Chapter 1567 - 88: Blood Hell

"Land of Secrets?"

Hearing this, Devon’s face showed a difficult expression. It wasn’t an easy memory for him, but seeing the expectant look on Melissa’s face, he couldn’t bear to refuse.

Unlike himself, someone who has seen sunlight, Melissa has never known what the normal world looks like. Since her birth, she has lived in this dark Hell.

Devon is an outsider. To be precise, everyone living in the Land of Eternal Night now, apart from the Night Race, is basically an outsider captured and brought here, and their descendants born within the Land of Eternal Night, such as Melissa here.

"It’s a nice place, it’s just that the rulers are somewhat terrible."

Devon tried to make his story a bit lighter.

In the Land of Secrets, Devon was a The Imperfect living at the bottom of forge pits, working on the assembly line in factories every day. Devon thought his life would continue mechanically like this forever, but under the collusion between the Ancestral Council and the Rebellious Royal Court, he was transported to the Land of Eternal Night several years ago.

Initially, Devon panicked for a while. But later, he was filled with curiosity about what was to come.

As one of The Imperfect, Devon had never left the Land of Secrets. His life didn’t have any extra options. Devon once thought this was an opportunity to change his life.

It was indeed a life-changing opportunity, unfortunately, it developed in a worse direction.

Devon thought the Ancestral Council’s oppression of The Imperfect was already excessive, but less than twenty-four hours after arriving in the Land of Eternal Night, Devon found the Ancestral Council surprisingly gentle.

In the Land of Secrets, The Imperfect were considered resources, tools. But in the Land of Eternal Night, humans are merely currency for trade.

Thinking he had left a prison, he never imagined he’d come to another Hell.

Devon’s voice was very small, he didn’t want others to hear this part, "Our societal structure is very similar to the Land of Eternal Night, all a group of people high above, ruling over the likes of us poor souls."

Melissa looked at Devon enviously, "Poor souls? How could you be, you’re a Blood Tax Officer!"

In the vast majority of blood citizens’ perceptions, the only chance they have to change their fate is to become Blood Tax Officers, transforming from oppressed to accomplices of the Night Race, and that is the limit a blood citizen can achieve.

Those citizens capable of being favored by the Night Race and undergoing Blood Donation are very few, and even if they are lucky enough to undergo Blood Donation, the purity of the bloodline still matters, otherwise, under infinite degradation, they will only become mindless Bloodthirsty.

Melissa has seen such things, some people repay the Blood Tax like her parents by purely utilizing their blood and flesh, while some dare not face such brutal fate, they accept the inferior blood and turn into frenzied beasts.

"Blood Tax Officers have to pay taxes too."

Devon rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm likewise covered in puncture marks, chuckling bitterly, "Death and taxes will accompany us all our lives."

"Moreover, becoming a Blood Tax Officer was purely a stroke of luck for me."

Initially, Blood Tax Officers were appointed from the Night Race, but in recent years, the Night Race shifted personnel, allowing The Imperfect like Devon to gradually assume the role. The reason is simple, The Imperfect don’t require fresh blood for sustenance, whereas the Night Race does.

Some say those Night Race Blood Tax Officers embezzled a lot of fresh blood.

Taking up Melissa’s blood pouch, Devon connected it to the drooping conduit. After a mechanical humming sound, the blood was drained. Melissa just wanted to take back her blood pouch, but Devon raised his hand and tossed it into the trash bin.

"Ah, my blood pouch."

"It’s too old, I’ll get you a new one," Devon led Melissa towards the storage room, "and a new needle."

"They’re still usable."

Following behind Devon, Melissa understood that in the barren Land of Eternal Night, any resource is extremely important.

Devon said, "Even if they’re usable, they’re not adequate. These need to be changed frequently, otherwise, one might contract an infectious disease."

"What’s an infectious disease?"

Upon hearing Melissa’s naive voice, Devon’s pace halted, sadness pervaded his heart but soon became numb, devoid of emotion.

"A disease that kills you."

"Oh..."

Melissa thought to herself, "Just like my mother?"

Devon turned to look at Melissa. He said nothing, only nodded slightly.

The heavy scent of blood permeated around, passing through towering arches, beside rows of upstanding columnar machines, blood citizens lined up waiting for blood extraction.

Blood is a currency, an equivalent exchange item. Aside from the routine payment of the Blood Tax, blood citizens can use extra fresh blood to exchange for materials.

Within the Land of Eternal Night shrouded by dark clouds, only the Night Race can bring food and water to the blood citizens.

