Clockwork Bride

Page 103

The mercenaries weren't quite panicked. However, many townspeople who had come early in the morning to watch the spectacle were terrified and almost lost control of their bladders.

"The other party is a giant ape beast god. To prevent them from looking down on us, it's safer to transform into a beast god."

The enormous white wolf shook its head and spoke in human language, still appearing quite like Hayden.

"The Volkov men also used beast-transformation magic! The others drank shapeshifting potions!"

"Men! Next, the demons and monsters will be entering the mountains!"

112: Demi-human

Demons and monsters have entered the mountains!

Unfortunately, the forest they entered was not the beautiful natural wilderness with green mountains and clear waters described in poems from hundreds of years ago; instead, it was a dark, suffocating, and desolate place.

The black water was stagnant and murky, and the long, white, withered trees stood tall, making the place resemble a terminally ill cancer patient, exuding a dense aura of death. The tree trunks had turned a chilling color, covered with unsightly burls, and the drooping, twisted branches were adorned with only withered leaves.

Hayden, now a giant white wolf, strode ahead, followed by the other mercenaries who had transformed into ordinary gray wolves. Angela, untransformed, flew near Hayden's head.

Eric didn't transform into a wolf. Physical differences affect magic, and Eric, being a level two enhanced human, already possessed sufficient supernatural abilities for combat; drinking the shapeshifting potion would only hinder his effectiveness. He used his supernatural abilities to manipulate electromagnetic forces, levitating in mid-air and following behind Hayden. The surrounding silence made their footsteps sound like heavy drumbeats, and all the withered trees seemed to be listening intently.

They gradually ventured deeper into the forest. Although the fog was thin, they could already sense the poisonous mist, and the aura of ferocious creatures, like a murderous intent, emanated from all around, causing Hayden to frown.

"This is too tragic."

Even if it was expected, this situation is clearly abnormal.

"Yes, this land is indeed in a terrible state."

Compared to Hayden, Angela, flying in the air, seemed to be able to perceive more information from nature; to put it bluntly,

"The forest is completely polluted, shrinking like necrosis. Wild beasts have all been corrupted and mutated, and the area is surrounded by fog and swamps. The air pollution has recently worsened, and the water and wind are filled with toxins... The land of this mountain range is dying."

The mutated bird cawed and flew around the forest, causing the strange beasts in the forest to retreat in fear of the giant wolf.

Even mercenaries accustomed to living in modern cities of steel and concrete could feel the oppressive sense of decay, let alone Angela, who loved natural life.

"Master, what exactly is this so-called demi-human?

Therefore, Angela was clearly very puzzled by this.

"What kind of creatures are they, and why would they want to live in such a place? Do they have some kind of racial trait that resists pollution?"

Hayden shook his head: "It's too much trouble to explain verbally, and besides, I'm still a wolf. You'll see when you get there."

The group continued on their way. Soon, they could vaguely see several fences and houses ahead, all built from bare white bones.

"Listen up, we're about to make contact with demi-humans. Don't attack first, but if they attack first, fight back. If you don't fight back, they'll look down on you."

However, just as Hayden was giving orders to the other mercenaries, several figures began to emerge from the fog.

They were about the same height as humans, only slightly shorter, and were covered in tattered robes made of animal skins and cloth. Although tattered, they still managed to cover their entire bodies under their clothing, even wearing gloves on their hands so that not a single inch of skin was exposed.

Not only that, after they appeared, they did not attack. Instead, they bowed to Hayden and then spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Great Wolf God, honored guest! We have learned of your arrival! We have witnessed your mighty divine power!"

Although they speak human language, a common language, their pronunciation is somewhat different from that of the common language. It sounds like a dialect or a local language that has developed from the common language.

"However, this is the territory of our divine ancestors. Wolf God! Please do not go any further, do not step into the territory of our divine ancestors, otherwise you will surely anger them and fight them to the death!"

"A storm of calamity is coming, and all the gods of the wasteland are gathering their strength. Please do not waste your divine power on pointless conflicts!"

These words immediately made Hayden frown.

The subhumans are savage and cunning, fearing authority but not morality, just like wild beasts.

Under normal circumstances, they would never fight an enemy of equal strength, nor would they attack an opponent capable of harming them. For once a wild beast in the wilderness is wounded, death is the only outcome.

But this time, the demi-humans reacted differently. They did not choose to "run away" or "avoid".

