Chương 50: Slack Stone

Evel took a deep, long breath to realign himself, putting the thoughts of the mayor behind him. As for the job he was offered, he didn't even consider it. The whole point of his going undercover in the first place was that he wasn't supposed to be working for the government. He looked up at the clock tower. 5: 06 pm A busy hour, but at least he still had plenty of time to explore. Now that he was closer to the clock tower, he took a closer look at the strange tube that was running just above it.

It arced in the air, running from north to south, using the tower as the center point, holding it up. Was the tower created to support the tube? Just another thing to ask Albert. Thinking of Albert reminded him of his warning. Something was in the south, and Evel needed to at least understand what it was. That would be his first destination. After another ten minutes of walking, he found himself back at the river.

This time, however, rather than the continuation of forestry beyond the river, Evel could make out various cracked and worn buildings. Old, unmaintained buildings. A simple realization struck Evel. Ichoris wasn't significantly nicer than Yosten. Instead, the two cities were much the same, and he was simply experiencing a different part of the city. Comparing the poorest parts of Yosten with the richest parts of Ichoris was simply not a fair comparison.

Evel observed the other side's buildings as he travelled along the river. The state of each building varied drastically from one another. One building could look as though it had just been built last year, and its neighbor's last century. Eventually, he found a steady metal bridge that was angled downward to span the river with two guards in the midst of a conversation.

"Good day." He politely greeted them. They turned to face the new voice and matched his polite tone.

"Good day, what can we do for you?"

"Would I be permitted to cross to the other side?" The two guards shared a brief, unreadable expression before looking back at Evel.

"To the slums? I mean… we won't stop you, but I'll warn you that most people don't get anything from their little trip?" So I'm allowed to go as I please? What's the point of them standing guard?

"That's alright." The guards shrugged and moved out of the way for Evel to pass by. Evel took off his tophat to give a light bow before crossing the bridge. At the very least, the slums certainly weren't the dangerous place Albert warned him against. The moment he crossed the bridge, it was as if the world transformed. A constant smell of rotting garbage washed over him, as the world seemed to darken. Oily pipes. Broken tubes. Cracked walls. An ever-present layer of ashy white dust.

The happy couples and laughing kids were replaced by the occasional figure in ragged clothes retreating as he walked through. A soft smile formed on his face as he reminisced. In Yosten, somebody would have tried to rob him already. Compared to that, these alleys didn't seem so bad. Evel continued advancing with full confidence in each step.

Anyone with half a brain wouldn't risk attacking a stranger with no fear in his steps, not when there was the risk of accidentally angering somebody already embarked on the path. Soon, he encountered the first people who didn't retreat at his sight. An old man reached out with hands that shook from more than just age. Beside him, a young woman clung to his clothes, trying to pull him back. Her frame had reduced to sharp angles and shadows, and her cheeks sunken into deep pits.

"S-Sir!" The old man rasped. The woman beside him pulled harder, but with just skin and bones, she couldn't manage to bring the two of them back. Realizing this, she turned to Evel and brought her head to the ground in a desperate plea.

"We're terribly sorry! Please don't hurt him!" She begged.

"Just a single coin!" The old man's hands were shaky, but he extended them outward. The girl beside him teared up, but immediately got up to her feet and began backing away. Evel gave her a proper look. Black hair, freckled face, hollowed cheeks. She's smart. She must have realized it was too late for her to make a difference, and took the best possible course of action in a bad situation to at least not waste the older man's actions.

Evel was familiar with the expression her desperation had turned to, after all, he once frequently wore it. Hopelessness. Evel shook his head, "No." The old man's eyes lowered, and his body sagged. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"But I do have a request. I'd be happy to pay for a fair transaction." His daughter interjected, "I-I won't sell my body!" Evel shook his head, "I'm new to the city, and I need somebody to answer a few of my questions. I'm not looking to purchase you." The old man bowed deeply, "Th-thank you, sir!"

"What's your name?" Evel asked the woman, who looked to be about 20.

"Clara… sir."

"I'm Ev–Eth. You can just call me Eth." She nodded, standing awkwardly while she awaited instructions.

"First, I'm a little new to the city, and haven't explored this part of Ichoris before. Could you just explain the basics of this area south of the river?"

"The uppers call this the slums…" She began, nervously scratching her forearms.

"This center area is where all the poorest folk, like us, stay. Sometimes an upper will pass by and grant us some food… It's a bit risky since their temperament isn't always forgiving…"

"Is there a particular reason this area is so much more underdeveloped?" Clara took a deep breath.

"Debt." Seeing Evel's confused face, Clara explained further.

"Most people here are in debt, and work in the mines to pay it off. Exhausting work, but it pays well. Mine workers also get food and water… so it's usually ok. My father has been… unable to work due to his older age and shaky hands, so we'd been sharing the food until now… Yet without all the nutrient pills, my body got weaker as well. And once I got sick, it became a lot more difficult. I wasn't able to work yesterday…"

"And the mine, is it further south?" Her head turned to look up, and Evel followed her gaze to the glass cylinder that streaked above them.

"If you follow the tube, it'll lead you right to it. It's a dangerous zone… so you should be careful." Clara explained. That could be what Albert was referring to.

"Is there anything else you could tell me that may be helpful?" She remained in thought for a few seconds before replying with quivering lips, "I'd recommend avoiding the western part of the slums. Only unpleasant things happen there." He waited a bit longer for her to explain further, but she simply avoided his gaze and stood still.

