Final Lord

Chapter 288 The Blood Chain of the Minotaur Labyrinth

After successfully making contact with the caveman, Blind Cat quietly entered a dark cave under the caveman's guidance.

The pale blue fluorescent moss swayed gently on the damp rock wall, casting dappled and eerie shadows. The cold light emitted by the moss flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, illuminating the withered face of the caveman's kin with exceptional clarity.

His skin, long deprived of sunlight, was a sickly grayish-brown, with cracked scales covered in ulcers from parasites. His prominent cheekbones and parched lips, chapped from lack of water, trembled slightly, as if he might exhale his last breath at any moment.

The blind cat opposite him said quietly:
"We were slaves at first, until we met our lord..."

On the lord's land, we are no longer slaves, but soldiers he values ​​and his loyal subjects..."

The blind cat's voice was deep yet scorching, and the tip of its tail unconsciously scratched the ground, as if trying to crush the rusty chains in its memory.

He described that fertile land nourished by the spring of life.

The cavemen warriors wore tempered red copper armor, and their spears were coated with a deadly poison that even the minotaurs feared; all the cavemen lived in dry, warm stone houses, and their daily rations consisted of porridge mixed with delicious mushrooms...

The caveman's skin was dull and cracked from long-term malnutrition, and his knuckles were twisted and deformed from overwork. As the blind cat narrated, his knuckles gradually tightened, and his bony back trembled slightly.

"That's so great, I'm so envious."

"There is such a good thing!"

"How can there be such a good lord! Brother Blind Cat, you are so lucky."

He was tired of saying the word "envy" to his fellow cavemen. He only regretted that he couldn't switch bodies with the blind cat.

After reminiscing about his wonderful life in Wang Bufu's territory, Blind Cat smacked his lips and asked his fellow cavemen:

"And what about you? How were you doing in the underground labyrinth?"

The blind cat's voice was extremely low, and the last syllable almost blended into the sound of water dripping from the depths of the cave.

The caveman opposite was huddled in a corner, his jagged spine protruding like a knife, and his scales covered with sores from parasites gnawing at them.

His chapped lips trembled, and a sigh, almost a sob, escaped his throat: "What else can we do? In the Minotaur, we're not even as good as decaying fungi..."

He stretched out his withered claws, the tips of which were worn raw and bloody from years of digging for ore. “Every day we were chained into the mine, and if we didn’t dig out enough ore, the whip would tear our backs apart. If we were unlucky and the rock collapsed, we would all die underground.”

The blind cat's tail lashed the ground unconsciously, splashing up tiny specks of mud. "I've heard... you're occasionally dragged into the minotaurs' feasts?"

“Yes.” The caveman’s body suddenly contracted, his skin rustling with fear. “Those horned beasts… they call us ‘living meat reserves’.”

His claws dug deep into the cracks in the rock, and he hissed hoarsely:

"Food is actually very scarce in the Minotaur, especially meat."

If the minotaurs couldn't prepare enough food, they would drag some cavemen out of the slave sheds. I watched with my own eyes as my good brother was impaled through the shoulder with an iron hook, hung on a grill, and roasted until he was crispy.

The minotaurs even have recipes specifically for cooking us cavemen.

The cavern fell silent, save for the mournful murmur of the underground river. After a long while, the caveman spoke again, his voice like the scraping of rusty iron: "This labyrinth shouldn't exist... There's no fertile soil, no freedom, no joy, even moss grows sparingly. Yet the minotaurs, with three blood chains, carved out a city." The blind cat seemed to realize something and quickly asked, "Three blood chains? Which three?"

He counted the bloody pillars one by one, his twisted knuckles pointing out their locations:

"The first is ore and iron—we cavemen risk our lives to mine the ore, and the dwarves are then forced by whips to forge it into armor, swords, and axes. The best equipment is always worn by the minotaurs, and the rest is sold to caravans from other places."

"The second is plunder."

A glint of hatred flashed in his eyes. "Whenever the granaries are empty, the minotaurs send out troops to swarm the surrounding underground tribes like locusts."

For example, Medusa's lair or the Scorpion People's underground oases both had the habit of raising livestock. The spoils of war filled their stomachs, while captured prisoners were chained up and enslaved.

“As for the third point…” He suddenly gave a bitter laugh, revealing his broken fangs.

“It’s us. If our slave race reproduces too much, the minotaurs will treat us as ‘surplus goods’ and drag us to the slave market.”

Our children, mates, brothers… all are put up for sale. Those who were sold off before met a terrible end; only those bought back by your lord live good lives, at least escaping this hell.”

The fluorescent moss flickered in and out of focus, making the tear stains on the caveman's face look like bloodstains. He suddenly grabbed Blind Cat's arm, his nails almost digging into Blind Cat's skin: "Brother Blind Cat, tell me the truth, does your lord... really want to give us cavemen a way to live?"

Blind Cat grabbed his wrist with his other hand, his deep voice filled with unprecedented determination: "Not a way out, but a new life. In the Lord's territory, the cavemen will have their own tribes, farmlands, houses, and even... the power of revenge."

But I must make one thing clear: if you want the lord to help you, you must be prepared to risk your lives.

The lord only saves cavemen who are willing to climb out of the pit, and he will not stoop to save those who are unwilling to climb out.

do you understand? "

Deep within the cave, a drop of water falls into the underground river, creating silent ripples.

“I understand!” the caveman said firmly. “Brother Blind Cat, my name is Shaker Gunner. I am the chieftain chosen by the cavemen of this generation in the Minotaur Labyrinth.”

But from this moment forward, you are our chief. Whatever you require of me, I will carry it out without hesitation, even at the cost of my life!
"Brother Blind Cat, based on my observation, the Minotaur's food supply is critically low. They should be setting out in a week. This is our chance."

"Alright!" Blind Cat patted Shaker on the shoulder: "Wait for my good news!"

……

The dappled light and shadow cast by the fluorescent blue moss on the rock face reflected Wang Bufu's calm and serene expression.

The blind cat's back was hunched over, and his fingers gripping the staff trembled with excitement.

He lowered his voice to a whisper, but it carried an undisguised urgency.

"My lord, our kin are ready. In a week, the main force of the minotaurs will launch a full-scale attack on the Medusa tribe. That will be the weakest point in the Minotaur labyrinth. If we can send troops to launch a surprise attack and coordinate with the cavemen inside, we can rescue all our kin!"

Wang Bufu lightly tapped the gold coin pouch at his waist with his fingertips, the crisp sound of metal clashing was particularly clear in the dimly lit tunnel.

(End of this chapter)