Chapter 344: Chapter 291 Everyone on the Street is Watching You Chapter 344: Chapter 291 Everyone on the Street is Watching You As the sun set, the vintage car also exited the elevated highway.
The second level of the city was already within reach on the horizon, but it was different from Azura.
If Azura’s second level was a giant umbrella standing on the ground, then this second level city looked like it was still under construction, with several smaller umbrellas standing on the ground, making the entire city appear scattered.
However, compared to the second level, another thing caught the attention of the foreigners more.
When the sports car stopped at the edge of the city, Ash couldn’t help but say, “Is it really foggy here?”
Even at dusk, the whole city was still shrouded in white mist, and the warm yellow light became even more ambiguous. However, this kind of mist didn’t feel intrusive but rather added a blurry filter that made the city’s hazy beauty apparent.
Harvey sniffed, put a cat grass smoke between his lips, and did not light it.
“The fog is a local specialty of Vatican Mura, I wasn’t used to it either, but we’ll only be here for a few days, just bear with it.” Hanna signaled everyone to get off and then sent the antique car to where it belonged–next to the garbage station.
It was impossible to keep driving a vintage car in the city, where floating cars efficiently dominated the city roads, and the vintage car was like noise in classical music, painfully conspicuous and could bring about a complaint from a Red Hat for malicious disturbance of city traffic.
“Do we have to ride bicycles again?”
“No, this time it’s electric scooters.”
Like in Azura, there were rental transportation sheds in the suburbs here too, but unlike Azura’s healthy cycling, Vatican Mura seemed to prefer cool outdoor activities, so everyone stood on scooters, slowly entering this misty city.
“By the way, Ash, put on your cloak.” Hanna suddenly remembered, “Without my order, unless you’re bathing, you’re not allowed to take off your cloak at any time, even when meditating into the Void Realm.”
“Do I have to wear it in the safe house too?” Ash was a bit puzzled, “I know I indeed need the cloak to hide my identity, as I am the only person wanted by the Empire’s Red Hat… but can’t I take it off once we’re settled?”
“No, have you forgotten your demon coat?” Hanna shook her head, “I’ve thought about it carefully. The withdrawal of the two people from the broken agency last night was too quick, they couldn’t have been scared off by you, so it must have been because of you.”
“… Miss, promise me, don’t try to be a riddler like Igula.”
Igula spoke melancholically, “If you don’t understand, blame my riddle… Maybe the Gospel is right, letting you immerse in ignorance might actually be a kind of bliss.”
Hanna shook her head, “What I mean is, your demon coat might intimidate people when they see you for the first time, and the effect depends only on the difference in the Spirit Faction’s Realm, meaning even a Two-winged or a Three-winged Mage might be at a disadvantage.”
“Therefore, your demon coat might become an important trump card, and you must not let people easily see the true face beneath your cloak, only removing it at crucial moments.”
“… Why make it sound like I’m some kind of seductress who relies on stripping whenever in trouble…” Ash muttered as he put on his fully covering cloak, looking more like a wanted criminal than a wanted criminal.
Liss joyfully rode her scooter, and although she had never played with a scooter before, scooters clearly attracted children more than bicycles, and she quickly mastered it; riding ahead of the group as if she was on a picnic.
As she passed two pedestrians, both of them simultaneously turned their heads to look at her.
The two–one a dark-skinned human, the other a green-skinned Lizard Man–apparently did not know each other, but both directed their gaze towards the white-haired girl.
Liss immediately retreated back to Ash’s side, and yet, as their group passed, the two locals continued to give them a scrutiny salute.
In the eyes of the locals, there was not any emotion of disgust, joy, or curiosity, but more of a look one might give when a new, unfamiliar student suddenly enters the classroom.
As they delved deeper into the city, these salutes became more frequent, pedestrians on the streets stopped, guests in open-air cafes put down their tea cups, and passengers in floating cars stuck their heads out.
From all sides, from above and below, unavoidable and unmistakable.
The six of them seemed to have an alluring charm that could attract everyone’s eyes wherever they went.
Now, not only Ash and Liss, even Harvey and Igula felt uneasy. Walking on the streets but being silently watched by everyone gave rise to many cruel fantasies in one’s mind, the stares heavy as lead, oppressive to the point where even the air seemed to thin.
“What you said made sense,” Igula whispered, “The dead are indeed easier to deal with than the living, at least the dead wouldn’t look at me .”
Harvey hesitated for a moment: “Actually, corpses can look at you too.”
“What a pity, another advantage of the dead gone, I’m not studying the Necromancy Faction anymore.”
But unlike the foreigners, Hanna and Banjee were completely steady in their emotions, not caring about other people’s stares at all. They reached the free city rail subway station, and Hanna even signaled everyone to board, willingly entering the narrow carriage space to endure the scrutiny from all the other passengers.
Liss nervously hid her head in Ash’s embrace, and Ash also wanted to bury his face in Hanna’s embrace–he was scared too!