Chapter 297: Origins, the Mystery (Part 1)

It was not until this moment that Rod realized there was such struggle hidden beneath the seemingly calm surface. Ice City was far from as simple as it appeared. He had to admire the pro-war faction for having the strength to drive the trolls to this extreme. If the trolls were involved, the demon race would have long shown their ambitions to conquer all corners, and the continent would already be in flames.

As for the opposition, it really surprised Rod. The opposition turned out to be trolls themselves—unimaginable. But had they remained consistent over thousands of years? That was hard to fathom.

“Every time the Netherworld opens, it seems to bring great benefits to outsiders, but for us, it’s also an opportunity—a chance to select talent. For thousands of years, those who have entered the core of the Netherworld have all been members of our troll race! Melon and Gary you know are the same. Surprised?” Andrews said proudly, as if suddenly remembering something.

“You…” Hearing these words, Rod was shocked. It seemed they knew everything about the outside world, even about Melon and Gary. His words left him even more astonished.

For thousands of years, those who entered the deepest core of the Netherworld had all been trolls. What an immense strength! Over those years, at least fifty, if not a hundred, people must have entered. And none of them were not among the best of their time. Many must still be alive today. And it seemed Gary hadn’t even reached the core. Could it be that those who passed the final trials were chosen to join the troll race? Was Gary one of them? It was astonishing.

“That’s right. They all are. And they all go through our tests. Only those with absolute loyalty are chosen. As for Zi Yang before—well, as you saw, he was part of the pro-war faction, stubborn to the extreme, so he was thrown out right away. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. It’s a pity that guy even forgot his final gift!” Andrews couldn’t help but smile, as if thinking of something amusing.

Rod smiled too, but his heart was pounding rapidly. The news he heard today was truly shocking. If others found out, who knew what kind of turmoil it would cause?

The trolls still exist and have even returned to their peak strength. Now that they know the reason behind the trolls’ concealment, their secrets, as well as their plans and the vast web they’ve laid out—any single piece of this information could shock the entire Source of Darkness! At the thought of this, Rod couldn’t help but feel a surge of shock.

“The war faction has already started a war across the continent; they seem determined to unify it all. I heard the Mi Jiao clan has also joined this plan? Heh, a bunch of ambitious guys. Their next target is probably the Source of Darkness!” With a sigh, Andrews continued.

“How do you know…?” Rod finally asked the question that had been bothering him. The Netherworld was isolated from the outside world—how did they know so much about what was happening outside?

“I told you before—over the centuries, we’ve placed many people outside. Melon is one of them. If they want to gather information, they’ll naturally let us know right away!” Andrews replied without hesitation.

So that’s how it is. Rod finally understood, but what exactly did the trolls intend to achieve by setting up such a vast network? Were they planning to fight their way back and reclaim what rightfully belonged to them? It now seemed to be Rod’s biggest mystery.

Having learned so much, Rod’s doubts weren’t resolved at all—instead, more questions arose. His mind was in chaos, utterly confused.

“You saw my Dark City just now. What do you think?” Andrews turned to Rod and asked.

“Impressive, truly magnificent!” Rod exclaimed sincerely.

“Hmm. Right now, Dark City has 1,651 residents. Among them, 651 are at the divine level, 700 are near-divine, and 300 are at the saintly level or below! Among the divine-level members, 100 are at the supreme divine stage, 17 are at the Yin Huang stage, and 2 are at the Yang Xuan stage. What do you think of this lineup?” The series of numbers Andrews listed left Rod’s eyes wide open. Seventeen people at the Yin Huang stage and two at the Yang Xuan stage—what kind of strength was that? It was probably comparable to the combined power of the four major families!

“The Dark Town, with its nine elders—all powerful beings at the Yin Yellow realm, two deacons at the peak of the Yin Yellow realm, and five inspectors also among the strong at the later stages of the Yin Yellow realm! There are also two at the highest level of the Yin Yellow realm and two strong beings at the Yang Xuan realm serving as supervisors. The Dark Town has reached a perfect state!” Ignoring Rod’s expression, Andrews murmured in satisfaction. Unbeknownst to him, every word he said caused a profound shock to Rod.

