Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 1316: Vestiges

Zac leaned back into the plush armchair, looking at the ornate figurine a few more moments before putting it away. The city was silent save the rain patter against his suite’s windows, leaving him alone to his thoughts. His other half had emerged from the Dipper Mountains close to three weeks ago, and he’d finally gone through the last of the engraved figurines brought out by Ogras.

As expected, Daoist Hidden Earth advancing multiple stages and becoming a Void Cultivator wasn’t related to his clan or a bout of inspiration. After surviving the calamity that eradicated his Clan, Hidden Earth became a wandering cultivator. A Middle Monarch was strong enough to get a decent position almost anywhere, even in the Limitless Empire.

Hidden Earth rejected the easy path. The thought of revenge consumed him, and becoming an external elder of some faction would restrict his freedom. Only a stroke of fortune could make his dream come true. He trekked into the vast stretches of unclaimed wilderness in

“There you are!” Esmeralda said. “I was just about to drag you out.”

Zac glanced out the window as he sat down. Even now, Terren’s Loom missed the expected bustle of a late C-grade city. Seeing the empty streets felt more jarring now than in the middle of the night.

“Sorry about that. Looks like you have good news?”

After witnessing the change to his identity seal and the Wendimal Token, Esmeralda agreed they needed to put more effort into exploring memories. There was no point in reaching the Mercurial Court early if they lacked the fate necessary to achieve their goals. The desolate town was their second memory domain since changing their approach.

Terren’s Loom was situated inside a lush basin with extraordinary levels of energy. Not only that, it had two unique resources: a lake whose water greatly assisted in growing Spiritual Herbs. The other was the basin itself. It was the mouth of a dormant super-volcano. Its eruptions in ages past had left the soil incredibly fertile. The volcano’s depths were also known to produce a unique type of Spiritual Flames, some better than the one in Zac’s possession.

Spiritual Flames were incredibly rare, but special D-grade flames could be regularly harvested and brought out. When used in crafting, they could add a Soul-nurturing effect. The lucky combination had led to Terren’s Loom becoming a local haven for craftsmen. A few forges were built below ground, though the mainstay was alchemy as the flames proved more useful during pill concoction.

A council of artisanal factions like Zecia’s Zethaya Clan ruled Terren’s Loom, working together to protect their valuable land and skilled craftsmen. Zac suspected they relied on some hidden faction to stay safe. Otherwise, Zac couldn’t see such a valuable location staying in the hands of a group of Late D-grade factions. The region was flourishing, with countless merchants visiting to stock up on pills and remedies.

That was, until recent events.

“I’ve got two pieces of good news, in fact,” Esmeralda grinned as she produced a jade box. “First off, I finally know what we’re dealing with.”

Different from the hidden plot of Dipper Seven, the issue plaguing Terren’s Loom was right in the open. Close to ten thousand citizens had recently disappeared under mysterious circumstances, both locals and visitors. It took some time to notice the pattern because of the high turnover and a slow start to the troubles, but the problem became public knowledge two weeks before Zac entered the domain.

One of the Green Band Pill House’s chief researchers had disappeared. Considering the priceless knowledge he held, the Pill House suspected foul play by a competitor. They went crazy during their search, which unearthed dozens of similar cases. Days later, the cases numbered in the hundreds, including more than a dozen important personages among the ruling families.

Some still believed a rival artisanal faction was to blame and that the large number of disappearances was just a smoke screen. This theory grew weaker as the number of victims ballooned. People seemed to be targeted at random. Thousands of F-grade mortals had been taken, as had a Middle Monarch in Terminal Seclusion.

No one could recall how they disappeared, even when staying together, and the only clue left behind was a goop that dispersed in seconds. The streets weren’t empty because so many had been taken. People were afraid to leave their homes since they had no idea what would trigger a disappearance. Zac had initially worried getting a room would become a problem, but the hostess was more than happy to let him stay at a discounted price. She figured the more guests she surrounded herself with, the safer she would be.

By now, the two had stayed inside the memory for five days. Zac had spent most of that time gathering clues with Esmeralda. They hadn’t accomplished much beyond confirming the issue was related to the Dao of Space. The Mercurial Court was related to the Peak of Continuum like the Hollow Court was connected to the Inverse Peak. Consequently, the threads of missed potential leading to the court had a decent chance of having matching issues.

Neither Zac’s Luck nor Esmeralda’s insights into the Dao of Space allowed them to get to the bottom of things. Zac could almost feel an invisible barrier that kept them away, preventing the two from inserting themselves into the ancient mystery. They weren’t fated with the root cause, possibly with the Mercurial Court itself.

This wasn’t the first time they experienced this problem. Terren’s Loom was already the second memory domain they’d visited since the events in Dipper Seven. The previous one depicted a trading post suffering from nightly raids of mysterious bandits who came and left without a trace.

Investigations yielded nothing, and brute force was useless. New bandits reappeared the next day, no matter how many Zac slaughtered. They eventually left after claiming some minor rewards, and Zac was ready to do the same with Terren’s Loom. Zac had already purchased a couple of sets of Soul-Nurturing pills that were no worse than Moss Crystals.

They weren’t the highest-grade pills available, but the better ones only appeared on auctions. Because of the disappearances, the auction house had canceled all upcoming events and shuttered its doors. Esmeralda had refused to leave empty-handed twice in a row. She’d told Zac to stay put one more day before setting out, and her efforts actually yielded results.

“You managed to secure some of the residues? I thought it was impossible to store?” Zac asked after opening the container.

“How can some goop escape my clutches?” Esmeralda haughtily said. “If I want to steal something, it can only let itself get stolen.”

Zac noticed the residual Temporal Energy covering the substance and realized she’d borrowed a bit of power from her curse. As for the goop, Zac couldn’t uncover a thing from an inspection—it looked like lilac slime sprinkled with glitter. It didn’t seem to hold any energy, though that was clearly not the case. There was a slight sense of danger coming from it.

Zac turned back to Esmeralda, who clearly waited for him to say the magic words. Zac rolled his eyes and complied. “Oh, Great Esmeralda, please share your profound knowledge!”

The toad nodded in satisfaction, unbothered by the tone. She looked left and right before leaning over and whispered two words.

“Natural Curse.”