Kapitel 66: Chapter – 66 - Phantasm Has Been Taken Captive!

It was a massive mountain, the uppermost part lost in the dense gray clouds floating around the peak. A grand and towering golden door of some kind of hard metal was embedded deep inside the mountain wall, and they had to go up a long flight of stairs to reach the extensive porch before the entry, carved directly into the mountain. The porch was rectangular in shape, matching in size and shape with the dome carved out over the door. Four gigantic pillars rose from the base of the porch, supporting the weight of the dome.

Unlike the ornamental designs and delicate decorations Rihanna had gotten used to at the Underworld Abyss, everything here was simple and without any ornamentations, almost bordering on the crude.

Rihanna had seen some photographs of ancient cities built in the mountains even on earth.....Jordan, Israel, India....and even some colonies in the Grand Canyon. But seeing something in a photograph, and actually seeing it in real life was different. She couldn't help looking at the door which was at least ten times her height, and wondered what kind of giants these people were expecting a visit from!

There were no guards at the door. But apparently the door itself did not open completely. Only a tiny part or a wicket gate would open whenever anyone wanted to enter. Another part on the other side opened for the exit. There was a round slot in the wall next to the entry, and one had to feed it 10 mid grade spirit stones for the entry to open. The wicket gate would slide into the mountain wall, and one had to enter quickly as it would slide right back, clicking into the narrow groove of the main gate.

Rihanna had just earned some money, and was adamant about paying the entry fees for all her uncle's. However, she also knew showing off her wealth could become the harbinger of people with evil intentions. So even before they had reached the mountain, she had forcefully stuffed a handful of spirit stones into each of their pouches and pockets. And without waiting for their rejection, she simply ran off to climb up the stairs at high speed. By the time the uncles chased her to the porch, she had already deposited her amount. Waving cheerfully she bounced off through the door, and they could only look on at her in exasperation as the door slid back.

However, once she was through the door, she turned to her usual obedient self, waiting at a corner and looked around in anticipation. Even at her first glance she could see that this city was far more scattered and lively than both Green-Stone and Moon-Grave city.....bit far less systematic and planned than the Underworld Abyss.

In fact, this looked like the model of a boisterous city in medieval times. From all the information she had gathered from her uncle's, this city was only a few thousand years old, as opposed to most of the cities which ranged from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand in age. So this was still relatively pretty new. And unlike most of the other cities, other than the Mayor's Clan, there were no other Leading Clans to shape the city.

Moreover, due the large number of nomadic lone cultivators, very few cultivator families actually resided within this city, making it more relaxed, but also with a touch of lawlessness. Family did not have the same amount of support of laws and justice as in other cities, and though fights were still looked down upon, it was inevitable some of these lone cultivators would clash with each other now and then. As such, most of the officials sent here from the Major Clan for supporting the Mayor's Office were actually Law Enforcing Officials.

With the number of Guards and Law Officers patrolling the streets continuously, this felt more like a refugee city to Rihanna. There was no fixed space for selling and buying, and all around, there small and big stalls set up right on the sides of the streets, selling all kinds of wares, and the streets and alleys were filled with noise and people.

Buying, selling, haggling, debating, discussing, eating, standing and looking around, quarrelling, moving an stopping...the entire city seemed to have poured out onto the streets, and Rihanna could barely see the ends of the streets through the sea of people and colorful attires. Rihanna stuck close to the gates, not wanting to get separated by the surging crowds everywhere.

"Huh! You know how to be scared now? Why are you sticking to the door like candy? The way you sprinted through the door, I thought you would have reached the other end of this city by now!"

Rihanna looked at Uncle He, adorably blinking her eyes. She, a grown and educated woman, was reduced to resorting to such deplorable child's tricks.....even as she put on a guilty smile, she could feel her ears turning red in shame!

Uncle Yaoi and Uncle Ranaba glanced at her as if they both had seen through her tricks, but turned away with a smile. She was a bit scheming, but she indeed had a good heart. If acting cute pleased her....then let her be! It suited her pretty looks anyway!

"Stick close or you'll be pushed off by the crowd every-which way."

Even as he spoke, Uncle He decidedly pulled onto Rihanna's hand, gripping her firmly as he marched right through the center of the main street. Rihanna reached out with her other hand, and clung onto him with both hands in return. Even in the short distance of a few tens of feet, she had lost track of how many elbows, knees, hands and heads had barged into her sides. If not for her enhanced physique, she would surely be injured and suffering by now!

Finally managing to push through the burgeoning masses, they reached a street relatively bereft of people and stopped to catch their breath.

