Chapter 261 -261-The Mine, the Lower Class, and the Upper Class

However, just as the Mind Demon King, Shaki, was about to go a step further, Caelan suddenly stopped her.

"I’m sorry, but this is something I need to think about seriously."

After saying that, Caelan rose to his feet of his own accord. If it were only a matter of offering himself once, he might still be able to accept it.

But the problem was that there was no way he could ignore the descendants he might leave behind.

Caelan liked beautiful women, but he did not think of himself as the kind of scumbag who would father a child and then refuse to raise it.

Faced with Caelan’s rejection, Shaki was actually a little angry—especially at such a crucial moment.

So she spoke in a hurried tone,

"You’d better think this through carefully. If you want to obtain the Fragments of History, then you’ll have to make a deal with me. Otherwise, you’ll never get them."

"And don’t think you can secretly sneak into my warehouse. In truth, my warehouse is hidden inside a special Instance. If I don’t take you there myself, you’ll never find it in your entire life!"

Caelan narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Shaki’s irritated face.

It had to be said—Shaki truly was a stunning beauty. Even when she was angry, she gave off a unique sort of charm.

But the issue was that when it came to matters of principle, Caelan still had very clear boundaries of his own.

He glanced at Shaki indifferently, his tone turning a little more serious.

"So, are you planning to threaten me with that?"

Hearing Caelan’s calm voice, Shaki had no idea why, but her heart suddenly grew uneasy. She also realized that she had indeed gone a little too far. So she immediately stepped forward, hugged Caelan’s arm, and rubbed against it ingratiatingly.

"Oh, don’t be angry. I was only joking with you just now."

After saying that, Shaki decisively changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, do you know why the Lord of Abyss invited you?"

Caelan frowned slightly. In truth, that was something he had never fully understood either.

Perhaps it had something to do with the so-called destiny of legend?

But destiny and things of that level were still too far away for the current Caelan.

His strength had not yet reached the point where he could come into contact with that realm.

So Caelan shook his head without hesitation, a trace of helplessness in his voice.

"That’s something I haven’t figured out either."

...

Inside the Factory Instance, Evelyn followed Jester Tycoon on a tour deeper within.

But the sight before her made her suck in a cold breath!

So this was what those lowest-ranking demons busied themselves with in the factory every single day—transporting all kinds of ore.

Some of the ore burned like blazing fire; a mere touch would scorch the skin until flesh split open.

Other ores were like ice itself; touching them could freeze a person solid on the spot!

And yet, even when faced with so many strange and dangerous ores, these lowliest demons had absolutely no protection at all. They simply carried them directly with their bare bodies.

The lucky ones, relying on their stronger physiques, managed to endure the side effects of the ores and could catch a brief breath of relief.

But a small portion of the unlucky ones died in agony.

What made Evelyn’s scalp tingle even more, however, was the numbness these lower demons showed toward life itself.

It was hard to describe the feeling.

It was as if, in the eyes of these low-ranking demons, there was no meaning at all in either living or dying.

The miners who died were casually dragged onto carts, then tossed into the incinerator like garbage.

Those who were still alive, after only a short rest, continued on with the next round of ore transport.

Watching this scene, Evelyn felt as though the world had never before been laid so starkly and so truthfully before her eyes as it was today.

Just then, she suddenly noticed that the third floor of the factory was an opulently furnished area.

The entire space was equipped with the most advanced filtration systems, and one could find practically any service one desired there.

One of the upper demons sat in the control room on the third floor with an irritated expression.

In front of him was a gigantic wall-sized screen, through which he could monitor the real-time conditions of every work zone at any moment.

He was a Shadow Fiend manager. As he leisurely sipped red wine, he grumbled,

"These damned miners do nothing but slack off every day! If this week’s quota isn’t completed, the higher-ups are going to hold me accountable!"

"No, I still need to make them work harder. So what if a few more miners die? It’s no big deal. Once this week’s quota is finished, I need to find a way to transfer out of this damned position!"

"Day after day, I’m so idle I’m going stir-crazy!"

Evelyn frowned slightly. In the very same Factory Instance, those miners were working in such a horrific environment.

Yet on the side of the upper demons, despite enjoying the most comfortable surroundings imaginable, this one still felt utterly dissatisfied and complained without end.

So were upper demons and lower demons really even the same species?

Evelyn sank into deep thought. And just then, turmoil seemed to erupt in the mining zone!

A section of the mine collapsed, burying dozens of lower demons beneath it.

Instinctively, Evelyn wanted to ask whether they should act immediately and rescue them!

But on the other side, the demon manager reacted even faster. He arrived at the site of the collapse almost at once.

Yet his purpose was not to save anyone.

Instead, he ordered the miners to hold the collapse back by force, preventing the mine from caving in even further!

How could they do this?

A look of disbelief appeared on Evelyn’s face.

She had never dreamed that in the eyes of the upper demons, the lives of lower demons were worth even less than a piece of ore!

"You really care so little about the lives of lower demons?"

Evelyn could not help asking.

A demon attendant immediately stepped forward with a smile and explained,

"Honored guest, perhaps you do not know, but this is the survival law of our demon race. To give a simple example, these lowest-class demons may look utterly exhausted to you, but if you let them relax even a little, they will become unbelievably lazy in an instant."

Perhaps worried that Evelyn would not believe him, the demon attendant even took out a crystal orb from his storage space. Inside, it recorded scenes of lower demons slacking off.

"If they slack off, our Fallen City simply won’t be able to function!"

Evelyn frowned, but did not pursue the matter further. Because she knew very clearly that even among humans, there were similar situations.

And there was nothing she could do to change it.

Just then, the demon attendant at her side hesitated for a moment before continuing,

"In truth... it isn’t only a matter of status that they live at the bottom. It’s because there are far too many uncontrollable factors in them."

"Do you know why the mine collapsed just now?"