Although these demi-humans maintained a respectful attitude towards the giant wolf Hayden, their words conveyed a sense of neither servility nor arrogance. It was as if they were ready to fight Hayden if he dared to continue.

Hayden had been a mercenary for almost ten years and had never seen such a demi-human tribe before.

Why? Because these days, stubborn demi-humans should have been wiped out by other mercenaries or big companies long ago!

And they even went so far as to say something about a "storm of calamity"?

Hayden's memory hadn't faded, and he wasn't stupid. The fact that the demi-human was talking about "storm" naturally reminded him of the "storm" that Peacock King had also mentioned before.

Could these two "storms" be the same thing? It seems the world is indeed rife with undercurrents. Perhaps if Hayden compares the "storm" mentioned by the Peacock King with the accounts of these demi-humans, he can arrive at a more accurate and comprehensive answer. For example, if they all agree on one thing, then…

...But Hayden always felt that this was not the same thing.

It's not that he looked down on demi-humans, but rather that it was Hayden's intuition: the two were probably not the same thing.

However, putting aside whether they are "the same thing," if these two events, these two "storms," ​​are indeed related, then something that can simultaneously affect cities and wastelands, and simultaneously affect modern society dominated by the new gods and forgotten wasteland garbage dumps, must be of an exceptionally large scale.

Hayden even started to get a headache.

But he still has to continue playing the role of the wolf god and can't reach out his claws to scratch the giant dog's head.

"A storm of calamity? How interesting."

So Hayden Wolf spoke up.

“I am indeed interested in discussing this topic with your divine ancestors. In fact, I am not here to fight, unless you want to fight me.”

There were things he had to do, such as talking to the gorilla beast god opposite him about Terasque. That poor ancient dragon had been stripped of its tendons and bones to build a house, and Hayden had to get it back.

If all they want is a peaceful dialogue between two land gods, these demi-humans shouldn't have any objections, right?

...At least Hayden felt that logically, that should be the case.

However, after hearing his words, these demi-humans exchanged glances but did not immediately agree or begin a discussion. They were completely covered by robes, so Hayden could not see their expressions or know what they were thinking.

They paused briefly, then replied, "Speak plainly. The Divine Ancestor can hear you."

……ah?

It wasn't surprising that such magic could be performed through a sympathetic connection, but the more Hayden listened, the more uneasy he felt. Why were these demi-humans dawdling like this?

Why would they rather risk angering another beast god than let it meet their own tribe's beast god?

Because they revered their tribe's beast god and feared Hayden would kill it, they refused to take Hayden with them? But that's strange. Generally speaking, primitive people's belief in the land god didn't involve a conscious "reverence" for the deity. Frankly, it was simply a fear of beings whose power far surpassed that of mortals, a way to avoid disasters in real life. There was no emotional connection based on love between primitive people and the land god.

Why did primitive people offer sacrifices to the land god?

It was all just so that he and his tribe could survive.

Now these demi-humans, for the sake of their land god, are going to stand in the way of another god?

So Hayden opened the giant wolf's mouth and took a deep breath.

Perhaps because they had dealt with dragon-like monsters before, these demi-humans immediately realized what was happening and tried to scatter—but it was too late.

Hayden had already breathed out a cold north wind at them!

He wasn't trying to freeze these demi-humans to death. Hayden wasn't like that. But the north wind he exhaled immediately blew away the tattered robes wrapped around these demi-humans, exposing their appearance beneath. The demi-humans hurriedly pulled out weapons like bone knives, and seemed unharmed except for being startled.

But they weren't the only ones who were startled.

The mercenaries following Hayden weren't particularly surprised to see these so-called demi-humans. Mercenaries occasionally encounter and interact with demi-humans while operating in the wilderness; it's not unusual.

Angela, however, was seeing a demi-human for the first time and was immediately taken aback:

"This is what a demi-human is?"

She turned her head and looked at Hayden with a puzzled expression.

"Yes; that's what demi-humans are like."

The giant wolf Hayden swayed back and forth, a movement that didn't look like a shrug, but it certainly conveyed the meaning of a shrug.

"Now you know why I made you see it yourself, right?"

Why was Angela so surprised?

What do these demi-humans actually look like?

The answer is simple.

An ordinary person can roughly tell what a demi-human looks like just by looking in a mirror.

