Anyway, it's better than letting these demi-humans eat polluted beasts in the wild, right?
However, the simplest method is not necessarily the one that yields the greatest benefit.
"Your matter is easy to handle."
So Hayden Wolf shook his head and said to the demi-human chieftain...
“I know the true Goddess of Purification. She is the daughter of another celestial being and possesses boundless divine power. I can act as your intermediary. If she is willing to help you, dealing with famine and pollution will be a piece of cake.”
Upon hearing this, the demi-humans, who had been plunged into despair, immediately raised their heads and looked at the giant wolf god, a glimmer of hope rekindling in their eyes.
Who wants to die? And who wants to suffer the wrath and curse of the gods?
Strangely enough, these demi-humans, who face endless torment and suffering every day, surrounded by cold, darkness and fear, are particularly reluctant to die.
Now that the giant wolf god said they had a way to survive, a way to escape the wrath of the gods, they immediately looked at Hayden with expectant eyes.
Only the demi-human chieftain, the brain responsible for leading the thinking and decision-making of the entire tribe, looked at Hayden with some doubt: "This does sound good... but great wolf god, what benefits can you possibly gain from such help?"
benefit?
Oh, right. Of course he'd be suspicious. Many normal people would be skeptical of selfless rescue that comes knocking on their door, let alone these primitive people living in a dog-eat-dog world. Even if they have a concept of generosity, it's probably only used within their tribe, where they're supposed to be loving and united.
"On the one hand, I certainly hope that you can return the giant beast that the gods have pet as soon as possible, lest the gods unleash their wrath and curses upon the entire wasteland."
So Hayden said, half-truthfully,
"On the other hand, I am very interested in the magical knowledge passed down in your tribe. If you teach me, that can be considered as payment."
Although only half of what he said was true, it was enough to fool the demi-humans. When the demi-human chieftain heard that the giant wolf god indeed had something to ask for, the wariness in his eyes immediately lessened by 30%, and he nodded and said, "This matter is of great importance, and I cannot make a decision on my own. I must discuss it with the warriors and elders of the tribe. Generous and great wolf god, please wait a moment."
"can."
Hayden nodded.
“But I must first remind you of something. The goddess of purification is the daughter of a celestial being, and her preferences for sacrifices are completely different from those of the beast gods you are familiar with. If you worship her in the old way, you will only anger her. If you want to follow the new goddess, you need to change your past traditions. Are you willing?”
This is clearly a question that requires serious discussion among the demi-humans to answer.
And so, the several demi-humans of leadership status went to the largest bone house for a meeting. Hayden Wolf sat calmly in the village square outside, waiting, seemingly in no hurry at all.
Eric, on the contrary, was somewhat puzzled.
Taking advantage of the absence of other demi-humans who could eavesdrop or approach, he used his electromagnetic force to levitate near Hayden's head and whispered, "Master, these demi-humans are savage, inhuman creatures. They even cannibalize people regularly, killing the elders of their own tribes for food and using living people as sacrifices. Every single one of the demi-humans in this entire tribe is an evil monster. Why are you acting as a go-between for them and even asking them to seek help from Ms. Karen?"
As he said this, he made a few gestures with a serious face: "I just took the opportunity to scout it out. Apart from the things made from the bones and shells of Terasque, there's really nothing to see with these demi-humans' weapons and equipment. As long as I call the other mercenaries in now, I can lead the mercenaries to kill all these cannibalistic monsters without you having to take action yourself, Master."
Kill all these demi-humans and take away the half-dead Terasque; that way, we can save money on food.
However, after hearing Eric's words, Hayden revealed a thoughtful and intrigued expression: "Eric, you used to be willing to show chivalry to beggars, dare to draw your sword to help those in need, and fight against thugs and robbers. Why do you have no pity or sympathy for these demi-humans now?"
Eric was taken aback by this, and frowned as he replied, "These guys are man-eating evil monsters! If we're really talking about chivalry, we should kill them!"
He wasn't a person lacking in justice or compassion. Rather, it was precisely because he possessed justice and compassion that Eric wanted to kill these demi-humans. Otherwise, he could have easily suggested that Hayden spend money to buy food in exchange for Terasque, since Eric wouldn't ultimately have to pay for it.
I suggest starting a war. Not only will Eric have to go into battle himself, but he might also get injured if he's unlucky, and he might even die if something goes wrong.
So Hayden was quite straightforward: "Do you know how demi-humans came to be?"
He asked this.
"How did demi-humans come about?"
Eric was genuinely taken aback by the question.
"All I know is that they are primitive humanoid races who are intellectually deficient, savage, cruel, and cunning, unable to integrate into modern society. Because they cannot integrate into modern society, therefore..."
As he spoke, his voice lowered, clearly indicating that he was starting to feel something was off.
Are these demi-humans really that intellectually challenged? Aside from their cannibalistic tendencies, are they really that lacking in social adaptability?
"The fact that they negotiate with us like this shows that they are not truly intellectually disabled or lacking in social adaptability."
