Chapter 62 Punishment
A faint light appeared on the horizon.
On the left side of the temporarily built camp, nearly three hundred slaves were trembling as they were gathered together, facing a group of fierce and menacing pirates. With a scream in the distance, two tall and sturdy pirates approached, one carrying and the other dragging two clearly indigenous slaves. Behind them were four grim-looking pirate henchmen, each holding a wooden stake, which they set up in front of the slaves as a rough cross!
“This is the fate of fugitives!”
The Half-Elf First Mate’s expression was not pleasant. He had just prepared to perform before Soren but was caught off guard when a slave escaped the next day, a blatant slap to his face that indicated his ineffectiveness. Therefore, he felt no sympathy for the escaped slaves, even wishing to strip them alive. The Half-Elf First Mate coldly stared at the slaves in front of him, watching their terrified expressions, and said in a deep voice, “All who dare to escape will end up like them!”
Snap.
The Half-Elf First Mate glanced to the side, and then two burly pirates brought over two indigenous slaves who had clearly been beaten. Following that, a one-eyed cyclops stood up with a sinister grin, wielding a hammer and nails. Due to the manufacturing methods of the time, the nails were not the familiar type but rather conical nails about the thickness of a finger. The cyclops glanced at someone beside him, and then the two slaves were forcibly separated and bound to the rough cross.
“No! … Don’t! … Please! …”
The two indigenous slaves seemed to realize their imminent fate, trembling all over. One of them, who appeared to speak a little common tongue, kept crying and pleading, his voice striking fear in the hearts of the other slaves below. But no matter how he pleaded, it was in vain; the cyclops grinned as he raised the hammer. He positioned the nail against the palm of the slave, and with a series of loud thuds, a nail as thick as a finger pierced through the indigenous slave’s palm and embedded into the wooden stake behind him.
A piercing scream erupted!
The sound was horrifying, bl**d pouring from the pierced palm and dripping onto the ground. The two sentenced indigenous slave’s bodies trembled as their voices became hoarse. They continued to plead desperately, expressing their regret and ignorance, but ultimately received no mercy. The cyclops picked up another nail and hammered their other palm onto the stake.
But this was only the beginning!
This form of punishment required a total of nine nails, starting with the palms, then moving to the elbows, followed by the feet, and then the knees.
As for the last nail.
That would be used only at the end of the punishment, when the condemned was nearly drained of bl**d or close to d*ath, at which point the executioner would take the last very narrow nail and drive it into the prisoner’s forehead. Generally, the last nail isn’t used, as it is associated with a kind of cursed taboo; many believe that if a nail is driven into the forehead leading to the prisoner’s execution, their soul may be nailed to the cross, with a chance of becoming a terrifying vengeful spirit.
After all, the undead are supernatural beings!
Even professionists do not dare claim they can safely handle the undead, as they can traverse between the spiritual and material planes.
………………
Soren watched the entire execution process.
He had to sternly prevent such escape attempts; otherwise, managing these slaves would become increasingly difficult. He was a person who respected rules and had no sense of historical mission to abolish slavery. Even in the past life’s technological era, slavery was only abolished long after, and the prosperous plantation economy heavily relied on slave labor. In the past life, slavery continued to exist until the twentieth century, illustrating the formidable power of this institution’s lingering presence.
Existence is reasonable.
Though it may not be a good thing, currently, the institution of slavery is unshakable, as many churches of the deity support it.
Drops of bl**d fell steadily.
The two indigenous slaves nailed to the stakes had started breathing weakly; their initial piercing screams had turned hoarse. But the entire process was not yet over; the bl**d would gradually coagulate, as their injuries were not fatal. They would still need to be exposed to the scorching sun for a time before they could breathe their last. The punishment did not end with their deaths; even after they died, their bodies would still be nailed to the frame, and the smell of bl**d would attract numerous scavengers, such as crows.
In the end.
Crows would begin to peck at the corpses until only skeletons remained!
This process of punishment could last a week, largely depending on the number of crows attracted and the mood of the master who ordered the punishment.
Some slaves below were nearly scared silly!
The two indigenous people were thus bloodily nailed to the cross and stood upright before them. The pirates then began shouting and directing the other slaves to work. Because of the live example in front of them, the slaves worked vigorously, only occasionally pausing to glance at their nailed kin, showing a fleeting sorrow in their eyes, while others expressed malicious glee. After all, half of the slaves were indigenous, and half were continental; only the indigenous would think of escaping, as the Overseas Islands were their home. However, there was no way the continental slaves would consider fleeing since they couldn’t survive outside.
If not for the relative rarity and higher price of continental slaves due to their docility, Soren genuinely considered purchasing more.
“Brother?”
Vivian’s figure appeared not far away; the little girl was dressed in a black princess dress, rubbing the corners of her eyes with her small hands, and asked, “What just happened? I thought I heard someone scream!”
The little girl had slept for a long time the previous day.
Recently, she appeared very drowsy, though it was unclear why, even to Soren.
However, Vivian’s overall condition seemed quite normal. She appeared very healthy, and notably, her strength had increased significantly, resembling that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old child.
Perhaps the little girl was going through development.
Soren felt she had grown approximately one or two centimeters taller and was now likely just a bit taller than Aladdin.
Speaking of which, Aladdin really is short!
Vivian seemed to have just woken up, sleepily rubbing her eyes, then blinking her bright big eyes and looking around. Upon hearing an explanation from the nearby subordinate about the earlier events, she couldn’t help but pout and nodded seriously, saying, “It should be like this! These despicable slaves! As my brother’s personal property, they dare to escape! They should be nailed to d*ath up there!”
“Let’s see if they dare to escape again in the future!”
Initially, Soren was a bit worried that her kind nature would make her reject such punishment, but the words coming from the little girl brought a smile to his lips.
This is his Vivian!
The little girl who once said, “You go k*ll, and I’ll help you set fire.”
Compassion cannot solve problems.
At least, for most of the time, compassion does not solve problems but exacerbates them.
Soren was not yet at the moment to demonstrate his compassion!
Currently, the Overseas Islands could be described as fraught with crisis, with various dangers and endless troubles, and he absolutely could not allow his slaves to create more chaos.
………………
Today, Vivian seemed particularly bold!
She adjusted her beautiful black princess dress with her hand, fastening her hair into twin ponytails. The little girl seemed to be having fun, alternating between a single ponytail and double ponytails each day. She tilted her head, looking at the bloodied indigenous slaves nailed to the stakes, then turned around to observe the other busy slaves. Two of them, upon seeing her, immediately knelt down with excited expressions, kowtowing as if they were the very ones she had healed with magic.
The little girl nodded demurely, looking down on them as if she were a noble princess, and said, “Work hard!”
“I remember my brother said that as long as you work hard, some of you will be granted freedom. My brother always keeps his word; I believe you’ll gain your freedom soon!…”
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
