CHAPTER 106: CHAPTER 105: HOLY LIGHT CANNOT SAVE THE EMPIRE

All the miners heard Kane’s speech, and none were left unmoved by Kane’s call.

Endless labor, working until they fall gravely ill, lying down waiting for death in the absence of treatment, and then being dumped into a pit like garbage.

Do you think life should be like this?

Kane questioned the miners during their brief half-hour tea break after a busy day, especially when they witnessed familiar people turn into corpses.

And those children, getting younger and more easily sick, rarely surviving a year on the mines; they’re sent here like consumables with a shelf life of less than a year.

Until suddenly one day, as the miners watched the guards casually bagging the corpses of several sick children to be taken away, a thought struck them.

Life shouldn’t be this way, and neither should the Empire.

Cat secretly slipped into the crowd and activated an Ice Arrow Scroll made by Ethan. Using the shared vision characteristic of intermediate elemental mapping, Ethan caught up with the miners during the speech to Hagrid, where they narrated the story of Little Alek.

A remarkable young boy, who came to work at Haywood Mine to support his younger siblings. A few days ago, he accidentally cut his arm while moving minerals. Although the wound was bandaged in time, it got infected, and he soon developed a high fever, falling into a coma a day later, never to wake again.

"We’ll all eventually die like this."

said a miner.

Alek had become the last straw that broke the camel’s back, forcing them to confront their deepest fears.

Kindness, integrity, diligence, can they keep Alek alive?

Kane challenged them.

What Alek truly needed was treatment, but he was already abandoned by the gods.

The gods chose to watch him die here without intervention.

The miners’ tone grew more fervent, filled with disappointment and anger born from utter hopelessness, "It was not us who betrayed the gods; it was the gods who abandoned us! They only bless those who whip us!"

The speaker was not Kane.

Cat searched the entire mine but couldn’t find any trace of Kane, yet he seemed so vividly present, and the miners could clearly identify him—a gambler from Gear City, though his true identity was unverified, everyone who listened to Kane’s speech seemed influenced by it.

Their fury ignited.

Angry enough to face death unflinchingly, ready to rip a piece of flesh from the servants of the appointed god, even if shot through by gunfire.

Ethan also learned that after taking over Haywood Mine, they had a chance to flee, but they brought all the captured weapons back to the mine. They were destined to die here, but as long as they could kill one more servant of the appointed god, it would pave the way for those to come.

They could take advantage of the intricate terrain of the mine to ambush those people.

"You still have a chance to live."

Hagrid was still trying to persuade the miners; he took the opportunity of clearing the bodies on the periphery to observe Haywood Mine’s layout, "As long as they dig a little further in the southwest direction, they could open a passage to the valley, where a convoy will guide them away from the Empire’s border."

If they were lucky enough.

This escape had several preconditions; for instance, the Imperial Military Industry’s forces must not find them—the miners had many injuries and infection symptoms, and the mine was filled with the stench of decay.

They couldn’t escape fast; once discovered, they’d be caught quickly.

"Hagrid, you’re a warm-hearted person; someone like you shouldn’t be here."

The speaking miner knew Hagrid. After entering the mine, no one gave him a hard time, "You should go back with the townsfolk; the war has started."

For the Empire, it undoubtedly seemed like a shameless rebellion, but they believed that after this corrupt dynasty fell, future generations would make a fair assessment.

The miner pushed Hagrid outward, "Return to Ximu Town while the situation is still controllable!"

In a moment, the miners’ expressions turned solemn, each facing death unafraid.

They saw more people coming.

A man in a white shirt and navy blue suspenders, his body covered in dust, with several rips in his shirt.

"It’s time to fight."

The man said, "They’re preparing to release poison gas into the mine; we cannot sit and wait for death. Grab your guns, grab your picks, and charge out with me!"

"Charge out!"

"Kill them all!"

The sudden shouting startled Hagrid. He noticed the miners’ gaze and turned around, but nothing was behind him.

The shared vision created by the elemental mapping disappeared.

"Is this another one of Bazatous’s tricks? This is Old Sen."

Ethan asked the stored energy crystal; this didn’t quite match the style of the abstract old artist he knew. Bazatous wouldn’t incite the miners to charge with him but would twist them into assemblers through curses, turning Haywood Mine into a flesh-covered nest.

This death-baring charge was probably too straightforward for Bazatous, not fitting His aesthetic.

"Bazatous isn’t this style; it seems your market competitors are growing."

This time, Cat skipped the formalities and asked, "How about it, compete with Mr. Kane?"

That might be difficult to compete with.

Although Kane’s identity was unclear and suspected to be a trick by the Evil God, the events in Haywood Mine were genuinely happening, and the anger in their hearts was real.

Moreover...

He glanced at Talon and his men, eagerly preparing gas masks in front of the mine. They couldn’t wait to storm in, crush all the rioters, and capture Kane alive, as a hefty bounty awaited.

The Empire never feared the light.

They only sought to deliver Kane to Aisoke as soon as possible for more power and wealth.

The appointed god had always protected them.

And Ethan pondered.

What could make them truly afraid?

"Ready, release the gas!"

Talon gave the final order, already recovering from the pain of his earlier blast and smiling bloodthirstily, "Leave no one but Kane!"

His adjutant activated the scroll on the gas barrel, which produced a non-lethal gas that would cause unconsciousness, allowing them to savor the thrill of slaughter.

They cheered, ready to charge.

But breaking the seal on the barrel did not result in the anticipated gas release; nothing happened after that order.

Something extended from the depths of the mine, spreading so quickly that by the time they realized, the gas barrel was already frozen within it.

An icy layer blocked their path.

It was the color of blood.