Chapter 181: Pork Fat and Bones, Braised Together
Even beneath the most beautiful city, there are sewage-filled underground tunnels flowing.
The Alliance nation is neither a heavenly paradise nor an underworld hell; it lies somewhere in between.
Neither white nor black, tainted by the two colors, it turns into a delicate shade of grey - such is the human world.
On the bustling streets filled with neon lights and revelry, one can look up and see branches of the flourishing golden tree, as men and women who toil away their days finish their tiring work and wearily walk through the streets.
Some office workers stumble out of restaurants, collapsing on the street and loudly vomiting, emptying their stomachs of alcohol, food remnants, and the exhaustion of the entire day.
In the increasingly prosperous metropolis driven by economic development, alongside alcohol, industry, and neon lights, people sink deeper into desires and confusion.
A drunken office worker loosened his tie, holding an empty bottle in his hand, stumbling as he walked down the road.
His mind was empty, filled only with thoughts of being scolded by his superior and undermined by his subordinates, the never-ending workload, insufficient household funds this month, his once vibrant-haired wife now wearing a worried expression, and his recently enrolled child skipping school for three months already.
He gloomily raised the empty bottle, took a gulp of air, and then fiercely smashed the bottle onto the ground, shattering it into scattered pieces of glass.
Unsteady, he continued to walk, unaware of the person in front of him. His shoulder bumped into a figure wearing a hood.
"Hey, watch where you're going..."
The office worker turned back and shouted, but his intoxicated brain dulled his voice, making it feeble, and he even let out a belch.
A figure in a hoodie stopped and looked at the office worker. "Are you a Blooded?"
"Yeah, so what?"
The office worker grumbled incoherently in response, unaware of the danger. He couldn't see the road clearly at this moment and everything appeared blurry, just as he was about to say something.
Suddenly, his entire body tensed up as if bound by invisible threads. Then, he collapsed to the ground, involuntarily convulsing and trembling, his muscles tense, and his expression contorted, as if suffering from a seizure.
A syringe was injected into his thigh, containing a red liquid that had already been infused into his body and flowed into his veins.
The office worker's neck was filled with purple veins. He woke up from the intense pain but couldn't produce any sound, only cries of anguish and gasps for breath.
The Hooded Figure watched silently as the office worker struggled. In less than three minutes, his life force had weakened to the extreme. The remnants of his desperate struggle were evident on the ground, with broken nails and bloodstains left from scratching.
"It seems the purity of the bloodline is still far from sufficient," he remarked.
He reached out and snapped the office worker's neck, then pierced the eye sockets with his thumb and forefinger, removing both eyeballs before swiftly disappearing into the depths of the alleyway.
Alena found herself in the study once again.
Her mood was good today. She had originally been carefully selecting tomorrow's outfit in her room.
"Your bedding should be changed," Sasha cut straight to the point as she opened the door.
Alena whispered, "I don't like sleeping in a coffin."
"For Blooded beings, it's a ritual," Sasha said. "The coffins nowadays have air conditioning and insulation. They just put a bit of dry soil at the bottom and cover it with sheets and blankets. What's there to be dissatisfied about?"
"I prefer a normal life," Alena twirled her fingers through her hair. "Blooded beings simply don't like sunlight, but it's not that we fear it. I have already grown accustomed to the sunlight, so I dislike dark places."
"That's because I made sure you went outside in the sun frequently since you were little. Not all cats are afraid of water," Sasha's expression turned serious. "According to the ancient custom, we should both be entering a month-long hibernation soon."
"Do we have to comply?"
"December is nearing," Sasha's expression had never been this serious.
"Auntie, don't you have to sleep?"
"You and I are different. I'm stronger than you, and I'm protected by the ancient pact," Sasha said. "But when it's necessary, I also choose to sleep and avoid the moonlight. You should be prepared for sleep as well."
"But I still have to go to school."
"Do you love studying that much?"
"Well, besides going to school, I don't have much else to do. Should I just stay at home and become a useless person who only knows how to play games and read novels and comics? Would you prefer that?"
"Don't give me lip," Sasha picked up a book and tapped it against Alena's head. "I've used that excuse before too."
"Oh... and then what?"
"And then I obediently slept for a whole month," Sasha said. "I was more well-behaved back then."
Alena reluctantly laid the blanket stolen from her mentor inside the coffin, where she could sleep soundly for a whole year.
Alena still wasn't too keen on the idea.
"Almost all the lively activities in the alliance avoid the month of December, why do you think that is?" Sasha snorted, "Since the early days of holiday planning, December has always been a void period. Unfortunately, the younger generation has forgotten the toxicity of the Scarlet Curse...."
