The Mysterious Town stands in stark contrast to Night Town. While Night Town operates under bizarre rules, the Mysterious Town is simply a grotesque imitation.
Once someone enters, it transforms into a vast escape room infused with horror elements. Most notably, this town is a remnant of the Netherworld invasion.
For players, the worst fate is a sudden, inexplicable death. However, NPCs face a far graver threat. Ghosts, with their invasive nature, can easily infiltrate and manipulate. When they gain the upper hand, they will ruthlessly massacre the city, eliminating all soul-removing beings.
If a sufficiently powerful force manages to defeat a ghost, it can become a parasite, hiding within a human soul. After consuming that person's fate and essence, the ghost will slip away, seeking its next host.
What remains is a new species: the ghoul. Ghouls resemble zombies, consuming their own kind; for instance, a ghoul transformed from an elf will only prey on elves. They are also highly contagious, with their blood and saliva capable of turning others into ghouls.
The most terrifying aspect is that their intelligence remains intact. They shift from being members of their species to being predators. Those with strong willpower can resist their bloodthirsty urges, but they risk starving due to a lack of sustenance.
Bai Yi gazed at the Mysterious Town, now overrun by players during the live broadcast, feeling a twinge of regret. In the God's Showcase, he had deliberately left behind a particularly malevolent figure, hoping this town would manifest sooner, allowing him to eliminate the players and acquire rare resources. Now, however, those resources were nearly depleted by others.
The Mysterious Town wouldn't last much longer—within two days, only the final ghost boss would remain. Yet, Bai Yi dismissed his concerns. Although he had prepared for this scenario, he had also missed some crucial elements during his month of seclusion. On a brighter note, of the thirty thousand transformed legions, only five hundred remained. The combat effectiveness of Dongwu City's forces had significantly improved, boasting a super-legion army of 180,000, with the transformed legion averaging a burst strength at the gold level.
What strategies could he employ in the upcoming Soul Tower test?
Exiting the laboratory, Bai Yi spotted Luo Ning, now taller, building snowmen in the corner. The snowmen added a whimsical touch to the backyard of the City Lord's Mansion. The snow had been falling for a month; without Heidinger occasionally dispersing the snow clouds, this year's snowfall could have been disastrous.
Bai Yi's gaze shifted to Irene, who was shrinking behind a snowman. Having reached level 34, her growth rate was impressive. As a curse doctor, her development mirrored that of healers, relying on continuous healing and the tempering of magic power. However, treating with curses carried risks, including a 50% mortality rate.
Without delay, Bai Yi headed to the Transformation Corps. After delivering the last 500 mechanical exoskeletons, he encountered Yue Fang, whom he hadn't seen in a while. Something about him seemed... off.
"Lord City Lord," Yue Fang greeted, adjusting his monocle.
Bai Yi paused, noticing the mechanical prostheses replacing Yue Fang's arms. His level had surged to upper bronze, nearly matching Luo Ning's.
Bai Yi wasn't against mechanical enhancements but believed that a person's essence should remain intact unless absolutely necessary.
Yue Fang's demeanor had changed; the timidity of before was replaced by confidence. "Lord City Lord, your city is thriving beyond my expectations. In my vision, perfection looks like this." He activated a projection displaying a humanoid machine, complete with data annotations outlining upgrades from bronze to gold.
Yue Fang had spent the past month planning his transformation, using permissions granted by Sabo to access resources in the Hall of Knowledge. His mechanical arms were just the beginning of his evolution.
Bai Yi listened, summarizing Yue Fang's vision: flesh is unstable, but machines represent the future.
After a moment of contemplation, Bai Yi replied, "Complete mechanical transformation isn't the answer."
Yue Fang's disappointment was palpable. "What if I implement safeguards against destruction in my core programming?"
Bai Yi shook his head. "Do you know why the Federation prohibits full mechanical transformation? It could grant alchemists immortality."
Yue Fang's monocle flashed with data as he countered, "Because without a body, people lose their desires. An alchemist devoid of desires lacks creativity. Absolute rationality can extinguish both good and bad qualities, leading to disaster."
"But I can set personal goals to replace those desires. As long as I have firm objectives, I can achieve them rationally. I believe I won't cause any disasters."
"You understand well," Bai Yi said, feeling a headache coming on. "But have you considered changing your perspective?"
He raised his hand, projecting a diamond-shaped crystal—the contact lens named Zero. "Artificial intelligence can learn and grow through experience. I created mine less than a year ago, and it possesses extensive knowledge, surpassing my own. If I were to give it a physical form..."
"How is that different from your ultimate vision?" Yue Fang asked.
"Desire fuels creativity. The idea of autonomously generating desires isn't new. You might want to research a group called the Mechanicus." Bai Yi cautioned, "Another faction, the Flesh and Blood Cult, worships a powerful evil deity and has vanished from history, leaving behind only sealed remnants."
