The city was engulfed in fire and blood, and with the upcoming winter, hunger added to the pressure. People lay scattered on the streets or limped around in search of food. The smell of fire and smoke was everywhere, and the sight of the hungry made everyone shiver.
Jia, while keeping an eye on her surroundings, looked at the foul-smelling slums. Sargon was moving ahead of her, finding his way with the help of a cane. Although he was an expert in arrays and formations, he couldn't see, but his sensory formation was always active, detecting the slightest movement.
Thus, they traveled a long distance and reached a water well.
Sargon stood by the well and tapped the bucket next to it three times with the end of his cane.
Suddenly, a beggar emerged from the semi-ruined houses and approached them. He wore tattered clothes and had disheveled hair. His coarse hair was tied with a dusty headband, and he smelled of sweat.
Sargon took out a silver coin and tossed it to the beggar.
The beggar caught it in mid-air and tested it with his teeth.
When he realized the coin was real, his eyes sparkled.
He bowed briefly in thanks and then showed them the way.
"Is he from the Beggars' sect?" Jia wondered.
The Beggars' sect was one of the largest information-gathering organizations in the world of immortals and mortals. Beggars collected news and information from the streets and managed rumors. Although they didn't have high combat power, the sheer number of members gave them incredible strength.
Sargon knew he didn't have many options for gathering information, and the simplest way was to seek help from the Beggars' Guild.
However, contacting the Beggars wasn't easy. They never revealed their positions and could only be met with a special code.
Sargon, Jia, and the beggar navigated a winding path behind the wooden walls of houses. They used parallel but hidden routes of the Beggars to avoid being noticed.
Even if you walked on that path, you wouldn't realize you were on a hidden route.
The beggar led them through many twists and turns and eventually entered the forest behind the slums.
There were many trees along the way, and undergrowth was abundant. Tall grass grew beside a small stream, and the sound of the water delighted them.
The stream became wider and deeper. A little further ahead, a small arched bridge crossed the stream, which was over a small river joined by several tributaries.
The beggar crossed the bridge and continued on a long path.
Eventually, the path led to the foothills of a nearby mountain.
After several hours of walking, they reached a vast plain filled with tall grass. Sargon smiled and shook his head, as if he had realized something.
A movement in the grass caught Jia's attention as well.
[The beggar children are hiding in the grass. They might not be visible, but I felt the coldness of their gaze for a moment; although there is no killing intent in their eyes.]
They passed through the tall grass and entered another narrow path that led to the heart of the mountain.
Sargon expanded his sensory array and could now monitor up to fifty meters around him; although he hadn't reached his limit yet. Sargon could easily cover up to a hundred meters, but doing so would deplete his energy, and perhaps there was a expert among the beggars.
On the other hand, Jia was also there and could detect dangers.
Sargon shook his head and telepathically communicated with Jia. "Try not to look too anxious; they're watching us."
But just at that moment, the sound of a bending wooden bow alerted them, and an arrow with a wooden tip was shot at them.
Jia immediately drew her sword and prepared to fight. She balanced her weight on both feet and spread her legs shoulder-width apart. She didn't know from which direction the next attack would come, but she had managed to determine the direction of the arrow.
In those tense moments, Sargon lowered the brim of his hat and smiled.
While Jia was completely anxious and expecting an attack from all sides, Sargon stood there smiling.
"Hey! What's so funny about being surrounded??!"
Jia shouted at him.
Sargon ignored her and said loudly, "I didn't come to fight…"
But a second arrow was shot at him.
He deflected the arrow with the end of his cane. His smile widened, and he put his left hand into his coat pocket. He took out a silver watch and listened to its ticking.
"With every passing second, my interest in talking decreases; but I'm not the only one who benefits from talking!"
He put the watch back in his pocket and cleared his throat.
"Alright, you have one minute to decide. We came to talk, but we don't shy away from a fight."
Then he paused for a moment and telepathically told Jia, "Step back."
"They say the gateway to civilization passes through death! Negotiation without war is meaningless. Now, you can choose to prevent the waste of time and energy by talking… or we can reach the conversation the hard way."
