Chương 191: A World of Misery

In the gazebo of the garden.

Roland, Cocoa the cat, and Mango the cat, mother and daughter, sat facing each other. On the coffee table were snacks that Roland had taken out of her spatial ring.

The little kitten Maihua drooled as she watched, but dared not move, so she could only lower her head and clutch her skirt tightly.

Roland simply picked up the little kitten and placed it on her lap.

Cat Maihua sat in Roland's lap, looking nervous.

Her mother had told her that Roland was everyone's benefactor, the goddess who saved the beastmen from their suffering.

She instinctively tried to tuck her tail between her legs, but unfortunately, the tail had already been cut off, with only a small section sticking out and swaying back and forth on Roland's belly.

Roland immediately felt a pang of heartache.

This little child was abused to this extent by the 7 o'clock opening ceremony. Not only is he missing an ear and a tail, but his body has also been defiled.

She simply wrapped her large fox tail around her front, snuggled into the little kitten's arms to act as a pillow, and then stroked the little one's soft black hair to comfort her.

Since its last upgrade, Roland's Fox Transformation has gained an additional Tranquility effect and will constantly emit a reassuring fragrance.

Cat Maihua quickly relaxed and instinctively hugged her large tail to her chest with both hands.

Roland smiled upon seeing this.

She's been taking care of kids a lot lately; Renee and Alice could be coaxed into embryos in three minutes.

Not to mention these poor children who grew up in such terrible environments.

She picked up a cream puff and held it to the little one's mouth.

"Don't be afraid, Maihua, I'm not a bad person."

"Come and have a cream puff, it's a dessert only available in our old port area."

"Yes, thank you, Lady Roland."

The little kitten thanked her obediently, then took a bite of the cream puff. The rich sweetness made her eyes squint as she replied.

"Lady Roland, we actually have cream puffs when we open at seven, but the men won't let me have any."

"I can only get one or two from customers when I'm entertaining them."

The childish words revealed a cruel past.

Roland first inwardly scorned Tiger Head, who plagiarized everything.

Then, with a barely perceptible sigh, as if to lull the little guy to sleep, she gently rocked him and whispered softly beside the remaining ear of the catgirl.

"Don't worry, you can eat as much as you want from now on, and you won't have to do that kind of awful job anymore."

"Xinya Street is your future home."

……

On the other side of the table, Coco the cat also reconnected with Mango the cat.

Although Mao Mang still seemed a bit reserved, he was no longer as timid as before.

Coco looked at the thick bandage on Mang's left eye, her tone filled with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Sister Maomang, if it weren't for my wretched sister, you wouldn't have suffered such great harm."

"MaiMai the cat... sigh."

Coco the cat hesitated, then could only sigh deeply.

Upon hearing this, Mao Mang recalled the image of Mao Mai Mai dying at the stern of the boat.

Thinking of this orange-haired catgirl who, even in the final moments of her life, gritted her teeth and pushed her body to the limit to activate the defensive scroll, she finally shook her head.

"I can't entirely blame Mao Mai for my current situation. She had no choice in the matter and can't be considered a bad person."

"At least not entirely."

Coco the cat didn't agree with that statement and frowned.

"She tricked you into opening at seven o'clock. Sister Maomang, you don't need to show favoritism towards her just because she's my sister."

Hearing their conversation, Roland curiously went over to investigate.

She had witnessed the tragic scene inside the ship's cabin, where nearly 60% of the orcs were disabled.

Moreover, in order to escape, they folded themselves up like cargo and huddled in the dark and damp compartments of the fishing boat.

Even though things are so bad, why are you still willing to speak up for Cat Mai Mai?

Mao Mang waved his hand and gave a wry smile.

"I'm not taking her side, this is just the truth."

"Actually, a few months ago, although our lives were not very dignified, they were still barely bearable."

"At least most of the brothers and sisters who fled here survived."

She looked nostalgic and began to tell Roland and Coco the cat about their life at the 7 a. m. opening ceremony.

Inside the club, each beastman receives a sufficient amount of food. After all, the tiger-skin nobles run a pink industry, so they naturally want to keep the beastmen plump and healthy so that the guests will like them.

