I reached Djer in seven hours. Dusk was falling. The city was enormous – I couldn't see all of it, but the city wall vanished over the horizon on both sides of the river. At the gate stood guards in uniforms bearing the clan crest. They wanted to hassle me, but seeing my burned face under the hood, they immediately backed off, warning me that the city guard rounded up beggars and threw them out after a beating.
The city was dusty and stank of filth. I assumed the further from the walls, the better the living conditions, but right by the gate, my enhanced nose nearly gave me a stroke. The stench was unbearable. There were no gutters, and though no one shit in the middle of the street, the smell of shit was palpable. I asked passersby for the nearest tavern and headed in the indicated direction.
Entering the tavern, I was surprised – I'd expected a dirty dive, but it was fairly civilized. In the dim candlelight, people sat eating and drinking quietly. The clientele was mostly middle-class – so why a tavern in this district? Not important; I'd only be here a day. I asked the innkeeper for a room for the night and, after getting an affirmative answer, ordered food to be brought up. The room was on the second floor – clean but very cramped. After the maid brought my meal, I wolfed it down and collapsed into bed.
It was the first proper sleep since the fight with the Terrors of the Night. I slept six hours. Dawn hadn't broken yet – perfect timing for me. I left the room and went downstairs. The tavern was empty. I slipped out unseen and melted into the night city.
I knew the general city layout from Lisa's descriptions. My first sabotage target was the textile manufactory – they made the finest clothes in the empire here, including system gear with good bonuses. Word had it that some isekai visitor had helped the clan revolutionize fashion in this world. Only in Djer could you buy lace lingerie or house slippers. Of course, it was all copied, but Djer was the first and biggest. It didn't bring huge profits, and its loss wouldn't be fatal financially, but the reputational damage would be significant. They sewed uniforms for many clans' guards – delayed orders would sour relations with many clans. Military types don't care if your building burned down; they need to outfit their troops.
Another target was the alchemical workshop – but that was behind seven-meter walls and far better guarded. I couldn't take that one on the fly. So I headed toward the center, to the manufactory. The building itself was a huge barracks-like structure with a low fence and about a dozen guards. I slipped inside easily – inside were several large work halls and big warehouses of finished goods. The raw material warehouse was in a separate building. Dawn would break in half an hour, so I had to hurry.
My makeshift mines exploded in a wave of fire eight minutes after mana infusion. I scattered seventy of them in the finished goods warehouses and near the tools. I was winded from the sprint, but I'd covered all the key points – it would burn bright. I hadn't even gotten a hundred meters from the building when the first mines lit up the interior with bright flames. The guards panicked and ran inside – but I was already heading back to the tavern. I returned to my room unseen and sat on the bed. Everything went perfectly.
An hour later, I heard the staff stirring downstairs. I went down and asked the innkeeper to prepare two days' worth of food and not disturb me. At his questioning look, I pulled back my hood and said I was about to take a potion and wouldn't be able to leave the room for a couple days. He nodded understandingly, grimacing at my "beauty," and went to give instructions. Of course, I'd already paid thirty silver coins. An hour later, a heavy-set maid over forty brought provisions. I didn't actually need them – I planned to meditate for a couple days to fully restore my ki, which still hadn't recovered.
I closed the door and shutters, sat in lotus position on the bed, and entered Deep Meditation using the shadow ki method. My core was fine, but my meridians seemed shriveled – likely due to the intense light; energy conflict. I began circulating ki in my body, moving slowly – but the meridians ached and stung. Six hours later, I saw with my inner vision that they were gradually healing. I continued at that pace, losing track of time, until a knock at the door pulled me out.
It was the innkeeper – two evenings later, he'd come either to collect payment for an extra day or to throw me out. I didn't extend my stay – I just left the tavern. It was evening, so I went for a walk through the rougher districts. I needed a lair – ideally an abandoned house. Surprisingly, after four hours of walking, I found none. So I decided to try my luck in the richer areas. This new district felt like wealthy merchant territory – there was already a guard presence, and I had to stick to the shadows. At the end of one street stood a small two-story manor. My nose and ears told me only one old man lived inside.
I decided to try my luck and slip in quietly. Once inside, I realized the old man could barely move. I wondered why he lived here alone – worst case, I'd kill him. I needed a lair. I could fix my meridians in 5-6 days, but I needed a quiet place where no one would bother me. With that thought, I entered the room.
"Those cursed steppe jackals finally decided to finish me off? I've been waiting for you," he rasped.
I froze in surprise – not so much at his words as his tone. I'd misjudged his age based on the movements I'd heard. He was a young man with a sallow face, clearly very ill – even moving and speaking caused him pain.
"Sorry, kid, but you've got me confused with someone else. I'm just a thief – no, not a thief."
His wheezing laugh clearly caused him great pain. "Then welcome to my home, thief. Take whatever you want – as you can see, I don't have long."
"Kid, you're clearly not poor – why haven't you hired a healer or bought healing potions?"
"You must be new in town. No healer, no alchemist will help Part – he dared to defy the city's masters, the Osm Clan. Even talking to me, you're breaking their will. I'm like a leper in this city – no one dares go against these cursed steppe dogs."
"You say you're an enemy of the Osm Clan? What'd you do to them?"
