North from the eastern suburbs of Rhine City, an unnamed path stretched all the way to the Carlos Mountain Range.
For thirty kilometers, the path was overgrown with weeds and largely deserted year-round—a haven for wild beasts, traversed only by the occasional mineral convoy.
It wasn't until five years ago, when the plans for the Norin-Rhine Railway were finalized to slice through Bester Mountain, that the path saw a bit more life. Occasional convoys rumbled along it, hauling supplies to the engineering camp at the foot of the mountain.
The old steward, Mr. Louis, was driving the carriage along this very path toward the camp. But along the way, Lynch began to harbor a doubt.
Do I have the wrong definition of "path"?
This so-called path was actually an asphalt road wide enough for heavy cargo wagons. And as for being "deserted," vehicles passed from the opposite direction every now and then. The closer they got to Bester Mountain, the livelier the road became. Near their destination, Lynch could already see numerous newly built houses, courier stations, and shops—there was even a tavern and a casino. The camp had practically turned into a small town.
Lynch and Natalie stared in dumbfounded shock, genuinely wondering if they had taken a wrong turn. Up front, the old steward ignored the two who dared question his direction, while Miss Diana merely giggled at them.
It was precisely because preparations for the railway project had already begun, bringing in a steady influx of workers and supplies. Naturally, the road had been widened. Clever merchants, like sharks smelling blood in the water, had rushed in at the first opportunity, expanding the camp into a fully equipped town.
Previously, due to secret interference from a certain family, the preparation work had been thwarted repeatedly. Incidents occurred constantly, stalling progress so severely that workers had nothing to do. Panic had spread, and the surrounding area had grown desolate. But now that said family had turned over a new leaf, preparations for the tunnel had resumed. With more and more brave workers arriving, the town had rapidly regained its bustle.
“What an awful way to put it.” Miss Diana shot him a glare, biting her lip in a feigned fierce expression. “Watch out, or I’ll tell Mr. Louis to shoot you.”
“Tsk, so you saw him secretly threaten me with a gun every single time and just pretended not to notice, didn't you?”
“Hmph.” The young noble lady crinkled her nose. “Mr. Louis is the best to me. He watched me grow up, and if he sees anyone picking on me, he shoots them.”
“That’s murder! Have you actually reached this age with any living people left around you?”
“Ahem. You two, cut it out. There’s still another person sitting right here.”
“Heehee.”
Amidst the laughter, the carriage passed through the cluster of shops and houses on the outskirts and pulled to a stop outside the camp.
Stepping down from the carriage, a thick stench of coal ash rushed over them. A plume of black smoke spewed straight into the sky, and the roar of machinery echoed throughout the camp, making the very ground tremble.
The camp was enclosed by a corrugated iron fence, through which bobbing heads were vaguely visible. The main gate stood wide open, with burly workers filtering in and out, filling the entire camp with vitality.
Changing with each passing day, vibrant and full of vigor—this was the unique charm of an era of upheaval, where every breath of air seemed charged with hope.
As they drew near, two large men ran out from the camp, causing Lynch and Natalie to stare with wide eyes.
Burly builds, rough skin, and complex, bizarre tattoos painted across their faces and bodies—when they had tracked the female journalist Maya to that cabin in the suburbs, these were two of the hillmen who had blocked their path at the door.
Wait, why are they working on a construction site? Do even heteromorphs have to haul bricks at construction sites nowadays? This era really is full of exploitation and oppression—a dog-eat-dog world. Especially certain sinful families, forcing even ghouls to go out and work.
“What are you thinking?” One look at Lynch’s strange expression told Miss Diana he was up to no good. She rolled her eyes and pouted crossly at him. “The preliminary camp is on the road into the mountain, and they live in the mountains. I notified them in advance, so they came out specifically to guide us in. It’s not at all what you’re thinking!”
Thank goodness. I thought even ghouls couldn't escape the fate of becoming wage slaves.
Lynch breathed a sigh of relief, regaining a sliver of hope in the wealthy of this era. He followed the two hillmen into the camp. Yet after taking only a few steps, he saw two more burly, fully tattooed hillmen carrying several massive, heavy gears past the group.
???
Whoosh. Lynch and Natalie immediately whipped their gazes toward Miss Diana. The young noble lady's eyes, however, had already drifted up to the clouds in the sky, as if the secrets of the world’s origin were hidden within them, holding an endless fascination.
“Alright, fine! After the main camp was set up, a lot of living facilities popped up nearby. Quite a few of them were drawn here and occasionally come out to do odd jobs to make some money, which they then spend in those places. It’s not like our family forced them to do odd jobs!”
“So your family hasn't paid them a single dime in over a thousand years?”
Miss Diana gritted her teeth in frustration. “They didn't have anywhere to spend money! We always gave them physical goods. It's not nearly as exaggerated as you make it sound!”
In truth, Lynch also knew that letting the hillmen step out into the world and interact more with ordinary people was hardly a bad thing.
If the ancient city of Zur-Baha-Sahr was truly excavated and an archaeological basis for the ghouls' origin was established, the race would likely be reclassified from mysterious heteromorphs to an ethnic minority. That way, like the ancient races such as dwarves and elves on the Old Continent, they would become a recognized rare group. Far from remaining hostile, the authorities would even grant them various privileges—whether those privileges made sense or not, like bonus points on exams.
The ghouls in Rhine City had always hidden their identities as vagrants and hadn't lost touch with society, and those in other cities were presumably similar; they could quickly adapt to a new way of life in the future. The hillmen, however, had lived in seclusion deep in the mountains. Having both sides adapt in advance like this was no bad thing.
Not to mention squeezing out a bit of cheap labor to help line your family's pockets, right?
“I told you, that's their own income! It has nothing to do with my family! Mr. Lynch, you are infuriating!”
Miss Diana was genuinely annoyed. Gritting her teeth furiously still wasn't enough to vent her frustration, so she suddenly slipped around to Officer Natalie's side and tugged on her sleeve.
The female officer took the hint immediately, stomping right onto Lynch's toe and giving it a firm grind for good measure.
“Ouch—”
The two ladies burst into giggles, the atmosphere instantly becoming remarkably harmonious. Only Lynch stared with widened eyes, his eyeballs practically bulging out.
Wait, why did these two silly broads suddenly gush into complete collusion? And with such tacit coordination?
How am I supposed to survive if this keeps up? Is it too late to return them now?
In this moment, Lynch seemed to see a bloody, thorn-strewn road stretching ahead, witnessing his own tragic and hopeless future. Endless regret consumed his heart. Alas, everyone had to take responsibility for their own choices; having come this far, there was no turning back.
However, before he could figure out a way forward, he realized something was off about the surrounding atmosphere.
The moment they approached the trail into the mountains, the three of them noticed several gazes locking onto them at once.
Surreptitiously glancing around, they realized the stares were coming from among the busy workers nearby. Though the exact source was hard to pinpoint, the watchers were clearly monitoring their every move.
An ambush?
Rate on N.U.