As for accommodation, each orc is assigned a dormitory room. The space is not large, but it is much, much better than living in the slums.

There's no need to worry about the temperature either. Regardless of winter or summer, the building, which opens at 7 a. m., has a constant temperature regulation system to ensure guests have a great experience.

The orcs also benefited from this, and were able to live in dormitories that were warm in winter and cool in summer.

This treatment, although it deprives the orcs of their dignity and makes receiving guests dangerous, still offers a much higher chance of survival than being outside.

Those horrible factory owners outside wouldn't even provide us with straw mats to sleep on.

Instead, they let the beastmen rest by leaning against a rope, calling it an innovative way to rest.

In winter, the efficiency of the magic furnaces decreased, and the factory owners simply shut down operations, completely disregarding the lives of the workers.

If a cold winter comes, large numbers of unemployed orcs will freeze to death on the streets.

Compared to that, opening at 7 a. m. seems rather friendly.

As Mao Mang finished speaking, he looked at the daughter in Roland's arms, his eyes filled with guilt. He reached out and stroked the little cat girl's hair, his voice low and deep.

"Although life is alright, it's tough on Xiaomaihua. She has to help me greet guests at such a young age."

"My biggest regret in this life is that I couldn't provide Xiaomaihua with a normal environment to grow up in, and in the end, I even caused her to lose her ears and tail..."

Wheat flowers are pitiful, but whether opening at seven o'clock is good or bad...

Roland declined to comment.

In her mind, orcs were nothing like succubi.

For the "pink industry," it is a terrible form of exploitation and humiliation, and is by no means a good job.

What's more, even the catgirl is going to make an appearance; those tiger-men and nobles really deserve to be shot.

But it must be admitted that what Maomang said is very realistic.

Within the empire, orcs from other regions are being exploited too ruthlessly.

Even the exceptionally talented working warrior, Coco the cat, was just a lame porter before joining the group, often going hungry, and living in a dilapidated and drafty shack.

If you encounter a bad year, a blizzard can easily keep you sick for at least ten days, and you might even die somewhere out of nowhere.

But another question arose in Roland's mind.

She moved forward slightly, closing the distance between herself and Mao Mang, and asked a question.

"Miss Catmang, what happened to your injuries? There are far too many disabled people here."

Mao Mang raised his hand and gently touched the bandage on his left eye.

"Sigh... In the past, injuries and disabilities weren't so common."

"But more than three months ago, the higher-ups went crazy and forced us to learn the new service model of the succubus. If we didn't learn it, they would beat us to death."

"Furthermore, inspired by succubi, the men have launched even more outrageous projects in an attempt to lure their customers back, resulting in many of the women dying tragically at the hands of these perverted patrons..."

Mao Mang pointed to himself.

"We losers who can't learn new models are just expendable supplies for those terrible nobles and guests."

"Most of the people who ran away with Cat Mai were beastmen like me."

Roland suddenly realized.

More than three months ago, it was exactly the time when Roland revitalized Pink Harbor.

She was also curious as to why the tiger-skin nobles were able to regain their business.

The result was the relentless exploitation and devastation of the orcs, using their lives as a price to attract the empire's nobles.

No wonder Bizzan reacted so strongly when Roland later recruited orc employees.

So the beast girls' replenishment speed can't keep up with the rate of consumption.

brute!

You fucking beast!

It wasn't just the tiger-skin nobles, but also those perverted imperial nobles.

It's absolutely awful!

Roland suppressed her anger and looked at the silent, head-down Catmang.

"Miss Catmang, I have another question."

"Why do these aristocratic families, clad in tiger skins, place such importance on the club's performance?"

"It seems that as soon as the succubi make a move, they react very violently, like a cat whose tail has been stepped on."

This is clearly not a question that an ordinary employee of Maomang would know.

The black-haired catgirl looked confused at Roland's question and shook her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, Lady Roland, I don't know about that. The master upstairs has always been very mysterious."

"Perhaps Cat Mai Mai knows something; she often relays messages for the lords above."

"Alas... it's a pity she didn't survive."