Late at night.
The wind in Rust Bone Alley carried the scent of rust and burnt Talisman Paper, making one’s throat dry.
I was huddled among a pile of scrapped Magical Artifacts, my fingers digging into the broken shell of a Lightning Conduction Box. Oil smeared my hands. This thing had long lost its spiritual path, but a piece of Purple Crystal the size of a fingernail was still wedged in the bottom seam—enough to trade for half a bowl of spiritual slurry—which would last me three days.
I am not a destined person, nor am I a student of the Academy. I am a scavenger.
I have been scavenging for seventeen years.
From the frozen soil of the Northern Territory to the Ruined City in the Southern Wasteland, wherever there is a pile of scrapped Magical Artifacts, I am there turning them over. Surviving until now depends on not causing trouble, not looking too closely, and not speaking. If I can lie down, I absolutely won't stand; if I can hide, I absolutely won't show my face.
But tonight, the wind feels wrong.
Drumbeats sounded from a distance, one after another, pressing against the eardrums. That was the countdown for the Black Market auction. Someone was shouting: "Next item, a Blood Sacrifice of the Star Gazing Clan Bloodline, capable of opening the Gate of Eternal Life! Starting bid: three thousand Yin Jade!"
My fingers paused.
Star Gazing Clan.
Those two words were like a rusty nail, suddenly piercing my temples.
I didn't look up, only shoved the Amber Pendant on my chest further into my collar. It rested against my skin, cool yet slightly hot. For the past few days, it always grew hot in the middle of the night, as if something inside it was trying to crawl out.
I shook my head and continued prying at the Purple Crystal.
This is not the time to think about that.
I need a spiritual energy Fragment. Just a trace of it could suppress the pain burning through my Meridians. If I delay another two days, I might not even be able to crawl.
Footsteps approached from the alley entrance.
Three people. The soles of their boots crunched on broken pieces of iron, *kacha kacha*, at an unhurried pace. They were Guards. On patrol.
I shrank back, burrowing under the pile of scrap materials. This pile wasn't high, less than three feet, not enough to hide a person. But I had nowhere else to go.
The Herb Ash clinging to my sleeve cuff brushed against the back of my hand. I wiped my face with it, covering the Old Scar on my cheekbone.
The Guards walked closer.
I held my breath, watching them in the reflection of a Shattered Mirror shard. Three rough men, carrying defective Shock Blades at their waists; the Magical Artifact Inscriptions were all worn smooth. Low-level thugs, they couldn't read characters, only money.
One of them kicked over a nearby discarded crate, sending sparks flying, which landed on a piece of tattered cloth half a foot away from me.
A flash of Firelight.
The Copper Ring in my left ear reflected a faint gleam.
"Hey?" That person squatted down, using the tip of his blade to lift my ear. "You still hold onto this piece of junk metal so tightly?"
My whole body stiffened.
The Copper Ring was scavenged, heavily rusted, but its style was peculiar—a narrow loop with Star Pattern etchings. The wanted notice for the Clan Extermination thirty years ago listed this type of ear ornament.
I knew that.
I’ve worn it since I can remember.
"An ear from the Star Gazing Clan?" Another person leaned closer. "There are still stragglers around these days?"
I didn't move.
Moving meant death.
My right hand quietly slipped into my sleeve, touching the half-severed line of a Soul-Shaking Bell. I had dismantled it myself, using a reed from a scrapped sound box as a trap; pulling the line would release a burst of sound, enough to make eardrums bleed.
Was it worth using now?
Yes.
But I couldn't rush it.
"Your Gang Leader's Bronze Ghost Mask," I suddenly spoke, my voice hoarse like sandpaper grinding iron, "wasn't that also dug out of a Star Gazing Clan grave?"
The three froze.
One of them burst out laughing: "The little brat is quite good at talking nonsense?"
It was that moment of hesitation.
I violently yanked the bell line.
"Woooong—!"
A high-pitched frequency, so sharp it was almost inaudible, exploded outward. All three clapped their hands over their ears, their knees buckling.
I rolled over and tumbled into another pile of scrap.
Angry shouts came from behind me: "Catch him! It's a Star Gazing Clan remnant!"
I gritted my teeth and scrambled up, my legs weak. The burning pain inside flared up again, like red-hot needles drilling through my Meridians. My vision blurred for a moment; I shook my head and kept crawling forward.
I can't stop.
Stopping means death.
A bone whistle sounded. Short and sharp. It was a signal for backup.
Two minutes.
Two minutes at most before reinforcements arrived.
I stared ahead—the back wall of the auction hall, where a row of Torches illuminated the iron grate of a drainage ditch. I could squeeze in there, leading to the underground pipes.
But the Torches were too dense, shadows flickering—all Guards.
I couldn't get in through the main entrance.
I looked down at my Outer Robe, covered in oil stains and Herb Ash. I ripped it off, placed it under my hand, preparing to climb the iron grate by force.
In that instant.
My chest burned.
The Amber Pendant suddenly grew hot, as if it had been roasted by fire.
I looked down and saw a Dark Red Light Pattern spreading out from inside the Amber, like Blood Filaments, crawling up the pendant cord onto my palm.
The light reflected on the damp wall.
A Talisman Mark appeared on the wall.
It wasn't like a character, nor a drawing. It was winding, dotted with specks, like some ancient Imprint.
I froze.
What was that?
"That light just now..." A trembling voice came from behind me, "Was that the 'Star Key'?"
I snapped back to reality.
I rolled into the drainage ditch, the iron grate tearing my arm, the pain sharp and fiery.
The ditch was full of Black Water, the stench overwhelming. I held my breath and crawled forward; the water reached my chest, chilling me to the bone.
Behind me, the Guards were roaring: "Seal the alley! Report to the Gang Leader! Star Key activity detected!"
I gritted my teeth and kept crawling.
I don't know how long I crawled, but finally, I saw light ahead.
It was moonlight.
I crawled out of the pipe and collapsed onto the muddy ground, gasping like a dying fish.
My hands were still shaking.
I looked down at the Pendant.
The Red Light was gone.
The Amber rested quietly in my palm, as if nothing had happened.
But I knew.
That light just now was not an Illusion.
It came out.
And they... have already seen it.
I leaned against the wall, slowly sitting up, and tucked the Copper Ring back into my hair.
Pain.
My whole body ached.
But I still had to move.
Even if I couldn't move, I had to walk.
I wiped my face, stood up, and walked toward the depths of the dark alley.
Behind me, the auction drums were still sounding.
"Next item, the Blood of Sacrifice, to Open the Gate of Eternal Life..."