Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 946: Outsiders
"Excuse me, who are you?"

Angel didn't answer his question, but asked casually.

The man was about thirty years old, with neatly groomed short blond hair, a relatively flat facial contour and dark blue eyes, which were typical of the southern Intis race. Combined with his questions, Angel guessed that he was also one of the "outsiders".

After all, according to the information she had obtained before, this city was not completely isolated from the outside world. On the contrary, every few years someone would mistakenly enter here and become its new residents. It was only the strict laws that prevented people from leaving, which led to the outside world having almost no clues about the "Ghost Empire" and once regarded this legend as a rumor.

"You can call me Nemo. Of course, this is a pseudonym, but in this city, I am Nemo."

The blond man replied with a smile, directly admitting that he was also an "outsider".

"Angelica," Angel also smiled kindly, and immediately put down the history book in his hand, deciding to get some information from the living. "They and I have indeed just arrived in this city, so we want to learn about its history and origins in the library and try to find a way to leave... Mr. Nemo, do you have any good suggestions?"

"My only advice is don't waste your time."

Nemo chuckled, trying his best to remain a gentleman, but Angel could still see a hint of sarcasm in the depths of his eyes.

That was not a mockery of her, but a mockery of myself.

"Have you tried it?" Angel asked thoughtfully.

"Of course, every 'guest' who has just arrived here has tried it. They read ancient books, walked to every corner of the city, communicated with people who had come here before, and even risked their lives to use various extraordinary abilities... But I guess you haven't seen anyone who has successfully escaped outside?"

In fact, Nast’s father, Savini Solomon, is probably the only one… Angel muttered, shook his head and continued to ask:
"What about you? When did you become a resident of this city?"

Hearing this question, Nemo first looked around and found that other readers in the library had politely withdrawn their gazes and no longer looked at this side, then he lowered his voice and said:

"In fact, I also mistakenly entered this city not long before you did. It was six years ago when I was on an expedition to the depths of the Sonia Sea... There, my ship encountered a storm that tore through the spirit world. My friends were nowhere to be found, and I was the only one who survived. But I also appeared here..."

Deep in the Sonia Sea, that should be the location of the "God War Ruins" where the ancient sun god killed many ancient gods and took back his own authority. In the depths of the ocean, the remaining divine powers conflict with each other, and there are countless dangers hidden. It is not impossible to tear the spirit world apart... The most important thing is that part of the trajectory of the "Ghost Empire" passes through that sea area. Under extremely coincidental circumstances, people who mistakenly enter the spirit world will indeed fall into the gap with reality and enter this floating city.

“Most of the people who come here are from accidents that happened east of the Sonia Sea?”

She asked as if to confirm.

"As far as I know, yes. Even if it has not entered the dangerous sea, it is at least east of the Sea of ​​White Whale."

Nemo nodded in reply, and then said excitedly:

"This gave me a guess. This 'Dream City' that is floating in the air but cannot be seen in reality is actually hovering over the Sonia Sea. It is the legendary 'Ghost Empire'!"

This... I knew it a long time ago... Angel almost couldn't help showing his disappointment, but he didn't want to dampen the man's enthusiasm, so he simply changed the subject and asked:

"Do you know any other 'outsiders' like us? How are they doing? Have they really given up on finding a way to leave and are living peacefully in this city?"

"The Archives Bureau has files on all outsiders, and they can be read with the consent of the Archon. Therefore, it is not difficult to find other 'like ones'. We all have common topics and are willing to keep in touch at any time. But there are only five people who are still in contact with me. The others have not lost contact, but have passed away..."

Nemo replied softly, with a hint of loneliness in his eyes, but then it was replaced by a flattering smile.

"Here, although the law prohibits discriminatory practices, outsiders like us are not welcomed by everyone, and it is difficult to establish neighborly relationships. People with the same 'background' are almost the only friends left. If you are willing, I can introduce you to everyone. We can attend gatherings on weekends and help each other if there is anything."

No wonder he quickly came over to introduce himself when he saw that we looked like "outsiders". It turned out that he had this idea in mind... Looking at the other party's eager expression, how could Angel not guess that the other party had other thoughts besides "making friends"?

But she was already a veteran witch and had a clear understanding of her own charm, so she was not too surprised. Instead, she took advantage of the other party's friendly attitude to continue chatting with her, and soon dug out all the information about that small circle that was like a "fellow townsman's association".

Including Nemo, there are a total of six outsiders in this group. Since most of them have been residents of the "Dream City" for more than 20 years, they are generally older, and the earliest one to enter here is over 60 years old.

What surprised Angel even more was that all of them were extraordinary people!
Nemo claimed to be an "arsonist" and condensed a bright yellow flame at his fingertips without affecting the tables, chairs, and books, proving his ability. The other "fellow villagers" were mainly of medium and low sequences, and the highest was a Sequence 6 "biologist" who believed in the Mother Earth.

Due to his special abilities, he has been helping farms and estates on the outskirts of the city to catalyze the growth of animals and plants and increase production, becoming the busiest of all outsiders.

