The Second Coming of Gluttony Chapter 245:
Chapter 245 . City of Anarchy (2)
Darkness bit a chunk out of the sunset-dyed sky, scattering the orange hue into oblivion and blanketing the world with nighttime .
Seol Jihu blankly stared at the city left in the darkness of the bygone sunset .
‘This place…’
Where was it? And why was it in such a visible mess?
Seol Jihu stood in place for a long time before moving forward, staggering as though he was dead drunk .
All sorts of scenery flashed by his eyes . A dirty mother and daughter, sitting on the side of the street with a small tin can in front of them, and Earthlings walking by them with indifferent looks .
A mother feebly looking up at a passing Earthling, a boy begging on his knees pleading to a man to give something back, and the Earthling kicking him away in disgust .
An old woman flailing her arms in the air while being dragged out by an Earthling pulling on her hair .
An Earthling screaming at a woman to pay off her debts, Earthlings harassing a Paradisian woman calling for her mom .
Earthlings standing in front of a show window, ignoring the ruckus around them and commenting on the soulless women on display .
Paradisian women already sold to customers, enduring dirty looks and inappropriate groping .
“!”
Seol Jihu suddenly stopped in place . He turned his gaze to a dark alleyway, his eyes immediately filling up with doubt .
A small corpse was spilling out of a trash can that fell to the floor .
Seol Jihu’s eyes trembled . No matter how he looked at it, the corpse couldn’t have been alive for more than a few months .
Suddenly, a splitting scream rang out, followed by loud slapping noises . But no one paid any attention to the horrible sound .
In fact, the sound of giggling only grew louder . They were disregarding even the stench of a rotting corpse, enjoying the madness of nightlife .
Seol Jihu felt like he was dreaming .
‘What?’
There were no morals or basic human rights .
‘What am I looking at?’
There was only self-indulgence masked as freedom .
“Just what the hell…!”
Seol Jihu raised his voice before unknowingly shutting up . It was because he remembered Kim Hannah telling him that not all royalty were competent .
Seol Jihu feigned a smile as he watched an Earthling successfully solicit another Earthling to enter a building . He was dumbstruck .
That couldn’t be the reason that they were given the building . That couldn’t be the reason they entered Paradise . Yet… these things were happening in front of his eyes .
“There’s a simple reason that Eva is a popular city among Earthlings . ”
It was Kim Hannah’s voice .
“Because it’s a comparatively safe city . It isn’t close to the Parasites’ territory, and the famous Tigol Fortress is acting as a line of defense . Though, the fortress was conquered once . ”
“… . ”
“There’s less threat of an invasion, so Earthlings are flocking to it after Scheherazade . Not to mention, they can also see the Federation . ”
Seol Jihu fell silent . Kim Hannah continued with a monotonous voice .
“This is Eva, a city where several organizations are working together to blind the immature queen’s eyes and squeeze out benefits . ”
“…These people . ”
Seol Jihu clenched his teeth .
“Why… why did they enter Paradise…?”
His voice trembled .
Kim Hannah turned her gaze . She saw the crawling boy…
“You can plunder money . ”
…saw the old woman screaming and yelling on the ground…
“You can steal money . ”
…and saw the collapsed Paradisian woman being dragged by her hair .
“And you can earn money . ”
Next, she turned to Seol Jihu and shrugged .
“For the record, most of the people ran away when the royals issued that mandatory conscription order for the war . ”
“If they entered Paradise—!”
Seol Jihu shouted . A light flickered in Kim Hannah’s eyes, though only for a moment .
In truth, the response she was expecting was, ‘There’s no reason for them to go this far!’ But Seol Jihu’s response was far from it .
‘…If they entered Paradise . ’
This was what infuriated Seol Jihu . The Earthlings abandoning their duty . It was less that he felt pity for Paradisians and more that he detested seeing a wonderful city in this state .
‘I guess it doesn’t matter . ’
Kim Hannah had achieved her intended goal .
