Shattered Lake Prison cafeteria.
Perhaps because he had arrived exceptionally early today, Yaxiu found that prisoners having breakfast filled the entire cafeteria. Observing a bit more closely was an eye-opener: besides humans, orcs, and goblins, the prison held many other species—creatures crawling on the ground, ones with two horns, ones with four arms...
Yaxiu even spotted an exceptionally sultry, scantily clad woman with hooves and fluffy ears, though he had no idea what species she was. This could not help but spark a keen interest and marvelous fantasies in him regarding this world's wellness industry.
He wasn't a furry, but...
"Do you want food or not?"
The cafeteria auntie's soul-piercing interrogation yanked Yaxiu's gaze back.
Yaxiu casually ordered a few items that could fill his stomach, then noticed a peculiar dish at the counter marked "Limit one per person," which looked remarkably appetizing.
"Auntie, what's this?"
"Special Seafood Lalafell, a seasonal delicacy. Very limited supply," the auntie said. "If you were any later, it'd be gone."
"Alright, give me—"
"Give me five servings!"
A booming shout from beside him cut Yaxiu off. He turned his head and saw a green-skinned orc getting food. Hearing the order, the auntie across from it scooped up all five remaining portions of Seafood Lalafell and dumped them into its colossal food basin.
"Huh? What? Why does he get five?"
Yaxiu stared, dumbfounded.
"He's an orc," the auntie said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Why does being an orc mean he can take five?"
"Orcs just get five. It's always been that way."
"If he takes five, there's none left for me! How can you—"
The words suddenly caught in Yaxiu's throat. A light screen popped up, and a barrage of red warnings flooded his vision:
[Warning: You are attempting to make racially discriminatory remarks! This is prohibited! In the Blood Moon Country, racial equality is the primary directive! Please take note!]
*Me saying an orc eats too much counts as racial discrimination?!*
Grumbling inwardly, Yaxiu carried his meal tray to look for a seat, only to find the place packed. He finally found an empty spot, only to discover that the creature sitting beside it was a blue-skinned monster with an exceptionally massive backside, looking even more ferocious than an orc, occupying two whole seats.
In his past life, Yaxiu would definitely have turned on his heel and walked away. But this was Shattered Lake Prison, where the other party couldn't lay a finger on him, so Yaxiu strode over boldly.
"Hey, you're taking up two seats. Scoot over."
The blue-skinned monster shoveling food into its mouth with bare hands glanced at him, then lowered its head to continue eating.
"Me ogre."
"Oh, and? Even if you're an ogre, you can't take up two seats—"
[Warning: You are attempting to make racially discriminatory remarks! This is prohibited! In the Blood Moon Country, racial equality is the primary directive! Please take note!]
*Saying your ass takes up two seats counts as racial discrimination too?*
Yaxiu wanted to swear, but he couldn't get a curse out because the words choked in his throat. He wanted to dump his meal tray right over the creature, but couldn't, because his hands froze stiff.
Under the control of the neck chips, every prisoner was the most faithful adherent of the law. As long as they did not violate any laws or morals, they enjoyed maximum freedom; but the moment they brushed against the boundaries of law or morality—even with a single sentence or a single glance—invisible shackles would bind them tight.
Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder. A burly, brawny man nearby picked up his meal tray, stood up, and motioned for Yaxiu to take his seat.
Yaxiu thanked him and found the man looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him at the Death Match Club yesterday.
"Desmond," he introduced himself, casting a disgusted glance at the ogre and goblin sharing the table. "I'm heading to the Death Match Club. When you get a chance, have a match with me too."
Hearing that they were from the Death Match Club, the others looked up at them and shifted their seats a bit further away. Yaxiu sat down, listening to the ogre beside him chewing like a tractor and watching the goblin across from him squatting on the chair, scattering crumbs everywhere. A strong urge to flee welled up in his heart.
This was different from escaping prison; escaping prison was because he knew he would die if he stayed, while fleeing was because he loathed this environment.
The last time he felt like this was during his internship when he encountered a dumbass boss. If a coworker was an idiot, he could still fight back or play petty tricks behind their back; but if the boss was an idiot, he had no choice but to endure it, unable even to talk back.
He could stomach grievances and bear hardships, because enduring now was so he wouldn't have to endure in the future.
But if the boss was an idiot, it meant enduring forever. Why even work there? Working overtime anywhere was still overtime—better to just say goodbye; the next boss would be better.
The current situation was far worse than having an idiot boss—the entire environment was idiotic.
You were clearly furious, but you couldn't say a thing; you wanted to resist, but your body refused to obey.
Yaxiu suddenly had a flash of realization.
He had thought Shattered Lake Prison was truly treating the convicts well.
In reality, locking together a crowd of condemned death-row inmates universally reviled by gods and mortals alike, forbidding any transgressive action between them, and making them scramble to create value for the prison just to escape the Blood Moon Trial—it was actually a form of spiritual death by a thousand cuts.
Extinguishing their anger.
Shattering their hope.
Eliminating their courage.
Breaking their spines.
Allowing seeds of despair, frustration, regret, and fear to take root and sprout within them, until they became emaciated husks, raving and broken, to appear on the Blood Moon Trial in the image of "perfect perpetrators" and meet their well-deserved, miserable ends.
Yaxiu could also understand now why the Death Match Club had so many people.