"Were those outsiders who died before you also Beyonders?"

Hearing this, Angel asked curiously. "Most of them are like this. Because of this, they are not allowed to leave offspring and can only live out their lives alone. On the contrary, a few ordinary people can get married and have children. After a few generations, they are completely integrated into this society and forget the existence of the outside world."

That’s right. Extraordinary people generally have better physiques and have certain self-protection methods. They are more likely to survive in the process of mistakenly entering the “City of Dreams”. Moreover, the deep sea of ​​​​the Sonia Sea is originally a dangerous waters. Pirates and adventurers without some strength will not rashly enter... This is probably the survivor bias...

Angel was thinking about it and was about to ask other people about their sequences and their work, when Nemo continued:
“What about you? What kind of Beyonders are you?” He seemed to think this was a bit impolite, and immediately added, “Sorry, if you don’t trust me, you don’t have to tell me.”

It felt like it wasn't until this sentence that he had a little bit of the feeling of a "hunter"... Angel laughed secretly, looked at Klein who seemed to be immersed in a book but pricked up his ears to listen to the conversation between the two, and said:
"I'm a 'witch', Sherlock is a 'magician', and Mr. Korg over there is a 'barbarian'."

"Barbarian? I think he's quite gentle... Sorry, sorry..."

Nemo muttered to himself, but stopped abruptly when he saw the "secret doll" Qiunas's eyes suddenly moving towards him with a hint of majesty, and apologized repeatedly.

Perhaps he felt that he had said too much in the first meeting, so after being glared at, he quickly stopped introducing his small circle and said:
"If you are interested, you can come to my house tomorrow evening. Our meeting point this week is there, and I will introduce you to everyone... No. 26 Sassen Street is easy to find. It is on the road next to the park in the South District. It is much smaller than Trier. It is not even a district..."

Today is October 10th, Friday in the outside world. When Angel read the history of this city, he learned that due to the continuous influx of outsiders, the "City of Dreams" has abandoned the calendar that originally continued the Trunsost Empire and changed to the same calendar that began in the Fifth Age as the outside world. Therefore, tomorrow is Saturday, a day of rest for the entire city.

"Yes, we will," she replied, and then pretended to be curious, "Trier? You were born in that fashion capital?"

"No, I'm from the Daliege area, what the people of Trier call a 'foreigner'... Of course, before coming here, I stayed in Trier for a few years. By chance, I became a Beyonder, and then I accepted the mission given to me by the organization to come to the depths of the Sonia Sea to find something as proof of my courage to 'join the organization'. Unfortunately, my friends probably can't prove their courage anymore."

The mortality rate of your organization is quite high... Angel complained in his heart, and then asked:

"What kind of organization is that? They'll let you go to dangerous waters... and take risks?"

She refrained from saying the word "send to death".

Nemo showed an embarrassed expression and lowered his voice to the lowest possible level and said:
"They called themselves the 'Iron Cross'. I joined a subordinate gang. Because I was promoted quickly, I was recommended to become a formal member..."

The Iron Cross, a secret organization that believes in the "True Creator"?

Angel's face changed slightly.

"Don't worry, I don't believe in their 'real creator'. I only believed in it for fun when I was young and ignorant... and now that I'm here, I've long since abandoned those decadent ideas and embraced an orderly and peaceful life."

Seeing her strange reaction, Nemo quickly explained.

----

After watching the blond man Nemo leave the library, Angel glanced at Klein beside him and asked in a low voice:
"Do you believe what he says, Mr. Magician?"

"It sounds like there are no loopholes, but his provocation to Qiunas in the second half of the conversation seemed a bit deliberate, which always made me feel something was wrong... Of course, if no useful clues are found tomorrow, I can go to their gathering to visit other Beyonders."

Klein replied calmly, flipping the coin in his fingers up and down, but he did not perform any real "divination".

That's prying into other people's privacy.

----

Late at night, a stealthy figure came to the southern area of ​​the "City of Dreams", first entered an empty park, and then left from the south side. Next to the park, he found the sign for "Sasen Street", which seemed to be named after a certain area of ​​​​Lombardy and their legal currency, but according to the time when Lemborg appeared in history, Lemborg's Sasen district was actually the imitator.

This is the effect of being familiar with history... Sitting in the study of his new home, looking at the several borrowed books on the history of the Fourth Epoch on the table, Klein sighed with satisfaction.

He did not allow the secret doll Qiunas, who was several hundred meters away from him, to enter Sassen Street. Instead, he walked along the edge of the park like an ordinary passerby, looking at No. 26 Sassen Street from a distance, and was satisfied to see that the lights in the two-story house had been turned off.

Going around the corner of another street, Qiunas, who looked cold and hard, with broad shoulders and long arms, leaned against the wall, his eyes slightly closed, his palms clasped beside his mouth, and prayed in a low voice:

"The patron saint of the sea and the spirit world, the protector of the Rorsted Archipelago, the ruler of the creatures on the seabed, the master of tsunamis and storms, the great Kalvetuva..."

(End of this chapter)