Chapter 319 - 206: Pain Grants Life (2)

He had already inspected the ball of flesh. It was nothing more than one of the manifestations of the chaotic Power in this area.

If he had to give it a name, it would be—Pain.

This Power was clearly, inseparably linked to the Golden Sand Islands and the Golden Sand Venerable Lord that Sand Reef spoke of.

"...Alright. But you have to promise me that you’ll return that thing to me after I’m done talking."

Sand Reef said with a sigh.

Luo Ge nodded in agreement.

Soon, Sand Reef began to recount the situation here.

For generations, the Sea Star Race had lived on these Golden Sand Islands, ruled by the enfeoffed Golden Sand Venerable Lord.

But with the sudden Descent of the catastrophe and the appearance of the Dark Boundary, their old way of life was gone forever.

The Dark Boundary was untouchable. Bizarre storms and pitch-black holes appeared frequently, constantly reaping the lives of the Sea Star Race. Even under the leadership of the mighty Golden Sand Venerable Lord, they were powerless to resist.

But that was not the most terrifying part.

What truly drove the Sea Star Race to despair was the contaminated land and seawater.

The fish and prawns mutated. Eating them caused horrifying afflictions: some went mad, others rotted away, and some died from parasites.

Even when they risked killing the creatures, they couldn’t extract a single drop of Spiritual Material.

The Ocean no longer nurtured the seagrass and kelp they depended on for survival, and the land could no longer grow crops...

Food.

The Sea Star Race had no source of food whatsoever.

Although they possessed a formidable regenerative Ability, that regeneration still required Physical Strength.

As the master of the Golden Sand Islands and the only noble in this part of the Ocean, the Golden Sand Venerable Lord had to find a way for them to survive, whether for his own sake or out of a sense of duty.

Just as they were about to lose all hope,

Something happened that changed everything.

The Golden Sand Venerable Lord’s wife and children died.

The exact reason is unknown, but on that day, the Golden Sand Venerable Lord appeared before the last survivors of the Sea Star Race, covered in blood.

He opened his hand and presented them with a bloody hope.

Pain.

As long as they consumed the balls of flesh and endlessly produced pain, the Golden Sand Venerable Lord could bring them food and meat, allowing them to survive.

The Sea Star Race complied.

Physical pain brought them food, while mental anguish provided them shelter, keeping the pitch-black holes and bizarre storms at bay.

The Sea Star Race’s Executioners rotated periodically. An Executioner’s targets were typically their own wife and children.

This was to maximize the pain.

Over an unknown stretch of time, some of the Sea Star Clan People, unable to endure it, took their own lives in various ways.

Eventually, the Sea Star Race became what they are now.

They did... survive.

And an unknown time ago, Sand Reef had seen other outsiders like them.

They, too, had wanted to help the Sea Star Race and went to find the Golden Sand Venerable Lord, ignoring Sand Reef’s warnings.

But Sand Reef never saw them again...

After he finished, Sand Reef looked toward the grotesque sand statue in the center of the village.

A sharp sword ran from its head down through its torso, its face a mask of unbearable pain.

Pain grants life.

"..."

After hearing Sand Reef’s story, all the players fell into a stunned silence.

Li Miao’s brain practically short-circuited; he couldn’t process it at all.

To be honest, at first, he’d thought these Executioners were evil monsters who were torturing and slaughtering their victims.

He only grew suspicious after the Sand Reef Clan Leader told them to flee, and then he was shocked to discover they were all of the same race.

After hearing the title "Golden Sand Venerable Lord," he had subconsciously assumed this was a story of a nobleman oppressing commoners.

But it wasn’t until the Sand Reef Clan Leader revealed the truth that he suddenly realized the tragic situation on the Golden Sand Islands had nothing to do with good versus evil, nor was it about oppression.

It was merely the terrible choice that fragile beings had been forced to make to survive this catastrophe...

"...Were those monsters sent by the Golden Sand Venerable Lord? Why are they attacking us?" Black Mountain Little Demon asked, his brow furrowed.

