Chapter 1267: Chapter 1253: Unstoppable Contamination Spread Chapter 1267: Chapter 1253: Unstoppable Contamination Spread “What’s the use of procrastination? Do we just hope that after the Evil God has devoured enough flesh and souls, it will simply vanish?”

Modo’s voice was flat as he spoke, yet the old man communicating with the knight could feel the resolute ascetic’s inner fury.

“This is our only hope for now, after all, poverty has always been an issue, but the Evil God doesn’t always exist in our world because of it.

Although Its appearances are irregular, after each ravaging, It always quiets down for a while. This indicates that the Evil God’s needs are limited.”

“Heh heh, elder, what are we to the Evil God? Crops ready for harvest at any time or pigs for slaughter?”

“Modo, I know, and I can understand the rage in your heart, but what can we do? We’re already exhausted dealing with the monsters born from the Evil god’s corruption, and we simply don’t have the power to confront the Evil God directly.”

“…” The man seated cross-legged on the stone bed remained silent, angry at the elder’s submissive attitude but understanding his dilemma.

“Elder, has the Holy Temple figured out the reason for this awakening of the Evil God that has only been recorded in books?”

“There’s no confirmed reason. As you know, each appearance of the Evil God has been untraceable. Every time we discover an infected person born from the Evil God’s corruption, it means we’re too late; the Evil God has made arrangements much earlier.”

“We have no clue when the Evil God appears? Or what triggers Its awakening?”

Modo didn’t hide his disappointment. Was this because the Evil God was too powerful, or because they were too weak and worthless.

“Cough, though there’s no definitive explanation, we still have a highly probable guess.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember that Space Gate that suddenly appeared, discharging some unknown Metal Creatures, and then disappeared quickly?”

“Such an event, of course, I remember.” Modo’s eyes narrowed. Such information was completely blocked from the public, but for a Hunter like him who hunted demons around the world, it was an open secret.

“Many within the Holy Temple believe that this Space Gate led to the resurgence of the Evil God.”

“… And the reason for that? Even a wild guess needs some basis.”

“Some of us think that the Portal connects to another world with no ties to ours, and that this new world’s emergence, its connection to ours, is what awakened the Evil God from Its Sleeping State.”

“Different World, huh?” Modo nodded without objection. Although the reason sounded far-fetched, it wasn’t impossible.

“Do you have any more questions now? If so, ask them as soon as you can.”

“Arrange a shipment of Exorcism Oil here as soon as possible. While it won’t completely block the Evil God’s corruption, at the very least it can greatly delay the process,” Modo made his request.

“It’s already in production. I’ll arrange for someone to deliver it to you as soon as possible, and then I’ll have an official take charge of it. Remember to keep an eye on the Slums. Those with unstable lives there are the most likely to be tempted by the Evil God and turn into Monsters.”

“I know, my blade has been ready for a long time.” The man turned his head slightly to look at a huge metal case that was nearly as tall as him.

…

“Nige, have you felt that our city is becoming very strange?”

On the bustling, busy wharf, where people and vehicles were constantly in motion, a dockworker unloading goods scanned the surroundings and said to a robust young man.

“Strange? You mean those Patrols, rarely seen before, are now showing up frequently?”

The young man who was asked, upon hearing the older man’s words, chuckled nonchalantly, “Maybe another ruthless fugitive has made their way here! Otherwise, those lapdogs serving the Nobles wouldn’t be making an appearance.”

“Stop joking. These changes in the city can’t be explained by mere fugitives on the run.” The worker, lifting a load heavier than his own body with a wooden board, recalled the recent changes in the Slums, his eyes filled with fear of the unknown.

“Uncle, don’t overthink it. Whatever happens, it has nothing to do with us. Those Nobles could easily keep us in the dark if they chose to. We could never know what they don’t want us to know.”

“That’s true.” The middle-aged man carrying a heavy burden sighed, but his unease kept growing.

He knew how insignificant people like him were in the eyes of those managing the city—mere expendables easily replaced. But now, those Nobles were willing to send Patrols for their sake, even distributing what could be considered luxurious resources. It was highly abnormal.

The dockworker with doubts was not alone, but no matter how much anxiety they harbored, they had to suppress it and continue their usual routine. That was all they could do.