Hayden shook his head.
“These so-called ‘dehumans’ are modern humans just like us.”
Before Eric could even process what he'd just heard, Hayden had already started explaining further.
"You've been a mercenary for a while now, and mostly as a guard in the wasteland, so you should know that there are many towns and villages in the wasteland that have lost their population and economic value, right?"
Eric nodded in agreement.
Thanks to advancements in arcane industrial technology, this era required only a small workforce to achieve sufficiently high agricultural output, leading to severe urbanization worldwide. The majority of the world's population migrated from rural areas lacking job opportunities and upward mobility to cities. When population decline disrupted the normal functioning of rural areas, it further exacerbated population loss.
This phenomenon is not something that has only appeared in recent years; in fact, it has been going on for at least two hundred years.
"If a village loses its population to the point that the company deems it no longer worth maintaining, they will relocate the remaining people and then have the government abolish the administrative positions of those abandoned villages."
Hayden explained,
"However, not every rural person who migrates to the city to find work can find a good job, or even a job that can sustain their livelihood."
The competition for jobs in this era is already fierce. Many immigrants from rural areas lack the education or skills to secure decent employment in the city, ultimately being forced into unstable, low-paying jobs. The continuous influx of rural migrants further exacerbates the already dire job market conditions, forcing them to compete for the limited and undesirable available positions.
The result of such fierce competition is that slums are prevalent on the outskirts of almost every major modern city.
Hayden lived in the Bay Area of New Seattle, which wasn't even considered a slum anymore; it was at least a low-income residential area. After all, Hayden wasn't so reckless as to buy a house on a mortgage in a slum back then.
“Some people who came from the countryside to work in the city struggled for ten or twenty years in the concrete jungle, only to find that there was no hope for advancement and that life was too painful. They wanted to go back to their hometowns, but found that their hometowns had been abolished by large companies and turned into deserted villages.”
“At times like these, some people will resign themselves to their fate and continue working in the city, exhausting their last drop of energy.”
"But some people feel that rather than being exploited by big companies in the city, it's better to work hard and struggle in an abandoned village where no one cares about you, at least you won't be exploited by capitalists anymore. Some abandoned villages have even built independent settlements on their own thanks to such returning populations."
"Of course, some people simply have nowhere else to go. They may have offended some big shot in the city or owe the company too much money, so they have no choice but to escape to places where there is no modern social order to survive."
Hayden spoke slowly.
Eric listened silently. The more he listened, the more familiar the words seemed, and the more he understood why Hayden was telling him these things.
But a big question still lingered in his mind: "Living independently in the countryside? The pollution in the wasteland is so severe, without barriers and sufficient industrial arcane protection, it's practically suicide. How could someone, having no hope of advancement in the city, choose to return to an abandoned countryside to wait for death?"
“Two reasons.” Hayden Wolf shook his head. “The first is called ‘Oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger.’”
"The second reason is that you misunderstood the difference in time and circumstances—I ask you, was the natural environment pollution two hundred years ago as serious as it is now?"
Eric was stunned for a moment, then fell silent.
He has fully understood.
One or two hundred years ago, some people originally came from the countryside to work in the city, but found that it was not easy to live in the city. In the end, they returned to their hometowns in disgrace, only to find that their hometowns had become abandoned villages.
So they built their own village from scratch, living by farming. In a place no longer part of the normal administrative system, even if they had children, those children would not have any identification codes.
In other words, those descendants would no longer be considered "human beings" in modern society.
A hundred or two hundred years ago, this wouldn't have been considered a very serious matter. The natural environment in the countryside wasn't as bad back then. With some knowledge of arcane magic, it wasn't impossible for a group of people to create their own secluded little village in the countryside.
After all, everyone has magic!
In this way, these people escaped the exploitation of the capitalist gods and, relying on their magic and knowledge, diligently built lives, raised offspring, and passed on this magic and knowledge to their children in the corners of civilization. In this way, they were able to pass on this free life from generation to generation, endlessly.
Unfortunately, stories never unfold that way in reality.
In just one hundred years, as large corporations have become increasingly efficient at exploiting the Earth's natural forces, the rural environment has deteriorated to the point where agricultural production is no longer feasible. Some villages and towns that can generate economic benefits without relying on agriculture are still able to maintain their daily lives through environmental barriers, not to mention cities.
But what about those small villages that have become "inhuman"?
"This is what is called a demi-human, one of the most tragic forms that modern humans may have degenerated into. Their bodies have mutated due to environmental pollution in the wasteland, and their lifespan is only about thirty years. This has accelerated the loss of knowledge, technology and population. They now rely on cannibalism to inherit power and knowledge, probably because their predecessors did not have time to teach them in their lifetime, so they could only let their descendants eat their corpses."
Hayden sighed as he finished speaking.
"A little over a hundred years, at most less than two hundred years, coupled with the extremely poor living environment of the wasteland, was enough time for these people who were once uncivilized as humans to degenerate into the savage cannibals we see today."