"Don't worry. Only the front of the city is that messed up. The rest of this city is pretty peaceful."

They walked on through the side alleys and streets, searching for an inn. Unlike the two cities previously, the structure of the inside of this city was as haphazard as the front of it. Apparently the first Mayor did not like systematic and synchronized patterns of structure, and gave free reign to the first lone cultivators, who came to reside her, allowing them to build their homes as they pleased. And thus, as residents kept increasing, so did the houses and businesses keep mushrooming in all directions, finally leading to the current jumble of everything.

Like the Underworld Market, this city too was built inside the mountain, but was very difficult to navigate through unless you had been here quite a few times and were aware of its entire layout.

Rihanna suddenly recalled an old architecture she had once visited during her college days. It was a huge fort built during the medieval times, and between the outer part and the main inner residences, there was a long and winded tunnel, with many exits. When enemies attacked, all air openings in this tunnel would be shut down and all light sources would be removed. Due to its maze like structure, and sudden open endings, unless one knew the layout thoroughly, they would end up falling or being crushed to pulp inside the tunnel.

She wondered if the city was really a careless structure built haphazardly....or there were deeper thoughts behind its present structure. After all, this was one of the thriving cities of Cetra Prefecture. And from what she had come to know, Cetra was the second most prosperous prefecture of the quad, coming right behind Duet. Moreover, so many wandering lone cultivators, even though they brought in a lot of trade and money, they were also sources of a lot of criminal activities. She didn't believe a strong prefecture like Cetra could have a silly Mayor seated in such a profitable position.

Perhaps due to its variable residents, Rihanna came across a lot of bars, gambling houses, human and beasts fighting arenas, and even pleasure houses, which she had not seen in either of the two cities before. Rihanna was surprised to see both men and women prostitutes standing around the streets, in singles and doubles, with lavishly seducing clothes, half slipping off their bodies, trying to entice the passing people. She had seen prostitutes and gigolos...but only in films. But these clothes and accessories which adorned these men and women, were nothing like those shady and cheap clothes those people in the film wore!

Each dress was brightly colored, with gorgeous embroideries and prints, loosely draped about their half exposed bodies, as each one of them exuded a seductive and alluring aura, steeped in mild and enticing fragrance. And since each of these pleasure-people were cultivators, they looked exotic, with bright and shiny skin, pale color, enchanting half closed eyes and gorgeous smiles. Rihanna was so absorbed in enjoying this parade of beautiful people, that Uncle He had do drag her all the way till they finally left the pleasure houses behind. He couldn't help wondering if this little girl was secretly a little pervert! No way!.....As an elder he would have to knock some sense into her before she went astray!!

'I heard only two people survived from the other group?'

'Hmmm.....this was the third group in the past fifteen days...the Dormions are becoming more and more reckless!'

'I saw through the information they sent to the Mayor's office. They have built a large illusion array to trap all who come near their base. But no one can find the array stones.'

'Illusion array?....It might not be an array.....I heard a high level Illusion Hog was seen in some part of this desert some time back.....If I am not wrong, the Dormions have probably managed to catch that Hog and are using this beast to cast the illusion trap.'

'Should we notify the Mayor then?'

'Hmph! Why should we do that? Just keep an eye on what the Mayor's Office is planning to do next.'

Rihanna blinked in surprise, and would have stopped if not for being dragged on by Uncle He.

'Little Purple...what happened just now?! How did I overhear a conversation....was that conversation happening in someone's mind?!'

'It is some kind of spiritual tool. One can connect to another through the mind using this tool. And your perceptions managed to hack into it. You were lucky these people were only in the foundation stage and could not read your interference!...But that illusion Hog....sounds like Phantasm.'

'Phantasm?...That means the Dormions have captured Phantasm.....and are probably forcing it to work for them....But I have not been able to contact Phantasm even after coming out of the tunnels!'

'Not necessarily forcing....they could have used some sort of drug on him...that would explain why the spiritual connection is not working.....also why he is working for them.'

'But if Phantasm is being held captive.....what about the three kids?'

'We won't know till we find Phantasm. Perhaps...you could try going to the Mayor's Office at night in your Spirit Sense.....but be careful.....don't forget that there might be high level cultivators who might be able o sense your spirit self. I will insert a part of my power into your spirit...That way I can keep a check for any threats around.'

Rihanna sighed inwardly. She finally had some news of Phantasm, but couldn't be sure if it was good news or bad news. Moreover, she still needed to bring Fluffy out and help his soul merge back into his body. She would do that first tonight, then she would take a trip to the Mayor's office. There were still so many things lined up for her to do....she had to hasten up!