Chapter 5: Middle Sector No .131

“Die?” For a moment Zax failed to understand the question.

Was he not dead already? In a way that was his assumption. He was ready to also make it his answer when a cold sensation from his dantian changed his mind before he could get a grasp on it.

“I won’t die here”. It came out as a casual matter of a fact, against their disheartening circumstance.

Numerous projectors shed light at the bottom of the crevasse. The sky was only a distant, finger thick crack. The earth was laced by tracks that extended out of tunnels in the crevasse’s walls to dumping grounds for waste. Working them were thousands upon thousands of bushed prisoners, all sort of Beings, who had taken as close to a humanoid a form as they could transform to – that was only one of the Seventh Post’s two hundred and sixty sectors, smallest one at that.

“Get in order, we don’t have all day!” The Elite ranked prisoner, a man of some kind of Being ... he had doted, black and orange skin, red quills for hair, large blue insect eyes and a mouth filled with long, thin pointy teeth. “Second realm this way, third realm that way”. He immediately divided the group.

Sixty three of the hundred and fifty were Martial Mortals, all thanks to the prosperity Zax ushered in New Earth before its demise.

“Listen to the Elite prisoner”. As it so happen, the former humanoid beast – now white skinned, white haired, burly middle aged human – that pulled Zax back when Head Guard Umber was around, kept tabs on the old man and consequently Nulivs.

He was not familiar with the two, but they came from the same planet, hence they were now his kin.

“Eh? Yes”. Zax nodded and dragged his feet where the humanoid beast, rather than the Elite prisoner said, which ultimately was the same place.

“Grandpa Human, I think you are wrong”. Nulivs disapproved of his answer. “You will die here. Me, too. Uncle Stone Clawed and everyone else, also”.

By “Uncle Stone Clawed” she referred to the white skinned, white haired beast in human form, apparently figuring the identity of the big fellow as a Stone Clawed Bear from the Stone Clawed Bear clan of Ercas Mir.

“Shhh, the Elite prisoner speaking”. The man, who was two meters and forty centimeters tall, granted.

The Elite prisoner, naming himself “Mr. Sawbones”, a fourth level Martial Mortal, ordered the eighty seven second realm cultivators and the sixty three third realm cultivators to stand side by side in two separate lines and then reconnect.

“See that, put together, even though this is as busy day as any, compared to Middle Sector No .131, let alone the gargantuan Seventh Post, you amount to nothing, just a few more ants in the colony. Now show me your hands!” He barked.

Everyone reached out pairs of empty hands.

Mr. Sawbones gestured with his right hand, in which there was a spatial ring, and a collection of pickaxes was summoned out.

Each pickaxe landed in a pair of empty hands, till everyone was holding a mining tool.

It was heavy despite having a normal look, five or six tone perhaps. The handle was made of wood and the head metal, but in its center were runic carvings.

“It is your breadwinner, most valued possession, means for survival and you only get one! So learn to treat it like an additional limb!” Mr. Sawbones instilled. He retrieved a pickaxe for himself from the spatial ring and pointed it behind. “There you will regularly renew your lease on life”.

About five hundred meters from the end of the railway, where they stood in line, was the nearest wall of the crevasse. There, prisoners were going in and out through one of the tens of tunnels, on their backs hung tattered bags and pickaxes.

“Ever Pure Solid is a multicolored luminous mineral. It is the Seventh Post’s currency, of which you will use to purchase, first and foremost, time among the livings. You start doing this by mining for Ever Pure Solid at assigned locations. Where you will be stationed is not up to change!

“C to A ranked prisoners have two types of quota to fill, daily and weekly. While the daily quota is optional and flexible, would only suffice to lessen the end of the week’s sum, it is mandatory to complete your weekly obligation. Failure to do so will result in a range of penalties”. Mr. Sawbones waved his hand again and a grain, meeting the Ever Pure Solid’s description, appeared on his finger. “Who is the prisoner who got promoted to B rank?”

“Me, Mr. Sawbones”. Zechariah respectfully said.

Mr. Sawbones flicked the Pure Ever Solid to Zechariah.

“Thank you, Mr. Sawbones!” Zechariah yelled.

“Later, use it in exchange for a B rank band. That’s the exact amount, so don’t expect a surplus”. Mr. Sawbones resumed his attention on the rest of the crowd. “What I just gifted him, is an eight grams piece of Ever Pure Solid. It was mined in tunnel No .64, eighteen kilometers from the entrance. In general, twenty five grams is how much C ranked prisoners have to gather for their weekly quota. B rank’s quota is twenty grams, A’s fifteen and Elite’s five. Only after a Guard promotes you, specifically for us Sector No .131’s Guard Chou Ferk, can you exchange for a new band. The conditions for promotions vary between the ranks. Learn about them on your own in your free time.