Free Web NovelChapter 355: Chapter 159: A Real Change in the Sky
(The progress for the additional updates that cannot be used for the Silver Alliance has reached 36/100.)
High Tower. Fifth floor.
After that wedding, a divine punishment-like red glow appeared on the fifth floor; another ruler had fallen from the throne following Zhong Xu.
Yan Zizai had been dealing with various matters these past two days. As the family guardian, he would naturally take over the position of the Yan Family ruler.
During these two days, the Zheng Family, Pang Family, Liu Family, Wang Family, and even the Qin Family had sent people to pay their respects.
The purpose of their visits was simple. Yan Zhao was cunning and sly in life, never taking a clear stance. Now that he was dead, maybe they could glean some clues from the young Yan Zizai.
They were also seeking cooperation.
They had heard of Yan Zizai’s character; those who had once been friends with the Yan Family under Yan Zhao hoped to deepen that relationship, and those who had grievances hoped to let bygones be bygones.
Yan Zizai had no interest in engaging in intrigue with these people or wading into their mire; he also knew very well that their so-called gestures of good will were just attempts to probe the depths of the Yan Family and to make him lower his guard.
For seven hundred years, both the Yan Family and the Xie Family had substantial foundations.
The Xie Family controlled powerful firepowers, and the Yan Family knew the methods to harness the power of Evil Fallen.
Knowing these individuals coveted the research results of the Yan Family, Yan Zizai ensured that none of the messengers sent by the ruling families gained any advantage after their interactions with him over these days.
Despite Yan Zizai’s behavior differing from that of Yan Zhao’s, he had not allowed himself to be at a disadvantage.
At this moment, Yan Zizai was in the Yan Family’s forbidden grounds.
"Do you not plan to destroy these things?" Bai Wu asked.
Yan Zizai shook his head and said,
"Indeed, Yan Zhao committed many sins, and these bottles and jars are indeed the crystallization of evil, but human medicine has always been built upon a mountain of bones. I do not agree with Yan Zhao’s view, but since he almost succeeded, I will keep these things and will also arrange for people with similar knowledge to... continue the research."
What Bai Wu referred to was the liquid used by Yan Zhao for "live Evil Fallen transformations."
At this moment, he and Yan Zizai were at the deepest part of the Yan Family’s forbidden grounds. Here lay all the results of Yan Zhao’s seven hundred years of effort.
"Did he die at the High Tower?" Bai Wu asked deliberately.
Yan Zizai nodded,
"Yes, he died at the High Tower, unlike normal Evil Fallen that turn to ashes, he was judged by the red light on the High Tower’s ceiling. It could be considered recognition from the High Tower, right?"
"I have never seen it, what a pity. But the death of two rulers in a row is good news. You all, in the hearts of the people below, are no longer unassailable."
Bai Wu smiled happily. Yan Zizai said,
"I don’t care about the people below either. How do you know I am not the next vile dragon?"
"You lack the requisite depravity. This can be seen from the fact that you’ve confined the Yan Family father and son. Yan Zizai, I might leave the tower for a long time. I’m quite looking forward to seeing some reforms from you during this time. You and Xie Yingjie might make the High Tower a bit less loathsome."
Yan Heyu and Yan Zhishui, the father and son, are currently in confinement.
The Yan Family must carry on the legacy, especially since there is only one male and female per generation, which makes the succession of the Yan Family even more crucial.
Banking on this fact, Yan Zhishui believed that the new Family Head would not lay a hand on him. Even though the new head adored his eccentric sister, he couldn’t possibly let the Yan Family line die out, could he?
But what he didn’t anticipate was that Yan Zizai simply didn’t care about the damn family line. I’ve already killed the Patriarch of the Yan Family, committed the sin of exterminating our ancestors, why would I care about your extinction?
Actually, Yan Zizai’s thoughts were quite straightforward. With a defective character like Yan Zhishui, whose genes were flawed and whose morality was corrupted, keeping him alive would only serve to make rice more expensive.
Jiu and Bai Wu are different; their child as a descendant of my Yan Family would surely take the Yan Family farther.
Of course... these were words Yan Zizai would never say to Bai Wu’s face.
"How is Jiu doing?" Yan Zizai looked towards Bai Wu.
"She’s doing exceptionally well. I have to admit I was wrong. Your Yan Family... really is full of talented individuals."
Seeing Yan Zizai furrow his brows, Bai Wu seriously explained:
"I’m not being sarcastic. This time, Yan Jiu has accomplished a major feat. A disaster like none before is about to strike Baichuan City, and she might well have pulled in a potential ally, one that could possibly turn the tide." freewebnovёl.ƈom
"A disaster like none before? Do you need help?"
