Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1355: Chapter 1353 The Fallen Guest Empire (12)

The scream lasted only about a second.

Pushed out of the hole in the wall, Marianne quickly restrained her panic and attempted to stabilize her body mid-air. Meanwhile, her blood and flesh vines reached out, trying to grasp anything to slow her fall.

“As expected of an Awakener.”

Fu Qian admired and widened the hole with another kick.

While the exit became more accessible, the fragile foothold that Marianne had found was instantly rendered useless, pulling her acceleration back to full force.

Uh—

Esther, who was stunned, and Ben, the Awakener who hadn’t had time to react, were grabbed by Fu Qian the next moment and were also thrown into the roaring cold wind.

…

Although they were clearly in the outskirts, it wasn’t a pure prison; at first glance, the surroundings of the building were quite decent.

Uniform brown walls, orderly flowers, trees, and a narrow but flat cobblestone path—which was no longer flat now.

With a heavy thud, Fu Qian, bearing the weight of three people, landed crouched, leaving a pit underfoot.

Amidst the flying dust, he casually threw Esther and Ben to the ground and looked up.

Under the successive resistance of the blood and flesh vines and being unafraid of heights, Marianne hung ahead, now finally clinging to a statue on the outer wall.

“Alright, it’s your turn, so what’s the plan?”

Facing the obviously emotional Marianne, Fu Qian did not comment on her performance and transferred the command authority according to his promise.

…

“Go in that direction… quickly… the commotion was too big, the people inside must have noticed…”

After adjusting her emotions slightly, Marianne recognized the gravity of the situation and landed smoothly with the help of the blood and flesh vines, despite Fu Qian’s domineering jailbreak approach.

Without even holding Fu Qian accountable, the somewhat disheveled Marianne pointed out the way while panting.

“Okay.”

Fu Qian kept his word and agreed without any objection.

As for the remaining two, although not as disheveled in appearance, the thrill of the recent free fall made expressing opinions a bit difficult for them, choosing instead to remain silent.

…

The Night City in the Nightmare, compared to where Leytin originated, was quite different.

Watching through the carriage’s small window, Fu Qian observed the night scene outside.

The commotion just now did indeed arouse suspicion but was obviously not enough for this team to worry about.

After easily leaving that madhouse-like place, the group headed straight for the bustling urban area.

The original plan clearly did not include breaking out of jail, which led to the problem of having nothing to change into.

Considering the slightly conspicuous outfits of Fu Qian and his companions, Marianne arranged for this transportation immediately, with Ben personally taking the wheel at the front.

The night in this Nightmare seemed even more lively along their journey.

Various travelers, men and women, young and old, could be seen, even with distinct attire and styles.

The buildings along the street were alike, with many appearing even more exquisite.

It was somewhat understandable why Esther accepted the notion that the present was reality, and her nine-year-old self’s world was a nightmare.

But the peculiarity was there, as although not spotting those majestic cathedrals, it was clear that this was Leytin.

A Nightmare corresponding to reality that miraculously appeared more prosperous and bustling was indeed strange.

“We’ll reach the destination soon, rest assured you’ll be safe there.”

Breaking the silence beside him, Marianne spoke softly to Esther.

The latter almost curled up in the corner by herself, barely initiating any interaction on the way.

This behavior worried Marianne slightly, knowing that Esther had been “poisoned” by Fu Qian.

Despite her well-meant comfort, Esther merely nodded slightly without a word.

Sighing softly, Marianne didn’t mind and quickly turned to Fu Qian with a serious expression.

“Although it might not have much meaning, Mr. Grimshaw, I need you to promise not to engage in dangerous actions like earlier with the Dark Moon… I don’t want to bring a big problem to the place we’re going.”

“As a return, I promise to relay your matters to Lady Raven, allowing her to decide whether she’ll meet you. I believe it’s something you’re interested in.”

Clearly, she hadn’t stopped thinking the whole way, pondering why Fu Qian was willing to accompany them.

“It sounds quite fair, and generally speaking, I’m a low-profile person too, but here’s a small question.”

Fu Qian nodded slightly, then shifted the conversation.

“According to your philosophy, you shouldn’t fear death inside here, but from your series of reactions just now, it seems you’re trying hard to avoid it. Is there any special concern?”

Surprised that Fu Qian would ask this, Marianne appeared somewhat embarrassed, ultimately just shaking her head.

“If it were that simple, it wouldn’t be a nightmare… So do you accept the request? We don’t have much time.”

No, they really didn’t have much time.

Fu Qian maintained his smile.

“I accept.”

…

“Is this your secret base? It doesn’t seem low-profile enough.”

Marianne’s description was accurate, and before long, the carriage drove directly into a spacious courtyard.

While not exactly resplendent, it could be considered luxurious at a glance.

Except there weren’t many people, making the night slightly quiet.

“According to you, is our low-key demeanor utterly meaningless?”

Snorting coldly, Marianne called Esther out of the carriage and gestured for Fu Qian to follow.

Evidently familiar with the place, Marianne led them to a room, signaling Fu Qian to wait.

“I’ll take Esther over first; please wait here for a moment. It won’t take long.”

“Okay.”

Keeping to his promise, Fu Qian accepted this arrangement.

Seeing him agree so readily, Marianne looked relieved and left the room without further words, taking Esther with her…

And left the courtyard…

Indeed, after confirming by pretending to take a brief walk, Marianne didn’t pause but took Esther out from a route different from how they came.

It seemed Fu Qian’s question was reasonable – this place was indeed not the base for the Awakeners.

After some internal struggle, Marianne still chose caution.

She might not neglect relaying his interest in meeting Lady Raven, but only under the latter’s absolute security.

If Lady Raven wasn’t interested in meeting him, Fu Qian knew no one else would come to this place.

Even if she agreed, the back-and-forth would likely consume a lot of time, the most precious resource for him now.

Nonetheless, Fu Qian still didn’t choose to follow but waited silently on the spot.

Clap! Clap!

About half a minute later, there was a knock on the door.

Before Fu Qian could speak, a dignified middle-aged lady pushed the door open and walked in.

“Good evening, Mr. Grimshaw.”

“Good evening.”

Fu Qian nodded in response.

It could only be her.

Marianne, perhaps, had fulfilled her duty but clearly didn’t understand the responsibilities of a leader in the Rebel Army.