There was a reason she brought him out on his first day here . This city of anarchy, overflowing with unsightly virility and entertainment, was under the tight control of Eva’s eight organizations . It was obvious that they wouldn’t spare a seat for Seol Jihu .
Of course, Seol Jihu didn’t come to Eva just to take a single seat . No, he came to devour everything . And to do that, he needed to push the eight organizations aside .
Meaning, he had to consider them his enemy .
‘This should be good enough, but…’
Kim Hannah decided to urge him on a bit more . She knew of a place that directly contradicted what Seol Jihu was trying to achieve in Eva . There shouldn’t be a better place to incite his emotions .
“Let’s get a move on . ”
Hearing this, Seol Jihu stared at Kim Hannah fixedly . His expression was frighteningly stiff .
“We came all the way here . We might as well buy something . ”
“Kim Hannah . ”
“Who knows what’s going to happen in the future?”
Kim Hannah scanned Seol Jihu from top to bottom .
“Shouldn’t you at least get yourself a nice set of armor?”
Hearing the intent behind her words, Seol Jihu swallowed his own words .
“You don’t need to worry about money . With my name, they won’t mind putting it on the tab . We can just pick out any item we want . ”
Kim Hannah threw her handbag up and smiled sweetly .
“Do you remember what I told you in Scheherazade?”
*
Kim Hannah cut through the night street, leading Seol Jihu to a shabby building on the outskirts of the city .
The place looked like a haunted mansion from the outside, but it was really an auction house . It wasn’t an official auction house, but a VIP auction house that was used for black-market dealings .
When Kim Hannah approached the building, the two guards standing at the entrance walked forward .
“Our apologies, but the entrance is closed for the day . The auction is already underway . ”
“I know . ”
Kim Hannah smiled, retorting, “We’re not here to participate in the auction, but to meet someone . ”
With that, she put her hand into the handbag and took it back out . She seemed to show something to the guards, but Seol Jihu couldn’t see it clearly as he was standing behind her .
What he did notice was that the guards’ attitude changed completely .
“Excuse me . Who should I say it is?”
“Tell him the fox is here . ”
The two guards shrunk back, but only for a moment .
“What brings you to…”
Kim Hannah whispered quietly .
“…Please wait just one moment . ”
One of the guards distanced himself, calling someone with a communication crystal before nodding his head .
He came back, then spoke .
“He said he would meet you . ”
“Where should I go?”
“Ah, if it’s okay with you, can you wait 30 minutes? He’s in the middle of training . ”
“Training, huh . ”
Kim Hannah snorted .
“I don’t see why not . Ah, can we watch the auction for a bit? Standing around for 30 minutes is awfully boring . ”
“If you’ll only watch, then yes . Should I guide you in?”
“It’s fine . I’ve been here a couple of times before . ”
“Then I’ll come back in 20 minutes . ”
The guard bowed . Kim Hannah grabbed the dazedly standing Seol Jihu’s hand and pulled him inside .
Hot air filled the building’s interior . Every time they took a breath, they felt a strange heat stinging their nose .
Soon, they pulled back on black curtains and entered, the source of the heat revealing itself .
There were dozens of people sitting on the stairs of an amphitheater in front of the stage . They were drinking wine, eating food, or cheering quietly . Everyone was wearing a mask and a hoodie .
The auction was already well underway, just like the guard said .
“Here is the next item—!”
The auctioneer standing on the stage raised his arm, his voice resounding in the closed space .
Next…
“It is— a Sky Fairy!”
Seol Jihu doubted his ears . He widened his eyes in shock as he saw the ‘item’ being moved to the center of the stage .
“I will save the long explanation . Males are rare among Sky Fairies . I’m sure you all know that adolescent male Sky Fairies are treated as treasures even amongst their own race!”
The auctioneer’s words didn’t enter Seol Jihu’s ears . His eyes were fixed on the young Sky Fairy, shackled around his ankles and neck, crying with his head dropped .
One person shot their hand up . From the thin, slender arm, one could guess she was a woman .