However, these people have twisted and mutated bodies that are different from ordinary people.

Some people have an extra hand or two, while others lack various organs. Some have abnormally swollen body parts, while others are abnormally shriveled and atrophied. Some people are covered in thick scales, while others have hair like a gorilla.

Each "demi-human" has some mutations and distortions in their body, making them practically monsters.

However, the expressions on their faces were those of humans. Anyone could see that they were actually just mutated humans.

"This is what is called a demi-human."

So Hayden calmly said to Angela,

“Asia means ‘secondary’ or ‘not human’.”

"That's why I insisted on giving you an identification code."

--------------------------

This world is teeming with intelligent beings of all kinds. How can one possibly determine whether you are a "human" or a "beast"?

Does walking on two legs automatically make something a human? Then an ostrich would have to be considered a human too, so obviously we can't count them that way.

Does being able to talk make something human? It's not that simple. Some powerful magical creatures possess high intelligence and can speak, but they lack free will and the ability to make "choices."

For example, the Sphinx, a famous mythical creature, can speak and even read. But if you answer its riddle incorrectly, it will definitely pounce on you and try to devour you. This isn't its choice, but its instinct, because the Sphinx was a mythical creature designed by the ancient gods long ago to guard tombs and treasures. They have no right to choose; they must perform the original functions created by their designers.

Therefore, the definition of "human" has been debated for thousands of years.

Centuries ago, after the new gods overthrew the old and established modern capitalist society, they attempted to establish a universal definition of "human being." Ultimately, the Mithraic group, as the leading force of the revolution, first proposed a concept that could be widely accepted, which can be summarized as follows:

Any living being with sufficient intelligence to understand social order and to assume its due social responsibilities can be considered a human being.

Because many people at the time were not considered human by the feudal gods, everyone welcomed this new definition.

Today, in most cases, when a person is "legally" born in any orderly, networked place in modern society—whether in a hospital, a clinic, or even at home—the local government or a large corporation with extraterritorial jurisdiction will issue him a "personal" identification code.

Whether you're actually an orc, troll, goblin, or an extraterrestrial in a mechanical doll, as long as you have this identification code, you're a human being in modern society. To a certain extent, you're protected by law, and you also have social obligations—whether the upper class can manipulate the law is another matter. At the very least, they need a plausible reason; they can't just randomly shoot someone in broad daylight.

At least most upper-class people can't do it. The world isn't that bad yet.

Conversely, in modern society, a creature without an identity, even if biologically human, is not actually considered human.

Ultimately, what determines whether a person qualifies as a human being in modern society is society itself, and the massive corporations that built it. "Demi-humans," who lack legal social status from birth, simply do not exist within the modern social system. Even if your entire DNA identifies you as human, your legal status is roughly equivalent to that of a dog or cat—cats and dogs are cute, so if you mistreat them in public, you'll be fined, but they aren't considered human.

Therefore, humans born in primitive tribes in the wilderness, without social status, are naturally only "subhumans".

But then again, since everyone was once human, why have these guys who were originally normal humans turned into primitive mutant tribes wandering the wilderness, barely surviving, and even worshipping beast gods?

How did they end up in this mess?

That's a long story.

Angela doesn't know yet, but Hayden has always known. He has always known what the so-called "demi-humans" are all about.

In this era, if you don't keep climbing, there will always be a lower place to fall into, and a worse situation. No matter how low you've fallen, the gods of capitalism still have room to threaten you further. If you can't produce enough value for society, there will always be more terrible consequences.

“Take me to see your ancestral god.”

The giant wolf Hayden gave the command.

"Otherwise, I'll just charge in. The result will be the same."

He was basically just trying to scare these demi-humans, but that only created a strange effect.

“Great wolf, our divine ancestors are in our flesh and blood. You have already seen our divine ancestors.”

One of the demi-humans raised his head, instead displaying a defiant attitude towards Hayden.

“Every member of our tribe is part of the great ancestral god. If you drive us to the brink of despair, we will fight to the death with the grace of the ancestral god!”

……ah?

What does it mean?

Why were they unwilling to let Hayden see their local god? Hayden was utterly baffled by this.

Is it because their local deity is absent, so they are worried that Hayden will take advantage of the situation and they can only put on a brave front?

But Hayden did see that giant gorilla in his divination vision yesterday; he couldn't have been mistaken.

Within flesh and blood... a blessing...?