In Shia's history, three such extremist organizations had emerged, but most members perished, with the few survivors sealed in the abyss. Extreme transformations often lead to chaos and disaster.
Yue Fang remained undeterred. "Lord City Lord, I still wish to proceed." His projection brightened, and his mechanical body began to disassemble, revealing its core.
"If you don't trust your programming, I can implant explosives in my core reactor and brain," he proposed, smiling at Bai Yi. "You could have remote control over it."
Bai Yi sighed, realizing Yue Fang still didn't grasp the full implications. "It's up to you. No need for explosives, but consider saving a copy of your current thoughts and flesh for safekeeping with the Armaments Department. You might have a chance at revival later."
Yue Fang silently watched Bai Yi leave, emotions flickering in his eyes before being replaced by a mechanical resolve. He resumed his work, installing the exoskeleton and studying its structure.
Bai Yi exited the Transformation Corps, pondering the potential of such a promising individual. While goals might compensate for creativity, absolute rationality could strip away everything else—family, friendships, and emotional ties could become mere obstacles.
The extremists who once proclaimed, "Flesh is weak; machines can ascend," now struggled to survive in the abyss.
Their ambition? To transform all living beings into machines. Bai Yi, now level 58, recognized the folly in Yue Fang's desire for self-destruction. If he ever posed a real threat, it would be a tragedy if he were to blow himself up.
In the event of a loss of control, Bai Yi could extract his soul, allowing the artificial intelligence to take over and potentially create a top-tier mechanical body from him. If necessary, he could cleanse his soul and reintegrate his thoughts, perhaps even resurrecting him.
As he pondered these possibilities, Bai Yi spotted a massive figure approaching the transformation room—Garrit, towering over four meters tall.
"Garrit," Bai Yi called, catching the giant's attention.
Garrit turned and saluted. "Lord City Lord."
"You'll soon undergo a new transformation. I've arranged for you to access the military merit exchange system, where you'll find an axe perfectly suited for you—your reward for the recent gold hunt," Bai Yi said with a smile.
Garrit nodded respectfully, though his fierce expression betrayed no excitement. "Thank you, Lord City Lord."
During the hunt in Sin City, Bai Yi had lost Deputy Legion Commander Magath, Garrett's younger brother. Bai Yi's gesture was more about strengthening his forces than compensation, as the pension had already been issued. With other commanders nearing gold level, he needed a powerful legion commander to match.
Bai Yi proceeded to the Mage Academy in the west. He had intended to visit half a month ago but had been too absorbed in leveling up.
Entering the principal's office, Heidinger greeted him with a smile. "Your items are ready."
He placed two potions and a soul lantern on the table, admiring Bai Yi's rapid progress—level 58, gaining two levels a month, indicative of top potential.
"Mr. Heidinger, I have a request. With all the no-fly formations in the capital, could the City Lord's Mansion have one as well?"
"Understood. It can be done within three days," Heidinger replied, not hesitating to agree.
"Thank you. I won't take up more of your time." Bai Yi attached the soul lantern to his clothing, picked up the potions, and bowed slightly before exiting. He checked the potion details:
[Name: Soul Guardian]
Grade: Legend
Effect: Greatly enhances the soul's resistance and toughness, granting immunity to silver-level curses and poisons.
Requirements: Spirit 300+
Introduction: The soul is fragile yet unique. Protecting it is key to strength.
Price: 50,000 gold coins.
Taking a deep breath, Bai Yi felt he had completed nearly everything necessary. Next, he would transform the bone dragon, allowing him some free time afterward.
Summoning the bone dragon to the City Lord's Mansion, Bai Yi began the upgrade, enhancing its propulsion system for speed. He decided against further modifications for now, preferring to wait for more significant weapon upgrades.
During the renovation, a notification popped up on his panel.
[Saint 2: Netherworld.]
Bai Yi continued his work, and when the notification chimed again, he exhaled in relief.
[You crafted 1 spaceship tail thruster; experience +5000. Extra experience +5000.]
His intuition had been correct—the second stage of the extreme mission was imminent. Was Netherworld the Mysterious Town? Would it hunt him down?
He reviewed the mission details, noting it was similar to the last one, with a reminder that completion would only occur when danger approached.
But it didn't matter. Perhaps the Soul Tower was merely unlucky, drawing danger from its surroundings.
Knowing about this instance and having released it himself, he wondered if he could preemptively eliminate the boss there.
With that thought, Bai Yi opened the live broadcast of the Wei Brigade. The Mysterious Town was filled with players, and the monsters had nearly all been defeated.
The screen was packed with players searching for clues to revive a gold-level Netherworld boss, only to face annihilation.
Many were cursing the gaming company, leaving negative reviews for Dawn Rising.
For players at level 25, defeating elite monsters was already a significant achievement, but defeating the boss was a daunting task.
After some consideration, Bai Yi directed the bone dragon toward the Mysterious Town, making his way to the Apocalypse Legion's base.
Perhaps he could clear the level in seconds?