Chapter 773 - 760: Justice Enforcement
There was more than one Memory Crystal.
In fact, these crystals were not recorded by Lin Jun; they were brought by Eleanor when she teleported to escape to the Fungus Castle, likely collections she took out during her leisure time to reminisce.
In this regard, Lin Jun could quite understand Eleanor. However, in her view, these collections were somewhat monotonous, lacking variety.
But for the audience on Puki Square, it was stimulating enough.
Many were provoked by the cruel images to vomit on the spot, while others shrank in corners, letting out suppressed sobs—those were the former witnesses.
"What exactly does that guy intend to do?" Sirean muttered, frowning slightly.
At first, he thought Puki intended to bring Eleanor under his command, but with the current situation, it seemed more like the reading of charges before an execution.
But Eleanor’s earlier demeanor, walking through the crowd with her head held high and calmly ascending to the main seat, made him find it difficult to associate the development before him with an execution.
...
It took a full hour for the Memory Crystal to finish playing, and the resentment below almost solidified into substance.
Though the residents of the Fungus Castle were mostly of the Demon Race, the number of the Demon Race in Eleanor’s Blood Beast Factory was not a small number, which could be seen as another type of racial equality.
Many of them were the slaves rescued during the "Desperate Mushroom Plan," and their gaze towards Eleanor was as if they wanted to tear her apart.
"Alright," Norris put away the crystal, "let’s applaud Eleanor first."
Even though it was the host’s request, only sparse applause sounded from the audience.
However, the Puki around the stone platform uniformly clapped their tentacles towards Eleanor.
Sensing the atmosphere was off, Eleanor looked again at Marshal Puki beside her, her voice somewhat guilty: "Boss, this is..."
"Then, next is the execution phase that everyone has been waiting for."
"What? Execution?!"
The classic shackle mechanism under the armrest and seat of the resplendent main seat was triggered simultaneously!
Then came the mishap.
Eleanor’s hands were resting on her legs, not on the armrest, so only her feet were shackled.
"What? What is this?" Already nervous, Eleanor panicked, struggling desperately for a while before she remembered to gather her blood.
However, the rune on the shackles around her ankles had already lit up, interfering with the magic power in her body, and the skill was interrupted on the spot.
Louisa appeared in front of the seat at some point, placing a hand firmly on Eleanor’s shoulder, pressing her back into the chair.
"Good thing the feet were also prepared, really... How do others ensure that the prey’s hands will definitely be placed on the armrest?" Lin Jun wondered as she gently used a tentacle to curl Eleanor’s hands back onto the armrest, reactivating the mechanism.
The shackles closed, locking completely.
At this moment, Eleanor was truly scared.
Her voice trembled clearly, even with a faint hint of sobbing: "Boss, why is this? I... I’ve already submitted to you! I’m willing to offer you loyalty! Why do you still... still..."
Of course, it’s because you’re both stupid and useless. Better used as a Foundation Establishment Pill for the Little Pig.
"It’s for justice, of course!" A dignified voice issued from Marshal Puki’s belly, echoing throughout the square, "You’ve harmed countless people, your crimes are unforgivable, how could the just Fungus Castle tolerate such evil as you!"
No sooner than the words fell, Marshal Puki waved his tentacle.
Norris understood and announced loudly: "Let’s welcome the representatives of the victims to the stage!"
Soon, ten selected victim representatives stepped out from the crowd.
There were humans, dwarves, lizardmen, beastmen... and even two who had turned into Puki.
Norris distributed ten specially made daggers to them, reminding them: "Each one is allowed one stab, no head or heart stabbing, no twisting of the knife, no random slashing."
"You... who dares? I’ll kill you! Whichever bastard dares come over, I’ll kill him!"
No one backed down.
The first victim representative stepped up, it was a young human girl, with a face marked by intersecting scars.
Her hand holding the dagger trembled slightly, but her gaze did not falter.
"For my sister."
The dagger plunged into Eleanor’s abdomen. It didn’t pierce deeply, but Eleanor screamed out.
The runes on the dagger lit up a dark red the moment it contacted the flesh, not causing extra wounds, just amplifying the sensation of pain.
Before Eleanor could catch a breath from the excruciating pain of the first stab, the second victim had already approached. It was a middle-aged dwarf with messy beards and deep lines at the corners of his eyes.
"For my father."
The dagger pierced the waist, Eleanor’s scream turned into a roar, her neck veins bulging out one by one.
"For fellow warriors!"
"For family!"
"For myself!"
...
