One way to reach the island would be by swimming, but Cain was not dumb enough to jump into a sea full of blood. There was no way to know what kind of Wave Beasts where there it or if the blood itself was toxic.
Luckily, a large city was built on the shore. Unlike most cities built in the Godslayer Humankind Empire, there were no walls around it. That would be deadly in most cases due to Wave Beasts hiding in the forest, but the place was completely barren of such vegetal life.
Humans focused on keeping a stable balance with the ecosystem but did not go out of their way to create forests or the like. Usually, no large settlent would form in such barren terrain, but it was clear to Cain that the sea of blood proportionated all the energy and vitality that people and cultivators could need.
There were other problems since mortals could not survive without the proteins and vitamins given by vegetables, but those were easily fixed by either pharmacologic technology or comrce.
Cain did not bother too much with how such a city could thrive and instead focused on the bridge connecting to the island, which he could use to reach the Blood Pagoda. Things would probably not go so smoothly, but there was no point in delaying things.
He descended the mountain and used Sonic Dash until reaching close enough to the city. People were going on with their lives, but just as he was about to get near them to learn a little more about their lives, he noticed a strange expression on their faces.
Most people saw Cain with a mixture of curiosity and caution. There was nothing wrong with that, especially if this was a place that did not receive many outsiders.
Yet, there was a small percentage of the population whose gazes made Cain frown. He could feel their hostility and disdain, which made no sense since he had never seen those people.
What was even weirder was that so of them were much lower than Cain in terms of power and status. Still, they dared to look down at him with contempt and did not even bother to hide their emotions.
People looking at him as if they were superior was sothing Cain was used to since he had seen it many tis in scions, but the gazes of disdain ca from commoners.
All that brought great confusion to Cain, as their behavior was irrational, but he soon got an answer.
"Racial prejudice."
Cain heard Apex's voice in his mind and could not help but frown as he rembered an ideology of the Old World.
'Racism?'
It was true that the Godslayer Humankind Empire indoctrinated people on the idea that humans were superior to Wave Beast and the Dark Races, which is why they were allowed to kill them without remorse, the idea that so humans were better than others just for the colors of their skin was no longer present.
There was also the fact that the people living in this place did not share any common racial characteristics.
"It is not as vain as the color of their skin or the form of their eyes. From what I can see, they ford so sort of racial identity based on their bloodlines."
Cain's eyes narrowed. He used his invisible Ego Wave to analyze the people in the city and detected the sa bloodline in every man, woman, and child. There were so minor variations and differences in purity, but the essence of the bloodline in each of them was the sa.
It was not weird for Noble Families to have the sa bloodline, but it was highly unusual for that to happen in a city with a population in the millions.
The idea they were all related was ridiculous, so the most likely answer would be that sothing in this place generated that bloodline in the people.
Although all of it was fascinating, that was not why Cain ca to Blood Sea, and there was no reason to get into problems, so he avoided everybody and simply made his way to the bridge.
Of course, the fact that Cain did not want trouble did not an people would not make them for him. So began to walk in his direction, and their expressions made it clear what they wanted.
However, before they could even get near him, Cain would look at them with red eyes. None of those people could endure the pressure of a Wave King's willpower and imdiately back down.
"Hmph." Cain sneered, and they were lucky that was all he did. Looking down on others just due to the way they were born was beyond stupid for him, especially if that person surpassed him in every conceivable asure.
Not wanting to waste ti, Cain hurried up to the bridge, and as he reached the shore, he saw hundreds of youngsters and people in their early twenties line up.
All of them wore red robes with the words outer disciples on their backs, a common terminology in so martial sects.
Seeing that attire made Cain understand a little more about Blood Sea, but what really drew his attention was how all those disciples were in a ditative position in front of the shore and seed to be drawing the blood into their bodies.
Even more interesting was that the disciples were all exactly ten ters away from each other. That was clearly with the intent not to disturb each other during their training, but Cain could not help but feel they were making a defensive formation.
'They use the blood that reaches the shore to cultivate while, at the sa ti, forming a barrier that protects the city from any form of aquatic life that might try to attack. What a practical chanism.'
Cain could not help but feel admiration for the person who ca up with such a practical thod to cultivate their disciples and simultaneously protect the people.
Just as Cain focused on the disciples, many opened their eyes and turned toward him. He imdiately felt the hostile gazes in around half of the disciples, a much more significant proportion than the one in the city.
That told Cain that the ideology of racial superiority based on their bloodlines ca from the island and was stronger in the disciples than in commoners. That was not good news for him since it ant he would find himself in a place where half of the population would hate him just because of the blood running through his veins.
If there was one thing that Cain was not in the mood to handle was bigotry and ignorance, so he just ignored the gazes of the disciples and continued to the bridge. However, before he could get a foot in it, two disciples got in his way.
"We are the Blood Bridge's guard."
"And we do not allow people like you to enter Blood Island."
Cain stared at the duo, whose appearance could not be more typical. Both had large bodies with bulging muscles but were just Level 9 Wave Warriors, and neither had a particularly good foundation.
There were many ways in which Cain could handle them, with the most straightforward being crushing both of them using brute strength, but there was a reason why Bloodless #1 left him on the mountain and made him walk to the Blood Pagoda alone.
Cain needed to prove how he could handle a situation where the answer was not brute strength. It was true he could crush the duo in a second, but that would only give the people he hated an excuse to throw him in jail or maybe even worse.
A more subtle way would be to use hypnosis, and he was sure no one of the people present would even notice it, but there were extrely powerful individuals watching every move he made.
Using the na of Bloodless #1 or the Blood Duke would also not work since even if they believed him, that ant he needed to rely on them for sothing so simple as reaching the Blood Pagoda, proving that he lacked in terms of wisdom.
Luckily, there was another path Cain could take, which relied on no one else but his own status. He waved his hand, taking a small card from his space ring and showing it to the duo.
As soon as the two disciples guarding the bridge saw it, the expression on their faces changed, and they were not alone since the rest on the shore were also surprised when they read the words on the crystal card.
[Imperial Lightning Fort Division: Major Cain Laurifer].
Even if they were racist garbage, there was no way a few re Wave Warriors would dare to look down on the Imperial Army.
"I am a Major of the Imperial Army. I ca from the Imperial Lighting Fort to speak with soone in the Blood Pagoda. Anyone in my path will consider an interrupting military affair, and I have the right to report their cris to the capital."
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