Chapter 0: Unifying the Three Races (17)
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“Those were the happiest twelve years of my life. My father taught me to read, my mother taught me magic, and I naively thought those days would last forever.
Until one day… the Little Demons patrolling Evil Merman Cave found our tracks…
My parents were brutally killed, and I was kidnapped to become a little concubine for the Evil Merman.”
Cold Moon lowered her head, wiping away the tears welling at the corners of her eyes. “I thought no one would ever know about my past.”
“I’m sorry,” Lin Nan said, holding her hand.
“No, I should thank the Great King. If you hadn’t shown up just in time, I would still be unaware that there was a way to end the fate of slavery for the Monster Race.
You opened a window for me and showed me that anything is possible, and all obstacles come from within our hearts.”
Cold Moon spoke sincerely, “If it weren’t for you, I might still be cautiously hiding in Cold Wind Cave. You changed me, you changed the entire Monster Race.
Now, the Asking Dao Continent is changing rapidly under your influence, day by day.
If it weren’t for Divine Punishment, I believe that in a few years, the entire continent would look completely different from the past. Even an ordinary person could live with dignity. Although social status might be different, the basic personality of a being could still be guaranteed.
Isn’t that the society I once dreamed of?
Wasn’t that the motivation that kept me going while suffering in Evil Merman Cave?”
Lin Nan sighed, “Yeah, if we can get through Divine Punishment, I believe the three races can learn something from each other.
An unchanging social structure may be convenient for rulers, but it’s pretty unfair to most people and severely hinders productivity.
Of course, I won’t interfere with the decisions of the Human Race and Demon Race, but I believe their leaders will make their own judgments.”
Cold Moon hadn’t had such a heartfelt talk with the Great King in a long time.
She even asked many questions that concerned her, most of which were about how to build a new society.
Lin Nan wasn’t a professional in that area, but thanks to all the things he’d heard in his past life, he managed to answer most of them.
The desert sun always comes up early. Even before five in the morning, as they exchanged ideas, the sky near the eastern horizon began to glow a soft white.
“Who would have thought the sun would rise again today?” Lin Nan said, “I thought with the power of divine beings, they could even mess with the laws of celestial motion.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a layer of dark clouds suddenly enveloped the sky.
These clouds stretched endlessly, like a carpet covering the entire Asking Dao Continent.
“Well, here it is.”
Lin Nan calmly walked to the window and just opened a tiny crack. “Whoosh!” A gust of wind rushed in, blowing away many papers.
At that moment, “Pitter-patter…”
A small raindrop fell on the glass, leaving a clear water stain.
Lin Nan frowned and quickly shut the windows tightly. Then she dashed to the broadcasting room, instructing the announcer,
“Tell everyone to stay inside and not go out!”
“Yes, Commander!”
Since it was still early, most people were resting inside their homes.
Only a handful of elderly people who couldn’t sleep had ventured outside the iron fortress that housed the Sky Tower, hoping to stroll around while the weather was still cool.
But little did they know, what had begun as a sunny morning had swiftly turned into torrential rain.
“Crash! Bang!”
This was probably the first major downpour in the Black Stone City’s desert in centuries.
The elderly were quickly drenched and scrambling towards the fortress entrance, trying to get inside before they were completely soaked.
“Aw, what bad luck! Who knew this darn desert could even rain?”
“Yeah, soaking wet, and now I have to change clothes when I get back.”
The old folks grumbled as they hurried to the door, banging on the iron gate.
“Creek!” The door opened,
And they piled inside like a herd of wet ducks.
Behind them, they left a mess of soggy footprints.
The guard chuckled, “I told you today was special! You shouldn’t have gone out, but you didn’t believe me, huh? Now look, you’re all drenched like a bunch of drowned rats!”
“You’re right. Tsk, tsk, the day of Divine Punishment is definitely different from a normal day.”
“Hey, why does my scalp feel all itchy all of a sudden?”
“Now that you mention it, mine feels itchy too! Wow, I’ve never been this itchy before!”
People started scratching their scalps unconsciously.
“Snap! Crackle!”
The next scene terrified the guard, who staggered back in horror, mouth agape as if he’d seen a ghost.
Their scalps were peeling off like dandruff, complete with hair and bl**d, revealing their bony skulls beneath.
They lowered their heads, sharp nails still clawing away, creating an ear-piercing, chilling sound on the exposed bone.
The guard scrambled to grab the phone,
“Hello? Hello? There’s something wrong at Gate 52! They’ve turned into something like evil spirits!”
He barely managed to get that out before the swarming Mutated Elderly rushed through the wooden door, thrusting their claws into his throat before he could even gasp.
And not long after, what should have been a dead guard wobbled back to his feet,
His eyes bl**d-red, uttering meaningless groans.
He didn’t viciously scratch his scalp like the drenched elders, but he seemed very intrigued by fresh flesh and bl**d.
Perhaps because it was still early, people didn’t rush out in a panic; most lay in their rooms, enjoying what they thought was their last morning of peace.
Little did they know that a great crisis was silently spreading within the iron fortress.
This was something they could never have imagined before constructing the fortress.
Luckily, the guard’s dying call had reached the command center just in time.
Lin Nan, who quickly noticed something was off about the rainwater, hurriedly spread out the fortress map.
Gate 52 connected to four human residential areas, housing about 150,000 people.
“Immediately close all passages connected to Area 52. Alert everyone that no one is to come into contact with the rainwater. Aside from soldiers, all residents must stay in their homes and not go outside. Anyone caught wandering outdoors will be shot on sight.”
In chaotic times, strict measures must be taken. Once the fortress fell into chaos,
Their carefully planned defense strategy could crumble in an instant.
She couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen if the entire five hundred thousand people were infected, but it was not impossible.
Lin Nan gripped the Black Wind Sword tightly,
Who would have thought that on the day of Divine Punishment, the divine beings would choose such a twisted way to reap lives in the Asking Dao Continent?
Very well, they would pay the price!
End of Volume Three.
