At dawn's break along the Dead Sea border, it resembled the very end of a post-apocalyptic world.
Dark clouds weighed heavily upon the sky, stretching a veil of gloom into the unseen distance, while the sea's waves surged like black sludge from the depths to the nearby reefs.
Within Extreme City, the coastline remained concealed, yet the timeless sound of crashing waves resonated nearby, nearly indelibly marking the eardrums.
Awakening during this indistinct hour, Chu Yan tidied himself with haste before departing the lord's castle.
His movements were subtle, scarcely creating a sound; however, Summer encountered this disturbance in her light slumber, her eyes fluttering open in the dimness of the night.
Only upon his departure did she sit up, bewildered by his intentions.
"Could it be... that he truly aspires to be a steadfast lord of this place?"
The thought caused a twitch at the corner of Summer's eyes.
Such naiveté was almost laughable!
Having only just arrived, Summer still possessed a degree of understanding about her surroundings.
Though this territory belonged to the Dragon Flame family, it had tacitly become independent amidst chaos, and with the monsters emerging from the sea, the disappearance of a lord stirred not a ripple.
One could simply shift the blame onto the monsters.
To establish a firm foothold here, one would at least require a well-structured adventuring party, yet it was clear that Chu Yan lacked such manpower.
Otherwise, he would not have invited a knight who treaded upon taboo to be his companion.
Summer hesitated, pondering whether to counsel him.
Yet, considering their lack of acquaintance, should Chu Yan find himself in peril, she could enjoy a moment's peace, free from the burden of sharing her freshly cleaned room.
After a moment's deliberation, she sighed, providing herself with a rationale:
"I shall quietly follow him to observe. If I can place him in my debt or uncover some leverage, I shall demand he repay me with the room."
With her gear in order, the strikingly elegant knight stepped into the dim morning light.
...
"At this hour, one can glimpse the true nature of Extreme City, and it is utterly filthy."
Chu Yan held his breath as he wandered the city streets, the unsightly sanitation conditions defying description.
Mountains of refuse littered the bustling square, already resembling a small hill.
Flies and rats were abundantly visible, and occasionally, a flying cockroach would make its presence known.
Judging by the charred remnants upon the ground, it appeared that these heaps of garbage were periodically set ablaze.
"I had thought that in such a fantastical world, cockroaches would be absent..."
Could this be considered an encounter with a "familiar face" in a strange land?
After merely a cursory exploration of the city, Chu Yan determined that if he failed to address these municipal issues adequately, the executioner could swiftly deem his trials a failure with just a glance.
This could already be described as a wasteland; it hardly resembled a place under governance.
As Chu Yan intended to explore further, he noticed several filthy children appearing just beyond the square.
They were furtively rummaging through the refuse.
A girl stood as a lookout while the boys eagerly "dog-paddled" through the trash, their excitement palpable whenever they unearthed a small object like a shattered mirror, all while suppressing their shouts for fear of waking the slumbering soldiers.
Before long, they prepared to leave, and a boy produced a carved monster skull, softly chanting some incantation.
Flames erupted from the skull's mouth, an unsettling aura radiating from this magical fire.
In the blink of an eye, the garbage was consumed, black smoke billowing forth, filling the air with a rancid stench.
The drowsy soldiers began to spew forth expletives in a fit of frustrated eloquence, prompting the frightened children to flee.
Just from observing the children's attire, Chu Yan could ascertain that Extreme City contained areas akin to a slum.
"Could these children be the scavengers of Extreme City?"
Such a method of disposal was far from ideal; although the refuse had vanished, the lingering odor of charred waste was far more challenging to eradicate.
As Chu Yan sought someone to inquire about the situation, he followed the children's footsteps.
"...Who are you?"
The girl among the children noticed Chu Yan's pursuit, and they immediately froze like startled fawns, panic-stricken yet too afraid to flee.
Their small faces were shrouded in anxiety and helplessness, muttering to themselves about what their sister might do.
"Fear not; I am merely the unfortunate new lord, and I mean you no harm. I only wish to ask a few questions."
