's train.

"I don't believe an ordinary adventurer could possess a warhorse like the ones knights ride!"

Warhorse?

Ye Qiyan blinked, looking at his train.

Honestly, he really thought this guy might have an ability like Don Quixote's.

But Witness Truth and Falsehood wasn't triggered.

A train as a warhorse, though?

Could it be... that this world had other Train Conductors?

"This is simply my possession. What's impossible about it? Besides, you've already believed me, haven't you?"

"..."

The assassin captain felt deeply unsettled.

He didn't know why, but he believed everything the other said.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have removed his mask, revealing that shameful slave brand.

Silence.

Only the sound of cold rain falling incessantly filled the air.

Lisette stood beside Ye Qiyan, holding an umbrella for him.

Until a thunderclap split the sky.

Among the younger assassins on the opposite side, someone suddenly spoke.

"Captain... I think he really isn't a knight... He's somewhat similar to those people, but when he saw our brand of shame, he didn't show disgust... He really must be an adventurer."

"Yeah, Captain. Even though a lot of places have turned to scorched earth, there might still be places in this world we don't know about. So... so..."

"Captain, he has a knight's warhorse. Maybe he can help us carry out the plan..."

Brand of shame. A plan.

From these young assassins' mouths, Ye Qiyan could pick out some useful information.

He thought for a moment.

He still didn't know what this Station World required.

But since it was an Ascension Station,

Someone must be holding an [Ascension] ritual or attempting a world breakthrough.

And the most likely candidate was that Lord of Chalk - Eternal City.

Eternal City was a place name.

But the prefix "Lord of Chalk" didn't sound like part of a place name.

It sounded more like a living entity.

Not enough information. Couldn't analyze further.

Then he'd just get some valuable intel from these assassins first.

Coercion wasn't necessary.

After all, the other party had already accepted Salvation~

"I..."

"First, tell me what the Eternal City is. I might be able to help you."

"..."

The assassin captain frowned. The belief in Ye Qiyan's words grew stronger within him.

He believed the other wasn't a knight.

He believed the other could help them.

He believed everything the other said...

Believed?

Incomprehensible...

The Demon's Whisper echoed in his mind~

Making him unconsciously answer with the information Ye Qiyan wanted.

"The Eternal City is a city created by the Lord of Chalk. People there can live forever, but the price is that all life in this world—the soil, the magic power, everything—must be plundered by them!"

"But that city! It rightfully belongs to us! To the former Lord of Night! We are the Lord of Night's retinue! We were once the noble children of the night!"

"This world should never have had a sun! But that Lord of Chalk! Made the sun hang high in the sky! It is an oath-breaker! It is the culprit who destroyed the world!"

"The Eternal City! Is nothing but an evil land that sacrificed the entire world just so those within its walls could ascend to a higher plane!!"

"Those damn knights slaughter our people!"

"We are assassins! Given the destiny to kill the Lord of Chalk! We will become the heroes who return this land to eternal darkness!"

"Our deeds! Will be known by all! This land will return to the hands of the children of the night!!!"