Chapter 1353: Empty Stones

Atticus was taken aback the instant he saw the bustling city.

If he had to be honest, when he first heard about the willess world, this wasn’t what he’d expected. A world where one couldn’t utilize wills without a medium.

Atticus had assumed that such a world, in the middle plane, should be blasphemy. In fact, it was a shock to him why they hadn’t destroyed the world yet.

In such a world, even the major factions were powerless. But what he currently saw... was the opposite of what he was expecting.

At the very least he thought to see a world devoid of people, but everywhere he looked, there was nothing but people.

People of different types, shapes, and race wandered around a bustling market like space. Stalls were sprawled around, with items openly displayed.

Sellers urged the people passing by to patronize them, and some even blatantly stepped in front of them.

Atticus focused more on the people. Some wore attires that shrouded their bodies and faces, others only a hint away from being naked. Some openly showed off their bracelets that marked them as gods.

Different people. Different cultures. Different auras.

It was... magnificent.

’I can still feel their wills.’

From their demeanors, the way they walked and carried themselves, Atticus could still roughly guess the nature of their wills.

"Beautiful right?" Whisker said with a grin. They’d chosen to stand on the side, overlooking the bustling market.

"This?" Ozeroth scoffed. "This is nothing compared to my magnificent estate back on the spirit world."

"I wasn’t talking to you."

Ozeroth glared at Whisker, but the latter ignored him, looking at Atticus.

"It’s alright." Atticus finally said. "This is the outer parts, right?"

"Right." Whisker agreed, nodding. "That’s why it’s a bit... rough. It gets better the deeper you go, though stricter."

Atticus confirmed Whisker’s words with a glance around. It gave the impression of an up and coming village rather than a market where people from all over the world visited.

The willess world was divided into three parts, the outer, middle, and inner parts. If one were to imagine three large concentric circles, the outer one was the outer parts, the middle the mid parts, and the center the inner parts.

But considering Whisker’s last words. "Stricter." Atticus could imagine it was just as it sounded.

’Even this world didn’t escape hierarchy.’

Power ruled all. The major factions had still been able to establish themselves in the willess world.

From Whisker’s explanations, the inner parts were ruled by the major factions, the mid parts by minor factions that were well established in the Span, and the outer parts had been left to the randoms. This was why it was so disorderly, no ruling bodies, no one to enforce order.

"So where are we heading to?"

Whisker stared into the city, his eyes seeming to pierce through its depths.

"The mid parts."

Atticus sighed. ’Of course.’ He knew it was never easy.

Whisker saw through his reluctance and smiled. "Relax. If all goes well, we’ll be out of here before anyone knows it."

"I hope so." Atticus glanced at Kancilot, who was busy looking around with an awed expression. He nodded to Whisker. "Let’s go."

They began moving through the streets without preamble.

The ground was unpaved, and the boots of countless people wandering about kicked up dust.

Atticus couldn’t count the number of times he had to change directions to avoid bumping into strangers. At one point, he basically began maneuvering around the crowd.

Though this was simply his choice. His height, imposing build, and icy eyes made the majority quickly veer off course.

He only moved for people who took his appearance as a challenge. Atticus wasn’t in the mood for useless fights.

Plus, even back on Earth, he had always hated bumping into strangers. He avoided crowded marketplaces like the plague.

Still, as they moved, he made sure never to lose sight of the others. Whisker took the lead, followed by him, Kancilot, and then Ozeroth.

While he and Kancilot avoided bumping into people, Ozeroth was the opposite. The number of times they had to separate fights between him and random strangers was staggering.

But it was during this period that Atticus noticed something odd. He couldn’t understand what they were saying.

Whisker quickly saw through his confusion and explained. It was simple, really.

’A world without will.’

The willess world. Here, people couldn’t use will to project their intent to him. When people spoke, they did so in their world’s language, a language Atticus had never heard in his lifetime.

’It’s funny, I don’t feel weird.’

He thought it odd. He was in a place where he couldn’t use will, yet he felt no different. His mind was still firm and his thoughts normal.

His body still brimmed with strength, and he knew he could erupt at any moment.

’I won’t feel anything until I use it.’

Atticus had tested this once. He had tried to wrap his will around his arm, but it hadn’t even gotten close.

The moment the will left his mind, he felt it being siphoned into the ground. He quickly closed off his mind to avoid depleting himself. After that, he never tried again.

"Follow me."

Whisker led the group away from the streets and into an alleyway. There was an open stall at its end.

As they approached, the man manning the stall smiled and greeted them in a language Atticus couldn’t understand. But he knew it was a greeting.

The man was short, his body blacker than anything Atticus had ever known. His intense white teeth and eyes made him appear more ominous than welcoming.

Whisker, of course, took the lead. Though he pretended to, Atticus could tell even he didn’t understand what the man was saying.

Whisker nodded at his greeting and pointed to one of the items displayed on the table. A transparent circular gem. It was so clear it blended with the table. An untrained eye would’ve missed it.