The sun had not fully set, but the Patrols on the wharf had already begun expelling the dockworkers, not allowing them to continue transporting goods.

Even some merchants who waved their bills, trying to bribe the Patrols, were rudely rejected. Those who tried to protest were beaten with clubs and dragged away.

“It’s not even dark yet, and they’re making us stop work. How much Copper will we lose out on?”

The dockworkers forced to return home looked up at the still bright sky, muttering their dissatisfaction.

“Watch your mouth, or you’ll get a beating,” someone whispered sharply, and the complaints ceased immediately.

The workers returning home didn’t head off to their dilapidated houses in small groups; instead, they entered substantial makeshift shelters that stood out in the slums, gathering by the hundreds.

Their families had already been arranged by the city management to stay here, and these massive shelters, temporarily repurposed, had become their new homes.

Those who lived in already dire conditions did not complain about this, for it wasn’t any worse than their previous living situations, and it was now considered quite good.

As night fell and darkness covered the city, the central areas of the city lit up as usual, even brighter than before, while the slums, usually plunged into darkness, now had scattered lights as well, faint glows emanating from these urgently refurbished giant shelters.

“Damn it!”

A muscular Modo, who stood out from the people around him, stood in one of the shelters with a face turned steel blue as he looked at the sight of hundreds of people sleeping in one large common bed area.

Hanging from the roof of this shelter was a lantern no bigger than the size of a palm, emitting a very faint but distinct gleam in the darkness.

Such light, seemingly weak, was extraordinarily precious in this impoverished and backward slum. At first, the people graced by its soft illumination at night felt a sense of flattered astonishment, but over the days, they gradually became accustomed to it.

Some found it uncomfortable to sleep under such light, and anyone who tried to extinguish the Flames would be scolded by the patrolling officers stationed inside the shelter, or even beaten.

Lights must be lit at nightfall.

This order, issued by the nobles of the city, thus became known to the slum residents, yet they could not comprehend the intention behind such a rigorously enforced command.

“How dare those guys do this?”

The oil lamps, seen as incredibly precious by the slum dwellers, even eliciting gratitude towards the city’s nobles, were unknown to them as being the cause of rage against humanity in the heart of a hunter capable of hunting Demon Beasts.

“Hey, what are you doing? Don’t you know wandering in unlit areas after dark is forbidden?”

The strong Modo had attracted the patrol’s attention as soon as he appeared, and when he was about to leave, he was immediately met with a scolding.

“Ah!”

The strong man, turning around at the sound of the reprimand, stunned everyone who saw the Flames burning in his eyes under the dim light.

But to everyone’s relief, the man did not linger and instead disappeared into the darkness.

“What… what kind of monster is he?”

“He’s not a monster; he must be one of those legendary Demon Hunters, here to protect us.”

…

“What on earth is going on? Is the Holy Temple really running that low on supplies?” Modo, suppressing the anger in his heart, questioned the elder.

“What’s the matter?”

“In my city, hundreds of people share one Exorcism Lamp, how can that possibly be enough?”

“The slum dwellers?” asked the aged voice, helplessly.

“Of course.”

“You see, even the Exorcism supplies we dispatched have been intercepted by the nobles of your city; but things could be worse. At least the slums in your city have Exorcism Lamps.”

“Also? What do you mean? Have the Exorcism supplies dispatched by you been intercepted in other cities as well?”

“Yes, some cities can’t even manage to share one Exorcism Lamp among hundreds of people.”

“You sent too few supplies, and that’s why they were intercepted?”

“How could it be too few? You know the process of making the Exorcism Oil. We can produce it by the ton, and the oil delivered to those cities should ensure every person has enough for seven days.

Your city is no different. The oil we sent was calculated based on the daily food consumption of the city. It’s definitely enough. If distributed properly, not to mention every person, virtually every family could have their own Exorcism Lamp.”

“What on earth are those nobles thinking? What’s the use of hoarding the oil? Do they think if they have enough oil, they won’t be affected when the Evil god’s corruption erupts?”

The man, who dared to fight Demon Beasts, his will strong as rock, now trembled with rage.

“Who knows what they are thinking? We’ve made all the pros and cons crystal clear to them, but they still went ahead and did it.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read