Berserk: The Prophet

The soil and geology of this area look somewhat like an extinct volcano. There are also many abandoned mines nearby. Not far away, there is a wooden fortress and watchtower, but there is no one in sight. Only a few tattered flags hang on it and flutter in the wind, as if the place has been deserted.

Green tore off a piece of slightly charred venison, the fat dripping through his fingers, making one's mouth water. This was a red deer that the black-armored archers had recently hunted nearby that afternoon.

Judging by its physique alone, this stag is about the same size as a slightly shorter horse, weighing around 400 pounds.

The finest deer hides were processed by the hunters and placed on a makeshift drying rack. Green stored them in his spatial storage, intending to take them out to dry and process them when the opportunity arose. The meat and offal had also been processed in the lake on the mountain.

Green blew on the venison before putting it in his mouth and chewing. The aroma lingered on his lips and teeth. Even the burnt smell couldn't mask the venison's own fragrant and gamey flavor. The texture was soft and chewy, like lamb, but it was two or three times more fragrant than beef.

He grinned as he stared at several figures, thinner than dead trees, hiding behind rocks not far away. The aroma of this delicious meal had been wafting through the air for quite some time.

"Come out, I have some food here."

The figures hiding behind the rocks visibly trembled upon hearing Green's shout, but still did not reveal themselves.

As Green cut off a few pieces of venison with his dagger, he continued, "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. We just want to ask you a few questions. Once you answer them, we'll give you food."

After a while, a very thin man cautiously peeked out from behind the rock, looking at the dozen or so burly men around Green with a look of vigilance and worry in his eyes.

Green smiled and waved to him, signaling him to come over.

The man gritted his teeth, slowly stood up, and walked towards Green, turning back every few steps, followed by another equally thin man.

The man's companion was carrying a young child on his back. The child was so thin he was practically skin and bones, and seemed to have lost his mind from hunger. The child couldn't even open his eyes. They looked like father and son.

...These two men looked even thinner than the bandits we had encountered earlier.

Green gestured for them to sit down near him, and the two men obediently sat down on the gravel ground as if they had resigned themselves to their fate.

Green placed all the chopped venison into a ceramic dish, which would both put them at ease and give them the energy to talk, without making them too full.

The two looked at the venison, a hint of surprise and longing flashing in their eyes, but they still hesitated.

Green also used his dagger to put a piece of meat in his mouth, indicating that there was nothing wrong with the food: "Eat up, don't go hungry."

The two of them then began to wolf down their food, as if they hadn't eaten in ages, completely caught up in an instinctive scramble for food to fill their hungry and empty stomachs.

The meat was quickly devoured by the two men, who licked their fingers with lingering satisfaction before finally recovering from their extreme hunger.

The man's companion then remembered the child on his back, picked the child up, and gently shook the child, "Bryn, Bryn... wake up."

It seems these two have recovered a bit. That child was so thin, he must have starved to death long ago.

Green asked, "Do you know the Fierce Bear Gang? Where are they now?"

Upon hearing the words "Fierce Bear Gang," the two men's faces turned deathly pale, and one of them, who looked slightly older, began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Sir, please, please stop asking. We don't know anything," the older man said, his voice trembling with tears.

Green frowned. "Don't be afraid. As long as you answer my questions truthfully, I promise I will protect you. Did the Fierce Bear Gang do something here? Why are you so afraid of them?"

The man looked at Green, then at his companion, hesitated for a long time, and finally spoke: "Sir, ever since the Fierce Bear Gang occupied Black Rock Prison, they have been capturing laborers in the vicinity to mine gold and silver for them, whether they are civilians living here normally or convicts who should be imprisoned here."

Upon hearing this, Green thought to himself that the Fierce Bear Gang was capturing laborers to mine gold and silver in order to acquire wealth and expand their own power.

He then pressed on, asking, "What is the scale of their gold and silver mines? How much do they produce each day? Where are they shipped to?"

The older man looked troubled and, after thinking for a moment, said, "Sir, we really don't know the exact output, but we've heard that the mine's output seems quite considerable, with at least two pounds of gold and silver being refined every day."

Two pounds...that's almost 1 kg, wow, how much would that cost? It could save an ordinary person a lifetime of hard work.

"As for where it was transported, some people say it was sent to the residence of a lord in Balden, but we have no way of knowing the exact location."

Green then turned his gaze to another man, "Have you heard anything else about the Fierce Bear Gang at Blackrock Prison, like whether they have any other operations besides capturing laborers for mining?"

The man swallowed hard and said nervously, "Sir, I heard that they formed a special team from the stronger slaves in the prison. Those people have been specially trained, but I really don't know what they are going to do."

"I see." Green nodded. No wonder the Fierce Bear Gang ventured into these deep mountains and forests; it turned out they had a way to make money.

"Is that the old Blackrock Prison over there?" Green pointed with his dagger at the wooden walled fortress with obvious signs of burning.

This isn't because the people in the prison are being lazy; it's because although this mountain hasn't been recorded to erupt, there are still tectonic plates and volcanic activity underground, resulting in frequent earthquakes, and many mines collapse with tremors.

The mortise and tenon structure of wood is the best earthquake-resistant material, since the authorities only require mining and do not intend to use this place as a war zone.

The man looked in the direction Green was pointing and nodded. "That's right, that's Blackrock Prison. We just escaped from there not long ago."

"...Escape? How did you escape?"

"It's a long story. The Fierce Bear Gang recently received an invitation and left with their men. Even though they send people out hunting every day, they don't have enough food," the man answered truthfully.

"...So Blackrock Prison is empty now, right?"

The man nodded. "Yes, now there are hardly any people left inside, except for some old, weak, sick, and disabled slaves."

A thought struck Green: this might be another opportunity. After all, chaos always presents both chance and opportunity. To seize this chance to strengthen oneself would be a truly remarkable skill in this chaotic world.

"Very good. After you finish this meal, you can come with us for a tour of Blackrock Prison. You'll get your share of the benefits."

The man hesitated slightly upon hearing Green's words, for Blackrock Prison was a place filled with terrifying memories for him.

But looking at the well-equipped men around Green, and thinking about the life-saving meat he had just eaten, he gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

He didn't ask for gold that he could only look at but not eat; he only asked to be able to eat his fill every day.

"...Bren, you're awake!" the man's companion exclaimed in surprise, though the child was too weak.

"...Huh? That's a miracle." Green was also surprised that the child was still alive.

"Sir...please, give this child some more food." The man's companion, seeing that his son could still be saved, immediately crawled over and grabbed Green's ankle as if he had grasped a lifeline.

The surrounding soldiers didn't see the man's behavior as a plea. They immediately drew their greatswords to protect Green. The captain of the armed infantry even stepped on the man, fearing that he might do something that would hurt Green. The other man also had a sword held to his neck.

Green quickly raised his hand to stop the soldiers, "Stop! He must be desperate to save his son, he means no harm."

The soldiers slowly lowered their weapons, and only when the man on the ground released his grip on Green's ankle did the armed infantry captain release his foot from the man.

Green walked over to the child, squatted down, and examined the child's condition. He said slowly, "Don't rush to feed him. The child is too weak to eat directly. Let him drink some meat broth first to help him regain some strength."