Chapter 3909: The Carrot And Stick Approach

The first prisoner’s desperate cry shattered whatever resolve remained among the others.

"I submit!"

His forehead remained pressed firmly against the cracked stone while his entire body trembled uncontrollably. For a heartbeat, nobody else moved. Then another prisoner suddenly threw away the sharpened rib he had been clutching.

The crude weapon clattered against the stone before sliding down the slope of the mound.

"I submit too!"

He dropped onto both knees so quickly that one of them struck a protruding bone, splitting the skin open. Even the fresh pain failed to draw his attention. His forehead immediately touched the ground.

One after another, the remaining prisoners followed.

"I submit!"

"Please spare me!"

"I surrender!"

"I’ll obey!"

The cries echoed across the summit from every direction and within moments, every surviving prisoner had fallen to their knees. Some knelt properly while others collapsed entirely, lacking the strength to remain upright after the ritual and Lin Mu’s attacks.

Several who had broken legs simply crawled forward using their arms before lowering their heads as far as they could. The entire summit transformed into a sea of kneeling figures and only one person remained standing.

The old man.

Or rather... He attempted to stand.

His broken peg leg forced him into an awkward position where he leaned heavily upon one knee while supporting himself with both hands. Even then, he barely noticed his own injuries. His remaining eye never left the crystal skull.

The expression upon his weathered face had changed completely as the fury from earlier had vanished. Only fear remained and yet even that had become overshadowed by something far deeper... Despair.

Utter despair.

His lips quietly trembled.

"How..." He whispered to himself. "How could this happen..."

His gaze remained fixed upon the now silent effigy. The crystal skull had regained its dull appearance as no aura surrounded it and no mysterious mist lingered. Everything had become quiet.

The old man’s shoulders slowly slumped.

He had lived inside the Mad Demon Depths longer than almost anyone present. Many prisoners had arrived after him and many had died before him. Entire generations of inmates had come and gone while he remained.

Over those countless years, the ritual had become the center of his existence.

The deity had become the only constant in an endless world of starvation, violence and despair. He had witnessed newcomers resist, he had witnessed prisoners attempt escape and he had watched countless people mock the ritual.

Every single one had eventually broken.

But today, for the very first time... The deity had failed.

The old man’s entire understanding of the Mad Demon Depths collapsed before his eyes. His faith, his certainty and everything he believed had been built upon had shattered in less than a minute.

Lin Mu spared him only a brief glance as the old man could wait. Right now there were far more useful sources of information present. Nearly seventy prisoners remained alive and each had survived this place. As such each knew something.

Lin Mu slowly surveyed the kneeling crowd.

Several immediately lowered their heads even further whenever his eyes passed over them while others shook uncontrollably. Eventually, he pointed toward one of them.

"You." The selected prisoner visibly jolted and his face immediately turned pale.

It happened to be the very first man who had submitted. The emaciated prisoner hurriedly crawled forward on his knees. His movements carried complete urgency. He stopped several meters before Lin Mu before lowering his forehead until it touched the stone.

"Yes, my lord!" His voice carried overwhelming respect.

No... It carried worship.

After witnessing Lin Mu effortlessly destroy nearly a hundred prisoners and survive the deity’s attack, the man no longer viewed him as another inmate. Lin Mu had become something entirely different.

Someone standing far above everyone else trapped within the Mad Demon Depths.

Lin Mu quietly looked down at him. "Tell me about this place."

The prisoner blinked and for the first time since surrendering, confusion appeared upon his face.

"The..." He slowly raised his head. "You mean... The Mad Demon Depths?"

Lin Mu nodded once.

"Yes." His voice remained calm. "Tell me everything you know about it."

He paused briefly before another thought crossed his mind. "And if your knowledge is incomplete, the others may speak afterward."

The prisoners quietly exchanged uncertain glances as none dared interrupt.

Lin Mu observed them for several moments. Then, his expression subtly changed.

’Fear.’ He understood.

There was far too much fear. Their minds remained completely consumed by terror. People in such a state rarely answered questions properly as some invented answers and some simply repeated what they believed the questioner wanted to hear, while others became too frightened to think.

Lin Mu needed information that was reliable. As such simply threatening them further would accomplish little. His eyes briefly swept across the kneeling crowd as a faint smile appeared.

’Very well.’ Lin Mu reckoned he had already shown them the stick.

Now, it was time to show them the carrot... Literally.

"If you answer correctly..." Lin Mu slowly began. "And tell me useful things..."

His hand casually moved toward the invisible storage ring hidden on his finger. A brief spatial ripple appeared beside him as the prisoners stared blankly. And in the next moment, something appeared in Lin Mu’s hand.

"...I’ll give you this." Lin Mu uttered.

The object looked utterly ordinary. It was long, bright orange with fresh green leaves still extending from its top.

A carrot.

A completely ordinary mortal carrot.

The moment it appeared, every prisoner’s eyes became locked upon it. Nobody blinked and nobody spoke while several mouths slowly fell open. The old man finally tore his gaze away from the crystal skull, and even he looked toward the vegetable.

For several breaths... No one questioned anything.

Nobody wondered where Lin Mu had hidden it. Nobody questioned how he managed to retrieve food despite every prisoner’s possessions being confiscated before entering the Mad Demon Depths.

Those questions simply ceased to matter as the carrot existed. That alone overwhelmed every other thought. It lacked spiritual energy and contained no immortal Qi. It was neither a precious herb nor a rare fruit.

And outside within any ordinary mortal town, a dozen similar carrots could probably be purchased for only a few copper coins. Children ignored them, farmers sold them in baskets and even Merchants barely earned any profit from them.

But here, inside the Mad Demon Depths, its value exceeded imagination.

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