novelraw Chapter 262 -262-Orefiends — Cursed?
Chapter 262 -262-Orefiends — Cursed?
Evelyn froze for a moment, then asked instinctively,
"Wasn’t it just... an accident during the mining process?"
A helpless smile appeared on the demon attendant’s face. He then spread his hands with a sigh.
"In truth, things are not as simple as you think. These miners belong to a race called the Orefiends. They are born from ore itself, so having them mine is actually the way they have always survived."
"Their food consumption consists of all kinds of ore as well."
Evelyn was slightly stunned. She had not expected that such a strange and extraordinary race existed among demonkind.
But she still did not understand what any of this had to do with the mine collapse.
"So what exactly are you trying to say?"
A serious look appeared on the demon attendant’s face.
"Honored lady, the composition of these Orefiends is extremely complex. To give a simple example—if an Orefiend is born from steady earth-element ore, its personality is usually honest and dependable, but it will fear water."
"...For another example, Orefiends born from fire-element ore tend to have far more explosive tempers. But the truly terrifying ones are those born from ores with special components. They are like ticking bombs—there is no telling when they might suddenly explode."
"We call this phenomenon the Curse of the Orefiends."
"And when an Orefiend’s curse manifests, it is not merely that one Orefiend’s problem. The curse can spread to those around it as well, driving them collectively into madness and self-destruction..."
Evelyn frowned. She realized that the knowledge she had once possessed was utterly insufficient to deal with a problem like this.
If what the demon attendant described was true, then Orefiends really did seem ill-suited to live alongside the other demon races.
But... that still was not a reason for them to be oppressed!
The demon attendant, seeing that Evelyn had fallen into thought, softened his tone and said,
"So many things cannot be solved so simply."
"Honored lady, this is not your human world. This is the Abyss. It has its own laws of survival."
At that, he paused and looked toward the collapsed mine in the distance.
"The Orefiends who survived will participate in the Fallen Revelry tomorrow. Though they are only at a sub-venue, being able to enjoy a full day of rest is still a rare chance for relaxation for Orefiends like them."
Evelyn fell silent for a brief moment. Deep in her heart, a voice kept repeating itself.
Change all of this. Let there be no more oppression.
Change all of this. Let there be no more oppression...
...
In the end, Evelyn cast one last deep look toward the mine before following the demon attendant away.
Ahead of them, Jester Tycoon was leading a group of upper demons through the factory on a tour.
At the same time, they were also discussing the upcoming celebration in the Fallen Abyss.
For these upper demons, the top priority right now was preparing tomorrow’s party properly.
...
Deep within the factory, inside a conference room,
a gigantic glass curtain wall occupied one entire side of the room. Beyond that glass lay the depths of an enormous mineral vein.
This place was located several thousand meters below ground, and it was the only place where one could observe the birth of Orefiends from up close.
Orefiends were born from mineral veins, but what few people knew was that not every mineral vein could produce them. Only veins that had been affected by special energy could serve as breeding grounds for Orefiends.
The reason this factory had been able to operate for so many years was because they had discovered a mineral vein capable of producing Orefiends, and had transformed it into an Orefiend incubation chamber.
From that point on, Orefiends could be born in an endless stream, then sent into the factory to labor until they died.
Jester Tycoon stood before the massive glass wall, his gaze sweeping across the upper demons present. His eyes lingered briefly on the face of the Mind Demon King, and his heart gave a slight tremor.
It looked like Her Majesty Shaki was not in a very good mood?
Could it be because that fellow Caelan had turned out to be all show and no substance?
Although the one Shaki had left here was merely an avatar, it was still enough to show how much importance she attached to this operation.
Jester Tycoon shook his head, pretending that he had noticed nothing at all, then continued speaking,
"I believe everyone here understands how important this City of Revelry is."
"As long as tomorrow’s Fallen Revelry is held flawlessly, we will be able to offer a great quantity of Emotion Stones to the মহান Lord of Abyss."
"Do not forget—our lives as they are today exist entirely because of the protection of His Excellency, the Lord of Abyss. So long as we continue supplying an endless stream of Emotion Stones, His Excellency will protect us forever!"
For the upper demons present, they actually lacked nothing. What truly mattered to them was the attitude of the Lord of Abyss.
If the Lord of Abyss was in a good mood, they could continue enjoying their wonderful lives.
But if they angered him, the entire race could suffer a catastrophic blow!
Sure enough, after Jester Tycoon finished speaking, excited expressions appeared on the faces of all the upper demons present.
Emotion Stones were their protective charm.
So tomorrow’s Fallen Revelry absolutely could not be allowed to go wrong!
Standing in the distance, Evelyn watched the upper demons with cold eyes.
She could not understand at all what exactly they were celebrating so wildly. Was it really just because they had obtained the protection of the Lord of Abyss?
Wait... what exactly were Emotion Stones?
Almost instinctively, Evelyn asked the demon attendant beside her.
The demon attendant froze for a moment, then replied in a tone tinged with fervor and devotion,
"His Excellency, the Lord of Abyss, requires Emotion Stones. The more Emotion Stones one offers up, the happier His Excellency becomes."
Evelyn narrowed her eyes. A dreadful premonition began to rise in her heart.
"So how exactly are Emotion Stones formed?"
The demon attendant smiled faintly and explained,
"Why, from the guests who come to attend the Fallen Revelry, of course!"
"Such a grand party—is it not the perfect place for emotions to erupt? And as for the vessels that carry those emotions, I swear to you, there is nothing more suitable than Orefiends!"
"The corpses of those Orefiends are the finest emotional vessels of all!"
At that moment, upon hearing those words, Evelyn felt as though she had fallen into an ice pit.
She widened her eyes and stared at the demon attendant beside her in utter disbelief.
"So... tomorrow’s Fallen Revelry is actually the Orefiends’ last supper?"
"And then you’re going to kill the Orefiends, seize their bodies, and turn them into Emotion Stones!"
"You... you people are all insane. Completely insane!!"