Chapter 3

Blood Honey and Zombies

After answering Dorothy's question, Cesar stared at the golden milk in his cup, lost in thought.

Before the age of seven, Cesar had a peculiar condition. Every time the sun set and night fell, his blood would gradually cool, and his heartbeat would slow down. By midnight, he would become icy cold and 'die,' with no heartbeat or breathing. When the sun rose again, he would come back to life as usual.

During this time at midnight, Cesar was just like a normal person except for his physical decline. He could even dream. Although he lost the joy of getting up at night, he gained an exceptionally deep sleep. Until he was seven, Cesar had never experienced insomnia!

At first, the Earl was very worried about his son's 'dying and coming back to life.' The first time he witnessed it, the new father even thought he had starved his son to death, and he fell into deep guilt and self-reproach. It wasn't until hours later, when the baby's cries for milk, that he was rescued from his hell.

Days passed, and the Earl consulted many 'experts,' but none could help with this bizarre situation. Gradually, the father, who had become accustomed to it, began to see it as a good thing. For a single father, a night without a troublesome child was the most wonderful!

For Cesar, who had never known that 'one could wake up at night,' he had already adapted to this situation from the beginning. Everything changed fourteen days after his seventh birthday...

That morning, he woke up as usual with the sunrise, and then he felt something different inside him. This feeling was like a nail piercing the flesh, not painful but very noticeable. Just after waking up, he clearly felt something 'foreign' in his chest. Instinctively, he raised his hand and summoned a small red bottle.

'Peng!' A red mist exploded in his palm, condensed, and formed a small red bottle.

A few days after the horns on his head appeared, a 'bottle' emerged from his chest! At that time, the little boy, who didn't know what 'talents' were, had the mental capacity of a 'seven-year-old child.' How could he withstand such a shock? Just like Dorothy, who discovered she had wings the week before, he broke down and burst into tears the moment it happened.

Unfortunately, the Earl was not at home that day. After crying for half an hour, the little boy finally calmed himself down and then laughed foolishly, immersed in the 'disappearance' and 'sudden appearance' of the small bottle. In just an hour, he had complete control over the 'bottle in his chest,' with no hesitation.

Tired of playing with the bottle, the curious child couldn't resist the temptation and gently unscrewed the cap... A small bottle of bright red, honey-like, sweet-smelling liquid appeared before his eyes. Cesar extended his tongue and tasted it, experiencing the flavor of 'blood honey' for the first time.

Four days later, a shocking murder case spread throughout the city! A family of five, an elderly person, a couple, and two sons, were found dead in their home, their bodies withered and aged, and their blood drained. The crime was suspected to be the work of a vampire, but the culprit was still at large. Due to its proximity to the noble district, the incident caused a great stir, and the city's guards were mobilized to capture unregistered bloodsuckers.

Only the Earl knew the full story; the culprit was naturally his son, who 'died' every night. Several months later, the confused Cesar also accepted the fact that he was a murderer. However, he still lacked the awareness of a 'killer.' Whenever he talked about it, he felt a complex mix of guilt and regret...

Isn't it said that after the first murder, one usually feels nauseous and vomits? Why do I only find 'blood honey' sweet and delicious? And then I just slept very well that night?

Since awakening his first talent, 'Blood Honey,' Cesar, who drank a drop of honey every day, gained enough vitality and never 'died and came back to life' again.

Blood Honey: Extracts all the life force from a living being, using blood as a medium, and converts it into a small amount of honey, stored in the bottle in the chest.

...

"Welcome to the first radio channel of Arkens City. Now broadcasting the news..."

The voice from the radio interrupted Cesar's memories. He turned to look at his sister, who was happily munching on cotton candy in the bowl, showing no sign of shame or anything else.

"Many dwarf workers from multiple steel mills and machinery factories in our city have gone on strike, inciting a large number of workers to demonstrate on the main street, demanding higher wages and shorter working hours. The mayor has stated..." the radio reported today's news.

"Why are those dwarves so idle? Why don't you send the guards to beat them up? You let them demonstrate on the streets! I remember the dwarves in our watch factory caused trouble once, and you even raised their wages. These mud-eaters are ungrateful! You're still indulging them!" Dorothy, with cotton candy in her mouth, said excitedly. Anything that affected her family's income, whether right or wrong, should be killed!

