The First Legendary Beast Master novel Chapter 753

The group split, with Rae following the ladies, on the off chance that someone would attack them, and she would get to play within the city. She had been carefully observing, and as far as she could tell, the aggressor was always in the wrong.

It was never some misguided soul playing hero. At least, not here.

Karl led Lotus across the bridge, and found that the front row of buildings was actually well maintained, but immediately behind it were crude earth magic built apartments with poorly fitted wooden doors and bars over windows with no glass in them.

There were people everywhere, crowded into the available space. Multiple children lounged on nearly every balcony, which made Karl wonder if this was an off day, or whether there was no mandatory schooling here.

But they were staying on the main street, which was busy, but moving smoothly.

The crowd gave them a fairly wide berth. Or, they gave Karl a fairly wide berth, while many people shouted out attempts to lure Lotus off into alleys or particularly dilapidated apartments.

Lotus rolled her eyes and sighed at Karl. "You know, I think that they don’t understand about Nature Clerics. We’re not just the greatest appreciators of fluffy things and cake. We also understand the dark side of human nature.

Do they really think that I would follow them alone into a basement to ’help their friend’? Morons."

Karl chuckled. "You know, cake is also a fluffy thing."

Lotus laughed, the musical tone drawing the attention of everyone nearby. All of the adults eyes here looked either exhausted from long hours at work or malicious.

They might normally prey on locals to a smaller extent, but a pair of moderately powerful obvious outsiders was a payday in the making for the local criminals.

Then they stepped across a line of red paint on the street, and the whole vibe of the Sprawl changed.

The streets were still full of the same exhausted workers, but the ones in the shadows were less slender and sinister, and more muscular. Plus, they were better dressed.

Not well-dressed, but Karl saw an Orc in a cheap suit guarding the door to a brothel, and a three-metre tall winged demon in a partially buttoned silk shirt at the door to what sounded like a casino.

They must have moved between the territories of two gangs, and Karl could already see the outer wall from where he was standing.

The whole sprawl was only maybe five hundred metres long, merely a short walk in the Golden Dragon Capital, but with the people packed so tightly, he guessed that close to a third of the city’s two hundred thousand official residents were crammed in here.

They got to the gate to the Black Shade, which was open, but guarded by a pair of Royal Rank Orcs in full armour. Given that this whole area was Awakened and Ascended Rank, that was an impressive show of force.

Karl nodded to the guards. "The Priestess’ deity calls her to the Shade for the good of the people."

The Orc frowned at Karl.

"It’s a silver piece each to come back in." He insisted.

Karl nodded. "We will see you soon." _{freewebnovel.cσ๓}

Lotus led the way into the slums, and wrinkled her nose at the smell of rot and filth.

Then she pointed at an open spot where an old stone building had crumbled, and whatever was built there afterwards had burned, leaving only some charcoal and ash on the pile of stone in a roughly square pattern.

Lotus walked carefully, keeping her feet dry. Eternal Lightning would protect them, but it was a force of habit for the Priestesses, who spent much of their time in the woods.

"Can you get people for me?" She asked.

Many fell to their knees, bowing down to worship the Tree of Life and the Nature Goddess.

In return, Lotus shook her branches, sending a shower of golden dust down over them, and making the illusionary birds circle in the air.

From the city gates, a massively injured and dying Orc stumbled out. He held a bandage around himself to hold his insides in, and he was visibly bleeding from every limb, with only one eye remaining.

The guards didn’t stop him, but they did sneer at the stumbling man, who was struggling to cross the ground to Lotus.

Karl was about to move, but Lotus stopped him. {Don’t. If the Goddess wills it, he will make it to me. If she doesn’t, he will die on the way.}

That was surprisingly brutal for the softhearted Cleric, but the Orc’s soul was nearly as black as Karl’s aura when viewed through Soul Sight.

It might be a chance at redemption if he could make it under his own power. Karl knew it was better not to question the will of the Gods. The questions without answers would just make his head hurt.

The Orc collapsed with a smile as he reached the golden dust, and one of the blue illusionary birds dove into his body, giving him a burst of extra healing.

The Orc lay there on the ground for a few more minutes, absorbing the healing, while the locals walked around his body.

Then, he pulled a small bag from his inventory and crawled over to fill it with rice and beans.

But when he got to his feet, he didn’t turn back to the city, he simply walked away, north out of the slums.

That was the Orcish way. He would accept food and healing, but he wouldn’t go back to the city and beg for charity, even if they would let him back in. He would go find his own way to rebuild his life.