All around me were pairs of eyes filled with hostility. I wasn't used to it. Luo Yu, standing before me, seemed unfazed, while Lily Wu glanced in my direction from time to time. I had no intention of wasting any more words on her.
Maybe this was a natural reaction for a woman. Just then, Nathan Li walked over slowly and sat at the table with a smile.
"If you need anything, just say it, Miss Lan."
I nodded.
"Just give me some liquor."
Saying that, I lit a cigarette. Nathan Li looked a little surprised but still nodded, got up, and went to the supply room for the liquor. James Grant went off to contact Scarlet Moon's officers, saying it would take at least two or three days because this mission was extremely dangerous—almost certain death. If we angered the Emperor God and Sylvia Yan, they'd dig up every inch of ground to wipe out Scarlet Moon's people.
After James Grant left, I heard a lot of murmurs. These Yinfolk with self-awareness didn't trust me or Luo Yu at all. They thought this was a trap meant to wipe them out, and many voiced their objections.
James Grant seemed hesitant too. Because of what Rachel (Shadow Self) and Luo Yu did before, they didn't believe us at all. But neither Luo Yu nor I could break into the circular arena between the three towers—that was the core of this world.
For now, all we could do was wait. According to Luo Yu, we've been missing for over twelve hours. The Emperor God should know by now who Luo Yu was impersonating among the Yinfolk.
"Be careful, Rachel Lan."
Luo Yu muttered something under his breath. At that moment, Nathan Li walked over to us, carrying a basketful of liquor and placing it on the table.
"Help yourself, Miss Lan."
With that, Nathan Li left. I casually picked up a bottle of baijiu, twisted off the cap, and took a sip. It tasted pretty good.
"Careful of what?"
Luo Yu glanced around.
"It looks like this Scarlet Moon group isn't just run by James Grant. It's like a pile of loose sand, isn't it? How could a group like this accomplish anything?"
I neither nodded nor shook my head. Honestly, I'd already felt that James Grant, as the leader, had no real authority. Many here even mocked him. Scarlet Moon's internal conflicts were severe, and without a true decision-maker, no matter what methods they used to grow, they'd remain just a pile of loose sand.
And judging by their attitudes, they had no intention of overthrowing the Emperor God's rule. From the looks in many of the Yinfolk's eyes, I could tell—they just wanted to live in their own preferred way.
The most crucial thing was that James Grant couldn't die, but if they died, there'd be no coming back. It seemed everyone had their own concerns.
At that moment, Lily Wu came over again. I had no intention of acknowledging her.
"If you can't achieve it, you'd better just leave."
As Lily Wu sat beside me and patted my shoulder, she slipped me a note. I took it, and after a meaningful glance, she turned to leave. When no one was watching, I glanced at the note—it showed the correct route out, marked in red.
Originally, it shouldn't have been so complicated. The scroll Ghost Painting Book Immortal gave me had recorded the way, but on the way back, the passages had changed, so we couldn't find the right path.
"We could escape, but didn't you already give the Golden Soulstone to James Grant?"
I asked, and Luo Yu nodded and replied.
"He probably won't do anything to us, but the other Yinfolk are another story."
I nodded. We kept watching; many Yinfolk sat together in small groups, occasionally glancing our way.
"A group this scattered will never amount to more than petty trouble."
Luo Yu said, glancing around.
"If it really comes down to it, we should find Luo Yichen. That's our only option. He and I might be able to hold off the Emperor God and Sylvia Yan."
I looked at Luo Yu, puzzled, and asked.
"Do you want me to trigger The Dawn?"
Luo Yu nodded.
"We can stall them for a few hours at most. During that time, you have to figure something out. We understand those two far better than our clan leader does, so we can do it."
I didn't argue with Luo Yu. What I hadn't understood before was why Tan Tian had been driven out, but after hearing what James Grant said, I seemed to get it—the Emperor God had ways to use the world's laws to expel foreign elements.
After a while, my head started to spin. I got up and went to the room James Grant had prepared for me and lay down to sleep. Luo Yu followed, standing at the door.
"Just sleep. I'll keep watch."
Half-asleep, I heard a noisy commotion outside. I hurried up and went out to find a crowd of Yinfolk surrounding James Grant. Many of them looked at us with anger.
"James Grant, can't you see that's an obvious trap?"
A beggar holding a wine jug glared furiously at James Grant. Many of the Yinfolk looked like they'd come from other underground bases, each one questioning him.
"Chris Chen, if we succeed, the Emperor God won't be able to control this world anymore. Then..."
James Grant was about to say something when a hunched, short man interrupted him.
"James Grant, we've suffered losses so many times. Don't you remember how you died when you were alive? Wasn't it because you trusted your allies? And what happened then?"
James Grant's face grew solemn as he looked up, a bitter smile on his lips. I noticed that among those surrounding him, a few masked figures—men and women—stood together in silence, just watching. Their eyes were much sharper than the other Yinfolk around them.
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"Everyone, disperse for now."
A tall man carrying two axes shouted. James Grant nodded, and the crowd dispersed. Then James Grant walked over to us.
"Come inside first. I need to talk to you."
Back inside, James Grant shook his head in frustration.
"The officers all refuse to cooperate with you."