Chapter 190: The Grand Magic Tournament—Saih and C2

""I'm afraid it's... just as we suspected,"" C said, looking at Saih, momentarily at a loss for words. ""These things are beyond my understanding. Even though human life means little at the Grand Magic Academy and people can be disposed of at will, this is the first time I've seen something like this.""

Saih reached out to check the breath of the person on the bed. ""This one's dead. I don't know how the witch managed to fuse the limbs of the dead and the living, but the methods must have been extremely cruel. Let's not leave anyone behind. Even if we can't root out the cancer completely, at least we can reduce the harm by a good amount.""

""Mm.""

After making up their minds, Shan gathered the witches and mages she trusted and released them, while the rest were dealt with by Saih and her team.

Standing outside the hospital, blending into the crowd, he watched as the building suddenly collapsed, exposing the basement. At that moment, he felt a pang of guilt.

He only knew that the witch hospital was involved in human trafficking, but to many people, this was normal. Most slaves were sent out from places like this, but using people as materials for magical experiments was not normal at all.

What's more, among these people, some were even his own family!

""Haixuan...""

An elderly woman suddenly cried out, clutching a young man whose body was half-buried in the dirt, his money pouch exposed. He was the same man with broken legs that he had seen earlier in the room.

The young man was in his twenties or thirties. Who knew why he had been locked up in that room? Now, reunited with his family, it was already too late.

Scenes like this played out again and again. Even Saih couldn't help but close her eyes. C tugged at her gently and whispered, ""Let's go. I need to go meet up with my master.""

""Mm.""

Shan straightened her back, the cries and wails of grief rising and falling behind her. But no matter how much they mourned, the dead would never return.

""C, I, before...""

""Don't think about it. Just treat it as a nightmare.""

""Mm.""

Shan led the group out of the crowd, their ears filled with curses and sobs, the grief growing harder to bear.

After discussing things with the local black market, Shan and her group left quickly.

......

Half a month later, Sang Chu and the others finally arrived at a second-tier city—Xiangcheng.

Looking up at the city gates, where a giant sunflower was carved from golden stone, Muxue felt a bit uneasy.

""Sang Sang, why did they have to carve the city gate like this?""

Second-tier cities were grand—even without entering, just standing outside the gates, you could feel the city's scale. But a city gate shaped like a massive sunflower was... well, not exactly ugly, just odd.

Saih and C had already met up with Sang Chu and the others. Saih thought the gate looked beautiful and couldn't understand why Muxue seemed so lost for words. ""Isn't it pretty?""

Muxue replied, ""It's not that it's ugly, just... it feels a bit strange.""

Sang Chu looked at the huge gate and seemed to understand why Muxue felt that way.

The sunflower was carved so vividly, the center and petals lifelike. But from where they stood, a little distance from the gate, it gave off an indescribable sense of unease.

Sang Chu said, ""It won't look weird up close. Once we're inside, let's split up. Buy whatever catches your eye, don't worry about money. After we get in, I'll go sell off the stuff we brought, then transfer the money to you.""

""Everyone, put on your Rose Witch robes and try to use your Rose Crystal Cards for payment. The Rose City witch identity is really useful. I have four black market vouchers, so let's split into four groups. You don't need to count me; I'll go with Tu You. We'll probably buy more things that might be useful back in the apocalypse. Even if something is useless in the magic world, it might be valuable in the apocalypse.""

Muxue asked, ""Sang Sang, you're not shopping with me?""

Sang Chu replied, ""No need. You all go ahead. I'll sell our goods, find a place to stay, and check out the slave market. The more magic items, the better. If you see any white or purple magic cards in the magic shops, buy a few if the price isn't outrageous. If there aren't any, that's fine.""

Lu Min said, ""Alright, then give me a voucher. I'll go with Xiaoxue, and anyone interested can join us.""

Yi Ping said, ""I'll go with Ah Wen. We want a voucher too.""

Seeing the groups form, Sang Chu smiled helplessly. ""Alright, my brother gets one, Min gets one, Saih gets one, and Granny Xiang gets one. Four groups—sort it out among yourselves. I'll head into the city first.""

""Okay, okay.""

When they reached the city gates, they were stopped by guards. ""Foreigners are not allowed to ride into the city, nor to use magic in the city. Please hand over your entry crystal for inspection!""

The guard's voice was loud. As they walked up, the guards noticed their uniform Rose Witch robes and their expressions froze for a moment. Then, the guard softened his tone, ""Honored guests, apologies. These are the rules of Xiangcheng. Please forgive any offense.""

Sang Chu handed over the crystal card. ""It's fine. Just follow the rules.""

When the guards saw the Rose Card, their attitude instantly became respectful. ""Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. The crystal is fine, please keep your card. You may enter.""

The guards immediately lined up and opened the city gates, respectfully welcoming the group inside. This was the first time they'd received such treatment.

Along the way, Muxue was curious. ""Why is this city so different from the others? I don't remember getting this kind of treatment anywhere else.""

Saih, though a dark witch, had traveled a bit and explained, ""Because Xiangcheng is a major city—there's only one in the region. Wearing a Rose Witch robe means you're from Rose City, but having a Rose Card means you're royalty. The higher the city's rank, the more respect they show to the royal family. In remote places, it's the opposite.""

Muxue said, ""Oh, so it's like that saying, 'The mountains are high and the emperor is far away.' Right, Sang...""

Saih nodded slightly. ""Exactly. There are thirteen second-tier cities, and Xiangcheng is ranked last. I'm heading toward Rose City, and I'll have to pass through all thirteen. If every city treats us like this, my journey will be much smoother."""