Chapter 190 Chapter 190: Inquisitor Irene
Chapter 190: Inquisitor Irene
"What's wrong with these scallops?"
Out of caution, FrostNova didn't pick up the scallop that had fallen on the ground. Instead, she poked it with a small ice blade.
But no matter how closely she examined it, she couldn't find any difference between this thing and the ones supplied by the Rhodes Island cafeteria.
"No, it's absolutely impossible for any food to appear here anymore."
Skadi was completely certain of this. The coastal area of Saltwind City had completely "died."
"But... I really found this by the shore."
Anita felt wronged. This was something she had been reluctant to eat all along.
"Let her go first. Calm down. Explanations require a sufficiently peaceful mood, don't they?"
Outcast mediated, easing the tense atmosphere a bit. She was also puzzled about the origin of the scallop.
"What's wrong with this scallop?"
In the "dead" sea, the only things that could survive for long periods were the Seaborn.
The moment Skadi saw this scallop, a guess had already formed in her mind.
But no matter how unwilling she was to believe it, she knew that was probably the truth about Saltwind City's food source.
"This is Seaborn meat."
Kevin had no reservations. His sky-blue eyes fixed on that scallop.
He finally understood why every single person in this city carried the aberrant aura of the Seaborn.
Though it probably tastes better than Honkai Beast meat, right?
He seriously compared the two, after all, Honkai Beasts are silicon-based lifeforms; normal people without strong teeth really can't chew them.
No one knew how far Kevin's thoughts had already wandered into the realm of fantasy.
But his words truly struck like a thunderbolt in the hearts of FrostNova and Outcast.
"This thing will erode your bodies and minds."
Skadi's gaze was heavy. No one understood better than her how severe the cognitive damage caused by those whispers combined with aberrant organs could be.
"Erode... what's that?"
Anita didn't quite understand this somewhat unfamiliar term, but she vaguely sensed it might not be a good thing.
"But we... have nothing else to eat."
She couldn't help but defend herself—no, defend everyone in this city.
The three fell silent. Having no food was the greatest helplessness of all.
Even if principles and regulations were shouted to the heavens, one fact couldn't be denied.
No one has an obligation to starve to death for those vague, intangible things. No one!
"One hundred... one hundred..."
The sounds outside, initially faint rustling, gradually grew noisy.
Those citizens who moved like zombies crawled up from the ground, each holding a worn clay pot, taking out shell fragments from them.
As if with purpose, they all moved in the same direction.
"Ah, so today is already the hundredth day."
Anita suddenly realized. Even seeing such a bizarre scene, she didn't seem surprised.
As if it were commonplace.
"Then can you tell grandma what the hundredth day means?"
Outcast tried to keep her tone as gentle as possible, not to make the girl in front of her nervous.
"Mhm, you were curious about where this food comes from, right?"
In Anita's understanding, this wasn't something worth keeping secret.
"Every hundred days, the adults choose someone who drew a red shell to go to the seaside. The next day, the shore is covered with food."
"And what about the person who drew the red shell?"
FrostNova looked at the numb crowd outside the door.
"They go to live in the sea."
This is murder!
This thought surfaced in everyone's minds, but Anita smiled as if genuinely happy for those people.
"?"
"Where else would you want them to go? The laws and the priests all say that place has no disease or hunger..."
There, they must be able to eat such sweet "candy" every day too, right?
Anita tightened her grip on the iron box in her hand.
"Speak! Why won't you speak? You're plotting to send people into the sea! Do you even know what you're doing?!"
The voice carried a youthful timbre, yet the tone was unexpectedly sharp and severe.
The sudden commotion outside also attracted the attention of the three inside the house.
"Famine, disease... I thought I would see these things. But you're living better than I imagined."
The young Liberi frowned deeply. This was very wrong.
Based on previous reports, after so many years, the citizens of Saltwind City shouldn't still be alive.
"But now, you're forcing someone to die."
"We're not forcing him. He volunteered."
The citizen who was stopped still had numb eyes. He recognized the attire of the person before him.
An Inquisitor. But so what?
Afraid of their swords? Or those dark hand cannons?
If death really came, perhaps it would be a relief.
"Someone is deceiving you. You're not even afraid of death anymore. You... are turning into monsters."
The other party wasn't afraid of her weapons. Irene was furious, but not at these citizens.
"Someone is deceiving you. I will find them and arrest them. I swear!"
"Suit yourself."
The citizen shook his head and moved aside for Irene. For him, whether this Inquisitor lived or died wasn't even as important as whether he could pick up one more scallop on the shore tomorrow.
Irene felt her blood boiling, but she took a deep breath. Her teacher had once told her:
A mature Inquisitor wouldn't let their emotions or personal likes and dislikes affect the fairness of their judgment. But looking at it now, she was still far from that level.
"Come out, Aegir inside the house."
She had come for this very reason. If the citizens' strange actions hadn't distracted her,
Irene would have probably come knocking much earlier.
"Open the door, citizen. Harboring criminals is punishable by law as an accomplice."
Irene's voice came from outside the door. She no longer intended to continue meaningless actions like tailing them.
Besides, were those people who later contacted that Aegir her accomplices?
The time to close the net should have arrived.
"I... I'm not harboring anyone."
The title of Inquisitor still helddeterrent power for Anita, who was lucid.
Her face showed distress; she was so anxious she was about to cry.
No one taken away by an Inquisitor ever returned. Anita was still young; she didn't want her life to end so hastily like this.
"You all saw it. She couldn't hold back first."
Skadi glanced at the three and spread her hands.
They've come knocking at our door. Not fighting back would be impolite.
"Three... two..."
Bang!
The door was kicked open. No fool would actually count to three.
"Cough cough..."
But the dust falling in showers caught Irene off guard. The murky air made her cough dryly.
Seeing several people staring at her as if looking at a fool, Irene felt somewhat embarrassed too.
"How long has it been since anyone lived in this damned place?"
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