Chapter 7: Desolate Bones
“It’s so cold.” The onlookers couldn’t help shivering. All they saw was a white mist being emitted from the box. When the mist eventually dissipated, they saw a large set of shiny bones inside the box.
The biting cold came from these bones!
“What is that?” They were all shocked, for they had never seen any rare items. Although they did not know what it was, they could guess that it was likely some immense treasure.
“These are desolate bones!” Lian Chengyu said with a sense of satisfaction. “The light patterns you saw previously were there to seal the chill of these bones.”
“Desolate bones? These are desolate bones?” Most people in the crowd had never heard of desolate bones, but Yi Yun had already heard about them from Jiang Xiaorou’s description.
In this world’s wilderness, there existed strong desolate beasts. Every desolate beast had the ability to easily destroy a small tribe like the Lian tribe.
Desolate beasts may be frightening, but their body was full of treasures.
Desolate beasts were excellent supplements. However, as a person’s appetite was limited, how much of a hill sized desolate beast could a person eat?
Fortunately, most of the essence was gathered within their bones, and through a special method, it was refined into a tiny piece.
A set of desolate beast bones was considered the most precious item in a desolate beast’s body.
Looking at the desolate bones inside the box, although it was only a tiny portion of a desolate beast’s rib, it was still considered precious!
“The reason why we have fewer rations today is because besides exchanging for rations, a lot of the weapons and armors were used to exchange for this set of desolate bones! In fact, to obtain it, the arrows and armor you manufactured were insufficient. Due to my experience outside in my youth where I obtained some mental cultivation methods, only by exchanging those did we finally have enough to exchange for this set of desolate bones!” In between Lian Chengyu’s speech, the elder beside him had explained the usefulness and preciousness of the desolate bones to everyone.
Although the elder said it vicariously, many in the audience could not accept it.
The desolate bones may be good, but what did that have to do with them?
No matter how stupid they were, they knew that they would have no stake in the results of refining the essence from the desolate bones.
“I know your thoughts; you are worried about your future life. You are worried about starving to death. I understand everyone’s situation. But think about it, is there an end to those days! In the wilderness, there are as many small tribes as there’s sand in a desert. They do not have the power to protect themselves and can be destroyed at any time!”
“Our Lian tribal clan is also one of them!”
“Do you really want to lead such a precarious life forever? Worrying when the next meal is, worrying if you will be killed by beasts while sleeping at night!?”
“Do you really want such a life?” Lian Chengyu’s words were full of incitement. Many in the tribe clenched their fists! Such a life was debilitating. If there was a hell, it was this!
“I’ve endured enough!” shouted someone in the crowd.
“Good! I too do not want to lead such a life! There’s a chance now. In three months’ time, the human empire, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom will be having a mass recruitment of experts within its territory! If one were to pass the multiple rounds of selection by the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, one can become a warrior of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom!
“This is an extreme glory, and also a great opportunity!” Saying this, Lian Chengyu’s eyes were burning with flames!
Yi Yun understood these eyes; they were one of extreme desire and ambition!
Lian Chengyu was a man with ambition. He didn’t want to be trapped in such a small tribal clan. He wanted to go out into the wilderness and make a name for himself!
“No wonder he was willing to sacrifice so many of the tribe just for that set of desolate bones... he wants to take the test of the Kingdom in three months!” Yi Yun was suddenly enlightened. He originally thought that Lian Chengyu might have slowly accumulated the rations over time to exchange for the desolate bones.
For him to kill the golden goose probably meant that he was going to use the desolate bones to make a quantum leap in strength!
Lian Chengyu’s words quickly confirmed Yi Yun’s hypothesis.
“I, Lian Chengyu, was born and bred in the Lian tribal clan. I am a son of the Lian tribe. I will give my all for the entire Lian tribe! Thankfully, with this set of desolate bones, I can break through into the realm of a Purple Blood Warrior within three months! Once I become a Purple Blood Warrior, I can easily pass the exams arranged by the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, becoming a warrior of the kingdom!”
“When that happens, I can personally protect the entire Lian tribe. And as a warrior of the Divine Kingdom, I can even bring the Lian tribe into the cities of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. If I were to make any contributions in the future, I can even own my own part of the city! When that happens, everyone can enter my city and live a comfortable life!”
“In three months! That’s right; just endure for three months. The day the exam is over, I promise you a life of no worries! Today, for the tribe to tighten their belts to provide for me, I will return it a hundred times, no, a thousand times!” Lian Chengyun’s words were bewitching, and the normal suffering people could not see through to his ambition. They were all immersed in the promise of a better future and began anticipating it.
Three months, just another three months and they could move into the city?
Is this real?
“This guy could be a politician on Earth” Yi Yun began to ruminate as he clearly knew that no one would question the scarcity of rations distributed anymore. Lian Chengyu’s promise of a castle in the air had silenced everyone. Any further questions would be dealt with, not by Lian Chengyu but by the surrounding people.
The poor were helpless. A person’s life was cheap. A bag of rations was worth several lives, so for the curated promise by Lian Chengyu, it was normal for there to be more deaths.
People had led tough lives and were too depressed. They needed hope, a pillar of support for them to carry on living. They believed in even a sliver of hope. Anyone who professed against it would be dealt with severely by the desperate.
Noticing that people were still confused, a henchman jumped up loudly yelling, “Long live Young master Lian Chengyu!”
Suffering people who were starving were easily incited. To them, they were willing to sacrifice their lives to ensure a better life for their offspring.
“Long live Young master Lian Chengyu...” A few people shouted weakly.
But the moment people started shouting, the shouting increased. Even those that were worried about their next meal had to go with the crowd.
This was the sorrow of the weak; they had no choice.
Seeing the people’s reactions, Lian Chengyu was very satisfied. As long as he wanted it, the entire Lian tribe would be his stepping-stone. He wanted to step on this stone and create his own legend!
“Chengyu, well done.” The yellow robed elder said after walking up behind Lian Chengyu.
“Grandpa, you don’t have to praise me. It’s nothing. If I didn’t ignite the emotions of these people, it would be hard to carry on. Refining the bones will kill many.”
“Yes...” sighed the yellow robed elder. He knew that refining the bones would kill many. But regardless of the number of deaths, this opportunity must not be lost.
“One success is formed from a thousand bones. Grandpa, why do you sigh. The tribe will remember them for their deaths. Furthermore... with a few dead, there will be more food left. Holding out for another three months wouldn’t be a problem.”
Lian Chengyu said this casually. He was not worried over the sacrifices. How many people died a day in the wilderness?
A few ants dying could make a hero. It was definitely worth it, because a hero could save many more ants.
What more, the hero was himself!
Lian Chengyu’s words were not heard by anyone other than the yellow robed elder.
“Yun’er, what’s wrong?” Jiang Xiaorou had noticed that Yi Yun was not paying attention and jolted him. “What are you thinking?”
“Nothing...” Yi Yun shook his head. He was in a trance, not because of Lian Chengyu’s speech, nor was it for the insufferable fate of the Lian tribe, but he had noticed that a few faint dots of light had flown over, like fireflies in the night sky.
The lights flew into his mouth and disappeared.
Shortly thereafter, the coolness of the Purple Crystal permeated, becoming even clearer.
Obviously, the Purple Crystal was absorbing the lights. Just like the Purple Crystal absorbed starlight at night!
And looking for the source of the lights, it actually was...
Yi Yun heart skipped a beat, it can’t be...