Hearing this, Devin looked embarrassed. This was not an easy memory for him, but looking at Melissa's expectant look in front of him, he really couldn't bear to refuse.
Unlike herself, who has seen the sun, Melissa has never known what the normal world is like. She has been living in this dark hell since she was born.
Devin is an outsider. To be precise, except for the Night Clan, everyone living in the Land of Evernight is basically a robbed outsider, as well as the descendants of outsiders who were born in the Land of Evernight.
For example, Melissa in front of me.
"It's a nice place, but the rulers are terrible."
Devin tried to lighten his story.
In the Hidden Land, Devin is a disabled person living at the bottom of a forging pit, working on the assembly line of a factory every day. Devin thought that his life would continue like this mechanically, but under the influence of the Council of Sages and the Rebellious King
With the collusion of the court, he was transported to the Land of Eternal Night a few years ago.
At first, Devin panicked for a while, but then he became curious about what would happen next.
As a disabled person, Devin has never left the Hidden Land, and he has no extra options in life. Devon once thought that this was an opportunity to change his life.
This was indeed a life-changing opportunity, unfortunately, for the worse.
Devin thought that the Council of Sages' oppression of the disabled had gone too far, but less than twenty-four hours after arriving in the Land of Eternal Night, Devon discovered that the Council of Sages was unexpectedly gentle.
In the hidden land, the disabled are still a kind of resource and tool, but in the land of eternal night, human beings are just a currency for transactions.
I thought I had left the prison, but I never imagined that I would be in another hell.
Devin's voice was very low. He didn't want others to hear this, "Our social structure is very similar to that of the Land of Evernight. They are both a group of people who are aloof and rule over poor people like us."
Melissa looked at Devin with envy, "Poor man? How could it be possible? You are a bloody tax collector!"
In the understanding of most blood people, their only chance to change their destiny is to become a blood tax collector, from being oppressed to an accomplice of the Night Clan, and this is only the limit of what a blood person can do.
There are very few blood people who can be favored by the Night Clan and be given blood. Moreover, even if they are lucky enough to be given blood, it still depends on the purity of the other person's blood, otherwise they will only become mindless under infinite degradation.
Bloodthirsty.
Melissa has seen such things. In order to repay the blood tax, some people will make full use of their own blood and flesh like their parents did, while others do not dare to face such a cruel fate, so they accept the inferior blood.
Become a crazy beast.
"The blood tax collector also has to pay taxes."
Devin rolled up his sleeves, revealing his arms that were also covered with pinholes. He smiled bitterly and said, "Death and paying taxes will accompany us throughout our lives."
"Besides, it's just luck that I became the Blood Tax Collector."
Initially, the blood tax officer was held by the Night Clan, but in recent years, the Night Clan has transferred personnel, and the blood tax officer has gradually been held by disabled people like Dewen. The reason is also very simple. The disabled people do not need blood to feed, but
The Night Clan needs it.
Some people say that the blood tax collectors of the Night Clan have withheld a large amount of blood.
Putting away Melissa's blood bag, Devin connected it to the hanging catheter. After a mechanical buzzing sound, the blood was drained. Melissa was just about to take her blood bag, but Devin
He raised his hand and threw it into the trash can.
"Ah, my blood bag."
"It's too old, I'll get you a new one," Devin led Melissa to the storage room, "and new needles."
"They can obviously still be used."
Melissa followed Devin. In the barren land of eternal night, any resource is extremely important.
Devin said, "It doesn't matter whether it's usable or not. You have to change it frequently, otherwise you will get an infection."
"What are infectious diseases?"
Hearing Melissa's innocent voice, Devin paused for a moment. Sadness filled his heart, but he soon became numb and emotionless.
"A disease, a disease that will kill you."
"oh……"
Melissa thought to herself, "Like my mother?"
Devin looked back at Melissa. He didn't say anything, just nodded gently.
The strong smell of blood permeated the surroundings, passing through the towering arches, and beside the rows of erected columnar machines, the blood people lined up waiting to collect blood.
Blood is a kind of currency, a kind of exchange of equal value. In addition to paying the daily blood tax, blood people can also use excess blood to exchange for materials.
In the land of eternal night shrouded in gloomy clouds, only the night tribe can bring food and water to the blood people.
Devin glanced at the withered and thin people, and couldn't help but recall the first year he came to the Land of Eternal Night. Relying on his physical strength, he exchanged a lot of food with his own blood, but this still didn't help.
