Deep in the Living
Chapter 283 - 271: The Crow

Chapter 283: Chapter 271: The Crow

The beast transport vehicle was escorted by three Spines nearing Demon Ascension, carrying a cargo of wild Hell Beasts from different regions of True Hell, of exceptional value.

Some were merely in transit through the Beast Cave and would soon be sent to the Upper Nest to be provided to the nobility, elite class Spines, and the like.

Just as the vehicle was about to head deeper, into areas off-limits to customers,

A customer with strange attire, grey hair, and a Recruitment Spine perched on his shoulder, blocked the vehicle’s path.

Such obstruction could be seen as a provocation among the Spines, allowing the escorting personnel to immediately identify the person as a suspected robber and to directly execute them.

At this moment of high tension,

The Spine on the young man’s shoulder spread its wings and spoke in the official tongue of Hell:

"Mr. Di is the newly appointed emissary, specifically coming to pick a mount."

Upon hearing this,

Even though Luo Di didn’t reveal his dyed Spine, the escorting personnel could verify his identity with a simple check.

Although they were approaching Demon Ascension, they were far inferior to an emissary in terms of status.

Behind every emissary was authorization from the top echelon, the costs associated with commandeering Hell Beasts would be directly subsidized from above, and their only duty was to fulfill the emissary’s requests.

"This batch of Hell Beasts is the best in the past three months, at least half of them will be directly sent to the Upper Nest! Please choose, emissary."

A burly man wearing a beast bone mask, with beastly hair fluttering on the Spine exposed on his back, yanked away the skin cover shrouding the carriage.

The remaining escorts each showcased their Spine forms and held weapons, guarding the vehicle’s surroundings, forbidding anyone other than Luo Di to approach.

An array of Hell Beasts was displayed before the eyes.

Including but not limited to:

A giant deer with spiral horns and a human face,

A pink giant spider with belly covered in egg sacs,

A giant ape with a skull-like face and bones protruding all over its body, and so on.

Yet, Luo Di’s gaze had never wavered from the beginning,

He walked straight to a special cage reinforced with Spine, metallic plating, and inscribed with Hell Symbols.

The cage itself was different from the others, as if the Hell Beast inside could squeeze through the narrow gaps at any moment.

This Hell Beast was well in line with humans, one of the earliest domesticated creatures used for travel, the earliest means of transportation.

"Horse".

A pure black horse was confined within, even its eyeballs gleaming with black luster.

Luo Di felt the gaze of the horse’s eyes,

It didn’t feel like being watched by a creature, but rather by hundreds of eyes, as if harboring something within.

A structure akin to a thoroughbred horse, only slightly shorter at the shoulder (about 1.5 meters) with more defined and lean muscle, well-suited for long-distance raiding.

Overall, it looked not much different from the "horse" Luo Di recognised.

As Luo Di approached the cage, reaching out to touch the skin of the black horse...click!

The horse, which appeared quite serene, suddenly twisted its head and snapped at the spot where Luo Di’s extended hand was. The Hell Symbol engraved on the cage immediately activated, scalding the horse’s mouth.

Caw caw~

The sound emitted was not a horse’s neigh, but a coarse, crow-like caw.

Moreover, Luo Di caught a very interesting image. When the black horse opened its mouth to bite, there were no normal white teeth inside, but rows of sturdy, huge, and sharp crow beaks.

Each tooth was structured like a pitch-black beak, capable not only of crushing food but also of re-chewing it with the beak.

"What is this Spine anomaly?"

"A Crow Colt... to actually capture such a rare Hell Beast.

Extremely rare, and of high biological grade.

These Crow Colts do not move around the Chaos Nest City; they are even more distant from the battlefield regions, almost on the other side of Hell. Typically, they dwell in the low-temperature zones of Hell, where Evil Play abounds, concealed within the forest and very difficult to spot.

They can only occasionally be encountered in special dark areas.

Usually, Crow Colts graze on corpses in the forest in the guise of horses.

Once they sense danger, they disperse into a flock of crows and flee.

It’s rare to see such beasts even across the entire Chaos Nest. These low-temperature creatures are not suitable for spine implantation. They are often bred privately, likely bespoke by some noble to showcase their status."

"Low-temperature beasts, related to Evil Play... This is the one I want."

As Recruitment Spine had guessed, this Crow Colt was indeed reserved by someone important above.

Upon seeing Luo Di’s choice of the Crow Colt, the escort personnel became anxious; as the most expensive animal on the transport, it had taken them months and a great deal of materials to capture.

Most importantly, the customer who ordered the Crow Colt was difficult to deal with.

"Envoy, the Crow Colt is extremely difficult to tame for us Spines, and as a low-temperature beast, it cannot undergo spine implantation. Our body heat makes it uncomfortable, making it wholly unsuitable for long-range charges. We suggest you choose a pig beast or Skull Deer instead."

"What if I were to tame it right now and ride it immediately afterward?"

"You could..."

"Let me try."

Luo Di gazed into the eyes of the Crow Colt,

Without releasing any Killing Intent or displaying any Spine traits, he approached like a human, with his body temperature around 37°C.

Luo Di did not reach out with his hand but instead, made a more perilous move, slowly bringing his head close to the cage.

This scene made the escort personnel and surrounding customers’ scalps tingle.

The bite strength of the Crow Colt could easily crush the skull of a typical Spine, and its interior beak would further peck and suck at a severed neck.

When Luo Di’s head drew near, the horse’s mouth opened again.

What was revealed was not only the structure of teeth composed of pitch-black crow beaks but also the bodies of crows blocked deep in the oral cavity, throats, each with tiny eyes staring at this young Spine.

And what Luo Di needed was this eye contact.

A hint of grey covered Luo Di’s eyes,

Wriggling and wavering, with tendrils emerging from between the pupils.

The gazes of the crows were instantly tainted, a powerful emotion of Fear transmitted through the greyness. They no longer dared to nibble on the youth before them, turning into fear and awe.

The horse’s mouth shut,

And Luo Di slowly reached out to touch the mane that felt like feathers.

"Unlock it~ It won’t move now."

To the astonishment of those present, the escort staff unlocked the cage. The Crow Colt showed no signs of restlessness or transformation into a crow. Instead, it obediently walked out of the cage and knelt before Luo Di.

No need for any saddles or bridles to ride it so.

As Luo Di mounted the beast, the Crow Colt even grew a soft feather structure to serve as a cushion.

After settling down, Luo Di pressed his left palm to the horse’s head.

"Torture Device Construction"

Inspired by the Jaw Splitter, a fitting torture device was crafted for the horse’s head. Several screws penetrated directly into the Crow Colt’s skull, while chains representing the Punishment Room served as reins in Luo Di’s hand.

For this journey, Luo Di intended to minimize his status as a Spine as much as possible, making such a contraption appear directly associated with a higher order.

Even without the identity of a Spine envoy, creatures of Hell would not dare to strike against such an order... Provoking it would not lead to the ongoing Chasing and Killing like with the Spines.

The higher order would bring an individual pain beyond death, turning death into the most luxurious of outcomes.

Once the Crow Colt slowly adapted to this pain and was completely subdued both physically and mentally to Luo Di, the envoy’s preparation work was deemed complete.

The image of the envoy that Luo Di demonstrated, even if searched throughout the history of Chaos Nest City, would be hard to find a second of.