Blade after blade, amidst the shrieks of agony, Eleanor’s curses and threats gradually turned into pitiful pleas.
Unfortunately, no one showed mercy.
One of the victim representatives even lost control and stabbed Eleanor one more time, before being pulled away by Puki.
After everyone retreated, Marshal Puki stepped forward, the red cape behind him billowed in the breeze.
"Friends from allied nations, I know many of you feel uneasy due to the diversity of races in Fungus Castle, fearing that the Demon Race here is as cruel and greedy as Eleanor, treating humans as prey."
"But what I want to say is, Fungus People are just Fungus People. Not Demon Race, Dwarves, Humans... Fungus Castle is not a common force, but a righteous organization in broad daylight."
"Just like Eleanor. No matter her level of Lord power, no matter if she is willing to surrender, willing to serve, Fungus Castle would never accept such a sinful villain."
"And villains, ultimately deserve a villain’s fate."
Amid the praise of the people, Marshal Puki pronounced the final justice sentence on Eleanor with a voice full of authority.
Marshal Puki straightened the Memory Crystal at the edge of the stone platform, and withdrew from the scene as Louisa stood up and followed.
Passing by the center, Eleanor, trembling uncontrollably due to blood loss, seemed to see a glimmer of hope: "Louisa, Louisa! You can’t let them kill me! I can help you ascend your bloodline! I’m begging you... please speak up for me with the boss... I promise, I’ll listen to everything you say from now on! From now on I’m your... your blood descendant! Please?"
Louisa paused, turned around, and walked back to her.
"You want to be my blood descendant?"
Eleanor nodded frantically, striving to force a humble smile.
Louisa lowered her head, looking at the face full of fear and ingratiation, with no sympathy in her eyes, only undisguised disdain.
"I don’t take in trash."
Eleanor’s smile froze.
Humiliation welled up, yet she dared not vent, instead lowering herself further, her voice more humble: "Then... then you have to help me ascend, right? I’m begging you! As long as you save my life, I’ll even... even jump into the clock."
Louisa did not agree, merely reached out a hand and gently patted Eleanor’s cheek, the motion light, like soothing a disobedient small animal.
"You will help me ascend, but the process..." Her mouth turned slightly upward, "might not be what you think."
"What do you mean? No, no! I’m begging you, save me! Louisa—!"
Amid Eleanor’s desperate cries, Little Pig stepped down from the stone platform, but did not move away, instead entered through a small door at the bottom, arriving beneath the platform.
Down here was the prearranged ceremony, Water of Life, and S-Class Demon Crystal.
The blood extraction ritual connected the platform above and below, where she would complete her ascent.
And finally, Thirteen Puki excitedly stepped forward and personally initiated the ceremony.
A scarlet radiance rose from the rune formation, enveloping the entire stone platform in a blood-red light curtain.
Eleanor unleashed screams far exceeding those before, the sound sharp and broken, as if something was gnawing at her.
She struggled painfully, yet could never break free.
The power of blood within her was being forcibly extracted, inch by inch, thread by thread, as if someone squeezed every drop out from her veins.
It was then that she realized what the crooked and deceitful means helping Louisa ascend were.
In mid-air, the Memory Crystal slowly rotated, faithfully recording it all, just as Eleanor once did.
In the eyes of the audience below, it seemed Fungus Castle conducted a rather complex magical execution, inflicting further torment on Eleanor.
However, considering Eleanor’s grievous sins, this approach seemed justifiable.
Eleanor’s desperate pleas and cries continued for a long time, long enough that the spectators were almost desensitized before they gradually subsided, finally silencing, leaving only the glowing scarlet magical ceremony still at work.
Until the Pukis stepped up to the stone platform and dragged her lavishly dressed corpse like trash down, did people suddenly realize the execution was over.
The people who had avenged their great grievances cheered while crying, while others marveled at this execution method.
Vera and the others did the same.
Reflecting on the good riddance of this Blood Race Duke, they recalled how they often heard horror tales of her during their time as adventurers.
After the execution ended, even when looking at the Demon Race among the Fungus People, they seemed no longer as vigilant as before.
Fei Yin even softly asked: "Is the Mushroom Lord really intending to build a perfect homeland that accommodates all races?"
"With the premise of mycelium symbiosis?" Fei Ling still looked disdainful.
With the execution over, the crowd dispersed, and Vera and the group headed towards the inn.
"A perfect homeland?" Sirean lagged behind, gazing once more at the giant Puki statue in the square, "Pity... the more perfect, the more fleeting."
He shrugged and quickened his pace to catch up.