The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 245

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 bitch 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 bitch 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 bitch 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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