Chapter 209 : Chapter 209
Chapter 209. Survival, Experiment
Deep within the ruins of Zu’Aman City, the viscous darkness seemed to have congealed.
Those Multicolored Figures seeped out from the cracks beneath the ground, flowing over the surface like melted paint. More and more of them emerged, finally gathering into semi-transparent humanoid forms, with fine multicolored light wrapped around their bodies.
Their “gazes” locked onto Pandora. They roared soundlessly and gradually tightened the encirclement.
Pandora’s breathing grew more and more hurried. The wound on her abdomen split open again, and fresh blood dyed the shattered stones beneath her red. She quickly took a stone slab out of her Spatial Ring.
The stone slab was the size of a palm. Its surface was covered in ancient Runes, and dried blood still remained along its edges. Clearly, it was a relic that had been rubbed again and again.
“Mother…”
She murmured softly, and bloody foam spilled from the corner of her mouth onto the stone slab.
“I never thought there would be a day when I would have to turn to you. How very ironic.”
The moment her words fell, the foremost Multicolored Figure had already pounced before her. Its semi-transparent arm carried a bone-piercing chill as it clawed toward her neck.
Pandora abruptly raised the stone slab above her head and used the last of her strength to activate the remaining mana in her body.
HUM…
The stone slab suddenly erupted with blinding white light. The Runes flowed and flickered as if they had come alive, forming a massive light barrier that protected Pandora at its center.
The Multicolored Figures that pounced at her crashed into the light barrier and instantly melted away like ice and snow thrown into a furnace. They transformed into strands of colored energy that were greedily devoured by the Runes on the stone slab’s surface.
SIZZLE—SIZZLE—
The sound of energy being devoured was especially clear in the deathly still ruins.
Even more Multicolored Figures charged forward without fear of death, yet all of them became the stone slab’s “nourishment.”
The light barrier grew brighter and brighter. The stone slab seemed to become a beating heart, continuously transmitting the energy it had devoured into Pandora’s body.
After being purified by the stone slab, that violent otherworldly energy actually turned into a gentle warm current, repairing her broken muscles and bones and stopping the blood that had been pouring out.
Pandora felt the strength in her body rise again, and her previously unfocused gaze gradually sharpened.
She looked at the Multicolored Figures rushing forward one after another, and the corner of her mouth lifted into a weak yet resolute smile.
“You scraps… at least you are dying for a purpose.”
She straightened her back and allowed the torrent of energy to wash through every limb and bone in her body.
The stone slab’s light reflected on her face, and the shadows of the Runes danced in her pupils, as though an ancient Sacrificial Ritual was taking place.
The cracks in the ground were still constantly releasing new figures, but their numbers were growing fewer and fewer. Clearly, the energy reserves underground were also being rapidly consumed.
When the last Multicolored Figure was devoured by the light barrier, the stone slab’s radiance reached its peak.
Then the light slowly receded, and it once again became that simple and ancient stone slab. Only the Runes on its surface were now even brighter, as if plated with a layer of flowing light.
Pandora slowly lowered her arm and felt the abundant strength inside her body.
Not only had her injuries recovered, but she even seemed somewhat stronger than she had been at her peak.
She lowered her head and looked at the stone slab in her hand. The aura of her mother upon it seemed to have become a little clearer.
“Thank you, Mother,” she said softly, then put the Divine Artifact back into her Spatial Ring.
The ruins fell silent once more, leaving only the wind wailing through the broken walls.
Pandora stood up and patted the dust from her body. The wound on her abdomen had already scabbed over, and her broken bones had mostly healed.
She raised her head and looked toward the direction of the Radiant Sun Empire, and flames rekindled in her eyes.
“It is not over yet…”
She whispered and tightened her grip around the sword hilt at her waist. It was the only weapon she had left.
“The Radiant Sun Empire… hehe. What a treacherous empire. They truly know how to burn the bridge once they have crossed it. Filthy humans, as expected.”
“Relying on others is never as good as relying on oneself.”
She identified the direction and walked toward the wasteland away from the ruins.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched her shadow very long, leaving a line of firm footprints across the barren land.
