The stars climbed up to the void, sprinkling starlight, and the camp residents drifted into sweet dreams.

Only Princess Roland's villa and two churches were alight in the camp.

There was also the wooden cottage on the tranquil Lake Heart Island surrounded by Agate Lake.

Merchant Anthony arrived two hours before midnight, bringing one good news and one bad news—or perhaps both were bad news.

The "good news" was that the merchant had uncovered the truth about the loss of Midnight City, while the bad news was that the news came from the Maiden's Grace Church and not the survivors of Midnight City—they were still missing.

"Midnight City was destroyed by the swamp."

Merchant Anthony reiterated the answer he received. If Lu Li wanted specific information, the Maiden's Grace Church hoped to converse with Lu Li, preferably through letters.

This church might feel unfamiliar to Lu Li, but he had previously encountered some of their nuns—strangely vibrant and distinctive, with a rare kindness in the old sewer.

When Lu Li went to the deep auction house of Midnight City Main Station to retrieve the eyeball of the God of the Deep Sea, they gave Lu Li an invitation.

"Mother of the Marsh."

Lu Li called out but received no response, so he asked Merchant Anthony to contact the Mother of the Marsh, inform her of the situation, and request her help in dealing with any possible threats, like contamination or a curse, that might come with the letters.

The Mother of the Marsh gladly agreed, and Lu Li promised that the letter detailing the inquiries would reach the Maiden's Grace Church via Merchant Anthony, and their reply would be delivered to the Mother of the Marsh, purified before being brought to Lu Li.

A few minutes later, Merchant Anthony arrived at the cottage with the first piece of parchment.

"She said the letter is clean."

Lu Li nodded gently and unfolded the parchment:

[It's us, remember? You haven't forgotten, right? We saw it and knew you needed help. Want to know about Midnight City? We can know and tell you]

Seemingly unwilling to find no hazards, the Mother of the Marsh thoughtfully underlined "we can know and tell you" to indicate a grammatical error.

[The swelling large swamp gobbled up Midnight City with a burp, you asked when, right? In December, when you had just gone through "Sunken City," we all saw it]

The truth thus emerged: the expanding swamp devoured the adjacent Midnight City.

But would the swamp engulf Midnight City, which had the Lady of Midnight and the four divinities...?

And why was nothing wrong with the neighboring old sewers?

[Have you seen a star fall? Like a grain of rice, a star falls, becoming fist-sized, then head-sized, then as big as Oma, then as big as a cloud, then as big as the sky, and then the grain-sized stars destroy a world, not even the most powerful divinity escapes. We're safe because the swamp likes the surface and not the underside; below there are only villains and nothing else]

The second piece of parchment recounted the fate and conclusion of Midnight City.

Standing in the dim regions, the city that accumulated humanity's last strength silently vanished in the swamp's engulfment.

"Did no survivors escape?"

[No, but there were some humans outside at the time, and they suffered a terrifying Bloodline Curse. The villains here don't want to interact with them. Do you want to find them? Do you need our help?]

Lu Li wrote a polite refusal in his reply, paused slightly, and then crumpled up the paper and threw it into the fireplace, igniting a brief flame.

His three encounters with the nuns of the Maiden's Grace Church were all positive, and perhaps they could become new allies?

"Yes, if there is a trace of them, use the eyeball to summon Merchant Anthony."

Lu Li placed a few eyeballs into a wooden box, along with the letter to be sent by Merchant Anthony, and at the same time, inquired about their needs.

It's best for allies to meet each other's needs; constant demands can't create a stable, harmonious relationship.

This time the reply took quite a while, and Lu Li assumed it would only arrive the next day when Merchant Anthony returned, along with a finely crafted oak box accompanying the new piece of parchment.

[We know how to use it. Children always love to dig out the eyes of villains to play the merchant-summoning game, and they always listen to your stories. What do you need… Can you package some sunlight for us? The children love it, and they want to know what sunlight is like; just pack it in the box]

The Mother of the Marsh's note was written below: Curious little things—is this from Midnight City or the old sewers? I will join you at breakfast tomorrow morning to witness how it captures sunlight.

Lu Li opened the finely crafted oak box. It really just seemed to be an oak box, but Lu Li caught a familiar scent—one he recognized from alchemical studies with Assistant Dean Chris, a similar mixed aroma in the types of alchemical species.

He closed the oak box and placed it on the desk. Lu Li sat in front of the desk, gazing at the star-reflecting Agate Lake, quietly pondering.

The truth corresponded with some of Lu Li's experiences in the Midnight City Illusion.

Such as the Earth Dwellers' Trading Company's hunt for the Keeper of the Realm; perhaps they were indeed doing this and succeeded, which led to the swamp losing control and engulfing Midnight City.

Or how the swamp preferred the surface. And from there, the parchment claiming to be Will Ken's ultimate plot was to tempt Lu Li into placing the stone seal into The Spire—perhaps that wasn't to "activate" it...

Suddenly, Merchant Anthony appeared in the cottage, disrupting Lu Li's thoughts.

He brought yet another parchment letter, urging from the nuns.

[Haven't packed it yet? The children are waiting]

Lu Li replied, "It is nighttime; the sunlight will only appear during the day."

[Okay]

After waiting for a moment with no more letters arriving, Lu Li gathered the parchments and, to prevent accidents, threw them into the fireplace to burn.

The flames arose, with the scent of burning leather drifting from the fireplace, as the parchments turned to ash.

"Is there trade between merchants and the divinities' towns surrounding Midnight City?" Lu Li asked Merchant Anthony, who hadn't yet left.

"No."

The Spirit Town was exclusionary, possessing unique rules, usually paying less attention to Exorcists than the old sewers did—though this didn't mean merchants' reach couldn't touch Spirit Town, as they were somewhat connected to the old sewers, especially the Earth Dwellers' Trading Company.

Lu Li gave Merchant Anthony a task: incorporate Ghost Town into trade.

There lied his promise and ally.

Besides, Lu Li thought, even the inhabitants of the old sewers knew the story of "Land of Obsession," so the news from the Spirit Town and the Midnight City survivors couldn't be more out-of-touch.

They should already know the "Land of Obsession," know what Midnight City's spirits have arranged for Lu Li.

This means Lu Li need not actively seek them anymore, as they will seek Lu Li—if they do not appear for a long time, either they are forced to hide, or something has happened to them.

Like the "Bloodline Curse" mentioned by the Maiden's Grace Church nun.

Ending his thoughts, the lord of the Land of Light fell soundly asleep in his wooden cottage.

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