Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

708. The Wise Black Wolf At The Crossroads

Rodan Trade City was the Bellum Empire’s version of the City of Spades. A few years ago, the city used to be home to over a hundred thousand people. Long bands of merchants would brave Grandis for the city’s promise of riches.

The ruling Duke allowed contraband to circulate its markets, and its isolated position as one of two cities in the north allowed it to sustain itself through swaths of farmland. Crops and tilted soil used to reach the walls of the city all the way to the mountains that divided the Bellum Empire.

But now all that remained was an uninhabitable wasteland. Not a single blade of grass grew across tens of kilometers around Rodan Trade City. The roads were buried in dirt, and the skies glowed a dark orange as dusk blocked out the skies.

Society within the Rodan Trade City had collapsed. Law and order that used to be mandated by soldiers and guards were replaced by those favored by the Duke of the territory, or those with strength.

The rules of the backwaters applied in this city, and Cer was glad she possessed a CognitO Filter. Otherwise, she would have finished off the rotting carcass that people called a city.

Still, Cer couldn’t help but to indulge in a little bloodshed.

Somewhere, within the maze of narrow alleyways of shanties that were built atop preexisting buildings lay more than twenty bodies. A hooded figure was dragged by the hair before he was thrown against a wall, his head splattering like an overripe fruit.

The stench of blood filled the air as her crimson eyes cut through the darkness like a hot, glowing knife. Trails of light followed her gaze as she reached to an ear with a blood-soaked hand.

“You called?” Cer spoke nonchalantly.

“I was wondering if you found anything pointing to where the Red Barron is.”

“Nothing yet. I’ve asked the locals but I’m not as good at torturing it out of them.” Cer sighed. “Lots of criminal activity here. I don’t know about you, Frost, but I’m half tempted to bring the city down.”

A human boy shivered as he grasped at his chained collar. Cer stared at him with a sidelong glance.

“I’m kidding. I’m a good wolf so I’ll keep the carnage in check. I wouldn’t want to blow our cover. Unless you want me to?”

The child gulped.

“Stay put. Let me know if you find anything.”

“Nothing big, but there’s major syndicates locked down in this place. Lots of people dressed up well too. It’s a good sign that there’s something brewing. Hey, little runt. Got any idea?”

The child shook their head.

“Thought so. A bunch of scumbags tried luring a slave into their den. Looking at how cleaned up he is, they were probably getting ready to sell him off.”

Cer kicked one of the bodies, wiping her boots with their luxurious fur coat. Various artefacts made from an alabaster-like material dangled from their apparel.

“This city has the White Midnight written all over it.”

The White Midnight commonly dabbled in trafficking and human experimentation for the sake of progressing magic. Their philosophies in magic were similar to the Maestros of Flesh, where magic was performed and conjured through biomechanical processes.

As one could imagine, this meant that the living was used as a basis to create magic, rather than magical circles and chants – the principles governed by the Golden Index, who were their direct opposition.

“You’d be surprised how big of a presence they have in the Nex Megalopolis.” Cer continued. “Never heard of the Witching Hour? The attacks on the Academies? No? Well now you know. Associations gotta deal with their own shit. Chances are that I’ll come across a major trading warehouse.”

“Will you be ok?”

Cer’s couldn’t decide whether to frown or smile. She did both, and her mouth became like a wave as she flicked the blood from her hands with a long sigh.

Frooooost. C’mon. I’m the wolf that told Elysia to fuck off. I’ll be fine. I never used to do shit like this when I was a Moon, you know? For thirty years I’ve always been indifferent to the people outside of the Nexus. Sometimes I’d run my mouth and give a piece of my mind, but never gave a damn more often than not.

She turned to the human child and reached towards his throat.

The child submitted, accepting his fate. However, with a small metallic click, his collar fell before his feet.

But I guess I’m willing to step in to set things straight now. I see a lot of myself in these brats half the time anyway. They all have the kind of eyes that wish they had someone to rely on.

Serum G had kept her relatively tame when it came to dealing with people. If it weren’t for Frost, and for her confrontation with her own past, then she would not have saved this child out of her own volition.

The child, free from his collar, ran off thanklessly. He feared that Cer was another potential slaver, and it didn’t help that Cer had been glaring at him the entire time.

Anyway, did you find anything interesting over there?

“Aside from finding the first person to manifest a Corrupted Persona through my Will, I think we found the musician D-13 was talking about.”

Oi. Frost. I’d like it if you didn’t handwave the most important thing you had to say like it’s nothing. Tell me more about the two. Actually, tell me about the musician first. I wanna hear this Corrupted Persona thing in full.

“She’s a Maestro named Mae. Not a Maestro of Flesh. The Impuritas wanted her alive for Iscario.”

She could be a key then, just like the princess of this nation.

Frost and Cer shared the exact same sentiments. The fact that Iscario required her was enough proof for them to confirm that she was indeed the musician D-13 referenced. Her title as a Maestro made this concrete.

“I will be questioning her soon. For now, I’ll leave you with what the Exalted have found.”

Cer reactivated her CognitO Filter and disappeared from plain sight.

Currently, there were more Impuritas Groups than they anticipated. There were different Groups that occupied the surrounding territories of a given Tower.

In the order of Towers from the Capital towards the north, there were the: Librarians within the Capital, the Crimson Hunger; the Sect of Gears; the Memento Mori and finally; the Blood Festival at the most distant tower.

The first few Towers were confirmed by the Exalted themselves, but the last two were extracted from Impuritas members.

Frost validated the information through the Ankou, confirming the existence of multiple Hearts of the City near each of the Towers.

The Exalted could not possibly act while they were still alive, but Frost had a plan to deal with them once she arrived at the Capital.

Cer returned to the main streets of Rodan Trade City, walking amongst haggard beggars and well-dressed merchants like a phantom. She existed only within their unconsciousness and slipped through the gaps of their awareness. None could touch her as a result. They parted before her like a wall of reeds as her ears twitched to all manners of sounds.

Rattling chains. The scrunching of broken glass. Screams. Laugher…

Cer became so in tune with the environment that she did not notice the back of a suited man that failed to make way for her.

Suddenly, she planted her face into the figure’s back. It was warm, and the scent picked up was that of roses. Broken thorns spilled from the figure’s pockets, littering the streets of their crossroads.

Cer was ready to fight. This person had blown her cover. He did not move for her like the others, meaning that he had already detected her presence. However, she noticed their black, snow-tipped tail and ears that were just like hers.

Finally, the figure turned around, revealing a pair of red eyes that she could never dream to misplace.

“… Cer?” A rough, masculine voice called out to her as though he was seeing things.

Cer’s eyes widened. Her ears drooped till they touched her head, and her tail rose with an electrifying sense of excitement.

Her heart throbbed uncontrollably at the sight of the one person she wanted to see the most. With a heavy heart and a raspy voice, she called out the name of this person.

“Raoul…?”