Chapter 1, Crimson Night

Introduction

The Dawn War has passed for one thousand two hundred years

This is the battle of destiny, a clash between humanity and the dark races, a confrontation of the forces of dawn, burning black stones, surging steam, roaring firearms, massive rough machinery, and the dark forces

This is truly an era that belongs to the strong

Those who are able to rush to the wreckage of the airship are the strongest and most powerful men in the entire graveyard, followed by weaker men and strong women, then weaker women, with the outermost circle consisting of the elderly and children

He carefully took out the oil paper package, held his breath, and slowly opened it with a look of reverence akin to that of a pilgrim

This is the burial ground of those once magnificent behemoths. The discarded airships flying in from the upper continent usually bring with them a large amount of waste, which over time transforms into a veritable junkyard filled with all sorts of debris. The people residing in the airship graveyard rely on the refuse cast off by the upper continent for their survival

At this moment, tens of thousands of people are rushing out from various hiding places, having long since cast aside their fear of the Scarlet Moon. They are vigorously waving at the airship, continuously cheering with excitement

The full moon was unexpectedly crimson, and the moonlight fell to the earth like a thin veil, resembling a living entity, spreading across the undulating and rugged terrain. It painted large swathes of gray-black silhouettes with a rich red, akin to massive scars and wounds, intermittently glimmering with a metallic cold light

At the outer edge of the concentric circles lies the activity area for the children. Hundreds of children are constantly rummaging through this pile of garbage, searching for the nearly nonexistent food.

At this moment, the little boy was unsure of what he was feeling, and even less certain of why he was acting this way; he could only sit down in despair. Perhaps it was the pure eyes of the little girl that stirred some emotion deep within his heart

The inhabitants shouted as they rushed towards the site of the airship's crash, with some even running on all fours like beasts

He used both hands to desperately scrape at the cold garbage, his small hands covered in cuts, many of which were still festering. Yet, he seemed to feel no pain, tirelessly digging through the large pile of garbage before him, unable to discern its shape.

The continent of Eternal Night is shrouded in twilight for most of the time, especially during the Dark Season, when the orbital path of the upper continent blocks sunlight, resulting in only a few short hours of daylight.

This is a land of abandonment, this is a graveyard for airships. The people here, as long as they are alive, are no different from beasts. Even the powerful beasts live with more dignity than they do

This is his little nest, a refuge from the wind and rain. In the mind of the young boy, this space of just over one square meter is a paradise on earth

Dozens of thick cables hung down in disarray beneath the airship, suspending a similarly rusted massive cargo hold. Through the inadequately closed hatch, one could see that it was filled with garbage.

The boy's desire to survive made him unwilling to give up; he kept rummaging through the trash, and many wounds on his body reopened due to the excessive effort, oozing blood. Yet he remained completely oblivious.

Fortunately, the little boy evaded the gaze of all the older children and successfully escaped from the area. He seemed to possess an innate sharpness, always managing to sidestep those older children who were even more fearsome than wild beasts

After distancing himself from the wreckage of the airship, the young boy ran away at full speed, eventually reaching another mountain of garbage, where he crawled into an empty metal barrel

Among people, there are men, women, as well as the elderly and children. However, age and gender are of no significance here; each group of individuals is distinguished solely by their physique and strength. This is the only criterion for demarcating territory in the graveyard

And tomorrow ... . ... Tomorrow is a word that is too extravagant here; no one will think about tomorrow

The exterior of the small airship appeared much smoother; it circled around the junkyard, then turned and ascended, gradually flying out into the sky.

It is already extremely worn out, with the large airbag covered in patches, and the metal components are rusted. Many of the joints are raised, raising concerns about whether they might suddenly break.

Once the airship that transports garbage has not arrived for an extended period, many people here will starve to death. For them, the garbage from the upper continent represents all their hope

From time to time, massive metal components fall from the sky, and many individuals directly beneath the impact zone are caught off guard, crushed into a pulp by several tons of debris. However, their companions nearby remain oblivious to the danger, continuing to charge forward with all their might, desperate to reach the spot where they can compete for the refuse.

The celebration has begun

In the distance, the long howls of wolves and the roars of unknown beasts occasionally echo, resonating with each other and filled with a sense of brutality

In reality, it is merely an ordinary round loaf of bread, one that even the lowest of the lowly in the upper continent might take a bite of and then discard, just like the piece in the little boy's hand. However, in this garbage dump, it can be worth several human lives

As if confirming people's concerns, the airship suddenly shook violently several times, and a number of parts fell off, including a large metal component over ten meters in length

Inside the paper bag was actually a loaf of bread! A loaf of bread that had only been bitten into once!

The little boy's movements were slow, his hands trembling, and his forehead was covered with beads of sweat. His stomach and all the wounds on his body were expressing their protest with the most intense pain.

A drop of blood oozed from the wound on his hand, rolling onto the bread. The little boy cried out in shock, hurriedly rubbing his hand against his body to wipe away all the blood and sweat. With a sorrowful expression on his face, when he looked back at the piece of bread, he felt as if the sacred object in his heart had been desecrated.

Getting closer, he could smell a faint scent of grains; the little boy felt as if all the pain in his body had vanished. He carefully cradled the piece of bread, hardly believing that he had found such a treasure

The little boy is quite thin and, in this garbage dump, he is considered relatively weak. If he is discovered by the stronger older children trying to hide something edible he has found, receiving a severe beating would be the least of his worries

However, no matter how hard the little boy tried, he ultimately achieved nothing

However, the bread still reached the little girl's hands

The little boy knew at first sight that this thing was called bread. He had never seen such a complete food at the junkyard, yet he could not recall where or when he had learned about the existence of bread.