“My troll clan no longer desires to fight for dominance over the world. The Dark Town is now our true paradise. But that doesn’t mean we can ignore everything outside. Especially those elders would never agree. So, we still have to deal with some matters outside. We have eleven emissaries in total, all of whom have entered the Dark Town over the past thousand years. Now, they are all powerful beings at the Yin Yellow realm, responsible for maintaining relations with the outside world. Unfortunately, it seems this order has been disrupted now—the ambitions of the war faction can no longer be suppressed.

Fortunately, you’ve returned just in time! It’s not too late to turn things around!” With a sigh, Andrews spoke solemnly.

“What does this have to do with me? Who is my father? Why am I part of the troll clan? Why am I on this continent? What do you want from me?” Rod blurted out all his doubts.

“Well, now that I’ve told you the story, it’s time to tell you some things too!” Exhaling deeply, Andrews stepped closer to Rod and stared intently at him. “You are indeed a member of my troll clan—you must have felt it yourself! The blood flowing in your veins is that of my troll clan, and even more superior, as you were born from the union of the best among my clan and the best woman among humans. You must feel your own talent—it’s unmatched by anyone!”

With another sigh, as if recalling something, Andrews continued, “Thirty years ago, your father, Emerson—then considered the best of the younger generation of our clan—was a standout among them. On a routine mission to explore the outside world, he also sought ways to strengthen our clan. Considering our poor fertility and the fact that our ancestors had human and demon blood in their veins, he came up with an idea: What if our clan merged with humans? Could that improve our situation?”

“So that time, not only your father but also several other outstanding members of our clan were sent out. And the result…” Andrews didn’t continue, his expression turning somewhat solemn.
“What was the result? Did my father give birth to me, and did the troll clan find a way to survive?” Rod asked with a cold smile. For some reason, hearing this news made him feel very uneasy. Was he just an experiment?
“The only one who succeeded was your father. The rest failed and all perished abroad. These were covert operations by the war faction’s secret organization. They somehow obtained information about us and kept pursuing us until only your father survived, returning to the Source of Darkness wounded, bringing back the news. The union of the troll clan and humans would only lead to their destruction! Such a union would only weaken our reproductive abilities.
Your father, poisoned severely, has since slept in the netherworld. The war faction of the demons somehow refined the most deadly poison in the world—Wan Huao Cao. Those poisoned enter a state of apparent death once the poison reaches their hearts, remaining in slumber for life. Only you were left outside at that time. Of course, there was also someone who took care of you—your father’s subordinate, Bianuo! He was responsible for raising you. Since the war faction kept pursuing you and intensified their surveillance over us, preventing us from taking any action, we had no choice but to leave you outside, hoping that one day you would return to the Source of Darkness, to my troll clan. Your birth might bring unimaginable benefits to our clan!
And you succeeded—fulfilling the hopes we placed in you. That’s why you’re standing here today, isn’t it? I know you’re upset right now, but this is the truth. The box your father left for you was meant to encourage you to return here, to the real home of our troll clan, to complete what he couldn’t.”
Looking at Rod with a complex expression, Andrews continued.
Rod’s mind was in chaos. Hearing this was overwhelming. He was a member of the troll clan! His father was one of their best. Yet he was just an experiment. After striving for so long, he found out such a thing. His heart plummeted to rock bottom. Perhaps leaving some room for imagination about this answer would be better.

“Biano is dead?” Rod’s voice was hoarse at that moment, sounding uncomfortable to hear.
“No, Biano is a member of the Scorpion King’s clan. Upon learning that the main war faction of the demons wanted to hunt you down, the Scorpion King’s clan quickly sent people to rescue you. Unfortunately, it was too late. But luckily, despite being seriously injured, Biano managed to survive. After being rescued, he was taken back to the Scorpion King’s clan. You can go find him this time!” They answered Rod’s question without any hesitation, clearly pleased.