When she made a beckoning gesture with her index finger, the auctioneer pushed the Sky Fairy forward . The woman’s hand caressed the fairy’s body, causing him to shrink back in tears .
The more the ‘item’ reacted in disgust, the more excited and bold the woman became, cackling loudly .
At that moment, a stumpy man raised his hand .
The laughter stopped . The two of them then called out bids in intense competition before the auctioneer brought the Sky Fairy away .
The woman spat on the floor and sat back down angrily .
Having watched the entire scene unfold, Seol Jihu’s mouth widened . His soul seemed to have left his body .
He had witnessed a slave trade for the first time in Paradise .
“Kim Han—”
“I’ve come to guide you . ”
Seol Jihu’s sentence was cut short by the guard’s timely return .
“Yes, let’s go . ”
Kim Hannah smiled and linked arms with Seol Jihu .
Seol Jihu could feel a furtive pressure on his arm . Kim Hannah was hinting him to stay put .
Seol Jihu couldn’t take his eyes off the stage, but had no choice than to leave with Kim Hannah pulling him .
The moment he passed through the black curtains again, he realized his breathing was much rougher than before . His heart was also beating several times faster than normal .
Seol Jihu gritted his teeth while trying his best to collect his breath . He now had a good idea what kind of a place Eva was . He didn’t think he could be surprised any more than this .
However, this thought was thoroughly crushed the moment he followed the guard into the basement .
“He’ll be right out after putting on his clothes . The training just ended . ”
The guard bowed before taking his leave . However, Seol Jihu didn’t notice him at all .
The odor of chestnut flower[1], filth, blood, and rotting flesh . All sorts of putrid odors were resounding in the room .
…No, the smell was the least of his concern .
There were dozens of one-cubic-meter steel cages . In each cage were all sorts of foreign races, all shackled up .
That wasn’t all . Discovering a chain hanging down from the center of the ceiling, Seol Jihu’s breath stopped . And when he saw the lump of meat hanging on the hook, his eyes split open .
No matter how he looked at it, it was a Sky Fairy’s corpse, handled ‘skillfully’ into a lump of meat .
“… . ”
Words no longer came out of his mouth .
Seol Jihu remembered seeing a similar scene . Was it when he infiltrated the Delphinion Duchy Laboratory? He had found Hugo hanging like that as well .
“You’ve heard of human flesh capsules on Earth, right?”
Even in this situation, Kim Hannah’s voice was calm .
“It’s the same in Paradise . How should I say this… Earthlings have fantasies about Fairies as a race . ”
Kim Hannah shrugged .
“It might not be to the point of immortality, but some people have baseless beliefs that they’re good for their health or that they would give some sort of stat bonus . People like that are rare though . ”
Seol Jihu had to clench his fists to rein in the disgust rising from his stomach . On the other hand, nausea shot up to his throat, arousing intense animosity .
Humans were in no position to curse the Parasites .
Just by looking at the Earthlings operating this building, one could see that they treated foreign races like livestock, just like how the Mutant Orcs treated humans .
Suddenly, a faint moan rang out . It sounded like a whimper as well .
Seol Jihu walked forward just in case and immediately furrowed his brows .
The inside of the cages was stained in indescribable horror, being unbearable to witness .
A female Sky Fairy was lying almost unconscious, naked . Just by looking at her, one could easily guess what kind of tragedy she suffered and what the ‘training’ the guard referred to was .
Seol Jihu clutched onto the cage subconsciously . He wanted to take her out if possible .
Although it was far too late, he wanted to send her back to the Federation .
But how?
He didn’t bring any money, much less his spear .
“Are you okay?”
In the end, the only thing he could do was ask a meaningless question .
The tragically weeping Sky Fairy stammered .
“Child…”
‘Child?’
“Child… my child…”
She searched for a child even as she cried endlessly .
What would the Federation think if they saw this?
“Vile humans . ”
A begrudged voice stabbed his back . From a cage behind him, Seol Jihu saw a Beastman glaring at him with resentment . Judging from her fox tail, she seemed to be a Foxman .
