An Aura Farmer's Guide to Another World
Chapter 69: Lost City

Chapter 69: Lost City

Lana led us to a port where we boarded an airship the size of a house.

On the surface, the ship resembled any other, complete with a mast and a deck. It featured exhaust pipes for the steam engine and a pair of propellers to aid its journey across the vast oceans.

What set it apart were the four additional rocket-shaped steam engines attached to its frame, each with propellers at its center, controlled by the captain as if the ship were a drone.

As we ascended thirty thousand feet above ground level, Lana and the four of us settled into one of the ship’s three available rooms.

Four candles illuminated the corners of the room, and two round windows to our left offered a clear view of the clouds.

Cupcake and Evelyn shared a plush velvet chair, while Lucy and I sat beside them on another. Lana, meanwhile, was seated behind a desk in front of us, with a map of the Demon Empire pinned to a board behind her.

She retrieved a small metallic tube from the desk, extending it into a stick. With it, she pointed to a small island adjacent to the mainland. "This is Fish Island, our destination," she said.

Lana then indicated a port town opposite Fish Island. "We’re stopping by Babilus to meet the House of War troops stationed on standby." She turned from the board to face us, her light green horns pointing in my direction.

"Why did you call for us so suddenly? The least you could do is give us clear details of what this is all about," I said.

Before Lana could respond, Lucy crossed her legs and shot a stern look at Lana. "No one told me we were going to spend an entire week on another island. If I had known what this was all about, I wouldn’t have tagged along."

Evelyn adjusted her seating, resting one arm on the velvet chair’s armrest. "I heard Emily mention secret training. Are you going to be our instructor?"

"Of course she is; otherwise, she wouldn’t be here," Cupcake interjected, turning her head to face Evelyn.

Lana sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I’m taking you all to a lost city. A plague has spread across Fish Island, and the residents’ mana is being stolen at a rapid pace. Within the next ten days, all residents will either die or transform into monsters."

"You’re kidding, right?" Cupcake exclaimed, slamming her hands on the desk, her eyes narrowed. "My squad consists mainly of Lota core users. You can’t just take them into a battle zone with possibly thousands of monsters!"

I raised my hand. "Um, what exactly is a lost city? I’m a bit confused by all of this."

"You don’t know what a lost city is?" Lucy turned to face me, her eyebrows raised.

As Cupcake sank back into her seat beside Evelyn, she glanced at me over her shoulder. "You saw what happened to Joseph when he used all his mana and turned into a monster, right? A lost city is a city affected by the plague, a disease spread by a powerful monster. When it infects a person, it channels their mana back to the monster. The residents won’t be aware of the plague until the final moments, when the monster steals all their mana, causing them to turn into monsters."

Evelyn placed a hand on Cupcake’s shoulder. "Here’s a good example," she said, glancing at me. "Devil Island, where we first met, used to be a normal island with residents. However, when the plague spread there, all the residents turned into the monsters you saw and fought."

Lana tapped the desk, and we all turned to her. She interlaced her fingers above her cleavage, her green kimono exposing more skin than necessary.

"A lost city has two major aspects: one is the monster called the Alpha, who drains mana and feeds on it, and the other is called the ’Key,’ a monster who casts an illusion in the city, disguising the Alpha. The Key is also able to disguise people who were turned into monsters by the Alpha, giving them a human appearance. The Alpha then continues stealing mana, and instead of the victims turning into monsters that would alert the residents to the Alpha’s presence, the Key casts an illusion spell on all the new monsters created by the Alpha."

Lucy looked away from Lana, gazing out the window at the clouds. "Both the Alpha and the Key take on human forms and disguise themselves among the residents. Why would you take us to Fish Island? Won’t the Alpha notice our presence?"

Lana reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a chocolate bar. She slowly unwrapped it and began eating, glancing away toward the window. "You’re missing something. Whether the Alpha notices us or not isn’t the problem; he won’t make the first move. The problem is for us to figure out who the Key is, and eliminating the Key will reveal the Alpha’s identity."

Lucy stared at Lana’s mouth, gulping saliva with every bite Lana took. Lana caught a glimpse of Lucy, then reached into her drawer and produced another chocolate bar. "Here you go," she said, tossing it toward Lucy.

Lucy caught it and instantly tore off the wrapper, taking a quick bite as if the chocolate were about to vanish. "It’s not like I’m interested or anything," she mumbled.

I smiled, glancing at Lucy over my shoulder; her quick bite told me she enjoyed every bit of the chocolate.

"Be careful not to bite your tongue," Evelyn told Lucy.

Lucy glanced at her, then took the last bite of the chocolate. She squeezed the wrapper into a ball and threw it at Evelyn. "Mind your fucking business," she retorted.

As Evelyn caught the wrapper in her palm, Lana shifted her attention to me. "You should feel honored that I chose you. You are the only squad in the House of Sinners where every member has awakened a unique skill with a Lota core. The Queen has tasked me with training you to become an elite squad capable of finding the Key in a lost city and eliminating it. You should take pride in being selected by the Queen for the role of the Sun."