They can save their friends, and like Melissa's parents, they maximize their own value before they die and donate all the blood tax they generate to themselves.
With their help, Devin successfully survived in the Land of Eternal Night, and even became a blood tax collector.
Arriving at the deep corridor, there were far fewer people here, but the strong smell of blood still lingered, and bursts of screams echoed, with some wailing and others crying.
Devin led Melissa as they passed by the prison. Melissa saw figures one after another huddled in the narrow cages, with needles stuck in their bodies. The pupils of each person's eyes were extremely hollow, and the vitality seemed to be with the blood.
As time goes by, the body gradually becomes rickety and turns into a pale mummy, waiting for death to come.
These scenes made Devin feel a lot of pain in his heart, but Melissa didn't feel too much. Instead, there was a little bit of envy in her expression.
Devon asked, "Aren't you scared?"
"Why are you afraid?" Melissa didn't understand. "At least we have a safe place to live here, and there are rations of food and water."
In Devon's eyes, the prison was extremely cruel, but in Melissa's eyes, it was a nice place to live.
In the ruins of the old city, blood people are often murdered. After all, the blood tax officials don't care where the blood comes from. Some blood people who don't want their own blood to be extracted will target other blood people.
Thinking of this, Melissa hoped that she could grow slower. As long as she could survive one more day in the cracks of the ruins, she could live one more day.
Regarding Melissa's answer, Devin didn't know what to say, and a cognitive contradiction grew in his heart.
Although Devin is only a disabled person, he has not given up hope of escaping from this place over the years, and has been secretly collecting information related to the Land of Eternal Night.
The land of eternal night.
After the Dawn War, the prison where the Night King and the remaining Night Clan were imprisoned was supposed to be a place closed off from the world. During the long period of isolation, only the Night King and a small number of Night Clan lived on this land.
Without the blood of living people to feed them, the Night Clan spent an extremely torturous time. Every day and night, they were in agony due to their thirst for blood, until they devoured each other's blood.
It is said that the blood of the Night Clan is hollow and soulless. They can only satisfy their appetites for a short time, but cannot truly curb their hunger and thirst. Presumably this is also the punishment of humans for the Night Clan. They will live forever in the lightless land.
suffer pain.
Until one day, the Night Clan named Regent found this place. Devin didn't know how he broke the oath, and how he got over the layers of blockades and warnings to get here. Devin only knew that the Regent was responsible for this hungry people.
The land brought a large population.
Devin guessed that Melissa's parents were the first group of people brought by the regent. They lived here, suffered torture, and gave birth to children, thus creating pure blood people like Melissa.
Entering the storage room and opening the box, Devin gave Melissa a new set of blood bags and needles, and then took out some food and gave it to her.
It is said to be food, but it is actually some tightly compressed starch sticks. Devin heard from those night tribes that some alchemy drugs are added here to promote the hematopoietic ability of the eater. Devin got a few more sticks for Melissa.
Melissa looked at the extra starch sticks with a surprised look on her face, and thanked Devin repeatedly.
"Thank you, Devin!"
Devin still looked serious. He tried hard not to have so-called empathy for Melissa, but as a human instinct, he had to make various acts of mercy.
"If you really want to thank me, just try to live a little longer," Devin said. "I don't want to be sent to recover your body one day."
Melissa was still smiling as she said, "Don't worry, if I really can't survive, I will definitely come to the blood tax station."
Devin looked at Melissa in surprise, and then she said, "The extra blood tax will be given to you, how about that?"
After saying that, Melissa ran away and disappeared into the blood tax station. She had a lot of food and had to hide it quickly. If she was robbed in the middle, Melissa didn't think she could survive until the next blood tax collection.
Devin stared blankly at Melissa's leaving back. After a few seconds, he came back to his senses and pinched his arm hard.
"Don't think so much, and don't be emotional."
Devon tried to warn himself that sentimental people would not survive long in the land of eternal night.
But the more he thought about it, the more Melissa's words echoed in Devin's mind, and then he remembered a conversation he had with a woman a few years ago.
"I will give you part of my blood tax. Can you please take care of my daughter?"
Devin shook his head vigorously, trying to get rid of these messy thoughts. He then looked into the distance, and there was no trace of sunshine behind the endless clouds.
"I really hope I can look at the sun again before I die."