"That I do not know..."

"Perhaps you threatened the food supply. Or perhaps he, like us..."

Sand Reef sighed.

"...has lost his mind from the endless torment..."

"What about the Broken Core? Have you heard of it?" Niuniu asked.

Sand Reef shook his head, seeming to have never heard the term.

Silence fell over the group, the only movement coming from the faint, flickering Firelight.

Looking at the expressions of the people before him, Sand Reef smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Although I don’t know how you crossed the Dark Boundary to get here, I’m afraid you can’t change any of this."

"If you insist on looking for the Golden Sand Venerable Lord, I cannot stop you. He is in the Sand Castle in that direction..."

"But if you can still go back, it would be best to return the way you came..."

"May your... flames endure forever..."

After saying this, Sand Reef, his expression weary and numb, reached out to Luo Ge.

"I beg you, please return that thing to me..."

Luo Ge said nothing, just took out the black-and-red ball of flesh and gave it to him.

In silence, Sand Reef bid them farewell. The Executioners, having been bound for some time, were much calmer now. Once freed, they wordlessly followed Sand Reef and resumed the brutal torture of their loved ones.

Wails and screams echoed once again, no different from before they arrived.

The rest of the group was silent. Li Miao still didn’t quite understand, while Niuniu was explaining the situation to Brother Mangzi, who hadn’t heard.

’This area hasn’t transformed the way a dungeon instance does. Is that because of the Broken Core, or because of those bizarre powers?’

’I can’t anchor this place, either. If I want to take in these Sea Star Clan People, will I have to intervene personally...?’

’But something about that Sand Reef Clan Leader feels... off. Is it because of the corrosion from that bizarre Power...?’ Luo Ge mused.

This area was clearly different from an instance zone, but unfortunately, his Spirit Candle couldn’t anchor it.

He could potentially take these Sea Star Clan People with him—he could certainly afford to support them—but it would likely come at a great cost, and he might not even be able to get them all out.

That was why he hadn’t acted rashly, instead returning the strange object to Sand Reef.

’Looks like I’ll have to find this so-called Golden Sand Venerable Lord first after all...’

Just as Luo Ge was thinking, Faraway, who was beside him, suddenly spoke.

"Everyone, what do you think?"

Faraway watched them all quietly. It was a question, but he asked it as if he already knew the answer.

"...Faraway Lord, are you referring to the credibility of the Sand Reef Clan Leader’s story?"

Skyrim asked, stroking his chin.

"Anything. Tell me your thoughts," Faraway said with a nod.

"Hold on, let me sort this out." Li Miao was still processing the information he had just received.

Shore, beside him, was in a similar state.

It seemed the brains of these two college kids had gone a bit rusty since their exams.

"I feel like something’s not right. He might be lying."

Forgotten Dao said, frowning.

Hearing this, Niuniu’s eyes lit up and he asked for the specific reason.

But Forgotten Dao replied, "I don’t know, it’s a gut feeling," leaving him speechless.

"Parts of his story don’t make sense."

Skyrim suddenly spoke up.

"According to his story, this place is Purgatory. If that’s the case, why didn’t he ask us, a group of outsiders, how we’re surviving? And he showed no desire to leave with us."

At his words, a realization dawned on the group.

That’s right. It didn’t make any sense.

If you were trapped in a freezing ice cave, shivering uncontrollably, and you saw an outsider, wouldn’t you ask them how they got there? Wouldn’t you want to leave?

Was the Sand Reef Clan Leader’s mind muddled from torture, or... was there another reason?

"Fuck, that asshole NPC actually dared to lie to us!"

Brother Mangzi flared up instantly.

"Let’s just go back and kill him," Niuniu added coolly.

As he spoke, he made a move to turn back, and Brother Mangzi was about to follow without a second thought.

"Hold on, don’t be so hasty! The Faraway Lord hasn’t even spoken yet."

Black Mountain Little Demon quickly stopped the two of them, cold sweat beading on his forehead.