It was the only place where death-row inmates could vent, the only dog door in this prison where they could temporarily catch a breath of fresh air.
Equivalent to a garbage recycling station.
The amusing thing, however, was that someone like Yaxiu, who couldn't stand the environment, was considered the garbage, while these death-row inmates who could leisurely carry on were the prison's model convicts.
Quickly finishing his meal, Yaxiu hurried off to the place where garbage belonged.
There were no death matches underway in the Death Match Club. The hall was brightly lit, and from afar Yaxiu could see Langna lying in his boyfriend's arms.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Yaxiu felt like the boyfriend looked a bit thinner than yesterday.
No way... Was Langna actually the one draining the other dry?
"Yaxiu," Langna raised a hand in greeting. "You're here so early! Just finished breakfast? Want to digest a bit first? Valkas hasn't arrived yet anyway."
Yaxiu nodded, found a random spot to sit down, and someone immediately took a seat next to him.
"Shilin Dole."
"Who?"
Yaxiu looked at Igola beside him, a hint of vigilance in his eyes.
Igola raised an eyebrow. "No need to be nervous. I have no interest in challenging you to a death match—I never enter a fight I'm not confident in winning, nor do I waste time on worthless things like face. I take my losses in stride and concede completely."
"Tacticians like you are all dirty-hearted. I don't trust you."
"Then let's dispense with the needless prelude and jump straight into humanity's oldest interaction—"
"Mating?"
"Trading! Trading!" Igola enunciated the syllables so sharply he sounded ready to bite blood out of the words. "You answer one of my questions, and I'll answer one of yours."
"I don't have any questions for you."
"Really? Don't you want to know why that elf, Valkas, voluntarily challenged you?"
*An elf?*
Yaxiu was somewhat surprised inside, but didn't show it on his face.
"Alright, I'm a little curious. But how do I know you won't lie?"
"And I don't know if you'll lie to me either," Igola chuckled. "We're taking the same risk."
"Then what's the point of this deal?"
"Because I'm confident I can tell whether you're lying, and even if you do lie, I can guess the truth. Likewise, you could—"
"I can't," Yaxiu shook his head. "I'm not well-read. You'll definitely con me."
Igola choked on his words, seemingly seeing someone with such profound self-awareness for the first time.
After a moment of silence, he said helplessly, "How about I just tell you the information first, and you judge whether it's valuable. If it is, answer my question. Fair enough?"
That tone sounded as aggrieved as a Sichuan native agreeing to a split hotpot with mild broth... Yaxiu thought about it and felt he wouldn't get shortchanged or tricked, so he nodded.
"Valkas Ur used to be a research scholar at Kaimeng Comprehensive University. He was imprisoned on suspicion of stealing critical patented technology, privately raising a child, and murdering a colleague. Due to his elven status, he is the only criminal who did not attend the Blood Moon Trial in his month of imprisonment. In his five years in prison, he has never participated in a single Blood Moon Trial."
Yaxiu gasped softly. He remembered Langna saying that every condemned inmate had to participate in their first Blood Moon Trial. In the prison, this was known as "going through the motions." Only by surviving it did one earn the qualification to create value in Shattered Lake Prison; those who didn't survive were only fit to become fertilizer.
"Why could he escape the Blood Moon Trial? Because of his status as an elf? Didn't you say racial equality is the primary directive of the Blood Moon Country?"
"Racial equality is of course the primary directive."
Igola wore an enigmatic smile.
"But some races are more equal than others."
As expected, equality was like a horizon—it existed everywhere, yet could never be reached anywhere... Yaxiu didn't lament it much either; after all, he hadn't been here long and didn't know much about how "racial equality" was implemented here.
"Then why did he challenge me?"
"That brings us to the crimes he committed. Although stealing patented technology and murdering a colleague are severe crimes, they wouldn't necessarily land him in Shattered Lake Prison. The crime that truly provoked the wrath of the upper echelon was that he raised a child in secret!"
Yaxiu's face went completely blank.
*What the hell?*
"Why is raising a child in secret the most serious crime?"
"Because it's forbidden. No one is permitted to raise children privately."
Yaxiu grew more and more baffled.
"If no one raises children, then how did you... how did we grow up?"
"We all grew up in rearing institutes," Igola frowned deeply. "Socialized child-rearing is the fundamental state policy of the Blood Moon Country. Are you trying to pick a fight by asking such a question?"
*Socialized child-rearing?*
Yaxiu did his best to comprehend this alien phrase. "You mean, we were all raised by the state, and everyone is..."
He wanted to say "fatherless and motherless orphans," but the words stuck in his throat.
This time it wasn't the chip stopping him.
It was that Yaxiu simply couldn't find the words.
He searched frantically through Heath's memories, only to discover that in Heath's native vocabulary, words resembling "father" or "mother" didn't exist at all! The only word bearing even the slightest relevance was "guardian"!
There was no evidence stronger than this.
The fact that words for "parents" didn't even exist was proof enough that these two roles had no place whatsoever in the social structure of the Blood Moon Country!
*Wait. Orphans raised through socialized child-rearing, neck chips capable of controlling everyone's words and deeds...*
A pang of dread toward the world outside the prison suddenly gripped Yaxiu.
*Just what kind of world have I transmigrated into?!*
Chapter 31