Alex_Fabianoki
patreon
Chapter 189: Secret Path
🕑 Added 2024-10-15 12:20:54 +0000 UTCFort City 085, a city known not only for its fortitude but also for the secrets hidden behind its thick walls.
This city has four main gates—East, South, West, and North—each guarded closely by the Gatekeepers, official soldiers assigned by the City Government Council. They ensure that every individual entering and exiting is recorded, with no one escaping their watchful eyes.
However, behind the strict regulations and discipline lies a dark underworld, hidden from official view. A secret path, usually known only to a select few, serves as a lifeline for those wishing to evade the gaze of the City Government Council.
The Underground Path—used by those from the Black Market—snakes beneath the city, leading anyone brave enough to traverse these dark and dangerous corridors out of Fort City 085.
Now, Orochimaru and Kabuto stand on the brink of entering that darkness.
This secret path is not just an escape route. Here, various groups with unacknowledged purposes gather. From Assassins to Mercenaries, from mysterious organizations to members of cults, all walk in the same place.
The atmosphere down there is so grim and cold, filled with people moving without official identities, evading regulations by paying a high price for hidden freedom.
"All who do not wish to be bound by rules gather here," Orochimaru murmured, a thin, secretive smile gracing his lips as he gazed at the crowd queuing at the underground gate.
Kabuto merely nodded, his eyes observing every individual present. The mercenaries, with expressionless faces yet always alert, walked straight, trying not to stand out.
Members of the cult, wearing tattered robes adorned with strange symbols that were unreadable in the light. All of this is a reflection of a world that the City Government Council does not want, but cannot erase.
Though they could register officially with the Mercenary Guild to obtain exit permits, many prefer this dark path.
Registering with the guild would reveal their identities and abilities—something far more dangerous than facing physical threats underground.
Keeping secrets is more important than anything else. Here, in the shadows of Fort City, money becomes the only language spoken, and those who wish to remain unknown are ready to pay any price.
Orochimaru grinned, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the path they were about to take. This path is expensive, of course, but for those who fear their identities being revealed, the price is worth the freedom it offers.
Earlier, Haruto had arranged everything. Kakashi had come ahead to meet Reynold—the man who knew one of the most important secret paths here.
Kakashi, with a calm yet meaningful smile, spoke to Reynold in a way only Kakashi knew, convincing the man to hand over the Identification Card at a much lower price than usual.
"Give this card to someone with pale skin, snake-like eyes, and long black hair; that person will come to collect this," Kakashi instructed at the time.
And now, that figure is here—Orochimaru. He has arrived, with a cold aura that sends shivers down the spines of those around him, even though they are accustomed to violence and fear. Kabuto stands beside Orochimaru, silent yet ready.
Orochimaru and Kabuto walk calmly through the dim underground corridor. The stone walls around them are cold and damp, faintly illuminated by small torches lining the path.
Their footsteps are nearly silent, blending with the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. The air feels heavy, filled with the scent of wet earth and old dust, as if this corridor has harbored dark secrets for centuries.