For a few moments, there was silence, which was broken by an unexpected sentence.
"What an extraordinary speech!"
A few moments later, a large beggar, over two meters tall with muscles that looked like rocks, emerged from behind a rock. His puffy eyes showed that he hadn't slept for several nights. His clothes were slightly better than the others, and he exuded a terrifying aura.
When he approached, his shadow fell over Jia. To Jia, he was a monster that no human could confront. However, even when Sargon sensed his presence, which he had felt long before, he showed no special reaction.
"Alright, speak, you damned noble!"
The beggars laughed. Sargon tapped the ground lightly with the end of his cane and took a deep breath.
"Alright, I think this is better."
He placed his hand on Jia's shoulder and pulled her back. Now he was under the shadow of the two-meter-tall giant.
He straightened his cuff and continued, "The reactionary alliance of Murim, who provided them with information about the passage?"
The beggar laughed mockingly. "Oh? Really? Which traitor did that?"
Sargon tapped the eagle's beak on his cane twice and then pretended not to hear his words.
"The kingdom's decision was to destroy the squads behind the passage with a pincer movement, but by chance, those Murim guys discovered a hidden route that bypassed the passage; can you tell me what that means?"
The beggar was silent for a moment and then laughed loudly. A laugh so loud that it made Jia shiver. Then his eyes gleamed with a killing intent.
"I don't understand what you mean…"
Sargon laughed and tried to calm the tense atmosphere. However, there was a particular contempt in his tone. While waving his hand, he said, "These are just my guesses. If I came to the Beggars', it's not to accuse, but to seek your help!"
The beggars gritted their teeth. They were clearly angry at Sargon's behavior.
[You started this psychological game yourselves…]
"Now that some of Murim's elite forces have managed to pass the passage, it's only a matter of time before they conquer all these areas."
Then he tapped the ground with the end of his cane. "Alright, it's over."
The beggars stared at each other in astonishment.
Sargon took out his pocket watch and showed it to Jia.
"How much time is left of one minute, Jia?!"
Jia was surprised by Sargon's words. So she thought to herself, "Is he crazy? It's been several minutes…"
She looked at Sargon's pocket watch. The hands hadn't moved at all.
"I think your watch is broken."
"So there's still time?"
"Sargon, what's on your mind…?"
One of the beggars, fed up with this foolish display, nocked an arrow and shot it at Sargon.
Jia noticed the arrow but moved too late. Sargon had turned towards the arrow.
"Stop!"
The arrow stopped in mid-air.
Everyone was stunned. While they looked at each other in horror, they noticed something strange. None of them could move a step.
Sargon walked towards the arrow, changed its direction, and then commanded, "Go!"
The arrow flew back at high speed towards the one who had shot it and landed right at his feet.
[Does that mean he can control time? I can't believe it, but now that I've seen this power with my own eyes, I don't want to fight him.]
This thought was running through the minds of all the beggars.
[What was that? Does he really have such a trump card?]
None of them had a clear answer. But everything was very clear. Sargon didn't have such power. He had used a temporary array and borrowed the power of a "Condensed Spiritual Energy Bead" to designate a relatively small domain and create a time illusion. Also, paralyzing them was a secret technique. He used the earth veins to send a specific energy to their bodies and make them stop moving.
From the very beginning, he marked the boundaries of the domain with occasional taps of his cane, transferring the condensed spiritual energy to the array through the end of the cane.
He had taken a big risk. If this trick didn't work, convincing the beggars might have become impossible.
People responded to overwhelming power. If you showed them such power, they would obey you.
This was a principle Sargon followed. Even a false display of absolute power could break the will of weak individuals.
He needed this broken will to obtain information.
"I want to know about the Murim elites, their approximate locations, and their objectives. There's no need to find the traitor; as long as this issue is resolved quietly, I won't pursue that matter."
Then, as he walked towards Jia, who was standing still like a statue, he raised his hand. "Haha… you'd better not be too late. I'm not that patient, you know? "