Devon glanced at the dry and emaciated people, unable to help but recall his first year in the Land of Eternal Night. Relying on his strong physique, he traded his blood for a considerable amount of food, yet this still could not save his friends. They, like Melissa’s parents, maximized their value before death and gifted all their generated Blood Tax to him.

With their help, Devon managed to survive in the Land of Eternal Night, even becoming a Blood Tax official.

Upon reaching the deep corridors, there were far fewer people here, yet the heavy scent of blood remained, lingering invincibly. Screams echoed; some wailed, others cried.

Devon, along with Melissa, passed by the jail, where Melissa saw figure after figure curled up in narrow cages. Needles pierced their bodies, and every pair of eyes was incredibly hollow, life seemingly ebbing away with their blood, bodies hunching, turning into pale corpses, awaiting the arrival of death.

The sight of these scenes caused immense pain in Devon’s heart, yet Melissa felt little, instead showing a hint of envy in her expression.

Devon asked, "Aren’t you afraid?"

"Why should I be afraid?" Melissa did not understand. "At least here there is a safe place to stay, with rations of food and water."

What Devon saw as an extremely harsh prison, Melissa saw it as a rather good dwelling place.

In the ruins of the Old City wilderness, blood citizens were often murdered, as the Blood Tax officers did not care where the blood came from. Some blood citizens, unwilling to draw their own blood, targeted others.

With this in mind, Melissa hoped she would grow up slower; as long as she could live one more day in the ruins’ crevices, she could survive another day.

Regarding Melissa’s answer, Devon did not know what to say, a contradiction in understanding growing within his heart.

Though Devon was merely one of The Imperfect, over the years, he had not given up hope of escaping this place, always secretly gathering information related to the Land of Eternal Night.

The Land of Eternal Night.

After the Dawn War, it was a prison for detaining the Night King and the remaining Night Race. This place should have been cut off from the world. During the long period of confinement, only the Night King and a few others lived here.

Without live human blood to satisfy them, the Night Race endured excruciating times; day after day, night after night, they suffered from intense blood hunger until they started feeding on each other’s blood.

It’s said that the blood of the Night Race is hollow and soulless; it can only temporarily sate the appetite but cannot truly extinguish the thirst for satisfaction. Presumably, this was humanity’s punishment for the Night Race, forcing them to endure endless suffering in a lightless land.

Until one day, a night race known as the Regent King found this place. Devon was unclear how he broke the oath or bypassed layers of blockade and vigilance to arrive here. Devon only knew that the Regent King brought a vast population to this starving land.

Devon guessed that Melissa’s parents were among the first group brought by the Regent King. They lived and suffered here, birthed offspring, and thus created pure blood citizens like Melissa.

Entering the storage room, opening a box, Devon gave Melissa a new set of blood bags and needles, then handed her some food.

"Food" was essentially some tightly compressed starch sticks. Devon heard from the Night Race that they also included some Alchemy Drugs, which could promote the blood-building ability of consumers. Devon gave Melissa a few more sticks.

Melissa looked at the extra starch sticks in surprise, repeatedly thanking Devon.

"Thank you, Devon!"

Devon maintained his serious demeanor, striving not to develop so-called empathy for Melissa, yet human instinct compelled him to perform various acts of compassion.

"If you really want to thank me, just try to live a while longer," Devon said. "I certainly don’t want to be sent out one day to collect your corpse."

Melissa kept her cheerful demeanor, saying, "Don’t worry, if I really can’t survive anymore, I will definitely come to the Blood Tax Station on my own accord."

Devon looked somewhat surprised at Melissa, as she continued, "The extra Blood Tax will all be yours, how about it?"

Finishing, Melissa ran off quickly and disappeared inside the Blood Tax Station; she had a large amount of food now, and needed to hide it quickly. If it was robbed midway, Melissa wasn’t sure she could hold out until the next Blood Tax collection.

Devon stared blankly at Melissa’s departing figure. It took him several seconds to regain his senses, pinching his arm hard.

"Don’t overthink it, and don’t have feelings."

Devon tried to admonish himself; people too sentimental didn’t survive long in the Land of Eternal Night.

Yet the more he thought this, the more Melissa’s words echoed in his mind. Then he recalled a conversation he’d had with a woman a few years ago.

"I’ll give you a portion of my Blood Tax. Could I trouble you to look after my daughter?"

Devon shook his head hard, trying to shake off these cluttered thoughts. He then looked into the distance, not a trace of sunshine beyond the endless dark clouds.

"I really hope I can see the sun again before I die."

Devon wished.