My Cell Prison-Chapter 1193 - 1192: Origin

After receiving the first "believer" in the Corpse Country,

Zhang Xiliang began to explain everything he knew about the Corpse Country to Han Dong without any reservation.

When it came to the topic of "levels," Han Dong was slightly disappointed. In Zhang Xiliang’s concept, the highest level was merely the Black Stiff, and he was unclear about any levels beyond that.

"Above the Black Stiff, I don’t know what rank they are.

I have only heard that the court intends to control the population of individuals above the rank of Black Stiff, specifically that the Ministry of Officials is controlling the distribution of ’Corpse Collection’ which supports individuals reaching beyond the rank of Black Stiff.

If a Black Stiff wants to break through, they must submit to the court.

Those who are stronger than that are basically hidden within the court and out of our reach."

"So, they are using ’Corpse Collection’ to control the powerful?"

"Yes... ’Corpse Collection’ greatly reduces the detours an individual must take; self-breakthrough takes too much time."

"Um, besides ’Corpse Collection,’ is there anything else interesting in Corpse Country, like special items or equipment that can enhance one’s personal strength?"

"Mr. Han might be interested in...

the ’Machinery’ governed by the Ministry of Works and the ’Talisman Tools’ governed by the Ministry of War."

Machinery, Han Dong had already learned about ’Mechanical Planting’ beforehand.

However, concerning Talisman Tools, he had no direct knowledge but guessed it might be related to the talisman paper attached to the foreheads of the workers on the Dragon Boat.

"Um, tell me more."

"The Mechanical Technology of the Ministry of Works dates back four hundred years, led by the then Minister of the Ministry of Works, Mo Yin, in a ’technological reformation.’ Since then, Corpse Country has focused on the development of mechanical technologies.

Nowadays, materials related to machinery can be seen in various regions of Corpse Country.

In markets, mechanical goods account for about 50%.

However, there are various categories and functions of machinery here: conventional ones for household, transportation, and other external uses, including Machinery Entities involved in individual enhancement.

A suitable Machinery Entity can be completely embedded in the body and grow alongside the Corpse Handler.

Like ’Corpse Collection,’ Machinery Entities also vary in quality and have their limits to growth.

Most Machinery Entities can only support individual growth up to the Black Stiff level, and if one wants to advance further, they must either be replaced or upgraded internally by senior technicians from the Ministry of Works, also under control of the court."

"Um..."

Han Dong was not interested in these planting and growth types of machinery for the time being.

After all, as Swollen Doctor had ventured into the realm of machinery, he believed that the Doctor’s capabilities would definitely be well utilized by the court, allowing him to deeply study these technologies without Han Dong needing to worry.

Moreover, Han Dong himself didn’t like to pretend to integrate machinery into his body; he preferred to use the inherent quality of a zombie’s body to grow.

"Tell me about the Talisman Tools."

"Talisman Tools... it’s somewhat ironic.

Initially, these were tools created by normal people to fend off zombies... Later, when humans found that they had to take the path of the Corpse Handlers, they modified these tools to be used by zombies."

This statement revealed a lot of information.

The initial mass population of this world was humans.

And similar to some ancient zombie movies, there were occasional Corpse Changes that required Daoists to use Talisman Tools to combat.

But there was an issue,

"What does it mean to take the path of the Corpse Handler?"

"Centuries ago, a tremendously terrifying Great Demon was born... Humans, relying on existing Talisman Tools, were utterly unable to combat it, and even the Brocade Robe Guards, then considered the highest battle force, suffered heavy casualties.

Eventually,

the court decided and issued the ’Decree of Corpse Transformation,’ also implementing the secretly-prepared ’Corpse Kingdom Reformation’ by the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of War.

This reformation involved regional differentiation, oil refining technologies, and a very crucial floating issue.

It allowed key areas of Corpse Country and its surroundings to float in the air, avoiding threats from the Great Demon."

"Oh? So that’s how it was..."

This understanding led Han Dong to roughly grasp the issue of the uncontrolled origin, also potentially shifting the threat from the Corpse Country downwards to the lands inhabited by demons.

"The ’Decree of Corpse Transformation’ must have been difficult to implement at first?"

"Not really difficult. At that time, some popular scholars and local officials quickly came forward using themselves as examples for Corpse Transformation, to alleviate public concerns in this way.

For those secretly spreading rumors, the Ministry of Punishment and the newly created Secret Department handled them covertly, enabling the ’Decree of Corpse Transformation’ to be quickly implemented nationwide."

"Quite interesting... It seems this country’s leadership is very decisive.

Continue, tell me more about the ’Talisman Tools.’"

"Well, although the Talisman Tools are controlled by the Ministry of War, they are more openly available compared to ’Corpse Collection’ and Machinery Entities, with many craftsmen of Talisman Tools available in civilian areas... One might find high-quality Talisman Tools for purchase in the ’deeper’ parts of the market.

The type of Talisman Tools is numerous, and my knowledge might not be enough to explain to you; the most direct way would be for Mr. Han to personally inspect the market.

However... the prices of Talisman Tools are quite high, similar to ’Corpse Collection.’

Selling all our corpses here, we could probably buy one lower-tier Talisman Tool."

"After all, it comes down to money.

Zhang Xiliang, other than selling corpses, is there any other quick way to make money?"

"Nowadays, the Ministry of Punishment controls strictly; in our Oil Mill District, we can still sell corpses, but other regions do not even have channels to sell corpses... There are almost no under-the-table ways to make money."

"If not under-the-table, what about openly?"

"Openly... I’m now a Green Zombie and can apply to participate in the court’s selection. Once I can become an internal member, the monthly salary isn’t insignificant, but it won’t be a lot either.

If you want to make a large amount of money in a short period, I can think of only one method"

Zhang Xiliang seemed very reluctant to mention such things, his expression exceedingly anxious.

"Let’s hear it."

"...Take on the Bounty Orders issued by the Ministry of Punishment, hunting wanted criminals! The head of each of these criminals can be exchanged for at least ten barrels of oil."

Han Dong’s eyes brightened, "That’s it, this is good!"

"Mr. Han, those wanted by the Ministry of Punishment are all fierce and evil corpses, even I am not sure I can handle them..."

"You don’t need to be sure, I am enough.

Speaking of which, are there any wanted criminals in the Oil Mill District? Given your status, you probably know something, right?"

"Sir Han, the ones hiding in the Oil Mill District absolutely cannot be touched! If you really want to go down this route, I suggest taking the oil money we earn from selling corpses and going to the market to gather information."

"No available information? We still have to buy information from others, that doesn’t sound good."

"This... the ones hiding in the Oil Mill District might have reached the rank of Black Stiff or even confront the Black Clothes Guards of the Ministry of Punishment directly."

"Maybe Black Stiff? What if they’re not... We might make a big profit."