"Oh, was I too forward?"
She let go of her professional demeanor and relaxed, smiling bitterly.
"Our city is always in need of strong awakeners. This is why we welcome wanderers like you two.
"Of course, you need to tell us your traits if you want to enter the city."
Kane relaxed visibly after she spoke normally.
He looked at Neo and nodded.
Neo returned his nod before turning to the woman.
"We want to enter the city."
"Then follow me. We'll register your identities before you enter the city."
The city wall was dozens of meters thick.
The woman, Calista, took them to a room that was built inside the wall.
"Please tell me your name, age, and trait."
Her eyes glowed when she posed the question.
"Kane Millens, 43 years old. I'm not an awakener. I was rescued by Neo while he was on his way to Azrew."
"Neo Hargraves, 17 years old, my trait is: Death."
"Death?" Calista frowned as she adjusted her glasses.
He didn't bother lying, since the glowing eyes of the woman and the way she acted hinted that she could detect lies.
'Demigod's bloodline skills and Awakeners' Traits are the same thing, so this shouldn't be a lie.'
"What does your trait do?"
A strange silence descended.
"No, that's all my Death can do."
She adjusted her glasses awkwardly and stared at Neo.
"He isn't lying. But how is this possible? I've heard about all kinds of absurd traits, however, this is a first," she mumbled to herself, shocked.
"Wait!" A strange gleam appeared in her eyes. "How do you know about your trait? You would've died if you used it."
Calista's question was not wrong.
The Akashic Record had not been created yet.
People had to go through countless trials and errors to learn about their trait's abilities.
"They might have the ability to see others' traits, or something. I don't know how they found my trait."
"You believed someone just because they told you your trait's information?
"What if they were lying or if they judged your trait inaccurately?!"
"I can guarantee that they would not lie about my trait," Neo said, and thought. 'The Akashic Records core principle is to reveal only truth and no falsehood to the demigods.'
Calista's brows creased.
Her lie detection told her Neo was not lying.
Everything he said was truth.
She asked Neo and Kane more questions. It was only after she completed the proceedings that her brows relaxed.
She allowed them entry to the city with a smile on her face.
"Please enjoy your stay in the city.
"Someone will come to you tomorrow and help you adjust in our Azrew. Until then, you can enjoy the festival!" she said enthusiastically.
"Festival?" Kane questioned.
"Yeah, we hold one every month to boost the morale of our citizens!"
Neo and Kane entered the city.
The city's condition surprised them.
Shops selling goods, pedestrians on roads.
It was as if the apocalypse had never arrived.
'Either someone very strong is living here, or something is very wrong…'
Neo's thoughts halted.
He stared at the streetlight.
"What are you looking at?" Kane questioned.
"…it's nothing. Let's join the festival."
Kane felt something was wrong.
He saw Neo staring at random streetlights.
The two reached the place.
They received discounts whenever they revealed they had entered the city only today.
"Young man, you should go to the 13th Street avenue! The real show takes place there!" a shopkeeper told.
The festive atmosphere was infectious.
Soon Kane started to enjoy himself and he let go of his worries.
"Neo, we should go to the 13th Street avenue. I want to see what's happening there."
He hadn't said a word since they entered deeper into the city.
The two continued their tour.
Kane gasped when he witnessed the performance at 13th Avenue Street.
Time passed, and soon it was evening.
The host of the show picked up the mic and stood at the front of the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, how's the festival?"
The crowd shouted, showing their appreciation.
"I can't hear you! Louder!"
"I'm happy that all of you like our exhibitions and shows we prepared for the 232nd Azrew festival!
"Now, it's time for the main event!"
The thunderous cheers intoxicated Kane.
"Let the main event begin!"
The host pulled the curtain that had been covering the stage behind him.
A man about to be hanged was revealed.
"I didn't do anything! Those charges are false!" the man shouted.
"Now, now, our dear citizens," the host said. "Who else agrees with him?"
"Kill the filthy king!"
"Well said!" the host shouted. "It is time for justice!"
The platform below the hanged man disappeared.
He fell and his neck snapped.
Kane was snapped out of his stupor when he heard the man's neck break.
He grew flustered, his breathing became quick.
"Wh-what was that? I felt like I've been in a daze since I entered this city."
Kane realized he had been acting too free-spirited since he entered the city.
It wasn't like him to act in a childish way.
"Neo." Kane shook Neo. "Neo!"
There was no response.
The host continued his exhibition.
"We've finally hanged the corrupt king! Long live freedom!"
Kane's body trembled.
Kane grabbed Neo's hand and tried to pull him away when suddenly he was pushed by the crowd.
He fell and quickly rose to his feet.
His eyes wandered and he looked at the streetlight.
Hanged corpses dangled on streetlights.
Fear gripped Kane's heart.
Before he could run, the haze covered his mind again.
"Huh? What was I doing?" Kane muttered.
When he didn't find anything wrong, he returned to cheering along with the crowd.
Neo, who had been watching everything, pursed his lips.
"So the mind control can be broken when you receive a powerful shock."
He could feel a foreign power trying to influence his mind.
His skill, Eternal, gave him resistance against status effects, which included mental attack resistance.
"My skill should keep me safe for some time."
He turned his gaze to the stage.
"A city under mind control," he muttered. "Saving these people will definitely help me increase my fame."
Even as he spoke, he could feel the foreign power trying to control his mind becoming stronger.