The three of them hurried toward the subway station... No, that’s not right. The group now included Little Coal Ball and a massive burlap sack. The Dwarf carried the sack, though it wasn’t as if Singrev was being used as a human beast of burden. Rorschach had helped out by casting the Floating Skill on the stout Mr. Klaup.

Their group was quite the spectacle, no less than a pilgrimage to the West. Freddy led the way, looking completely at ease—few who fell into the Shadow City could still smile like him. Close behind him were Little Coal Ball and a fluttering handful of bats. Bringing up the rear were the Mage and the Dwarf, who seemed almost inconspicuous by comparison.

’They’re pretty efficient.’ Missing person posters were already plastered all over the streets—or rather, the pipes. Some people would glance at them indifferently for a moment before tearing one down right in front of Rorschach and his companions. They weren’t taking the poster, of course, but merely using the paper to wrap something or tossing it into a fire. A SIZZLE of green smoke would rise, carrying the smell of cheap ink.

"Will these posters even work?" the Dwarf asked. It wasn’t until they reached the Semi-submerged Area that he realized very few people could actually read the entire notice. They cared even less about who was looking for whom.

"They were never meant for these people," Rorschach said. "As long as the word gets out and everyone in the Shadow Land knows someone is looking for Teacher Caroline, that’s enough." ’Since she arrived here first, she’s now in the shadows while I’m out in the open. The odds of her finding me should be higher than me struggling to find her.’

"And if she doesn’t come?"

"Then we’ll investigate in other districts while we wait," Rorschach replied. He had a lead on the Sect. He needed to figure out why the Return of the Holy Mother Sect needed to expand in this godforsaken place, and why they were traveling between El Island and the Shadow Land.

They finally reached the subway station. A train chugged to a stop, and numerous passengers disembarked. A young woman seemed to notice Rorschach’s group. She paused, her gaze fixed on Little Coal Ball’s head, and asked in a shrill voice, "Excuse me... is that a bat?"

Little Coal Ball stared back with a frightened, bewildered expression. She clearly hadn’t expected someone from "above ground" to be able to see her. The poet answered for her, "Yes, it is, madam."

"Oh, good heavens, I’m going to file a complaint! Someone actually brought a bat in here..." Despite her words, her tone shifted unexpectedly. "Which pet store did you buy it from? And the pelt on your child, it looks quite nice..."

"Pet store? Oh, no, no, this is authentic underground stock! Madam, in the future, please, please stay away from small alleys and dark, gloomy places. It’s best not to travel alone..."

The woman shot the poet a look as if he were a monster, then quickly walked away.

Freddy shook his head. "Some people always mistake kindness for malice. That woman is exceptionally gifted. One day, she’ll either discover one of her friends has vanished and be branded a lunatic, or she’ll fall into the Shadow Land herself."

"Are there many people like that?" Rorschach couldn’t understand. If so many people could come into contact with the Shadow City, or at least sense its existence, why was the world above completely oblivious to it? It was as if everyone was ignoring the elephant in the room.

Freddy smiled. "You’re a Mage. If you stay in Istani long enough, you’ll discover that people here tend to ignore Casters.

"To put it bluntly, they’re busy, so wrapped up in their own lives that they’re exhausted. Anything that shatters the life they toil and fret over will cause their fragile nerves to snap.

"So, for most people, ignoring it is a form of self-preservation. They disregard anything abnormal, unknown, or dangerous, carefully keeping their distance. They prefer to spend their entire lives huddled in their safe, familiar circles. In my opinion, the rules and powers of the Shadow Land simply reinforce this self-induced hypnosis."

The Count’s private train was late. The poet continued, "Of course, the Kingdom is vast. There will always be people like that woman who can’t contain their curiosity, and there will always be those who feel the life of the majority isn’t worth living."

"Like you, for instance," Rorschach said. He felt that after all that talk, the poet was just patting himself on the back. After all, he was the oddball who claimed he was willing to retire in this godforsaken place.

"No, it’s not just me, nor is it just those who choose the Shadow City. Most of those who are passively brought to the Shadow Land are people who couldn’t be accommodated by society and were mercilessly ’cast out.’ Those with both talent and ambition become Mages—fellows like you, who know nothing about the Shadow Land yet still dare to run around so full of life. Others, unwilling to be tied down to the land of a few islands, venture out into the boundless sea."

The poet’s words were indeed stirring. Singrev’s heart swelled as he listened; it resonated perfectly with his "philosophy on the true heart of an Adventurer" and was very much to the Dwarf’s liking.

"So, most of the enterprising people in the Kingdom, those unwilling to let their days pass by unchangingly, have left the Upper Realm of Istani. The ones who live their lives obediently are left behind. Thus, in the grand scheme of things, especially among common people, the process is like the final step of winemaking... It’s called..."

"Distillation."

"That’s it, that’s the name. Oh, right, you must dabble in Alchemy." The poet concluded his long speech, earning a nod of approval from the Dwarf and an adoring gaze from Little Coal Ball. ’Even though she didn’t understand what Lord "Fre-ddy" was saying, anyone who could talk for that long in one breath was amazing!’

’So the rule-makers of the Shadow Land are also experts in psychoanalysis? They can leverage the general sentiment of society to achieve the Shadow City’s "concealment"...’ Rorschach felt more and more that the situation here hadn’t simply developed over time. It felt more like a conscious will was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

SCREEECH— The arrival of the old model train was exceptionally noisy, as if the wheels, tracks, and every part that made contact were in an all-out brawl. It finally ground to a halt.

"All aboard!" an old conductor coughed, pulling the door open. Rorschach remembered it used to be automatic.

As if he could hear Rorschach’s thoughts, the old conductor kicked the door. "Last time we passed through the sewers, a Living Water Body busted the door!"

He glanced at Little Coal Ball. "This young lady will have to stop here. The rest of you gentlemen, please head to the right. The Lord Earl is waiting for you."

The reception car also housed the Count’s Guard. The young men’s gazes swept back and forth over Little Coal Ball and her bats—some friendly, some curious, some filled with disgust. Little Coal Ball grew extremely uncomfortable under their stares and gently tugged on the poet’s sleeve.

Freddy sighed. "Alright, Little Coal Ball and I will wait for you here. Finish your business and let’s go quickly."

And so, only Rorschach and Singrev went to meet the Count again.

"Your efficiency is astonishing!" This time, the Count wasn’t lying lazily in his chair. The Captain of the Guard stood behind him as he set down his wine glass and applauded the Mage and the Dwarf.

"Your sources are just as impressive, Mr. Elgin," Rorschach replied in kind. "The head of the Sect is right here. I assume you’ve already taken his men into custody—if they’re not all dead yet."

THUMP! The Dwarf dropped the burlap sack onto the floor of the train car, the impact seemingly waking the person inside. Unhurriedly, Singrev grabbed a handful of the soporific powder Kraup himself had concocted, tossed it into the sack’s opening, then tied it shut and shook it vigorously to ensure the person inside returned to a peaceful state.