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The gray clouds looked like a dirty rag covering our heads.

Ian looked up at the black silhouette of Blue Hole Mountain lying on the horizon.

That wasn't just a mountain, but an entire city built on top of it.

The outer perimeter is a roughly constructed stone wall, about five or six meters high, with bright red triangular flags planted on top, fluttering in the wind.

Outside the wall lay vast expanses of scorched earth, barren of vegetation, with only a few burning campfires belching black smoke—the sentry posts of the night watchmen.

"arrive."

The bald man jumped off the hunchback, clapped his hands, and a cloud of dust rose into the air.

He walked up to Ian, a rare hint of seriousness appearing on his scarred face.

"Kid, there are many rules when we go into the city. Don't look around or ask questions randomly. Although Old Chen has agreed to provide a guarantee, the necessary procedures still need to be followed."

Ian nodded, glancing at the group behind him.

More than a hundred people, all dressed in rags, their faces etched with exhaustion, but fortunately most of them were young and strong, so there were few casualties on the way.

At that moment, everyone craned their necks to look at the city, their eyes gleaming.

That was hope, the hope of survival.

"Li Yao," Ian called softly.

The boy immediately squeezed out from the crowd, his face tense: "Brother, I'm here."

"Lead them into a line, with women and children in the middle and able-bodied men on the outside. Remember, don't wander off once you're in town."

"clear!"

The procession slowly approached the city gate.

The main gate, made from a single piece of ironwood, was tightly closed, with only a side door opening to the side, allowing just three people to walk side by side.

Six guards in crimson leather armor stood at the entrance, holding spears and with sharp, piercing eyes.

The lead guard was a middle-aged man with a fresh scratch on his cheek that hadn't fully scabbed over yet.

He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping between Ian and the caravan.

"Goods from the Crimson Cloud Merchant Alliance?" he asked the bald man.

"Yes, this batch of goods was personally escorted by Old Chen on the return trip."

The bald man pulled out a copper token from his pocket, which was engraved with intricate star patterns.

"This is a pass."

The middle-aged guard took the token, examined it carefully, and nodded.

"The caravan may enter."

He paused, his gaze falling on the group behind Ian. "Who are these people?"

"They're refugees, from Maple Leaf City," the bald man said, pointing at Ian.

"Old Chen promised to vouch for them and let them into the city."

The middle-aged guard frowned, walked up to Ian, and looked him up and down.

"What's your name?"

"Li Xing".

"identity?"

"The Li family of Maple Leaf City, of the bloodline," Ian replied calmly.

The middle-aged guard narrowed his eyes, then suddenly reached out and placed his hand on Ian's shoulder.

A surge of scorching energy flowed from his palm into Ian's body, like a small fire raging through his meridians.

This is a simple detection technique used to check for contamination by the abyss.

Ian did not resist, letting the energy flow through his body.

The Starfall Core on his chest was slightly warm, emitting a pure stellar energy that easily neutralized the probing energy.

A moment later, the middle-aged guard withdrew his hand, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"The bloodline is pure, with no signs of contamination."

He paused, then asked, "Do you have any elemental crystals?"

"have."

Ian took out his last remaining dust crystal bag and pulled out ten fingernail-sized fragments.

The middle-aged guard took the bag, weighed it in his hand, and a hint of difficulty appeared on his face: "This...is not enough."

"What do you mean?" Ian frowned slightly.

Although dust crystals are far inferior to elemental crystals, they are still extremely precious and sufficient to cover the cost of entering the city.

"Refugees entering the city must each pay a 'refugee tax' of one dust crystal."

The middle-aged guard pointed to the group behind Ian, "There are over a hundred of you, but this amount of dust crystals is only enough for 20 people to enter the city."

A commotion immediately arose in the crowd.

"Good heavens! A single dust crystal? We don't have that much money!"

"My lord, please have mercy! We've fled all this way, and we've lost everything..."

"Quiet!" the middle-aged guard shouted sternly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Ian took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

He looked at the bald man: "Old Chen agreed to act as guarantor, so he also has to pay taxes?"

The bald man shrugged, a helpless expression on his face.

"Rules are rules. Old Chen can guarantee your entry into the city, but taxes... are rules set by the Merchant Alliance's city defense forces, and no one can change them."

Ian was silent for a few seconds, then took out the last standard crystal from his pocket.

The milky white crystals gleamed with a warm luster under the dark red sunlight, like a drop of solidified milk.

The middle-aged guard's eyes lit up instantly.

"Is this standard crystal enough to cover everyone's taxes?"

"Hmm... just enough!"

The middle-aged guard practically snatched the crystal, a smile plastered on his face.

"One standard crystal can be exchanged for one hundred dust crystals, and that's just right for the hundred or so of you!"

He handed over the dust-returning crystal bag, then turned and waved to his subordinates: "Let them pass!"

The side door slowly opened.

Ian led his team, following behind the caravan, into Blue Hole Mountain.

Upon entering the city, a cacophony of smells hit you.

The smells of sweat, mold, rotten food, and some kind of pungent medicine were strong.

The city was extremely large, but the streets were very narrow.

On both sides were dilapidated wooden and stone houses crammed together, their roofs covered with blackened tarpaulins weighed down with stones to prevent them from being blown away by the wind.

The emaciated laborers carried heavy sacks and trudged forward.

Vendors set up simple stalls by the roadside, selling blackened flatbread, murky water, and all sorts of strange "amulet" items.

