Sigil City was unlike anything Jin Yu had seen before.

  Noise thundered through the air. Shouts, laughter, and clamor blending into a chaotic rhythm. The streets swelled with life, a constant river of movement that stretched in every direction.

  Stalls spilled their goods onto the roads, people bartered fiercely, a fight broke out in the distance but no one flinched.

  Beings of all kinds moved through the city. Ordinary mortals rubbed shoulders with beastkin, scaled humanoids, creatures with furred arms, horned brows, or glowing skin. Some were clearly from far-flung Realms. Others, Jin Yu couldn’t even classify.

  It was controlled chaos. And yet, despite the disorder, no one dared cross a certain unseen line.

  Unlike Louyang, where violence was strictly bound to sanctioned duels, or Jadeleaf, where calm and courtesy ruled, Sigil City was a different beast altogether. Here, brawling wasn’t just allowed, it was practically encouraged. But everyone seemed to know exactly how far they could go without inviting serious consequences.

  Jin Yu’s eyes swept over the city, taking in the flickering sigils on the floating watch orbs overhead and the tall watchtowers in the distance. "They really don’t pretend here, do they?"

  Seer gave a short laugh. “Now you’re getting it.”

  They moved through the dense crowd. Seer led confidently, weaving past a street performer juggling fireballs and a group of armored monks arguing with a man who had a snake coiled around his neck.

  After several turns and noisy alleys, Seer stopped before a modest Blue building tucked between two raucous inns.

  Compared to its neighbors, the building looked serene, quiet and unassuming. No shouting. No fighting. Not even a signboard hung over the door.

  Jin Yu raised an eyebrow.

  Seer leaned in, lowering his voice with a conspiratorial grin. “Don’t be fooled by the calm face.”

  He gave Jin Yu a wink. “This place bites harder than it bows.”

  Then he added in a whisper, almost gleeful, “You’ll love it.”

  They stepped into the building.

  Jin Yu stepped through the doors, immediately caught off guard by the wave of warmth and scent that welcomed him.

  The building’s interior bore no resemblance to its serene exterior. Inside, it shimmered with surreal beauty. Crystal chandeliers floated midair without a chain, bioluminescent murals shifted with emotion, and floors rippled gently underfoot like shallow water, though dry.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Unlike the clamorous City outside, the interior felt like a World apart: silent, serene, and subtly enchanting. Delicate golden threads floated across the air, glowing softly like strands of starlight.

  The walls were translucent, shifting in color and depth as if breathing with the space itself. Tables hovered slightly above the ground, surrounded by cushions that shaped themselves to the sitter’s posture.

  But what struck Jin Yu wasn’t the beauty. It was the people.

  Or rather, the beings.

  None of them looked purely human. Tall figures with mirrored skin sipped quietly from crystal flasks. A woman with silver flame for hair whispered into a glass orb, which whispered back. A child with floating eyes and no mouth pressed a crystal against its temple and laughed soundlessly, others has features that rippled like liquid.

  Jin Yu's gaze swept across the room, his brow twitching as he whispered to Seer.

  “Didn’t you say the shattered voids are sealed?, Where are all these beings from?”

  Seer looked over his shoulder, voice low. “They’ve been here for centuries, maybe longer. Ever since the dark field first appeared, all outside Realms were shut out. No coming in, No going out. They’re as much prisoners as they are residents now.”

  Jin Yu narrowed his eyes. “The dark field?”

  Seer’s smile dimmed slightly. “That’s a top-tier secret, friend. Not a topic to speak of, not here, not now.”

  Jin Yu didn’t press, but his eyes swept the lounge again, more focused this time. These people didn’t feel like travelers. They felt… timeless.

  A graceful attendant in an ethereal robe approached, her skin a soft opal hue, and bowed. “Welcome. Please, relax. May I take your order?”

  Seer grinned and waved his fingers lightly. “I'll have your strongest drink, the twilight elixir. And a cloudfruit tart if the kitchen has any left.”

  The attendant's pupils shimmered briefly. A faint pulse of energy passed between them, subtle but intentional.

  Jin Yu felt... nothing.

  The woman turned to him with a welcoming smile. “And for you, honored guest?”

  Before he could respond, her smile froze. She blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing her flawless face. Her spiritual sense, the one used for scanning and deducting... didn’t connect. As if something blocked her.

  The air paused—briefly.

  “I apologize,” she said gently. “There seems to be a... fluctuation. Please, give me a moment.”

  She bowed and left, while Jin Yu turned to Seer. “What just happened?”

  Seer didn't notice anything odd. He was smiling contently, sipping a crystalline cup filled with iridescent liquid. “Relax. Probably a delay in your spiritual imprint or something. First time visitors sometimes need calibration.”

  “Calibration?”

  “Yeah. Don’t worry, they’ll sort it out.” He looked oddly smug. “Place like this only works if you’re willing to part with something.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Seer raised a finger, pointing at his own head. “Currency of the soul, my friend. Memories.” He chuckled softly. “Didn’t I tell you this was the best place in Sigil?”

  Jin Yu blinked, lips parting slightly.

  Memories?

  Suddenly, everything began to fall into place, the vacant, dazed look on some customers’ faces, the relaxed, almost weightless laughter. People here were trading parts of their past. And he... hadn’t given anything.

  Another attendant approached—this one even more striking than the first. Her skin shimmered with a watery sheen, as if moonlight danced beneath its surface. She moved with fluid grace, bowing gently before Jin Yu.

  “Forgive the delay, honored guest.” she said, voice as gentle as water.

  “Please, hold this.” In her hands was a softly glowing crystal, round and translucent like frozen starlight.

  Jin Yu hesitated, glancing sideways at Seer. That familiar, cheeky smile was already on his lips, eyes gleaming with challenge.

  Jin Yu nearly rolled his eyes. Then, with a faint sigh, he turned back to the attendant.

  My immunity must have rejected it earlier. He thought and took the crystal.

  The moment it touched his palm, its glow deepened, then abruptly shifted, as if sensing something alien. The once-clear surface turned cloudy.

  Jin Yu raised a brow just as a foreign energy surged toward his skin, trying to pierce through.

  DING!

  Currency rejected!

  Then—

  CRACK!

  A single, sharp fracture split across the crystal’s surface. The soft glow flickered, died… and in the next breath, the orb crumbled into fine dust.

  A delicate, brittle sound echoed through the hall.

  Every voice stilled. Movement froze. Conversations hung mid-air.

  The attendant stiffened. Seer sat upright, no longer relaxed. Patrons all around turned toward them with wide, stunned eyes, some even forgetting to blink.

  Jin Yu stared at the ruined powder in his palm, then exhaled and casually blew the dust away.

  Brushing his hand clean, he looked up at the attendant, face calm, voice flat:

  “Looks like your crystal had a defect.”

  But no one believed that. Not for a second.