Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Crack!
“Hurry up, we’re approaching the deadline! If you can’t finish by the end of this month, you’ll be used to fill the canals as sacrifices to the gods!”
“Work faster!”
As the guards yelled menacingly from above them, the scorching sun was hitting a large number of shackled slaves at the foot of the mountain. They were digging stones and carving out a canal under relentless whippings.
Thousands of slaves were working on this incomplete river canal day and night. It was a grand canal, the construction on which had been started three years ago. At that time, the Crete Empire had gathered nearly 200,000 slaves from all over to use for free labor.
The grand canal stretched from the south of Crete and led all the way to the Red River Plains. Ever since the beginning of its construction, it was doomed to be a river made of blood and tears, as it was the flesh and blood of countless slaves that fueled the huge project.
The bodies of slaves were littered along every stretch the road within the construction site. It was as if the blood and tears of these hundreds of thousands of slaves had stained its every corner.
This was also the largest man-made project in the history of the Alen Continent. It was created under the auspices of Prime Minister Tembor. Once completed, it would connect the southern Nami River with the Red River in the north, then pass through Crete. The three major lakes in the territory would then form an essential transportation route that would link the northern and southern regions of the Crete Empire.
Salt City, which was located not too far from the Red River Plains, was also enveloped within the scope of this canal, as it was the largest salt producing area in the Central and Northern regions. In fact, it was a natural salt field.
As all living beings required both water and salt, if the migration patterns and settlements of the ancient tribes were tracked, it would be clear that they had migrated along both the sources of fresh water and the salt production areas. After all, without salt, it would have been too difficult for them to survive. Hence, since ancient times, salt has been seen as a necessity for survival, making it like a true currency, comparable to gold!
The Red River Plains were the largest natural salt field in the middle of the continent. Since ancient times, the orcs and the humans had launched repeated wars and massacres, fighting over control of the salt field.
As such, the ownership of the Red River Plains changed constantly throughout history. It could even be said that the war between Golden King Ahenaten and the Wolf King Costa had stemmed from the conflict over this area.
The establishment of the canal was due, in part, to the geographical location of Salt City and the increasing demand for salt in the Crete Empire. The original salt transportation route spanned several thousand miles, so even if the Crete Empire specially built roads for transporting salt, they could not satisfy the needs of the entire empire. For this reason, many business-minded merchants began to transport salt for a living. However, even then, they still could not meet the growing demand.
After decades of peace, the population of the Crete Empire grew exponentially, finally exceeding 15 million! However, the Crete Empire still had no major salt production sites besides Salt City.
In order to meet the growing demand for salt and increase the connection between the northern and southern regions of the Crete Empire, thus developing commerce and trade, Duke Tembor issued a project to build the canal. At the same time, in order to win popularity with the people of Crete and most of the nobles, Tembor released the bloody and inhuman Orc Slavery Bill.
Originally, a large number of half orcs had resided within the empire. After the emperor and the prime minister signed the bill, all of them became slaves.
As a result of the bill, hundreds of thousands of orcs inside the Crete Empire went from living within a negative environment of rejection and suppression to being held captive as slaves, having all of their freedom and rights stripped from them overnight. As this occurred, a large number of those orcs were shipped straightaway to the construction site of the canal.
These slaves were brought in with ropes and shackles. Day after day, they built the project that would bring happiness and development to the humans of the Crete Empire. Yet no one would remember the tears and misery of these orc slaves.
No one had ever thought that their happy and stable lives had actually been built upon the pain and sacrifice of others. The humans were drunk on the glory of their own lives, unaware that every drop in their feasting cups was stained with the blood of the slaves!
Jorkins was a hard worker from a family of cat half orcs. At his tender age, he should be at home helping his mother do farm work. Instead, three years ago, after Tembor had signed the Orcs Slave Bill, earth-shaking changes had occurred in Jorkins’ world. He was sent to build the canal with his father and younger brother, while his mother and younger sister were sent to other places to serve as slaves of the Crete Empire.
Two years ago, Jorkins’ father had died because his aged body couldn’t keep up with the workload. Six months ago, Jorkins’ younger brother was struck in the head by a falling boulder, which killed him instantly. Jorkins knew that it would be his turn next.
If it continued on like this, he was sure that he would definitely die here. He was already deemed as a replaceable product, as no one treated the orc slaves as people. It was impossible to change their destinies, unless…
Jorkins immediately remembered the orc slaves that had contacted him a few days ago. They were different from the other orc slaves, as there were quite a few of them. They were tall and had strong muscles and the eyes of tigers and wolves.
If they are not slaves, how did they get in? What are they here to do? Jorkins was sweaty and felt dizzy from fatigue. He felt like a zombie. At this moment, he remembered these words: “Orcs will never be enslaved!”
This sentence was like a quiet scream, bringing peace to his mind. The notion gave a rush to Jorkins, one that worked its way through his entire body. He trembled involuntarily and echoed the line in his mind repeatedly. It was like a slogan that reignited the passion in his heart.
It was already late at night, but there were still lights illuminating the way. Many people were lurking in the shadows, all of them still busily working on the canal. This was because the deadline for the project was near, and if they could not finish it on time, most of them would be killed.
Moreover, the guards and officials responsible for the river project would also be punished. As such, over the last ten days, the humans had been working them non-stop, urging them on angrily with whips and lashings.
Many slaves could not bear the burden of such relentless labor, so overworked and diseased corpses were strewn all over the site. These bodies would be dragged into the pits and discarded, whether the beings themselves were dead or alive. After all, it made no difference to the guards, as all of those who couldn’t keep up would be treated as dead bodies.
In light of such harsh circumstances, no one dared speak up. They just continued in their drudgery, as the construction workers and soldiers stared at them like vultures. Their slightest move would be treated as an act of rebellion and swiftly suppressed.
It was because of this horrible mistreatment that Jorkins could sense a hidden anger within everyone’s hearts. They only needed a small spark, and everything would instantly detonate, releasing all of that hidden anger and resentment!
“Fire! Fire!”
Suddenly, a fire appeared in the distance. Everyone looked up and looked towards the flames, shouting and causing a real ruckus!