The outer shell of the garbage bag was broken, and among the various useless trash, an oil paper package rolled out, instantly capturing the full attention of the little boy. To his surprise, oil droplets were seeping through the paper package!

This area has already been scoured countless times before it was left to this group of children under the age of ten. These children are the most vulnerable in this garbage dump. ... When the strong individuals can no longer find food, their hungry gazes will ... . ... fixate on the elderly and the children

She appeared to be around four or five years old, her small face marked with streaks of dirt that completely obscured her natural complexion, yet the distinct contours outlined the features of a future stunning young girl. Her pair of bright, large eyes was exceptionally beautiful, sparkling with life, fixated intently on the piece of bread in the little boy's hand, unable to look away.

Legends are not without reason, for under the blood-red moonlight, all creatures become uncontrollably more irritable and bloodthirsty, and also more aggressive

Is this a dream

A gigantic round moon almost occupies half of the sky, as if it will crash down at any moment. Even ordinary people, lacking any special abilities, can clearly see the vast basins and majestic mountains on the lunar surface

The little girl did not escape; her two eyes were glued to the bread, completely motionless

Outside the iron barrel, a little girl appeared, though it was unclear when she had arrived

The rusted and aged airship, resembling a dying giant beast, struggled to navigate the final stretch of its journey and finally arrived at its destination. Below, several hundred meters on the ground, lay an enormous airship graveyard

The airship in the sky lost its power, began to vibrate continuously, suddenly tilted, and slowly fell towards the ground

It fell faster and faster, finally crashing to the ground, disintegrating with a roar. Countless pieces of garbage, waste, and metal components flew in all directions, creating a rain of debris over the airship graveyard

A rain of garbage fell from the sky, among which a larger garbage bag and a * picture * book landed beside the little boy

The airship struggled painfully, its outer walls trembling with rows of copper pipes. Large plumes of steam erupted from the mechanical compartment at the rear. Eight sets of propellers at the back emitted a harsh creaking sound, spinning wildly as they barely managed to stabilize the vessel.

The little girl seemed unable to believe her eyes; she tightly grasped the bread in one hand and rubbed her eyes vigorously, only then confirming that she was not dreaming

At that moment, a tender voice of a little girl suddenly came from outside his small nest: "He has something delicious in his hand! You promised to share half of it with me!"

She suddenly began to stuff the bread into her mouth with great fervor; a round loaf, half the size of her fist, astonishingly disappeared within a few moments, perhaps not even exceeding three seconds

Among this group of children, there exists competition and rivalry, and even killing! The level of brutality is no less than that of the adult world

At that moment, the little boy's stomach suddenly growled, and his gut expressed its desire with convulsive pain. Thus, he tore off the blood-stained part of the bread, summoning all his determination, ready to put it into his mouth

Beneath the crimson nightfall, a small black dot suddenly appeared. It flew in from the heavens, slowly traversing across the sky, growing larger and larger. It was, in fact, a floating airship measuring several thousand meters in length

The boy's heart sank to the bottom as he saw several older children standing outside

He has not eaten anything for three days. If he cannot find something to eat today, he will definitely not survive until the next airship arrives

People formed concentric circles with the fallen airship at the center. Between each layer, there existed an invisible yet insurmountable boundary.

But what is this strange thing called emotion? The little boy leaned against the side of the bucket, carefully tearing off a piece of bread the size of a fingernail, putting it into his mouth, not swallowing it immediately, but holding it there, savoring the fragrance of the grains with the tip of his tongue

However, those who have not yet fallen asleep are filled with anxiety and unease

The airship, which had already aligned with the coordinates of the image book, emitted a painful moan as the propellers came to a halt. The massive hull suddenly shook violently, bouncing up and down in the air with a drop of several dozen meters. Then, the outer wall on the left front cracked open, separating a small airship.

The little girl finished the bread, licked the crumbs off her hands, and then raised her eyes, for the first time focusing her gaze on the little boy's face. After examining him closely, she ran away like the wind.

Among them was a slender boy who was also diligently searching.

He is about seven or eight years old, with a small face so dark that his true appearance is hardly discernible. The clothes he is wearing are supposed to be an adult's shirt, wrapped around him like a robe. Moreover, the shirt is already in tatters, essentially just a few larger pieces of ragged cloth tied around his body with strips of fabric.

He suddenly pounced with the agility of a wildcat, tightly grasping the oiled paper in his hand. He did not even open it to confirm the contents inside, but quickly tucked it into his clothing, all the while warily glancing to the left and right, before cautiously crawling towards the periphery.

The little boy slowly put down the iron rod in his hand, hesitating for a long time before finally making up his mind. He slowly tore the bread in half and then handed one half to the little girl

In the legends of the Eternal Night Continent, the Scarlet Moon is an ominous sign, exceedingly rare, yet its appearance signifies chaos and suffering. Whenever the moon is drenched in blood, the great lords of the dark world will open the gates of calamity, unleashing fury and disaster upon the land

Even in this land that has been almost forgotten by the empire, they are the lowest of the low in the entire world, struggling for survival every day

The little boy suddenly sat up, quietly grasping a sharpened iron rod with his left hand. This is the most instinctive reaction of those living in the junkyard; when one person sees the food in another's hand, it often leads to a life-and-death struggle.

Tonight, the Alpha Twin Star will enter a near-Earth orbit, making it a rare evening with a moon.

However, his hand suddenly stopped in mid-air

The metal component fell to the ground, producing a resounding roar