Chu Yan raised his hands in a gesture of peace, mimicking a military salute from his past life, conveying no threat.
"Lord? Does that mean you're a new noble from outside?"
The girl's unease persisted, her gaze darting around in search of an escape route.
"If you are so frightened, I can take a few steps back and won't hinder your departure. I merely wish to ask a few questions."
Seeing this handsome young man truly creating distance, the girl sighed in relief, albeit momentarily.
Chu Yan inquired, "Are you the ones responsible for handling the city's waste? Don't the nobles oversee this?"
The boy who had ignited the skull finally mustered some courage, hiding behind the girl as he replied:
"They don't handle this at all. Sir Pig and his ilk won't clean up; they just wait for the garbage to pile high, then let the mages wash it away, sending the refuse down to our homes!"
Extreme City is situated on a slope, with the urban area built high up, while these children reside closer to the Dead Sea, in the lower regions.
If the city were to wash the garbage away with torrents of water, it would indeed leave the area pristine, but the refuse would flow straight into the slums.
Chu Yan glanced back toward his entry point; though he hadn't yet exited Extreme City, the scenes on either side were starkly contrasting.
The upper city boasted lavish residences, streetlights emitting a warm glow like fireflies, and the verdant vines adorning the walls lending an air of elegance.
Yet in the lower districts, only rudimentary shanties stood, crude wooden boards haphazardly assembled into cramped "boxes," the very homes of these children.
His mind conjured the image of mages washing the streets, unknowingly showering the slums with refuse rain.
"Are you trying to prevent Baron Pig from dumping the garbage down on you, so you're getting rid of it beforehand by burning it?"
"...Yes, if there's nothing else, we'll take our leave now."
The girl was already contemplating escape, though she hesitated to turn around, fearing that the lord might retaliate with a surprise attack.
Chu Yan had intended to suggest an alternative method for waste disposal, yet the words failed to escape his lips.
Even though burning the refuse created a noxious haze, they had no other choice.
The endeavor to cultivate a civilized city proved to be exceptionally challenging!
He wished to inquire about the nature of the skull artifact but, noticing the children's wariness, opted to save that question for another time.
Chu Yan produced a few silver coins, tossing them toward the children.
"This is payment for your waste disposal services; you may leave now."
The children, elated, scampered away with quickened steps, anxious that the lord might change his mind.
As Chu Yan was lost in thought, the children's voices returned.
"Wow! Run!"
Their vanishing figures reappeared, scampering toward Chu Yan in a panic.
Puzzled, he opened his mouth to ask what had transpired, only to see a mass of sludge-like creature trailing behind the children.
This monster exuded extreme hostility, its size comparable to that of an adult elephant, with a murky, muddy body revealing a single fierce eye.
Strictly speaking, this was a mutated slime. Perhaps due to the geographical peculiarities of the Dead Sea border, it lacked the translucent, gelatinous form typical of slimes and was far more aggressive.
Was the slum a monster spawn point?!
"I can handle a creature of this caliber."
A fireball coalesced in the palm of Chu Yan's hand when a graceful figure swooped in from behind.
Summer appeared, holding the hilt of a sword, though devoid of a blade.
In a fleeting moment, her magical energy gathered into a broad sword blade, and with a powerful swing, she cleaved the sludge creature in two.
Eliminating the monster at light speed, Summer sheathed her weapon, turning to Chu Yan with earnest gravity:
"The enemy is defeated, and you now owe me a favor, Lord. I'll remember this, so don't think you can weasel out of it."
Chu Yan: "..."
Wait, you just cleaved a monster for me, and now I owe you a debt?
At that moment, the slime, which had just been cut in half, began to split into six smaller slimes, slowly gathering to reform.
The fireball in Chu Yan's palm had yet to dissipate, and he rapidly transformed it into six smaller fireballs, launching them at the reassembling slimes.
The creatures were thoroughly incinerated, leaving behind a magical core resembling an eyeball.
He spoke at breakneck speed:
"Summer, I've taken care of the subsequent six little monsters, thus negating the favor I owe you. You now owe me five favors in return. Don't think you can evade this."
"..."
The lady knight was left utterly speechless.