She carried away the secrets of Zu’Aman City, and that otherworldly energy devoured by the stone slab would become the sharpest blade on her path of revenge.
At that moment, the Slave Market in the Kroll Royal Capital was filled with the mingled smell of iron rust and sweat.
Iron cages were stacked layer upon layer like piled honeycombs, and they were crammed full of captives from the Kadiya Kingdom.
There were frightened civilians, stubborn-eyed soldiers, and children curled up in the corners. Their ankles were all locked with heavy iron chains, and every movement produced an ear-piercing scrape.
Because of the campaign against the Kadiya Kingdom, a great number of slaves had been produced. As long as a slave was alive, they would be sent to the Royal Capital for William to screen.
He stood on the raised platform, dressed in the attire of the Crown Prince, his cold gaze sweeping over the people below.
Royal Guards followed behind William, holding parchment scrolls for record-keeping. Whenever he selected someone, men would step forward, unlock that person’s iron chains, and take them to the open space on the other side.
“That one.”
He pointed at a fierce-eyed strong man inside an iron cage. Even though the man was bound by iron chains, his back remained straight.
“Sky Aptitude. Send him to the Northern Frontier Secret Realm.”
The guard immediately recorded it. When the strong man was dragged out, he struggled and roared in fury, but he received only a heavy blow from a club. In the end, he wilted and followed them away.
“And that child.”
William pointed again at a thin, skeletal youth in the corner. The youth was using a stone to carve something into the cage wall. There was no fear in his eyes, only an almost obsessive focus.
“His gaze is ruthless enough. Legendary Aptitude. Send him to the Northern Frontier.”
Over the course of the morning, he selected thirty-seven slaves. Every one of them had resilience or ruthlessness hidden in their eyes.
These people would be sent to the Northern Frontier Secret Realm. There, they would be given sufficient room to grow, and they would become the kingdom’s future combat power.
“Divide the rest according to the rules.”
William left behind this sentence and turned to leave.
The so-called “rules” meant that those with mediocre aptitude would be sent to the mines, while the old, weak, sick, and disabled would be sent to the outskirts of the Goblin Secret Realm to serve as bait or… experiment materials.
No one dared to question it.
The moment the Kadiya Kingdom was defeated, these people’s fates had already been decided.
That afternoon, the last batch of selected slaves was loaded onto prison wagons and sent toward the Northern Frontier.
William stood on the city tower and watched the convoy disappear at the end of the road before turning toward the underground laboratory beneath the Royal Palace.
This place had been built by Kroll II for Duke Marcus.
As soon as he reached the corridor, he smelled a thick stench of blood mixed with the sour odor of potions.
Duke Marcus wore a bloodstained white alchemist’s coat and was excitedly saying something to a glass tank. Soaking inside the tank… seemed to be half a humanoid form. Its skin had taken on an eerie green color, and its fingers were as sharp as a Goblin’s claws.
“Your Highness William.”
When Marcus saw him, his eyes lit up.
“You came at just the right time. Look at this. A slave modified with the bodily matter of a Goblin. Its strength has increased threefold, and its sense of pain has been severed. It is simply the perfect soldier.”
William frowned as he looked at the glass tank, and his stomach churned.
“The energy of the Goblin Secret Realm is too impure. If you modify them like this… the lasting consequences will be severe.”
“Consequences? So what?”
Marcus licked his lips, his eyes filled with fanaticism.
“As long as they can fight and die in battle for the kingdom, how much are their lives worth?”
“Look at this new batch of slaves. Those with high aptitude have gone to the Northern Frontier, and the rest are perfect for me to practice on. When the Orc Kingdom attacks, I guarantee I will let them see what a true ‘monster’ is!”
William did not reply.
He disliked Marcus’s methods, but he had to admit that these modified beings were indeed useful on the battlefield.
Just as his father had said, war did not need mercy. It only needed victory.
When he left the laboratory, the setting sun was sinking, dyeing the spires of the Royal Palace gold.
William rubbed his aching temples. He had seen too much numbness and madness that day, and even his breathing felt heavy.
“Your Highness, it is time to return to the Study and handle the official documents,” Tos reminded him in a low voice.
William nodded, then turned and walked toward the Throne Hall.