Bai Wu was waiting for Yan Zizai to say just that.
"Yes. Take this."
Bai Wu handed a conch shell to Yan Zizai, and the moment he touched it, he saw Yan Jiu.
"This is..."
"As everyone knows, human procreation requires the joint effort of both men and women. And a half heart... comes from another ancestor of your Yan Family."
Yan Zizai looked at Bai Wu in shock.
"That was a pitiful woman, who, when pregnant, was turned into an Evil Fallen by Yan Zhao. It was for this reason that she cursed your Yan Family to have only one son and one daughter in every generation, and there was a high probability of emotional deficiency. The reason why Yan Jiu cannot feel joy lies in this curse."
"I won’t go into the history with you now. She’s a pitiful woman, and when we have the chance, we can rescue her together. You’ll have your say with her then. The people who captured you and took you to Shudu Prison, their ultimate destination was also this pitiful woman’s location."
"In short, this is a tool for seeking assistance. Once you touch it, you will be able to establish a connection with Yan Jiu, to see her, to hear her."
Yan Zizai fell silent for a long time after Bai Wu’s words. He suppressed the desire to probe further and, after calming his emotions, Yan Zizai carefully put away the conch shell.
He did indeed want to have a good talk with Yan Jiu, but clearly, Bai Wu giving such a private item to him meant there was something very important at stake.
"I didn’t expect that Jiu could live outside the High Tower. From your tone, it seems you’ve encountered significant trouble."
"You are being very conservative with your words. I’ve come across trouble that could be described as the sky falling down, and I’m not sure how many days we have left, but during this time I need you to persuade our captain, persuade the Xie Family. I need reinforcements, many, many reinforcements. I will leave behind a Traction Disc."
"You can speak to Yan Jiu about the specifics after I’ve departed."
"Will Jiu be involved too?"
"Most of the people I know... will be involved, because the incident this time is more exaggerated than you can imagine, Yan Zizai. What do you think we achieved not so long ago?"
"You mean killing Yan Zhao?"
"Yes."
Yan Zizai’s expression became grave.
An hour ago, Bai Wu silently returned through the white stele and discreetly made a call to Yan Zizai, who swiftly sent someone to fetch Bai Wu to the fifth level.
The destination was straight for the forbidden area of the Yan Family Manor.
Along the way, Bai Wu noticed that the High Tower already had signs of impending chaos, and the topics people were discussing were almost all disliked by those at the top.
The ruler’s wedding, the death of a ruler, and the exploration of the Red Zone ninety years ago.
The seeds of discontent had been planted in people’s hearts, and the once lofty image of the rulers was no longer absolute.
At least... they were no longer invincible.
Perhaps if these discussions were allowed to ferment, the idea of overthrowing the rulers would sprout again in people’s minds.
"I can’t say for sure, but these days, people at all levels of the High Tower have indeed changed," he said.
"The rulers are beginning to worry about their positions, the Xie Family’s weapons are sold out, and mercenaries from the lower three floors of the High Tower are being conscripted en masse. These old fellows who have lived for seven hundred years—are feeling the threat from below for the first time. At least before this, they were only worried about threats from outside and above," he said.
"And the commoners? The miners will still mine for a living, still toil day in and day out. But you must have felt the atmosphere in the High Tower when you came up," he said.
"As soon as they stop, they start discussing certain matters, the ludicrous wedding, your insane behavior leading many to truly believe that there was a conspiracy in that exploration ninety years ago."
"And the rulers hope that what happened on the fifth floor won’t get out, but they have forgotten me—I’ve let slip these tidbits—the ruler’s death, murdered. Know their reaction?" he said.
"They’re cheering, jumping for joy. Sure, among them are quite a few evil men, but I believe most people are hard to confine purely to good or bad. So many people cheering in unison makes me believe... the tower under the rule of the eight families is rotting through and through," he said.
Yan Zizai, who had previously hovered above the clouds, indifferent to the dust below, was actually shaken by the changes in the High Tower these past two days.
It was only a wedding gone wrong, a ruler dead, a malevolent ghost who presumably sought justice for the deaths of the Garrison Corps and Investigation Corps ninety years ago.
To Yan Zizai, neither the wedding at that moment nor the fifth floor at that time seemed so explosive.
But when the entire affair spread, he felt a shock as if the heavens were changing. frёeωebɳovel.com
"Although I am reluctant to praise you, you have really orchestrated something incredible. Your frenzy has awakened the courage that had been suppressed by the terror of rule," he said.
"Qin Zong has been shut in his doors these days, only recently got the message—he has summoned Wu Jiu," he said.
