"Why is there a mountain outside the gate of Astris City?"
Yanlu blinked, her violet eyes full of disbelief.
She stood frozen for a mont, staring at the massive silhouette in the distance. Her voice carried both confusion and awe.
Had she been locked away for that long? When she was brought to Astris just a few days ago, there had been no mountain standing there.
Or was it so kind of hallucination?
"Heehee—" Alina couldn’t help but laugh.
Elara’s lips curved faintly. "That’s not a mountain," she said quietly. "Look closer."
"Not... a mountain?" Yanlu frowned, her gaze sharpening.
Alina was still laughing when Yanlu raised her hand and gave the pink-haired girl a light thump on the head.
"Ow~! Don’t hit !" Alina yelped, rubbing the spot with exaggerated pain.
"There are so many people at the gate," Yanlu muttered, ignoring her.
Her gaze swept between the city gates and the enormous shadow that lood beyond. For three seconds she simply stared, her mind struggling to connect the pieces.
Then her expression stiffened. Her eyes widened.
"That— that’s not a mountain!" she gasped. "That’s an ancient savage beast?"
"Yes," Elara replied softly, lifting her gaze toward the creature. "It’s called the Black Tortoise."
The massive form moved slowly, like a living continent, its dark shell glinting under the sun. The ground trembled with every step it took.
"It was because of that creature," Elara continued, "that we were able to reach the dungeon and rescue you. It drew away all of Astris City’s high-tier defenders."
Normally, at least one or two Tier Five warriors guarded the dungeon. But today, they had been ordered to the gates—to face the impossible.
"Wait," Yanlu said quickly, raising her hand. "Let review this."
She looked from the monstrous beast to the distant city, then to the two girls at her side.
"If I’m understanding this correctly," she said slowly, "you two sohow... brought this barbaric creature here?"
Elara and Alina exchanged a glance.
Alina smiled brightly. "Not brought it," she corrected, "we rode it."
Yanlu stared at her blankly. "You... rode it?"
The corners of Alina’s lips curved higher. "That’s right."
Yanlu pressed a hand to her forehead. "I leave for a short while, and suddenly my companions can ta ancient beasts. What on earth happened while I was gone?"
"Sit down," Elara said calmly. "We’re going ho."
Yanlu didn’t argue. She grabbed hold of the lizard’s reins, knuckles white as the tricolor beast began its climb—up the back of the enormous Black Tortoise.
Yanlu swallowed hard. "We’re really going up there, aren’t we?"
"Yes," Elara replied simply.
Monts later, the lizard reached the tortoise’s massive shell and began ascending the creature’s side toward the city wall that rose like a ridge upon its back.
"Welco to Black Tortoise City," Elara said, stepping down from the lizard and exhaling. She held a small wooden box close to her chest—the one that had carried their hopes during the rescue.
Yanlu followed, her eyes wide as she took in the impossible sight before her.
Behind the tortoise’s great shoulders lay an entire city—rows of tidy houses, streets stretching neatly in every direction, and in the distance, a colossal tree rising from the high ground.
"There’s... a city on its back," Yanlu whispered. "An actual city..."
"I was just as shocked the first ti," Alina admitted, adjusting the bundle of animal skins on her back.
A sharp voice interrupted them. "Hey! Who goes there?"
Alec approached with several guards, spear in hand. His tone was firm, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the unfamiliar woman standing beside the two girls.
After seeing off Liergu earlier, he had resud his patrol along the city wall—only to stumble across this scene.
"What now?" Yanlu murmured, instinctively raising her hand to cover the scarlet markings on her cheeks.
She couldn’t see Elara or Alina anymore; both had turned invisible. She could only sense their presence faintly through her innate awareness.
"Here," Alina’s voice whispered beside her. A soft fabric brushed Yanlu’s palm. "Cover your face."
Yanlu quickly tied the towel across her features, hiding the lines that betrayed her infection.
"Don’t worry," Elara said quietly. "Leave it to us."
She reached into her armor and pulled out an identity badge—a thin, icy-blue piece of tal made from the scales of an ice serpent. Luciel had crafted it himself.
With a flick of her wrist, Elara tossed the badge toward Alec. It hovered briefly in the air before landing in his outstretched hands.
Alec caught it carefully. His eyes widened when he saw the inscriptions engraved upon it: "Ghost" on one side, and "Black Tortoise" on the other.
"Ghost Departnt..." he murmured.
He knew that na. Everyone in the defense force did. The Ghost Departnt reported directly to the City Lord—a unit so secretive and powerful that even the military kept their distance.
"Stand down!" Alec barked to his n. They hesitated, then lowered their weapons.
"Let’s go," Elara said coolly, walking past him with asured steps.
As she passed, she plucked the badge back from his hands without breaking stride.
Alina added softly, "So things are best left unspoken. Ghost operations are classified."
Alec nodded quickly. "Understood."
He didn’t ask questions. Ghosts were shadows, and shadows were better left unseen.
The three won descended from the city wall and made their way into the heart of Black Tortoise City.
Elara spotted Agni Moon in the distance, directing a group of workers. She approached silently. "Where’s Luciel?" she asked.
"Ah!" Agni Moon flinched, nearly dropping the clipboard in her hands.
She turned to find the white-haired woman standing right behind her, another stranger with a veiled face at her side.
"Luciel went back to the high ground," Agni Moon said, sighing. "And could you stop sneaking up on people like that? You’ll give a heart attack."
Elara gave a faint smile and nodded. "Let’s go," she said to the others. "We’ll find him there."
Alina tugged on Yanlu’s arm. "Co on. You’ll see for yourself soon."
Yanlu followed, still dazed by how familiar her companions seed with this strange new city—as if it were already ho.
They passed through the outer districts, climbing toward the high ground. The streets here were clean and orderly, though simpler than the grand avenues below.
"The layout’s really neat," Yanlu said, glancing around. "But the buildings look... plainer than those in the market district."
"That’s because the Comrcial Street is ant for trade," Alina explained. "It gets priority for supplies and materials. These hos belong to residents. They build and maintain them themselves."
"I see..." Yanlu nodded, though her eyes still flickered with curiosity. Then a sudden thought struck her. "Wait. The angel wings you ntioned before—they aren’t... here, are they?"
"Yes," Elara replied, pointing toward the towering tree on the high ground. "The Angel Wings—Noma’s division—are stationed there."
Yanlu’s brows drew together. "You... joined this city?"
Elara t her gaze and nodded. "We did. All of us."
Yanlu’s expression hardened. "Elara, if the City Lord learns what you are—"
"He already knows," Elara said quietly, cutting her off.
Yanlu froze. "He knows? And he still allows it?"
"Yes."
Elara’s voice was calm, but her eyes softened. "Luciel knows we’re infected. He knows what we carry. Yet he never treated us as less than human."
Yanlu stared at her, searching for any trace of uncertainty, but Elara’s tone held only truth.
"Are you sure?" she asked at last, her voice barely above a whisper.
"When you et him, you’ll understand," Elara said, starting up the steps. "Don’t think too much."
Alina lingered beside Yanlu, her tone quieter now. "Luciel’s different. He’s a good man. He never looked at us with fear or disgust."
Her expression softened with sothing like admiration. "He treats us as equals. Maybe even more than that."
Yanlu followed them silently, her thou
ghts tangled. The wind that swept across the high ground carried the scent of stone and pine, and beneath it, a feeling she hadn’t known for a long ti—hope.
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