Chapter 138: The Large-Scale Livestock Farm

Song Qi finished reading the contents of the stone tablets one by one.

It was clear that the Changhe Tribe held an intense, deep-seated hatred for Shan Ming. Phrases like "rebellious and wicked," "disrespectful to the gods," "defying the heavenly order," and "acting in opposition to the natural way" were inscribed on nearly every tablet. They were clearly trying to incite as much anger as possible in him, their "Divine Envoy," so that he would make haste to eliminate their enemy.

However, it was a pity...

Initially, after listening to the couple from the Changhe Tribe, he had formed an impression of Shan Ming as a cruel and lawless tyrant. But after reading this information, his perception of Shan Ming had shifted significantly.

How could this be a brutal ruler? This was clearly a man of vision who had recognized the gods' oppression of humanity and had risen up in defiance!

As for the people from other tribes that Shan Ming had killed... he could only say that reform is not a dinner party. Shan Ming was going after the gods' own interests! And at the same time, he was challenging the interests of many "commoners." In matters concerning core self-interests, how could one expect to succeed just by sitting down and talking? Since ancient times, all reforms have been forged in blood. Especially when it came to a transformation as earth-shattering as this one!

The only thing that puzzled him was: knowing that the Divine Kingdom possessed powerful God-blood warriors and deities, what gave Shan Ming the confidence to initiate an uprising? Was he simply a reckless fool, or did he possess some hidden ace up his sleeve?

Clatter!

Song Qi finished reading the final tablet and tossed it aside, his expression remaining largely unchanged. Seeing this, the chieftain and his two companions felt a sense of unease. "Why does the Divine Envoy seem so indifferent to such blasphemous behavior?" But the three of them dared not voice their concerns.

Song Qi picked up another pile of tablets. This batch contained information about the gods...

Half an hour later, all the tablets had been read. Most of them were filled with sycophantic flattery, but Song Qi had managed to glean the basic facts about the Divine Kingdom.

The Divine Kingdom was a region on the Third Continent. Humans were only permitted to live within this specific area. Other parts of the Third Continent belonged to other deities. In other words, the entire Third Continent had essentially been carved up by those monsters who wielded the laws of the world.

There were six gods in the Divine Kingdom. Most of them appeared half-human and half-beast, possessing forms that could be considered perfect in the eyes of humans. The supreme ruler was the Main God, who possessed the highest degree of human-like transformation, appearing almost indistinguishable from a human.

The rest were subordinate gods. These deities retained the characteristics of the species they had originated from before their transformation. For example, one of them had arms covered in magnificent feathers, clearly marking them as an avian monster.

Each of the six gods possessed incredible, god-like power. They would occasionally engage in battles with one another. As for their specific abilities, the tablets did not record them. Or rather, with the limited perspective of the tribespeople, they could not truly comprehend the battles between gods. They only knew that whenever a divine war broke out, the heavens crumbled and the earth split! Let alone observing them, the people could only flee the combat zone as quickly as possible; otherwise, if caught in the crossfire, they would be killed or severely wounded.

Beyond all this, the tablets also specifically noted the gods' favorite food: infants under the age of one!

...

"Divine Envoy, are you... satisfied?" the chieftain asked cautiously.

"Satisfied."

As he spoke, Song Qi pulled a Rare-grade greatsword from his system inventory. "This is your reward. Keep it well."

Seeing this, the three men beamed with joy. Although a Rare-grade weapon provided no stat bonuses for them, its durability and material quality were more than sufficient. For savages who used animal teeth and stones as weapons, such equipment was a treasure worthy of being a clan heirloom.

"Now, take me to see where you provide your offerings."

The chieftain took the weapon and touched the blade slightly, his last remaining doubts about Song Qi's identity vanishing instantly. Apart from a Divine Envoy, who else could casually give away such a precious weapon? He slung the greatsword over his shoulder without hesitation and eagerly led the way, his face full of obsequiousness.

"You are too kind, Divine Envoy! Please, follow me."

The four of them continued onward...

Soon, they arrived in front of a dilapidated wooden shack.

"To prevent attacks and looting by the Witch Lords, we hide the infants intended for offerings in a secret chamber," the chieftain explained. He entered the hut and pried open a floorboard.

Even before they descended, the wailing of infants could be faintly heard! At the same time, from deep within, there seemed to be the painful, mournful cries of women!

Creak~~

"Divine Envoy, please!"

The door was pushed open, and Song Qi stepped inside. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the scene before him left him momentarily stunned.

The room was extremely dim. Several torches hung in the center, but most areas remained shrouded in faint light. The space was divided into two sections, front and back, separated by a wall.

The front area consisted of square compartments partitioned by wooden boards. The spaces were small, only two or three square meters each. Every compartment held an infant. All the compartments were connected by a drainage trough. Above each infant's head hung a device similar to a feeder, which constantly dripped liquid food into the trough.

There were several people bustling about, frantically trying to clean up, but the stench of feces and urine permeated the entire space! It was no different from a pigsty.

Song Qi’s expression turned grim, though he did not yet lash out. He noticed that the wailing from behind the wall had ceased, leaving only faint, intermittent sobs. He could vaguely hear the word "child"...

Then, a man in tattered clothing walked out, carrying an infant that had yet to open its eyes. He grabbed a piece of animal hide, wrapped it up, tossed it into a compartment, and turned back to walk inside. He seemed completely unconcerned with the survival rate of the infants.

"Old man, that child was just born. Won't it die if you throw it in here? It should still be nursing, right?"

"Do not worry, Divine Envoy. Those liquid foods are infused with special herbs that stimulate their vitality. Although they won't grow up, living for a few years is no problem at all," the chieftain hurriedly explained. "Besides, the most important thing is that those female cattle don't have any milk anyway."

"Female cattle? No milk?"

Song Qi had lived two lifetimes, and this was the first time he had heard anyone refer to their own kin in such a way. It was also the first time he had heard of pregnant women having no milk.

Seeing that he seemed skeptical, the chieftain walked over to the partition wall in the middle.

"Divine Envoy, look..."

Click!

The partition was slowly pushed open...

A trickle of bright red liquid flowed out, followed by an even more intense, pungent stench—a mixture of blood, pus, feces, and medicinal concoctions. The stifling odor of something that had been fermenting for who knew how long assaulted his nostrils!

Countless children who had been quiet suddenly seemed to sense something.

"Waaaah!"

"Waaah!"

Countless infants began to cry in unison.

Bang!

The partition was pushed aside...

Amidst the cacophony of the infants, the scene behind the wall was finally revealed to Song Qi.