"Remember, I'm paying for this information. The more you tell me, the more it's worth." She hesitated, then finally admitted.

"There have been… frequent disappearances. It may just be a rumour, but there's something going on…" A sign of Dissent, perhaps?

"Hm, alright." Evel took out his five remaining Riak and placed them on her palm in a fist. Her eyes widened as she felt the weight, but before she could talk, Evel interrupted in a voice just loud enough for any observers to overhear.

"Now, I know I promised coin, but in your case, you should be more grateful for any food!" A glint of understanding flashed across her eye.

"Th-thank you! It should be enough for a meal tonight at least!" He walked away without giving her a second glance. As he walked further through the streets, many of the sights were the same: dirty alleyways, collapsing buildings, the occasional dirty fountain of water, but many things were different as well. The people, despite all sharing a deep sense of exhaustion, didn't share the same look of hopelessness that Clara had. Instead, it was the opposite.

As the number of people increased, the determination did as well. The Mayor mentioned importing workers, many of them are probably from nearby cities who want to work their way to a better life. Once you were in a struggling situation, it was very difficult to get yourself out. Most well-paying jobs would go to those with awakened powers, and those in the later stages could do the job of many themselves. The remaining few jobs were just not enough to go around, or paid terribly.

That had been the exact story of Yosten. They also had a large mine, but nobody Evel had known had ever actually seen it. After all, if a Weaver with a suitable ability could do the work of a thousand Laymen, what was the point of hiring the Laymen at all? For some reason. Ichoris took a different approach. They instead brought in as many Laymen workers as they could and threw them into the mines.

By the looks of it, the 'uppers', as Clara called them, greatly benefited from this arrangement, so the idea must have had some merit. What Evel couldn't quite understand was why they didn't just improve the slums. If that were truly their main source of income, wouldn't making the workers stronger be a fantastic investment? The mines may be a smaller portion of the income. As Evel digested and considered the key details, he caught movement from the corner of his eyes.

A young black haired man, who looked to be in his early twenties, confidently strutted towards him. He had a particularly round face, and took wide, confident steps, swinging his arm with each step. On his face was a wide smile. Evel paused, and slightly changed course to avoid the confrontation. The young man was like a fish to a reel, and continued walking towards him. Evel didn't hesitate and instantly summoned Eth.

The harmless hand floated motionlessly over his head, but his aura burst outward as Evel turned to face the approaching figure.

"How can I help you?" He asked in a deep rumbling voice. The figure jolted and raised his hands to his shoulders.

"S-sorry!" His smile immediately faded.

"Didn't know you were a soldier on duty."

"I'm not. How can I help you?" Evel repeated. Although the Imperium hired a lot of the people who awakened powers, there was still a large population of those who simply had no interest in combat or war.

"Oh, alright then." His smile slowly returned.

"Wanna be friends?"

"Why?" The young man scrunched his face, then shrugged.

"I've never seen you before, and why not?" Evel dismissed Eth, but kept his back straight and gaze confident. The man continued, "I'm Mateo!"

"... Eth," Evel shifted his eyes, but he kept his posture upright.

"What a weird name!" Mateo chuckled.

"How long ya been here?"

"This is my first time in this specific area." Evel remained vague. Mateo's eyes opened wide, "You haven't even seen the mines yet? Oh, they're so cool! Come, I'll show you around." As Mateo strutted forward, Evel studied him carefully. He turned back, "Are you deaf or something? I said I'd lead the way!" Evel quickly looked at the tube overhead. At the very least, Mateo seemed to be heading in the right direction and Evel would soon be heading there regardless.

He followed behind, keeping a moderate distance, and eyes constantly scanning his surroundings. So far, nothing was was out of place.

"You've been here for a long time?" Evel asked.

"Oh no, just the last week or so. Redigo forgave my debts on the condition I worked at the mines for a while, and considering the food they provide it was an obvious choice. When's your first day?"

"No, I'm just here for a look, I won't be working in the mines. I live further north."

"Oh…" Mateo shook his head in disappointment.

"And here I thought we'd be mining buddies…" We just met a minute ago… Evel redoubled his efforts in scanning his surroundings and increased the distance between himself and Mateo. It wasn't long before the glass tube in the sky began curving downwards, and soon they reached the base. Finally, Evel got to see where the tube led to: a plain stone building.

"We're here!" Mateo exclaimed. Evel took a sharp breath as the buildings gave way to an open sky, revealing the sight ahead of him. Before him lay a kilometre-deep drop, spanned by a complex system of pulleys and ropes. The mine was vast, appearing to plunge even further as his eyes wandered. Most shocking was its sheer scale; the massive, crater-like hole just seemed to expand forever.

Evel couldn't make out the end of the crater, as if the world below would simply stay at that depth for good, no matter how south he travelled. To his side, an unsteady wooden sign hanging on the fence rattled in the wind. At that moment, Evel realized that Clara had simply misunderstood this sign when she said it was a 'dangerous zone'. The sign read: DANGER ZONE: SLACK-STONE PROCEED WITH CAUTION. As Evel stood in awe of the view, he didn't notice Mateo's shadowed figure approaching him.

"You shouldn't concentrate all your focus on one spot," Mateo said, his voice a deep rumble.

"Or trust people so easily."