The population of the Slaughter City decreased daily, yet also increased.
Countless people perished daily in the Hell Slaughterground, victims of greed and assassination. However, soul masters who came by reputation or had nowhere else to go injected fresh blood into this sunless metropolis, like a flowing stream that would never dry up as long as people existed.
"Welcome to Slaughter City, newcomer."
The envoy smiled, looking at this newcomer soul master who had broken the rules but passed the assessment, turning a blind eye to the bloodstains all over him.
The soul master, cloaked in black, panted somewhat dishevelly, glaring warily at the envoy, "Who are you?"
He had entered by engaging in a life-or-death battle with an enforcement knight after violating the rules.
Although he had known from the start that Slaughter City was strange and almost a place of no return, it wasn't until he truly stepped into this place that he realized the soul masters who never returned were not incapable. Once soul masters stepped into the outer perimeter of Slaughter City, all their soul skills became unusable, their soul power suppressed, and their martial spirits reverted to their initial forms, before any soul rings were attached. He had only managed to heavily injure the "judge" enforcement knight, the one who "tried" him, with a few life-saving tricks, thus successfully obtaining the qualification to enter Slaughter City.
"I am your guide. You can ask me anything you don't understand. Within twelve hours, I will answer all your questions. Once the twelve hours are up, it will be your own time," the envoy spoke the same unchanging words to the newcomer entering Slaughter City.
The other party's expression shifted, but his vigilance did not abate. "What do I need to do after entering Slaughter City? The judge just now said there was one more procedure."
The envoy smiled faintly. "Yes, you still need to fill out a truthful and valid form. Please follow me."
Fill out a form?
Did this place also require registration like the Great Soul Arena, to become a member of Slaughter City?
With doubts in his heart, the black-robed soul master warily followed the leisurely walking envoy into a black tent pitched outside the towering black city walls.
Inside, only one black-armored knight was seated, with a rectangular wooden table and a stack of blank papers to be filled out placed before him.
"You only need to fill it out. If you encounter any difficult questions, you can write only what you can, but all information must be true. This concerns your survival in Slaughter City in the future, so please do not fill in any false information."
"Also, the information on this form you fill out will not be known by others."
The envoy, wearing a professional smile, gestured to the side and stepped back, remaining silent.
The black-robed soul master did not move. He said gruffly, "Why do you need this information?"
"As a testament to your existence in this world. Consider it the kindness of the official who set up this supplementary assessment procedure." The envoy provided a perfect reason that the black-robed soul master couldn't refute.
A testament to existence...
Could someone like him, a desperado, a wretch who might not even live to see tomorrow, leave a testament in this world?
However, he had already fled to Slaughter City; there couldn't be a worse situation than this, could there?
The black-robed soul master thought self-mockingly, but his body moved with honest obedience. He sat down and began to fill out the blank form with its questions.
The empty paper was gradually filled with black ink.
The envoy watched the black-robed soul master's bowed back as he filled out the form, with a faint sigh in his heart.
No matter how difficult, no matter how bloodthirsty a newcomer was, upon entering the tent, their thoughts and perceptions seemed to be subtly twisted, and they would quietly fill out the form.
When the little princess suggested they fill it out themselves, they all thought no one would comply, and some might even cause a disturbance in the tent, but now...
Concealed by the black veil, the envoy subtly glanced at the seal placed on the table.
Hmm.
Originally, for safety reasons, five black-armored knights were on duty in the tent. Now, only one black-armored knight was needed to rotate shifts.
"...Do I have to answer this?"
When he encountered a question he didn't want to answer, the male soul master in the black robe's bloodshot, hazy eyes stared intently at the black-armored knight sitting before him.
The black-armored knight's voice was cold and mechanical, like a puppet, unfazed by the man's silent threat. "Yes, you must answer."
The male soul master's gaze flickered for a few moments. In the end, he still picked up his pen and wrote down what he could answer.
After filling out the form, the envoy spoke again, guiding him. The male soul master silently got up and left the black tent.
Only after the male soul master and the envoy had walked away did the black-armored knight slowly pick up the seal resting on the red ink pad and press a blood-red stamp onto the form the soul master had just filled out.
The seal, with a pattern resembling an ape-beast mask, emitted a faint red light. Then, under the black-armored knight's accustomed gaze, the paper seemed to be burned by fire, turning into black embers. Finally, only the ape-beast pattern, glowing red, remained suspended in the air for two seconds, like a sparkler. Once the fuel was depleted, the sparkler gradually lost its light.
The paper that had turned to ash reappeared on a fine sandalwood table. Except for the vanished red seal, the writing remained intact.
A fair hand pinched the corner of the paper and lifted it. Tang Sui looked at the information, a smile curving her lips. "The reason for entering Slaughter City is because I offended someone I shouldn't have, and was chased here? Another one who plays word games. Hmm... then put them on the C-list."
She categorized the newly arrived information, adding a new sheet to the third column of the five stacks of lists before her.
Everything was proceeding smoothly according to her grand plan...
—Author's Notes—
The unconscious ape mask grumbled: Why is it always me!
Fox mask: Hee hee hee—Who told you you're better at seducing people than me, this fox spirit~
Big Fly Out: Shameful!
ps: Brother will be out tomorrow!
Waiting for the sibling reunion where they don't recognize each other, look shocked and question their lives, and then punch each other (rubbing hands)
See you tomorrow!