My Cell Prison-Chapter 1190 - 1189: Corpse Oil

Corpse Country - Imperial City District

[Taiji Palace]

At the grand entrance of the palace, a special staircase, mixing yin stone and metal, rose up in a set of 1008 steps.

Two officials, donning crow-black caps and robes adorned with beast motifs on their chests, ascended the steps and knelt at the gate.

One of them was none other than the Dragon Boat Governor, his body thin as kindling, a stark contrast to the other minister’s robust frame.

It was the latter who spoke first:

"Your Majesty, the consumption rate of ’Locksmith’ is increasing by the day. Even if we directly distribute ’Corpse Collection’ to the surrounding Floating Islands, the number of Zombies provided cannot fill the rapidly growing demand.

Furthermore, the efficiency of recent ’Conquests’ and ’Hunts’ has also noticeably declined.

I earnestly request that Your Majesty could..."

At this point,

an utterly terrifying force, reminiscent of the infernal blackness of death, erupted wildly, causing the man to tremble violently.

"Zhu Guang, step back."

"...Yes."

Although the man seemed to want to say more, he considered his life and some other factors and could only bow and withdraw.

"Governor Pei, have you come to report such trivial matters as well?"

Governor Pei bowed his head low, responding softly:

"This humble official has come to report on matters regarding the Floating Islands... During this expedition for corpse collection, although many Floating Islands have seen an increase in Zombie numbers thanks to ’Corpse Collection,’ the quality is inconsistent.

However, I have discovered a capable individual on a small Floating Island who managed to defeat and successfully transfer the mechanical implants of an Imperial-bred Corpse Demon during its Zombie Transformation.

He also achieved exemplary results in the Dragon Boat examination.

With proper nurturing, he is bound to accomplish great things."

"Such trivialities surely aren’t the reason for your audience, are they?"

"To reply to Your Majesty, during this expedition, this humble official has observed that at least thirty chains have exhibited vibrations exceeding normal standards.

Just as the Secretary has stated, it may relate to the extensive loss of ’Locksmith’ or perhaps it is an early warning bell."

"Step back..."

"Yes."

...

Corpse Country - Oil Mill District

The ’Corpse Element’ needed for a Common Zombie to advance to Zombie is derived from ’Corpse oil,’ further separated and purified through Mechanical Technology.

Even in a world disrupted by those Out of Control, there inevitably exist pathways to advancement, with ’Corpse Element’ being one of the essential substances.

Besides, the remaining parts of the corpse oil after extracting the ’Corpse Element’ also have other uses.

For instance, as an indispensable Mechanical Fuel, as a fine oil for upper-class zombies’ skin care, or as a fundamental ingredient required by the secret methods of ’Corpse Collection,’ and so on.

Due to its wide range of uses, even being something every Zombie would need, ’Corpse oil’ has become a hard currency within Corpse Country.

[Oil Mill District] is the area specifically dedicated to refining corpse oil, responsible for the refining, control, and transportation of corpse oil nationwide... Logically, such an important area would be under strict supervision.

Indeed, the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Rites both have Inspector Offices set up here.

However, their surveillance focuses only on the ’Oil’ and not so much on the ’Residents’ of this area.

...

Han Dong, who emerged from the grave area, held nothing but a Citizen Tag symbolizing his identity.

Since he had no residence nor a designated area to report to.

Han Dong also casually strolled around the Oil Mill District to get a general understanding of the area.

"The oil refineries are indeed dense, is this a heavy industrial manufacturing zone?"

No wonder the air here reeks of oil molecules... As for the raw materials for refining "Corpse oil," they must be the zombies that died in the Corpse Country for various reasons."

Walking down no more than two streets, Han Dong saw five steam flatbed trolleys passing by, carrying a large amount of zombie corpses from other districts on their spacious platforms.

Through the Demon Eye’s x-ray vision, Han Dong also noticed that some of the bodies were even dressed in official uniforms, with injuries on their bodies as if they had been inflicted during a fight with some kind of beast.

"Exploitation of the people?"

In addition to these standard transport vehicles, Han Dong also noticed some ’small movements’ in the Oil Mill District.

The residents living here would privately drag some corpses to the refineries in exchange for "Corpse oil"... Of course, the refineries would naturally take a cut of these private deals.

Even so, the residents still received a considerable amount of wealth.

As for why these residents had corpses, that was due to the ’local customs’ here.

"It does seem quite dangerous. Since I left the graveyard till now, there have been at least more than twenty malicious gazes... Do I, a newcomer, look like ’mobile Corpse oil’?

However, for some reason, these guys still don’t dare to act openly, but it’s only a matter of time before they come looking."

Han Dong didn’t mind and continued his casual stroll.

When he walked from the refinery area to the ordinary residential area, the density of grease in the air sharply decreased, and Han Dong felt much more comfortable, no longer greasy all over.

The ratio of residential buildings to refineries was about 1:9...

Just as the zombies on the Dragon Boat had mentioned, the land in the Corpse Country was extremely expensive, not something ordinary citizens could afford.

Most of the residential buildings were owned by merchants, used to further exploit the lower-class zombies.

The buildings were mostly double or triple stories tall, also incorporating elements of Mechanical Technology.

As Han Dong walked here, cries from vendors followed suit.

"Get your coffins here, all of them top-quality!

They come with integrated encryption features, once the coffin is sealed it will be difficult to open from the outside, providing you with a comfortable and secure resting space."

"Do you want to condense Corpse Energy and shed your lowly zamby citizens’ status early on? Zhao Family’s Sophora Wood Coffin, your best choice!"

The majority of the vendors were selling coffins.

This also encompassed intricate networks of relationships; buying a coffin from a certain family naturally meant receiving some small amount of protection from that merchant, allowing you to rest near their shop in your coffin, while also serving advertising purposes.

The shop owners provided a bit of shelter on their end as well.

If one didn’t rely on a coffin and simply lay down to sleep on the street... it was very possible to wake up and find oneself sold to the refineries.

Taking all these circumstances into account, a unique scene was formed in the Oil Mill District.

Coffins were piled up in both the major and minor thoroughfares, with working zombies resting in their respective coffins.

Upon waking, they would carry their coffins to the refinery for work.

Of course, these coffins were far from cheap, and most working people bought them on credit, having to work in the refineries for ten, even twenty years to pay off the debt.

"Why not just stay in the village, why come out at all?

However, whether looking at the situation from the Dragon Boat or the refineries here, it seems that the Corpse Country is almost in a state where the entire nation is conscripted for labor... Anyway, I could never do such work.

I’d better sleep first and try to find a way to make some money by other means."

Han Dong was feeling a bit weary.

He hadn’t had a chance to sleep since arriving on the Floating Island, and his brain did require rest.

Without using any coffin, he simply found a relatively flat piece of ground and lay down to sleep.

Naturally... he was quickly targeted by a group of professionals at picking up bodies, and by more than one faction.