Alena had heard about this, but...
"Aren't those just ancient legends?"
"The legends are becoming reality. It disappeared for over four hundred years and has now returned. No one knows why."
"Is it really that terrifying?" Alena asked hesitantly.
"Once deeply infected by the Scarlet Curse, there is no cure. Its mystery can only be countered by equal mystery," Sasha turned to look at the moon outside the window, a look of undisguised dread on her face. "It will undoubtedly become the source of new terror in the future."
"Blooded must slumber, is it because we are more susceptible to its influence?" Alena asked.
"It is true for all dark races, and when its intensity reaches a certain point, no creature can escape its influence. This includes humans, who are easily driven to madness under the moonlight."
"The number of Blooded who perish under the Scarlet Curse is incalculable. Once infected, there is no cure. Either their flesh mutates uncontrollably, turning them into complete monsters, or they become bloodthirsty and lose all reason."
"Whenever such a situation arises, it requires members of our own kind to step forward and carry out executions. I was one of the executioners and executioners' tools, accompanying our mentor to conquer all corners, specifically tasked with subduing Blooded who had lost their reason and sorcerers."
"It's just that for over four hundred years, everything has been smooth sailing, and we're almost forgetting our duty, with little opportunity to pass it on."
Sasha sat back in her chair. "Perhaps the role of the executioner will be passed on to you in the future. When that time comes, I'll give you an ancestral pitchfork."
Alena dared not argue back. Merely listening to her aunt's storytelling, every word oozed with a strong scent of blood. The number of her own kind that she had slain far exceeded the number of words she had just spoken.
"But hey, no need to worry for now," Sasha glanced at Alena. "Gaodeng City has the Golden Tree, and the blessings it brings will to some extent counter the influence of the Scarlet Moonlight. As long as the Scarlet Curse hasn't fully restored itself, it won't affect ordinary people for the time being."
Alena muttered as she gazed at the Golden Tree, "It's ironic, isn't it? We are actually enjoying the remnants brought by the last Emperor."
Sasha's expression was complicated and hard to describe. She closed her eyes and bitterly smiled, saying, "Yes... It's ironic, it's ridiculous, both you and I."
Alena hesitated for a moment and said, "I go to school during the day and don't go out at night. Is that okay?"
Sasha neither agreed nor disagreed, saying, "Even if you want to sneak out, I can't stop you. The curfew is at 6 pm."
Alena said, "I will follow the curfew!"
Sasha nodded and then brought up another matter, saying, "Regarding Michelle Hope."
Alena hurriedly said, "I haven't had a chance to ask much yet. Give me three more days."
Sasha shook her head and said, "I'm not urging you. I recently heard some news, and you can decide whether or not to tell her."
The Blood Noble interlocked her ten fingers and spoke in a deep voice, "The ship of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom's princess, Chao Lu, has disappeared... The news came three days ago."
Alena was taken aback, her mood neither happy nor sad, but rather surprised.
"Why did something happen?"
"It doesn't seem like an accident... The Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom's internal political system is in chaos. The current Demon Emperor is not assertive enough, which inevitably leads to the vassals vying for power," Sasha said lightly. "The diplomats have already been recalled. The Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom will be in turmoil for at least a few decades. We don't need to worry about it. Just watch from the sidelines. If there are headaches, let the Ming Country deal with them. The Eastern Continent and Europa don't have much connection."
Alena said, "I've noted it."
She didn't appreciate Chao Lu, and could even say she disliked her. Their interactions were always tense, and she had secretly suffered losses. Now that she learned about Chao Lu's disappearance, it meant that she had a close call. Only then did Alena realize that even though she disliked Chao Lu, at most, she hoped Chao Lu would have minor mishaps like tripping when she went out, not having toilet paper when she used the restroom, not having soy sauce or vinegar when eating noodles, forgetting her wallet when buying a dress, or getting caught off guard by a sprinkler while walking.
She couldn't reach the intense hatred of wanting Chao Lu to disappear from the world. Instead, she eagerly anticipated the moment when Chao Lu would return and she could hold Michelle's hand and show off to her. But now that Chao Lu had an accident, Alena couldn't feel any joy. To mock someone facing the tragic destruction of their home and country seemed lacking in humanity. It would be better to send them down the path of sacrificial offerings and chop them up as food for the cursed corroding tree.
Sasha watched Alena leave the study and lowered her gaze, flipping through the documents stored in the lower layer of the desk.
Numerous serial killings... Victims' eyeballs were gouged out... The number of victims had reached ten...
Sasha leaned against the desk, letting out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes and whispered, "I really want to just lie in the coffin and decay..."
Currently, there are three days left until the December Bloody Red Moon.