A cacophony of sounds surged forth like a tide.

"Fresh rotten rat meat! Ten pounds for one dust crystal!"

"Pure water! Really pure water just transported from the inner city! One crystal per jar!"

"Hiring! Miners needed in Xishan Mining Area! Room and board provided, one dust crystal every ten days!"

Ian frowned.

This is the outer city of Blue Cave Mountain, chaotic, crowded, and filthy, like a pot of boiling porridge.

The caravan did not stop, but went straight through the streets of the outer city and headed deeper into the city.

Ian led his team behind, attracting countless stares along the way.

Some were curious, some were wary, and many more had a numb look in their eyes.

Refugees come into the city every day; they've gotten used to it.

After walking for about half an hour, the street gradually widened.

The houses on both sides have also changed from dilapidated wooden houses to relatively neat stone houses.

Occasionally, you can see a few well-dressed people carrying oil paper packages, hurrying by.

"This is the boundary between the inner and outer city," the bald man explained as he turned around.

"Further in is the inner city, which ordinary people can't enter."

He pointed ahead.

There stood an even higher stone wall, topped by fully armed guards who held crossbows and vigilantly scanned the area below.

A large iron-clad door was open in the wall, but it was tightly closed at the moment.

The caravan stopped in front of the gate.

The bald man jumped off the hunchback, walked to the door, took out his token, and waved it at the guard on the wall.

A moment later, the gate slowly opened a crack, allowing the caravan to pass through.

Ian's team was stopped outside.

"You can stay here," the bald man said.

"Although the outer city is chaotic, it is at least safe. The inner city... you can't get in without proper identification."

Ian nodded without asking any further questions.

He watched the caravan file in, and the iron gate slammed shut again with a heavy thud.

"Brother, what do we do now?" Li Yao asked in a low voice.

Ian looked around.

This area is quieter than the outer city core area. Although the stone houses on both sides of the street are dilapidated, they are at least intact.

Occasionally, you can see a few small courtyards surrounded by wooden fences, with withered wild vegetables growing inside.

"Let's find a place to settle down first."

He led his team around the area and finally found a dilapidated stone house with a courtyard at the end of a secluded alley.

The yard is a decent size, about a hundred square meters, with gravel on the ground and some broken wooden boxes and pottery jars piled up in the corner.

Besides the courtyard, there are three stone houses with mottled walls and several missing roof tiles, which are barely patched up with tarpaulin.

An old woman was sitting on the doorstep picking vegetables, wearing patched clothes.

Upon seeing Ian and his group, he was so startled that his hand trembled, scattering vegetable leaves all over the ground.

"Who...who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I'd like to rent your place," Ian said. "How much per month?"

The old woman paused for a moment, looked Ian up and down, then glanced at the dark mass of people behind him, a look of hesitation on her face.

"This...this house is dilapidated, it can't accommodate so many of you..."

"We only rent the yard; a spare room would be even better," Ian said, pulling five dust crystals from his pocket. "Is this enough?"

The old woman's eyes lit up. She reached out and took the crystal, weighed it in her palm, and a smile spread across her face.

"Enough! Enough! You can use the yard as you like, but inside... there's only one empty room left."

"OK."

The deal was quickly finalized.

Ian settled the team in the yard.

More than a hundred people were crammed into the courtyard, making it difficult to even turn around, but no one complained.

Compared to the wilderness, at least here there's a roof over your head.

After seeing the old woman off, Ian closed the courtyard gate, shutting out the noise from the outer city.

In the courtyard, more than a hundred pairs of eyes were watching him silently.

Li Yao, the white-bearded old man, and those who had followed him all the way out of Maple Leaf City.

They were crammed into this narrow courtyard, like sardines in a can.

Some people leaned against the corner of the wall, while others sat directly on the cold ground.

But everyone remained silent, even the children had their mouths covered by adults, only their eyes were filled with unease and anticipation.

Ian's gaze slowly swept over them.

They were dressed in rags, their faces were sallow and thin, and most of them had wounds or stains on their bodies.

Of these people, about twenty were capable of fighting, while the rest were civilians, including some women and children.

To Ian, they were nothing short of a "burden".

According to the survival rules of the wizarding world, the most sensible approach would be to select a few promising young adults to stay, and the rest...

The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, is a truth ingrained in the wizarding world.

He looked at the pairs of hopeful, anxious, and pleading eyes.

Especially the few four- or five-year-old children, who tried their best to put on ingratiating smiles.

"I……"

Ian's voice trailed off, and his gaze darkened.

These people, like a tide, stood behind him when he confronted Chen Daoba.

Furthermore, the reason they were able to escape the Maple Leaf City riots was not only because most of them were young and strong, but also because their minds were more resilient than those who fell.

"Perhaps... we can select some promising talents from these people who have survived the life-or-death selection process."

He raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

The Starfall Core in his chest was also slightly warm, like a beating heart, reminding him of where he was.

This is not the Wizarding World.

This is the continent of Aran, a wasteland torn apart by the abyss.

But it is also a world where... there are still "people".

He looked at the woman holding a child in the crowd.

The woman bit her lip hard, her eyes red-rimmed, but she didn't shed a single tear; she just hugged the child in her arms even tighter.

Then he looked at the middle-aged man who had lost an arm.

There was also an elderly man with a white beard, who leaned on a wooden cane the whole way and never fell behind.

……

Each one of them had a burning desire to survive in their eyes.

"Forget it, feeding them is just a matter of a few doses of medicine."