Red Mist Tavern.
“Ah? Snake Boss, why are the odds for him so high, and there’s no cap for betting? Aren’t you afraid of losing big?”
The patrons at the tavern were watching the ‘Death Penalty Betting’ on the local channel and were surprised to find that the odds for the ‘Popular Contestant’ were at 1.65. Based on past experience, the odds for a popular contestant were at most 1.0001 or even lower, with a maximum betting limit per person.
Since everyone could usually predict who would die in each trial after reviewing the death row inmates’ profiles, Snake Boss wouldn’t just give away money for nothing.
The popular bets in the betting were often unpredictable categories such as ‘the difference between the highest and lowest votes’, ‘whether the highest votes can surpass 150,000 within 15 minutes’, or ‘whether a prisoner brawl will occur within 5 minutes’.
Snake Boss, leaning against the bar, flicked out his tongue and hissed, “Yeah, I’m going to lose big, and if all of you bet on him, I’m in trouble, sss~”
A customer laughed and said, “Hey, I don’t want to make money off Snake Boss. I’m just playing to lose, hey~ I’ll bet on the one with the lowest odds and a limit.”
Lorens was looking at the betting game on the Holographic Screen, wondering if he should place a bet or two. He had spent over a year in Shattered Lake Prison and hadn’t gambled in a long time.
Such local betting games could be set up by almost anyone without any Restrictions, but there was one condition: the bookmaker had to deposit a substantial amount of pre-funds into Kaimon Bank, otherwise, the bank would not provide the money betting service for the betting game, effectively preventing the bookmaker from defaulting on a catastrophic loss.
After scanning through the ‘Highest Votes’ odds for the eight death row inmates, Lorens knew who was likely to be the Redeemed of this Blood Moon Tribunal.The lowest odds naturally indicated the person everyone thought was certain to die.
Generally, the one with the lowest odds was the ‘Popular Contestant’ who could be determined from the profiles. But this time…
“Interesting…”
Lorens smiled and placed his maximum bet under the contestant with the lowest odds.
…
…
Ashe finally understood.
Why Harvey was so sure that tonight’s ‘random’ selection would likely land on him—because the so-called randomness was determined by the Audience’s votes!
The death row inmate with the most votes wins the grand prize—a trip to heaven!
The Executioner sends you straight to paradise!
So why was it certain death for Ashe if it was up to the Audience’s vote?
Because Ashe had been the hot topic in the news for the past few days!
He was this ‘month’s Popular Contestant’, the ‘cover story’!
For the past few days, the news had been all about Ashe Heath’s Cult rise to power, explained in a detailed yet simple manner, so enthralling that even Ashe himself was captivated. It’s no wonder that the majority of the Audience was now familiar with Ashe.
What’s meant by audience appeal?
This is audience appeal!
Since you’re so recognizable, you’re the chosen one!
As he watched his vote count soar rapidly, the crimson ‘Executioner’ in front of him grew larger and more ferocious, taking up most of the platform space, pushing Ashe to the edge until his heels were hanging off the side.
Every cell in his body roared, screaming at him to run away!
Just when Ashe was about to reach his limit, a scream suddenly erupted from beside him!
“Ah! Ahhh!”
The Ogre inmate beside him shrieked like a little girl, as if he had been seared by a hot iron!
The Ogre was brushed by the pale blue Flames of Atonement emanating from the slender Executioner and shook violently, retreating to the edge, clinging to the Steel Wire in a pitiful, weak, and helpless display!
At this time, the other inmates also began to scream in agony, each one in excruciating pain.
Though there were no visible wounds on their bodies, they appeared to be in as much pain as if their fingernails had been torn off and driven back into the flesh.
Even a Goblin Death row inmate, taking advantage of his light body, was walking on the Steel Wire with a wobble.
They would rather risk falling into the sea than stand close to the Executioner!
Was it really that painful?
Although Ashe had always known they were Death row inmates, due to the Chip Restrictions on the inmates’ behavior, he didn’t have a clear understanding of this.
It wasn’t until now that a sense of superiority emerged within him.
Oh my, how pitiful your screams are, Death row inmates, how terrifying. Unlike me, I don’t feel a thing~
“Violation… Violation!”
A Death row inmate, lips bitten from the pain of the Flames of Atonement, bellowed, “This is a violation of human rights! The Blood Moon Tribunal can’t harm us during the Voting Segment!”
“You’re torturing us, trampling on our dignity, using torture as a means!”
“Human rights organizations, councilors of the city council are watching the Blood Moon Tribunal, too. File a complaint against them, stop them!”
“Yeah, shouldn’t we be safe during the Voting Segment?! Shattered Lake Prison has violated the rules of the Blood Moon Tribunal!”
“Stop this trial now! Hurry!”
Ashe also found it strange because, based on comprehensive information from various sources, it seemed that the Blood Moon Tribunal indeed resulted in only one death most of the time, with the remaining seven inmates returning safely to prison.
In fact, Ashe had met many inmates who were survivors of the Blood Moon Tribunal, some of whom had even repeatedly tested the dangerous limits as regulars in the trials.
Moreover, the Blood Moon Kingdom paid great attention to the rights of Races and human rights (seemingly), and would never allow any punishments that were torturous in nature and inhuman in execution.
Even interrogations had been uniformly replaced by ‘Memory Extraction’.
Criminals would not suffer any form of torture from the time of arrest to imprisonment.
Speak if you wish, but we will not violate your rights in the slightest.
Of course, whether ‘Memory Extraction’ constitutes a violation of human rights is another matter.
So the Death row inmates’ doubts about Shattered Lake Prison did have some legal basis. Their current situation was undoubtedly pure torture, not in line with the spirit of Redemption of the Blood Moon Tribunal, and was a desecration to the Blood Moon Sovereign, a regression against the equality of all beings!
“Nope.”
Nago shook his head, “The rules of this Blood Moon Tribunal have been approved by the council, human rights organizations, and various Race rights groups. There is no inhumane arrangement. Although your current situation may seem dangerous, as long as you stay in your place and do nothing, you will not be harmed.”
“Ah! Ahh!” In that moment, the Orc Death row inmate’s Executioner slightly intensified, and the Flames of Atonement licked at the Orc’s skin, eliciting a high-pitched scream from the burly creature, akin to that of a little girl.
“Is this what you call ‘no harm will come’!?” The Death row inmates, trembling with rage, shouted, “You… you half-Goblin, half-Ogre abomination, just like those green-skinned trash with boar’s teeth, can only spew crap, right!?”
“Scum bred in the Undercity Nursery from eating garbage!”
“A fledgling deflowered by Goblin gigolos!”
It was then that the Death row inmates remembered they had shed all their shackles, no longer bound by the rules of Racial equality or the niceties of language. They exploded with a fierce Battle spirit, as if they were spewing out all the foul language they had kept bottled up in their throats. Their words encompassed regional discrimination, Racial discrimination, and sexism in a single breath, prompting even Ashe to listen involuntarily.
That was until he heard Harvey shout next to him—
“Idiots who believe in the Four Pillars!”
Ashe turned to Harvey; although he wasn’t one of those idiots, he felt as though he had been insulted and thus retorted loudly, “You filthy Necromancer who loves to sleep cuddled up with corpses!”
Harvey glared back, and Ashe met his gaze defiantly. Then, he heard Harvey ask in a hushed tone:
“How did you know that?”
“Ah?”
It wasn’t the Executioner who nearly pushed Ashe into the sea, but those words that almost made him take three steps back and fall into the water.
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