Stronger with Crimson Modifier

Chapter 175 - 173: Deformity

Below, on the dim streets shrouded by the curtain of rain.

The people coming and going were all dressed in coarse linen clothes, holding oil-paper umbrellas or shielding their heads with their hands as they hurried along.

The latter group seemed to be in more of a rush than the former.

And among them walked several figures exuding the aura of the Black Blood Species.

Although these figures had a humanoid shape, their appearances were bizarre—some had wings, others were covered in scales.

They were no different from monsters.

But the people here seemed to be accustomed to it, showing no particular alarm.

They would even stop and bow respectfully upon seeing these beings.

As for the Black Blood Species, they didn’t attack on sight like those on the surface, who would lunge at any potential prey.

The two groups seemed to exist in a state of peaceful coexistence.

Regarding this phenomenon, Hu Qi had already figured out the reason for it during his meal.

Although he made no overt movements, with his powerful physique and keen hearing, he could, if he wished, hear every conversation within a radius of several thousand meters.

Combining this with the memories he had acquired from those two Black Blood Species,

Hu Qi learned that the Black Blood Species here were different from those on the surface. They weren’t subject to extermination by Secret Martial Artists.

Because here, the so-called Secret Martial Artists did not exist.

The Black Blood Species were the only Extraordinary beings.

They were even given the title of Celestial Gods by the Human Race living here.

The Black Blood Species here did not slaughter the Human Race living among them wantonly.

They would even protect them, helping them build city walls to defend against attacks from the ferocious Exotic Beasts of the wilds.

Powerful Black Blood Species would even interfere with the weather, preventing floods and droughts to ensure bountiful harvests.

The reason for this wasn’t a change of heart.

It was because they understood.

If they were to feast and slaughter humans indiscriminately, it might satisfy their appetites for a time, but what would happen afterward?

Without their food source, they would meet a grim end. All but the Middle and Upper-Rank Black Blood Species—who were powerful enough to survive without it—would starve to death.

Naturally, this was an outcome they wished to avoid.

Their actions were like those of a farmer raising livestock—creating a good environment and providing food. These things were not without reward.

It was merely a pattern of behavior to ensure a more sustainable benefit.

...

Just then, a man at a distant table, who was in the middle of eating and drinking, seemed to notice something.

Glancing at a somewhat dim wall lamp, he turned and shouted across the room, "Waiter, the Fire Stone over here is getting dim! Hurry up and change it!"

"Coming, coming!"

The young waiter came over, but instead of food, he carried a basket of stones that glowed with an orange-yellow light.

He walked to the wall, opened the translucent, glass-like lampshade, and used a pair of iron tongs to remove a dimly glowing stone from within, replacing it with a brighter one.

Once the lampshade was closed, it instantly became like a bright lamp, illuminating a small area and even dispelling the damp chill brought by the gloomy, rainy weather.

There were several other wall lamps like this one in the room.

The light they emitted felt slightly warm on the skin, like the winter sun.

A peculiar glint flashed in Hu Qi’s eyes.

In Hu Qi’s opinion, this world was really no different from the surface.

It had all the basic necessities.

The only difference seemed to be that, being in the Inner Earth World, there was no sun.

Without sunlight, no organisms could grow, aside from some shade-loving plants.

Over the long term, this would be a cataclysmic disaster for most living things.

However, life is highly adaptable. Since there was life in the Earth Core, there was naturally a reason for it.

The Inner Earth World has no sun, but it has Fire Springs.

The power of these Fire Springs comes from the Earth Core.

The temperature emitted by the Earth Core is extremely high, generally reaching around 4,000 to 6,800 degrees Celsius.

Due to the size of Earth Star, its temperature would be even higher by comparison.

A temperature of this magnitude can’t compare to the sun’s interior, but it’s more than a match for the sun’s surface.

Within the Fire Springs is a special kind of Fire Stone that can provide light, warmth, and even mimic the effects of the sun, promoting crop growth.

However, the energy of these Fire Stones is consumed over time.

But after being depleted, placing the stones in a Fire Spring for a short while allows them to absorb enough thermal energy to be fully restored.

It could be said that it is precisely because of the Fire Springs that the humans here are able to survive.

He had used his methods to acquire one upon first entering Black Stone City.

After observing it carefully,

Hu Qi considered this Fire Stone to be a special kind of Spiritual Material.

It was somewhat similar to a battery.

Unfortunately, the Fire Stones released and absorbed thermal energy very slowly, making them useful only for lighting and heating in this world. They had no other effects.

「A dozen or so minutes later.」

After settling his bill, Hu Qi left the restaurant and headed toward the city center, following the information he had gathered.

...

Black Stone City was so named because its City Lord—the Middle Black Blood Species who ruled the area—was named Black Stone.

The City Lord’s Mansion was situated in the very center of Black Stone City, surrounded by a shimmering lake. The mansion itself stood on a raised island at the lake’s heart.

The City Lord’s Mansion covered a vast area, like a city within a city, filled with all manner of pavilions, terraces, and magnificent jade-like structures.

In the top floor of a pavilion nearly a thousand meters high,

sat a figure clad in armor, towering and brawny at over two meters tall.

His massive physique emanated a chilling sense of pressure, like a small mountain.

The man’s body was a mass of knotted muscles. Two curved horns, like a pair of sharp Daggers, jutted out from the sides of his forehead, their surfaces covered in rough patterns.

When he opened and closed his eyes, a strange, bloody light glinted within them.

This was none other than the City Lord of Black Stone City, Black Stone.

He had this pavilion specially constructed so that, by sitting here, he could take in the entirety of Black Stone City at a glance.

At this moment, a large platter of meat sat on the stone table before him.

The meat looked rather strange; one could faintly make out the curled-up shape of a human figure.

It was bare, as if it had been roasted over a fire.

The agonizing expression from the moment of death still seemed to linger on its face.

"Lord Black Stone, this is a new way the Human Race prepares livestock. The meat is cooked to medium or medium-well, a level of doneness that keeps the inside exceptionally tender. Then, the abdomen is hollowed out and filled with spices..."

Beside the table stood a thin man, bowing, dressed in a white chef’s apron.

The man wore a fawning expression as he explained to the twin-horned Black Stone.