"I refused to sell them our land. For that, they destroyed my family and left me as a warning. Their man even brings me food every day, keeping me from dying." He looked at me in confusion at my smile. I looked at the poor kid, already thinking how I could use him.
"Kid, only today and only right now, I have an offer you can't refuse. I'll heal you – it's just severe poisoning, probably from the food their man brings. In exchange, you give me shelter for a few days. How about it?"
"You don't understand – they'll kill you."
"Don't worry about me. Do you want to get back on your feet? A couple health potions and you could sell this house and get out of the city tomorrow. All I need is a quiet place for a couple days."
"I agree – you can stay as long as you like. The Emperor's power is gone from these lands. The Osm Clan are masters here."
I walked up to him and cast Minor Heal ten times in a row. A healthy color began returning to his face; a moment later, grunting but clearly eager, he got up from the bed and rushed off – most likely his body was purging the poison naturally, and he'd run to the bathroom. He returned half an hour later, his gait weak but noticeably livelier. I took supplies from my bag and gave him food. Under normal circumstances, a severely ill person shouldn't eat heavy food – but after healing, the body always needs substantial nutrition; broths wouldn't cut it. He sat at the table and ate the cold meal. Only after finishing did he lean back and close his eyes. Then he stood and bowed.
"We haven't been introduced – I'm Part of House Dars. What may I call you, my lady?"
"Call me Vika. And you're wrong – the Emperor's power hasn't left these lands. I'll cast a few more heals on you, but tomorrow you mustn't show that you're already well. Do you have any supplies for seven days so you can eat without taking their poison?"
"There's an emergency stock in the basement – I can last a week. I won't have to pretend – I don't meet the messenger. He leaves the food outside the room. I'll show you a room where you can stay."
"I'd prefer the basement – or some other place as dark as possible."
"Then the sub-basement will suit you – it's completely dark. We stored some things there, but I doubt you'd rob me."
"Lead the way."
We went to the stairs to the second floor; behind it was a small staircase going down. I didn't look at the first basement level – I went straight down to the next. Part gave me the key to the barred door. I didn't let him come down – I didn't want to light a torch. There was probably a good stock of shadow ki down there, and I didn't want light to spoil it. We agreed he'd stay put for seven days until I came out.
First, I stealthily went back up and watched him for a couple hours. The kid clearly hadn't felt this good in a long time – he was almost skipping, though some stiffness and weakness remained. Convinced he wasn't running to the Osm Clan to report me, I returned to the basement. To a normal person, it was just a dark place – maybe uncomfortable, but nothing more. For a shadow ki cultivator, it was paradise. According to Part, no one had come down here in at least ten years – no light, and shadow or dark ki enveloped me like water. I should note that in deep caves or underground it also accumulates, but there it shares space with earth ki or water ki. Here, it was a dry basement with granite blocks separated from the earth – the imported granite didn't fit the local ecosystem and didn't store its own energy.
Shelves lined the walls, filled with various household items – nails to axes. I sat deeper in the room and entered meditation. When I opened my eyes, four days had passed. The progress was incredible – my meridians were fully healed, but what delighted me most was the number 71 next to spiritual core development. Unbelievable progress. Something was off about this basement – there was a source of darkness. I realized I'd been foolish to think this environment had arisen naturally.
My search led me to a chest from which darkness seeped. I broke the lock with my hands – inside were gold coins and jewelry. But my attention was fixed on a ring with a black stone. It was a system item.
Ring of the Priest of Darkness – can only be worn by a Priest of Darkness.
Properties: hidden.
Durability: 22/10000.
The stone had a crack – that was the source of the shadow ki. Well, I shouldn't touch it, but developing my core next to it – I saw no harm.
I went upstairs to inform the manor's owner. Part was reading something. Over the past few days, he'd changed dramatically – no longer a mummy, though still thin; he'd gained about five kilograms. Seeing me, he jumped up and bowed. "Greetings, my lady – have you finished your business?"
"No, I came to see how you're feeling. I hope you haven't revealed yourself to anyone?"
"My lady, you insult me – I gave my word, and you can trust it."
"Tell me, Part, what are your plans?"
"Once you leave, I plan to secretly flee the city. I'll reach the capital – my house has a cadet branch there. I'll seek an audience with the Emperor."
"And have you thought about how to escape secretly? They'll surely pursue you and won't let you out."
"No – I've been trying to think of a way, but honestly, I was hoping for your help, my lady."
"See, Part, I can't even leave clan-controlled territory myself, let alone smuggle you out. I think you'll have to wait a couple months. The Osm Clan is actively searching for someone and screening everyone thoroughly. First, I'd advise you to start exercising and get in shape – with that body, you won't get far. I'll go out tonight and get food for a few days, so you won't have to choke down dry rations from the basement."
"My lady, could you buy fresh meat for a couple months? To avoid taking risks each time."
"Where would you store it?"
"Well, leave it in the spatial ring – I'll lend you mine for this."
I froze. A spatial ring – of course. What kind of RPG world doesn't have an inventory? Only I, like an idiot, ran around with a shoulder bag while normal people carried their things in inventory. Why hadn't I thought of that earlier? We agreed – tonight I'd go on a supply run.