Bai Wu was quite satisfied to hear these words from Yan Zizai’s mouth.
"It seems that my Captain... is very stricken?" he asked.
"Yes, Qin Zong is a person who is very self-restrained, but these days he seems very depressed, not naturally because Jiu was taken away. His depression comes from the message you delivered—that those who killed the Garrison Corps and Investigation Corps ninety years ago were not monsters from the Red Zone but humans living in the High Tower," he said.
"The human heart is more terrifying than Evil Fallen. I recently went to an apartment, and that apartment gave me the same feeling," said Bai Wu calmly.
Yan Zizai nodded and said,
"From Qin Zong, to the Investigation Corps under him, even the Garrison Corps managed by Qin Xuan... are all investigating what happened ninety years ago. Qin Zong has also been looking for you. He came to me, but he did not discuss the matter openly," he said.
"He summoned Wu Jiu recently; presumably, Wu Jiu is taking the blame for you, ready to reveal the truth," he said.
Bai Wu did not deny it; his captain was indeed the kind of person who could do such things, a guy who could always be trusted.
"You don’t plan on going to explain to Qin Zong?" he asked.
"I won’t go. Captain Qin and the captain’s thoughts are the closest, and they are the ones who have always been trying to change the lives of the people at the bottom, from the beginning to the end. I trust that the captain can persuade Captain Qin. I will also tell the captain some things. At least the imminent disaster facing Baichuan City... needs the captain’s effort, needs the Investigation Corps’ effort," he stated.
Yan Zizai realized that the location of the refuge Bai Wu mentioned was likely to experience a terrible disaster.
Bai Wu summed up what Yan Zizai had said earlier:
"You think that what we did not long ago could be called a change of era, right?"
"Yes. From the rulers to the various administrators, and from the soldiers of both armies to the common people, everyone was affected by the wedding and the death of Yan Zhao."
Bai Wu was very satisfied with this effect, but he sighed lightly:
"But the sky hasn’t changed; it’s still the same old sky. Compared to what we’re about to do, the things we’ve done before are insignificant."
Without waiting for Yan Zizai to ask, Bai Wu continued:
"The events that happened in the High Tower were just class struggles between humans, just ugly manipulations and infighting juxtaposed with the beauty and hope hidden in dark crevices."
"Even if people now have the will to rebel, even if the soldiers of both armies are willing to seek justice for those who lived ninety years ago, even if you, Yan Zizai, Xie Yingjie, and Qin Zong, are all willing to strive for the lower class... we are still prey."
"We cannot leave the High Tower, and outside the tower, we are still ’outsiders.’ When people talk about the outside, it seems as though it’s a place that cannot be entered, as if the High Tower is our true home."
"Even the rulers hold themselves in lower regard than those Evil Fallen outside the tower."
"But do not forget... there was a time when the land outside the High Tower was where we lived and thrived. Those Evil Fallen were once humans too."
Bai Wu’s tone remained even, but Yan Zizai could feel a rare emotion stirring within Bai Wu.
"What are you really trying to say?"
"What I’m going to do is to make all the forces outside the High Tower realize that humanity has returned."
As he spoke these words, Bai Wu’s tone remained usual, but his eyes sharpened.
Yan Zizai thought Bai Wu had already done what he considered the most outrageous and crazy thing a short while ago.
This man really did, as he said in the Asylum, pull the Yan Family ruler off his throne.
But now Yan Zizai realized... he had still underestimated this man’s madness.
His ambition wasn’t about the High Tower; to him, the High Tower wasn’t capable of bringing a change of era.
The true change of era he sought was outside the tower!
"Letting all the forces outside the High Tower know... that humanity has returned? That’s quite a bold statement. I can probably guess how fearsome the enemy you’re about to face is. If it were just an ordinary Evil Fallen, I doubt you’d be making such comments."
Bai Wu didn’t deny it:
"It could be very bloody. There’s a high probability it’s a desperate gamble with no guaranteed win. If we win, humanity will have a second powerbase; the High Tower rulers will have their power further diluted, and the crisis from the sixth layer will decrease significantly."
"And if we lose?"
"If we lose... history will probably write that Bai Wu rashly pushed forward, making the same mistake as ninety years ago, showing humanity’s ignorance of their limitations, challenging an existence that was impossible to challenge too soon."
Bai Wu smiled resolutely, at this moment embodying the spirit of ’though millions of people may stand in my way, I will proceed’:
"But at least on my brief journey to this world, I will leave with no regrets. At least this sky... I will have tried to change it!"
(Finally... got it done before midnight! I’ll try my best to continue tomorrow!)
