15. Origin

The two began a fierce duel right away. Though neither had any real skill, the desperate fight erupting from their will to survive was the true tension of this kind of event.

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Red, as Ruka expected, clearly had the advantage. Suppressing the opponent with reach. Blue tried to dodge several attacks but was cut. Narrowly escaping danger. Though not fatal, after nearly a minute of entanglement, Blue finally exposed an opening. The spear pierced his right shoulder.

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Citizens who had bet on Red cheered. Only Ruka looked panicked. After all, having lived in peace and happiness all her life, this was the first time she had seen two humans killing each other.

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At that moment, Red and Blue stopped. They looked at each other. Lips moving slightly. As if talking. But they were too far away. And the cheers drowned them out. Ruka could not hear.

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“There it is.” Nikolai held his wine glass. This situation also seemed expected to him.

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Ruka also noticed something. Blue spoke more and more agitatedly. Even shedding tears. And Red was equally moved. The two looked around at the audience. Sneered. Ruka had already guessed what would happen next. Because she saw that Red’s eyes had lost the will to win. That look belonged to a loser without fighting spirit.

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Blue continued to weep bitterly. His expression full of gratitude. Then swung his right hand. Cut Red’s throat with the dagger. Reversing the victory. Needless to say, the citizens who had bet on Red cursed wildly at the arena. Only those who had bet on Blue laughed.

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Nikolai, who had also lost, continued to sneer. Not affected by the loss at all. He only watched Ruka, who looked in disbelief.

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“What? Worried because you lost my bet? Or don’t understand why your sharp judgment still bet wrong? If it’s the former, don’t bother.”

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Ruka knew she absolutely could not show pity for either side’s death. She forced down her grief. Followed his meaning. