Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3913: The Food Situation In The Depths

”What about deeper inside?” Lin Mu asked.

The prisoner immediately shook his head. ”We can’t. The beasts live there.”

His voice became almost a whisper. ”They’re too strong. Even the weakest among them...” He looked at his own shackled wrists. ”...Are beyond us.”

”Our cultivation remains sealed, so we’re barely stronger than ordinary mortals. Even a weak spirit beast could wipe out our entire group.”

Several prisoners quietly nodded as one man raised his sleeve. A long scar stretched from his shoulder down toward his elbow.

”I got too close once and only saw its tail.” The man trembled. ”I barely escaped.”

Another prisoner silently rolled up his trouser leg showing that half the calf had disappeared.

”The beasts don’t even bother chasing us. They simply kill whoever gets close enough.”

Lin Mu finally understood something else: The carrot.

Their reaction now made perfect sense. These people truly possessed no reliable food source. Whatever insects they found, whatever scraps they scavenged and whatever unfortunate prisoner entered their territory... That comprised their entire existence.

Fresh vegetables had likely disappeared from their lives decades ago.

Perhaps even centuries.

”Earlier... Someone mentioned food crates.” Lin Mu nodded before asking another question. ”I was under the impression the prison supplied nothing.”

This time a different prisoner cautiously raised his hand. He looked noticeably older than the first speaker and his beard had almost completely turned gray.

”My lord. I know about those.”

Lin Mu gestured for him to continue.

”The crates do exist. They’ve always existed. But we simply don’t know when they’ll appear.” His expression became frustrated. ”Sometimes... We’ll find one after only five Fingernails. Other times... It takes ten.”

”I’ve even seen gaps longer than that. There is no pattern or warning of any kind, they simply appear.”

Lin Mu became interested. ”Where?”

The old prisoner pointed deeper into the tunnels. ”There are several supply locations that look like stone platforms. Sometimes crates appear there.”

”But when they do...” He laughed bitterly. ”...they’re usually already gone.”

Lin Mu understood immediately. ”The stronger prisoner groups.”

The old man nodded. ”They reach them first as they live closer and they’re stronger. They can guard the locations and our group rarely arrives in time.” He let out a sigh. ”When we do... The crates have already been emptied and sometimes they even leave traps behind.”

Lin Mu silently memorized that information.

Supply crates appearing without explanation at regular intervals with an unknown origin deserved investigation. If he wished to understand how the Mad Demon Depths truly functioned those locations might provide important clues.

”I’ll visit them later.” He quietly muttered.

The prisoners naturally heard him but none commented. Instead, several silently pitied him. Even approaching those locations invited tremendous danger.

Lin Mu asked another question. ”What about water?”

The first prisoner answered again.

”Water is much easier as there are underground streams, dripping caves and natural pools. We’ve never lacked drinking water. So thirst isn’t what kills people.”

Lin Mu nodded as that explained why their crude method of measuring time relied upon the pools. The dripping water never ceased.

His thoughts returned toward his earlier exploration. ”I’ve seen many insects and rats. Do you eat them?”

The prisoner nodded.

”The bugs. Some of them. But only certain kinds. We learned through trial and error.” He forced out another bitter smile. ”Many prisoners died teaching us which ones were poisonous.”

Another prisoner spoke. ”The rats... We don’t eat them. They carry diseases.”

”Almost all of them.” A short man added.

”We’ve tried before.” The previous man continued. ”But the sickness spreads too quickly. The few who survive become weaker afterward.”

The first prisoner continued. ”The edible bugs help, but only a little as they’re too small. You’d need hundreds just to fill your stomach once.”

”So...” He looked around at the silent prisoners. ”...we’re always hungry.”

His quiet words settled heavily over the gathering.

For these prisoners, every single day revolved around the same question. It was not cultivation, nor escape and certainly not revenge. It was simply how to survive until the next Fingernail of time passed.

Lin Mu quietly considered everything the prisoners had told him.

The Mad Demon Depths proved far different from the simple underground prison he had initially imagined. There were distinct regions, prisoner factions, natural ecosystems, ancient rituals, mysterious supply crates and unknown beasts.

It was an enormous underground world stretching far beyond the tunnels he had explored and every answer only raised more questions. Still one particular detail continued lingering in his thoughts.

Earlier, one of the prisoners had casually mentioned his grandfather.

At the time, Lin Mu had paid little attention to it, but now the significance of those words suddenly struck him.

His eyes shifted toward the prisoner who had spoken earlier. ”You.”

The man immediately straightened. ”Yes, my lord.”

”You mentioned your grandfather.”

The prisoner nodded. ”I did.”

Lin Mu folded his arms. ”I want you to clarify something. When you spoke about him did you mean both of you were imprisoned here at different times?”

”Or...” He paused briefly. ”Has your family remained inside this place ever since?”

The prisoner’s expression became rather complicated.

He looked toward several others before answering.

”My lord... It’s...” He hesitated. ”...a little difficult to explain.”

Lin Mu patiently waited and the prisoner slowly glanced around at the kneeling survivors. ”We’re actually... not the only ones.”

”What do you mean?” Lin Mu asked.

”There are several people here...” The man quietly replied. ”...who belong to families that have lived inside the Mad Demon Depths for generations.”

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”Generations?”

The prisoner nodded. ”Some have lived here for two generations.”

He pointed toward an older woman sitting nearby. ”Her daughter was born here.”

Then he pointed toward another middle aged prisoner. ”His father died here.”

Finally his hand slowly lowered toward himself. ”My own family has been here for three generations.”

Silence followed as even Lin Mu found himself genuinely surprised. He had entered the Mad Demon Depths believing it served one clear purpose, a prison. It was a place where criminals were discarded and only people sentenced for terrible crimes were sent.

But now that understanding had begun to crumble.