The "Gateway to Heaven"—the primary checkpoint leading to the Mid-Sector—was a vertical fortress embedded directly into the jagged canyon walls. Its gargantuan steel blast-doors opened only once every hour. Thousands of weary mine-slaves and low-level officials stood in serpentine queues that stretched for kilometers, waiting for a screening process that was nothing short of draconian.
Suspended at the most prominent point of the pass was a massive holographic light-screen constructed of raw Order Energy.
On the screen was a flickering, grainy image of Gu Hanzhou in his stolen quartermaster uniform. Below the image, bold, crimson characters pulsed like a warning heartbeat: [MAXIMUM BOUNTY: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.]
"Everyone! Roll up your sleeves! Pass through the Bloodline Detection Array in order!" a high-ranking Adjudicator in heavy power-armor barked, his voice amplified by a mechanical vox-unit.
At the end of the queue sat a hexagonal array disk glowing with an eerie, rhythmic blue light. Anyone who stepped into the array would have their internal Order-fluctuations amplified and projected onto a nearby stone monolith. If the array detected even a trace of "Ancient Court" or "Dark-Order" resonance, the monolith would instantly trigger a lethal volley of laser-fire from the ceiling.
Gu Hanzhou pulled the brim of his cap lower. Behind him, Su Qingyue was draped in a voluminous grey cloak. Her presence had been suppressed to a near-zero state through an ancient, secretive technique that hid her very heartbeat.
"Your blood is too tyrannical," Su Qingyue whispered into his ear, her breath a ghost of a sensation. "The detection array is tuned to the frequency of the New Order. To its sensors, your Imperial Gold blood is like a blazing torch in a pitch-black room. You cannot hide it."
Gu Hanzhou said nothing. He watched the line move forward. A few meters ahead, a mine-slave whose blood contained a trace of aberrant pollution was flagged. Before the man could even scream for mercy, the twin auto-turrets flanking the gate opened fire, turning him into a spray of scorched meat and ash.
The air was thick with the smell of ozone, burnt flesh, and paralyzing fear.
"I have a plan," Gu Hanzhou said, his eyes turning cold and clinical. "Since my blood causes a reaction, I will give the array a reaction it 'likes.'"
He reached back with his right hand, concealed by the heavy folds of their cloaks, and pressed his palm gently against Su Qingyue's heart.
"What... what are you doing?" Su Qingyue's body stiffened instinctively.
"Borrowing a thread of your Primal Blood."
Gu Hanzhou closed his eyes. The spiral vortex within him began to rotate in reverse. He didn't drain her energy; instead, using the inherent "dominance" and "inclusivity" of his Royal bloodline, he guided a single, infinitesimally thin thread of her pure purple Primal Blood toward his fingertips.
He then channeled this thread into the hilt of [Black Order].
The divine blade acted as a master-filter. It locked Gu Hanzhou's violent, dark-gold energy deep within the scabbard, while on the surface of his skin, a faint, shimmering layer of purple radiance—belonging to Su Qingyue—began to flow.
"In the human cities, Primal-Blood descendants are rare and prized. In the eyes of the Order, your blood is a 'High-Tier' lineage that is legally protected," Gu Hanzhou whispered. "I will pass as your Blood-Servant."
The two of them reached the front of the line.
"Halt!" the Adjudicator blocked their path with a heavy gauntlet.
Gu Hanzhou kept his head bowed, stepping slightly to the side to let Su Qingyue forward.
Su Qingyue took a sharp breath. Even in her state of extreme exhaustion, the innate grace and nobility of her bloodline erupted. She tilted her chin up, revealing the pale, hauntingly beautiful contours of her face. In her hand, she clutched a family signet—a relic of her forgotten clan.
"I am a descendant of the Su House, of the Moonlit Merchant Guild on Emerald Street," she said. Her voice was weak, yet it carried a razor-sharp arrogance that brooked no challenge. "My servant was wounded protecting me during the riots. Tell me, does Duke Mordent's decree now extend to strip-searching the tax-paying nobility?"
The officer hesitated. In the Iron City, Primal-Blood nobles held a peculiar, elevated status. While they were monitored by the Inquisition, they were also the primary source of raw materials for high-grade stabilizing agents. Offending one was a bureaucratic nightmare.
"Standard procedure, Milady. He must pass the array," the officer replied, his tone noticeably softer.
Gu Hanzhou, head still lowered, stepped into the light.
HUMMM—!
The blue radiance of the array washed over him like a freezing tide.
The stone monolith beside him groaned and vibrated. The "Red" warning light, which should have flared at the presence of the Ancient Court, encountered the thin layer of purple mist surrounding Gu Hanzhou. Under the pressure of his hidden Imperial Gold core, the light was forcibly converted into a deep, regal violet.
[Detection Result: Bloodline Servant. Intensity: High. Status: Stable.]
The officer glanced at the result. He failed to notice that beneath that serene violet glow, a mountain of dark-gold energy was being held back by a single, fraying thread of willpower.
"Pass."
Gu Hanzhou walked through the gate with a steady, rhythmic gait. He turned and caught Su Qingyue as she followed, supporting her weight.
Just as they crossed the final threshold, a terrifying, omnipresent will swept across the plaza like a high-altitude radar.
Duke Mordent.
Gu Hanzhou's heart stopped. He felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle under that crimson, searching gaze.
A massive holographic projection of Mordent appeared above the pass, his blood-red eyes scanning the thousands below. The gaze lingered on Gu Hanzhou's back for a fraction of a second—a heartbeat that felt like an eternity.
Sensing the danger, Su Qingyue reached up, her arms circling Gu Hanzhou's neck. She leaned into him, burying her face against his shoulder in a display of intimate, desperate frailty—the picture of a noblewoman clinging to her favorite toy.
Mordent withdrew his gaze. To him, the little monster who carried the dark-gold blood of the Ancient Court was a creature of pride and slaughter. He would never stoop so low as to play the part of a woman's lapdog.
"Enter the city."
The massive iron gates slammed shut behind them with a final, echoing thud.
It wasn't until they had navigated several blocks of the Mid-Sector, ducking into a lightless alleyway to avoid the surveillance drones, that Gu Hanzhou finally exhaled. His palms were slick with cold sweat.
"We made it," Su Qingyue said, letting go of him. Her face was now more transparently pale than ever, her strength utterly spent.
Gu Hanzhou looked at the fading purple markings on his arm, then turned his gaze toward the sky. There, towering over the city like a monolith of despair, was the Inquisition Black Prison—the highest peak of the New Order.
"Black Prison... I am coming."
A look of absolute, murderous resolve flashed in his eyes. The final leg of the first volume's journey had officially begun.