Chapter 93
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Chapter 93: The Demon’s Methods
It was only now that Chaoyang remembered that there was indeed such a person in the cathedral .
The man had been locked up alone in the conductor’s cabin and had obviously been tortured. That’s why Chaoyang made an extra effort to bring him back to the Glorious Fortress. However, he had serious internal and external injuries. After his return, he developed a high fever, so Chaoyang could only leave him in the care of the cathedral. Whether he’d survive or not depended entirely on his own resilience.
After that, with all the preparations for the establishment of Destiny Gate Pharmaceutical Company taking up his time, Chaoyang had completely forgotten about this matter.
He hadn’t expected the man to actually pull through.
“All right, I’ll go over there right away,” he said as soon as he heard the news.
The patient was in an isolated ward in the main hall. When Chaoyang arrived, Jeanne and a nun were changing his bandages. The man looked quite frail, barely able to open his eyes, but compared to his dismal state a few days ago, at least a hint of color had returned to his face.
“Has he just woken up?” Chaoyang asked, looking at Jeanne.
“Mm-hmm,” she nodded. “You can talk to him, but don’t take too long. He hasn’t eaten anything for several days, so he needs rest.”
Ah, right, this world hasn’t developed intravenous infusion technology yet. So when someone’s is unconscious, it also means that they can’t eat.
Chaoyang nodded his understanding and sat down next to the bed.
“Hey… Can you hear me? What’s your name?”
The man glanced at him before slowly turning away, seemingly uninterested in answering.
Well, well! Ignoring your savior? Impressive!
Chaoyang’s tone shifted. “Even if you don’t answer, don’t think you can escape paying your medical bills. Let me break it down for you. Nursing care costs ten silvers per day, Dressing costs five silvers each time, and bed fee is two silvers per day. And finally, there’s the emergency rescue and intensive care fee of ten silvers per hour. So far, the total is two hundred and forty silvers—”
Before he could finish, Jeanne pinched him from behind.
Although her demeanor towards Chaoyang remained highly respectful, a hint of urgency crept into her voice. “These fees are too high! Many people here earn less than a hundred seryls in a year!”
“These rates will eventually become standard. Only by breaking down costs into specific services can we maximize the use of healthcare resources. I haven’t even mentioned the ambulance fees yet.”
The man appeared equally shocked, as if he had heard something equally shocking.
He turned around in astonishment and stared at Chaoyang. “You… aren’t from the Gaotian Mining Corporation?”
Great, this guy must be out of his mind.
“Would the Gaotian Mining Corporation send nuns to treat you?” Chaoyang countered. “Consider yourself lucky that they didn’t beat you to death.”
“Then… how did I end up here?”
Now it was Chaoyang’s turn to be speechless.
If he were alone, he wouldn’t have minded revealing his train hijacking. However, with Jeanne present, he didn’t want to involve the cathedral in this matter.
“Someone raided the train,” Chaoyang decided to slightly alter the story. “They not only freed the slave laborers on board, but also brought you to us. So, we actually saved your life. Do you understand now?”
“Someone attacked… a train of the Gaotian Mining Corporation?” Confusion clearly showed in the man’s eyes. “How is that possible? It wasn’t just an ordinary train. The company even uses armed wondrous constructs to suppress rebellions… They couldn’t possibly pull off such a feat…”
Surprisingly, this man knew about the wondrous construct that was being transported on the train.
Chaoyang immediately picked up on the key words in his message. And who exactly was he referring to when he said “they”?
Could there be others besides Paradise who were capable enough to target the train?
He immediately thought of the miners hanging from the gallows in the street.
Could this person also be one of the rebel miners?
“I have no reason to deceive you. As a matter of fact, the hijacking of the Gaotian Mining Corporation train was reported in the newspapers. If you don’t believe me, I can find a copy for you. Of course, the company retaliated with a purge in the Fog Zone. And I have heard that they captured quite a few people.” Chaoyang said directly. “Let me put it this way, we have considerable grievances with the Gaotian Mining Company, so we won’t hand you over. However, at the very least, you must tell us… Who are you? Why did the company lock you in the conductor’s cabin? What do they want from you?”
“… Jin Keifu,” the man replied after a moment.
“What about the other questions?”
He shook his head, “There’s not much more… that I can tell you…”
“You can’t even reveal who you are?”
“I understand… It wouldn’t do any of you any good…”
“But we saved your life!” Chaoyang said unhappily.
“If you really saved me… then i suggest you to leave,” the man spoke haltingly, “Leave this city… and never come back…”
“You mean leave the Glorious Fortress? Why?” Chaoyang asked urgently. “Is something going to happen in the city?”
But no matter how he questioned, Jin Keifu didn’t answer.
Just then a nun came in carrying a wooden bucket. “Miss Jeanne, the oatmeal is ready.”
Jeanne said apologetically, “Let’s stop here for today. The patient’s condition isn’t stable enough, and he may not remember much more in the near future.”
No… He hasn’t forgotten anything, Chaoyang thought.
He stared at the man on the bed, realizing that it was not because he had forgotten, but because he remembered something vividly, that he refused to speak.
Was it because he couldn’t trust them completely? Or maybe he was afraid that this was all part of a trick by the Gaotian Mining Company?
Regardless, it was clear that he wouldn’t get any useful information by asking directly.
“Alright then, I’ll take my leave now.” Chaoyang said as he stood up. “Oh, by the way, the first batch of antibiotics from the trial production of the pharmaceutical factory will be delivered to the Cathedral tonight. If they prove to be effective, you will be able to free yourselves from the company’s control completely.”
Upon hearing this, Jeanne also became excited. She deeply bowed to Chaoyang and said, “Yes, we are eager to give them a try!”
***
After leaving the main hall, Chaoyang did not go far.
Jin Keifu’s warning to “Leave the Glorious Fortress and never return” made him feel uneasy. In addition, Zhu Di had recently become a target, then there was the mysterious note that appeared in the car, and the sudden changes in the Foggy Zone. All of these factors made Paradise’s situation more and more precarious.
He could feel an undercurrent converging into a whirlpool, but its center remained murky, making it difficult to discern the future.
To avoid being caught off guard, he needed to gather more information. And the prisoner who was locked on the train seemed like a good place to start.
It didn’t matter if this man refused to talk. Demons don’t rely much on words to get information anyway.
After Jeanne and the other nuns left the room, Chaoyang waited another thirty minutes before quietly pushing open the door. Just as he had expected, Jin Keifu had fallen asleep again after eating. This was common during recovery, when one’s body is weak, one tends to feel sleepy easily.
As a precaution, Chaoyang mentally called Luo Di and had her watch the door to prevent the nuns from suddenly entering.
Then, using the Dream Walking technique, he dove straight into Jin Keifu’s subconscious mind!
After a flash of white light, everything around him went dark.
Floating in midair, Chaoyang saw what appeared to be a vast labyrinth—its interior was pitch black and chillingly cold, as if repulsing all intruders from afar.
“That’s right,” he muttered to himself.
Dream realms like Luo Di’s were exceedingly rare. Most individuals subconsciously locked away their memories in layers of defenses because they had too many ugly truths and personal secrets to hide.
Each block that formed this labyrinth, at its core, was essentially one of Jin Keifu’s memories.
Chaoyang descended deeper and deeper, heading straight for the area which was shrouded thickest by darkness.
Gradually, he began to make out a cavernous underground space formed by massive rock formations, along with a camp set up with numerous tents and oil lamps.
Is this… a scene inside a mine?