"To them, humans in modern society are no longer human, but rather incredible, mysterious beings like 'spirits,' just as modern people do not regard demi-humans as human."
"Eric, now you understand why I want to help these demi-humans as much as possible, and why I want to tell Karen about this as soon as possible?"
Hayden shook his head and said,
“If I don’t tell her now, Karen will blame me later when she finds out. Do you understand what I mean?”
Eric was speechless.
Coincidentally, just at that moment, the demi-humans' meeting seemed to have ended. The demi-human chieftain emerged from the largest bone house and bowed his head to the giant wolf, Hayden:
"Great wolf god, I am willing to offer my blood, I am willing to offer my flesh!"
"As the chief of the tribe, the knowledge and power contained within my flesh and blood are the most intense. Therefore, I am willing to offer my liver as a sacrifice to you!"
"Please, please intercede with the daughter of the gods on our behalf and save our tribe!"
116: Premature burial
……liver?
Why mention the liver?
Oh, oh! That's right! Fresh animal liver is indeed delicious and very nutritious, making it a great food for replenishing blood!
If it weren't for humans offering their livers to Hayden to eat, he would probably quite reasonably slice them up, grill them, and sprinkle them with salt.
...Let's stop trying to escape reality for now.
"Didn't I just say that the Goddess of Purification is the daughter of a celestial being, and her preferences for sacrifices are completely different from those of the beast gods you've known before? If you perform the sacrifices in the old way, you'll only anger her."
Hayden the wolf waved his paw.
“If you want to follow a new god, you need to change your past traditions. I don’t want to eat your flesh and blood.”
Hearing the giant wolf's words, the demi-humans seemed somewhat bewildered, exchanging bewildered glances. Then the demi-human chieftain asked, "Great wolf god, if you do not consume our flesh and blood, how can we possibly give you the reward you desire—the magical knowledge passed down through our tribe?"
噫
Have these primitive people sunk so low that they can't even teach others and can only pass on knowledge by eating corpses?!
Although Hayden already knew what demi-humans were, he was still shocked by the level of backwardness of these guys.
"You can't, um..."
He could only wave his wolf paws, making a gesture that resembled a gesture.
"How about a demonstration? Release it out and shoot it at a target or something. If you absolutely need a live target, you can shoot me."
This wasn't Hayden being arrogant or overconfident; rather, he had already been enhanced and had now transformed into a beast god through ley line energy. Being hit by primitive magic wouldn't affect him much; on the contrary, he would be able to experience the essence of the opponent's magic more deeply.
Ideally, a magician should fully understand what a spell is all about after experiencing it firsthand... Of course, this is just theoretical nonsense, and in reality, it seems that very few people can actually do it.
However, when Hayden suggested that they demonstrate by using magic to bombard him, these demi-humans shook their heads repeatedly and refused.
Let alone the demi-humans, even Eric next to him didn't quite agree with Hayden's approach: "Master, the spells these primitive people use are just degraded versions of magic from a hundred or two hundred years ago. Is it really necessary to deliberately get hit just to take a peek?"
Angela, on the contrary, did not raise any objections. She was gazing thoughtfully at the heart of Terasque in the center of the village, lost in thought, her mind unreadable.
So Hayden had to change his approach: "Then, use the magic passed down in your tribe to exchange a few blows with my men."
Since neither the demi-humans nor Eric agreed, he decided to push Eric up and let him play with the demi-humans.
To treat human life like dirt? Of course not. With Hayden and Angela watching over things, no one will die.
In fact, Eric didn't object at all. He didn't think there was anything to fear or learn about these primitive people's magic; he was just puzzled.
That's why Hayden said to him, "The best way to know if they have anything worth learning is to fight them yourself. I think their magic might be very interesting."
Eric didn't understand what Hayden thought might be interesting. But since that's what he said, as Hayden's disciple, he had no choice but to step in.
So Eric immediately hovered in the open square in the middle of the village, ready for a fierce battle.
As for the demi-humans, they were still somewhat hesitant for some reason. They whispered among themselves for a while, and for some reason, they didn't seem very willing to "perform".
In the end, the chief overruled the objections of the others and stepped forward alone. The other demi-humans all retreated, going to the doorways of the houses outside the square.
"Great Wolf God! Since you have made this request, then I will demonstrate the power of the ancestral gods that flows in our blood!"
The chief shouted, raising his right hand high.
"O Divine Ancestor! O Divine Ancestor who lives within our flesh and blood! We are you! You are us! Manifest your divine power through our bodies!"
At first, Eric didn't understand what the chief meant. He initially thought it was just a common primitive war cry.
The next second, however, the chief’s right hand began to emit a white light, and the light began to sway slowly.
"We are a race born of the divine ancestor, and our flesh and blood are the flesh and blood of the divine ancestor."
He chanted the incantation in a low, chanting rhythm, causing the white light to stretch, expand, and twist—like proliferation, it suddenly extended, creating a totem that caused the ground of the square to undulate and rise and fall.