“A savage race that can only worry about satisfying their insatiable greed even with the threat of the Parasites looming over them . ”
When Seol Jihu met the Foxman’s eyes, the latter spat out a curse as if she had been waiting for this moment . Seol Jihu wanted to deny it but instead closed his mouth, seeing signs of torture all over her body .
“Just you wait . Even if I die and become a vengeful spirit, I will—”
“Aigoo, that **** is at it again . ”
The female Foxman spitting out curses flinched and dropped her head . An obese, mustached, middle-aged man was plodding over in big steps . The female Foxman’s eyes glinted fiercely .
“You…!”
“Shut up, will ya? We got a guest . Do you need more training too? Hmm?”
“I dare you to lay a single finger on me! This instant!”
“You’re free to die if you want, but then the Foxman kid over there will just have a harder time . ”
The man glanced at a cage near her, speaking mockingly . The female Foxman drew a deep breath and shut her mouth while the man laughed slyly . Judging by how good he was in handling her, he seemed to be rather experienced .
While the sound of teeth grinding brutally flowed out, Kim Hannah sighed .
“Why did you want to meet us here? We could have just met in a room . ”
The man’s eyes widened .
“What are you talking about? You said—”
The man paused in the middle of his sentence and narrowed his eyes . He blinked rapidly, seeing a young man clutching onto a cage, staring fixedly at a slave .
“Who’s this?”
“A potential buyer . ”
“Oh? He looks young . Anyway, why is he—”
Seol Jihu abruptly turned his head, glaring at the man with a burning gaze .
The man flinched momentarily but laughed seeing the youth clutching onto the cage tightly .
“Iya~ You’ve got good eyes, young man . Sorry, but that **** isn’t for sale . She’s a hot item, you see . People are lining up to get their hands on her . ”
‘What?’
“Sky Fairies became easier to capture when they lost their spirit power, so they’re a little more common these days . But Foxmen are always in low supply . If you really want her, join the auction tomorrow night . ”
Seol Jihu finally realized what was going on . For some reason, this man was treating him as one of them .
“Now, now, don’t be so upset . You’re Miss Foxy’s guest, so I can pull some strings for the sake of establishing a good relationship . ”
The man smacked his lips and continued .
“So? Did anything catch your fancy? Did you want to bring it home or use it for medicine? If you want, we can cut it up for you . ”
The man spoke while gesturing at the lump of meat hanging on the hook .
Seol Jihu’s brows twitched . He reflexively felt around his waist, but his spear couldn’t be grabbed . It was the same when he put his hand in his pocket . He only clenched the poor egg with force .
The man clicked his tongue .
“I told you, that **** isn’t for sale . I won’t sell her even if you offer a million gold coins . No, I can’t . It’s a matter of credit . ”
“… . ”
“Anyway, pick something other than that Foxman . ”
Seol Jihu turned back from the cage with difficulty .
He was at his limit .
The string holding his sanity together had tensed up ever since he saw the night street . If pulled on just a little more, it would snap .
Kim Hannah had been signaling him with her eyes since a while back . Just as she quickly opened her mouth—
“Hey . ”
“I’m not buying . ”
The words Seol Jihu had been holding in burst out of his throat .
The man’s eyes widened .
“What?”
“I’m not buying anything here . No matter how good they are, they’re too dirty for my taste . ”
Seol Jihu spat out these words while clenching his teeth . Then, he quickly brushed past them and left the basement .
The man simpered as he saw the young man disappear .
“Haha, what an irritable young man . ”
“Ah, hey!”
Kim Hannah called him multiple times, but Seol Jihu ignored her . He didn’t even look back .
‘These insane pieces of shits…!’
Seol Jihu walked furiously with sharpened eyes . He wanted to get out of this godforsaken building as soon as possible .
That was why he didn’t notice .
That the egg had twisted out of his grasp and peeked its head out of the pocket .
Next, it bounced out, landed gently on his shoulder, and tilted forward .
Almost as if it was leaning forward to carefully observe the enraged Seol Jihu’s face .
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