Chapter 1374 - 744: Dawn Has Broken

Chapter 1374: Chapter 744: Dawn Has Broken

Hamlet, Blood Moon.

The enormous blood-colored full moon hung over Hamlet, and its nearly looming presence cast a shadow of pressure on everyone’s hearts.

Since the arrival of the Blood Moon, the entire city has fallen into stagnation. What used to be a bustling square is now empty, with most people hiding inside buildings. Outside, only patrolling police officers and workers are active, along with those heroes, of course.

But most people dare not look up for more than a glance, for during this period, many people have already been driven mad by the Blood Moon’s pollution.

One moment they were normal people, merely staring blankly at the Blood Moon. The next, they were either attacking anyone like zombies, or showing signs of decay on their bodies.

Those mildly affected would fall into madness, proclaiming doomsday-like rhetoric in despair, while the more terrifying aspect is these ordinary folks, who seemingly have no access to confidential information, somehow speak about it.

Thankfully, everyone just considers these people insane, and once discovered, these madmen are swiftly dealt with with force; otherwise, the fear would spread even further...

Yet for them, the current situation is not much better.

Inside a residential house, the doors and windows are tightly shut, even the corners stuffed to prevent the red light from leaking in.

This has resulted in the interior being even darker than under the Blood Moon’s glow.

"Alas~ It’s been this way for days now?"

A worried female voice emanates from within, the blurry silhouette unclear, but her words quickly elicit a response from another male voice.

"Don’t think too much about it."

"If this continues, what are we going to do? The child finally fell asleep after much fuss, but if this goes on..."

The woman stops mid-sentence, but the implication is clear—adults are affected by the Blood Moon, let alone children.

Not to mention, their child had suffered from illness during their escape, only slightly recovering after arriving in Hamlet.

During the Extreme Darkness period, although the sun was unseen, the impact on ordinary people was not too severe; life was somewhat normal, but after the Blood Moon’s arrival...

Not only is sunlight absent, the Blood Moon’s influence is not something that can be simply shut away indoors.

Adults, trapped at home for days, feel physically uncomfortable, with many negative emotions surfacing, especially children whose mental state is unstable.

The official warning is that it’s sorcery from an evil cult, urging strong belief to resist, but how can young children understand these words?

This situation has led to the child’s condition deteriorating from lethargy to delusion and becoming agitated, spending most of the time without much self-awareness.

But the parents know it’s not the child’s intention and dare not report the child’s condition, fearing the authorities might take the child away, so they keep it secret.

The man naturally understands his wife’s words, yet thousands of words could only be condensed into one sentence.

"We must trust My Lord."

What could the woman say to this? Should they leave Hamlet?

Where could they go? To other noble territories? Or to Totnes, the gemstone in the Imperial Crown, the prosperous and wealthy Merchant Nation?

They’ve fled from those places, already endured hardships—what does the prosperity of Totnes matter to ordinary people like them?

They didn’t understand why they lived like beasts for generations until being rescued by the Lord. Then they realized the darkness in Hamlet is visible, while the outside darkness is invisible yet ubiquitous.

In Hamlet, above them is only the Lord, their sun. Even with Extreme Darkness and the Blood Moon, they firmly believe the sun will replace the Blood Moon, a day the sunlight will drive away the darkness.

But leaving here, what presses upon them could be more than just the Blood Moon. So even now, as the Blood Moon descended, in Hamlet’s current state, no one wants to leave.

"Dong dong dong!"

The distant sound of a bell brought them back to reality. They ceased conversation, knowing it signals another day’s arrival.

Lance, who has battled in various sunless places for a long time, deeply understands the loss of the sun during Extreme Darkness causes people to lose track of time.

When there’s something to do, it’s fine; busy days leave no time to think about it. But without activities to occupy, every second feels unbearably long.

Thus, Lance assigned personnel to ring the bell to tell time. Now there’s a mechanical clock; it’s not very accurate, but knowing the approximate time is enough.

Likewise, outside, periodically someone with a loudspeaker would announce educational topics; maybe repeating a sentence or two, telling you why not to drink raw water, why hygiene is important, dismissing bad habits, and of course, being vigilant of corruption...

Previously, few would listen, all policies were forcibly implemented by the Lord with fines and warnings. Asking why, most ordinary people wouldn’t know, only that the Lord instructed them so.

But now, trapped inside with few entertainment options, listening to lectures has become a form of amusement.

Lance seized every opportunity to push for literacy and nationwide learning; not even the Blood Moon could stop it.

The most important thing is providing ordinary people hope, knowing there’s still order outside, that the Lord continues to fight against evil.

Today’s topic was about not avoiding the doctor, reporting symptoms promptly to facilitate recovery.