"This is a rule-of-law society. The dwarves haven't broken any laws by demonstrating on the streets. What can I do? Besides, the guards don't report to me. Also, the dwarves in this demonstration are not from our watch factory," the Earl rolled his eyes and replied.

"Oh... that's fair enough. Let them continue to cause trouble, the more the better. When all the factories in the city stop production, only ours will still be running! Hehehe..." The little girl, satisfied, leaned back on the table and continued to munch.

"The national thirteen provinces have passed the 'Zombie Labor Act,' and our city is included. From now on, any company wishing to purchase zombie labor must go to the designated department of the city government to complete the relevant procedures and apply for certification from the Church of Damnation. Special note: 1. Purchase zombie labor only from designated sellers. Using zombies that have not been safety-approved is considered illegal. 2. Before using zombie labor, a one-week training on operational knowledge is required. 3. Zombie labor is limited to level five jobs. 4. Food and beverage companies must apply for additional approval."

"Spit! So harsh! They won't even spare the dead?!" Dorothy, with cotton candy in her mouth, exclaimed in surprise, "This must be the work of the goblins! It must be those dwarves! Only goblins who dig up their ancestors from the ground and charge people to visit them could do such a heartless thing!"

"This time you're wrong," Nicole said with a smile, "This comes from a small principality in the north."

"What's the story?" Cesar asked curiously. He was quite interested in the idea of exploiting the dead.

"I remember there was a small country in the north, where a small necrotic domain intersects. In every city, there are merchants from the underworld stationed in the cemeteries. For merchants, the countless and valueless ordinary zombies are a burden, so they rent them out to mill owners. Mill owners don't need zombies for combat, so they put saddles on them to replace donkeys, and use meat to drive the zombies to keep moving. These mindless creatures are more obedient than mules, hardworking and never complain, working 24 hours a day without rest, and they don't pick their food. They will eat anything, whether it's weeds, waste paper, or other things that ordinary animals can't eat. Over time, the frequently exercised zombies became stronger, and the mill owners would return them to the merchants, charging a feeding fee and taking a batch of weak zombies home. Gradually, the practice of renting out zombies for paid maintenance became common. Whether it's road construction, bridge building, or plowing fields, zombies are indispensable. The empire saw the benefits and, with the recent dwarf strikes and the establishment of communes and associations, decided to implement the 'Zombie Labor Act' to suppress the unruly dwarves." Nicole explained seriously, and Dorothy nodded in agreement, but who knows how much she actually understood.

Damn! These dwarves are so fashionable, they're even starting to play 'communism'! Cesar, listening on the side, shook his head in amazement.

"Cesar, what's wrong? Do you have an opinion on these dwarves?" Nicole noticed Cesar's surprised expression and asked.

"No, I just think these zombies have found their purpose in death." Cesar quickly shook his head.

"Found their purpose in death? Well said, these zombies indeed have found their purpose in death!" The Earl's eyes lit up, and he nodded in approval. A good idiom, thus destroyed by father and son.

...

...

...

First, I need votes, this is a priority!

Second, I heard someone say 'Ashes' had a bad ending? Let me explain. From the volume in the superhero world, I planned to finish the story. I've been waiting for the right moment and wrapping things up. After three volumes, I finally felt the time was right, and I decisively and swiftly killed the protagonist! Yeah... (??_?)?

The protagonist died, and then someone asked for my address to send me a knife. So, I added a chapter with a heartfelt hidden ending to heal everyone's wounded hearts. I put so much effort into killing the protagonist and healing everyone, does this count as a bad ending? If it was bad, it would have been bad long ago! I am innocent!

Let me explain the many unresolved issues. From the first chapter of the previous book, I started writing off track. I intended to write a serious dark novel, but from the first chapter, I went down a wrong path. Without an outline, I veered further off track, and each volume turned out differently from what I expected. Every dozen or so chapters, I veered off again, and in the end, it was completely different from what I initially planned.

During this time, I had constant inspiration and kept creating new plot points. With my limited brain capacity, I forgot what I wrote in each volume. Writing a book is different from reading; it's very mentally taxing. So, in the end, there were countless plot points I remembered or forgot, and they couldn't be resolved! For this reason, I even changed the original summary.

For this book, everyone can rest assured, I have an outline! Yeah... (??_?)?

With an outline in hand, the world is mine!

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