Chapter 1130 - 358: The City at Night

The golden rays emitted by the sun spread over the streets of Memphis, the cobblestone roads dyed a golden-red, the air filled with the scent of incense and roasted meat. Ian walked slowly through the market, his eyes scanning the crowd, but his ears catching every whisper. He overheard someone discussing certain secrets of the city.

Listening attentively.

Ian also obtained some information.

A few men gathered around a pottery stall, selecting pots while whispering.

"Did you hear? Someone disappeared again last night."

"Yes, the old carpenter living on West Street, his neighbor found his door open this morning, but no sign of him."

"How many is this now? Three last month, another two this month..."

"Some say it’s the shadow from the Temple doing it."

"Shadow? Don’t scare me... I passed by the Temple’s outer wall last night and actually saw a shadow sweep across the wall, like... a person, but not quite."

Ian slowly approached, pretending to choose pottery, but his ears were perked upright.

"Could it be thieves?"

"What thief would dare operate near the Temple? Besides, the homes of the missing people haven’t lost anything."

"Then what do you think it is? Ghosts? Or... divine punishment?"

Before finishing speaking, one of them suddenly noticed Ian’s presence, his face changed sharply, and he nudged his companion with an elbow. The group immediately fell silent, warily observing this strange foreigner.

"Shh—"

The sound abruptly ceased.

Everyone instantly shut their mouths, their gaze uniformly shifted to Ian.

It was a look mixed with vigilance, suspicion, and unease. Ian straightened up, revealing a friendly smile: "Sorry, I’m lost, can you tell me how to get to the Sun Temple?"

He stepped forward to inquire. The group exchanged glances, and one reluctantly pointed in a direction, then hurriedly dispersed, as if Ian carried a plague.

"It feels like they might have been marked by me, clearly the city isn’t peaceful," Ian stood in place, watching their hurried backs, his brow slightly furrowed.

Disappearance cases? Shadow? Divine punishment? These words intertwined in his mind, forming a vague yet dangerous picture, pointing to something possibly beyond ordinary crime. Recalling the ordeal of that crazy old man Nakut and the warning from the woman in black robes, a faint unease arose in Ian’s heart.

That’s why.

He didn’t give up, continued traversing the city, inquiring from passersby. Some shook their heads and remained silent, some hurriedly avoided, and some even turned and fled the moment he spoke.

Evidently, the silence on this seemingly prosperous and lively city’s topic was itself a warning, further piquing Ian’s curiosity about the city’s peculiarities. He decided to probe further. Approaching a stall selling wine, he bought a cup of palm wine, casually chatting with the owner.

"Is the city recently unsettled? I see everyone is a bit tense."

The owner was a robust middle-aged man, paused upon hearing this, his gaze momentarily shifting.

"Foreigner, some things... are better left uninvestigated. Some things, knowing too much is not good."

"Oh?" Ian sipped the wine, feigning curiosity, "I’m just a traveler, wanting to ensure my safety, wanting to understand this city."

It seemed a reasonable excuse.

"It’s not that you can’t ask." A nearby customer coolly interjected, "But asking won’t get you answers. And... it might cause trouble."

Before the voice died away, not only that customer, but the adjacent vendor as well quickly packed up the stall, hurried away, as if afraid of being targeted by something invisible.

The owner lowered his voice: "Recently, there have indeed been disappearances, and..." He looked around, confirming no one was paying attention, before continuing, "Some say it’s divine punishment."

"Gods?"

"Sun God... or something else." The owner shook his head, clearly unwilling to say more, only slightly admonishing Ian, "Anyway, don’t wander around at night."

Ian nodded, asking no further, but had already calculated. As the sun gradually shifted, the afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden edge on the white city walls of Memphis.

Ian stood beside a column at the market’s edge, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the texture of the Magic Wand. The wary eyes of that group and their hurried leaving lingered in his mind. The shadows near the Temple, the successive disappearance cases, and that crazy old man Nakut—these fragmentary clues appeared more and more elusive in the sunlight.

The market’s clamor gradually subsided, vendors began packing up their stalls. Ian approached an elderly woman gathering spice jars, intentionally making his steps seem casual.

"Old lady," he spoke in Egyptian with a Theban accent, repeating the same inquiry, "I heard the city is recently unsettled?"

This kind of speech seemed like a taboo.

The response from all the residents was nearly the same.

The elderly woman’s hand suddenly trembled, saffron powder spilled onto the coarse cloth. She raised her wrinkled face, a flicker of panic in her murky eyes. "Foreigner," she lowered her voice, her dry fingers clutching the apron tightly, "Return home before the sun sets." With that, she quickly grabbed the pottery jar and hurried into the crowd without looking back.

Ian squinted his eyes. This level of panic already exceeded fear of ordinary crime. He turned to the nearby seller of dates, but before he could speak, the young vendor shook his head in panic, hurriedly stuffing unsold fruits into grass baskets and running away. The atmosphere of the entire street suddenly turned eerie, as if the originally bustling market was cloaked in invisible fear, the vendors’ pace of packing their goods noticeably hastened, occasionally sneaking glances at Ian standing in the middle of the road.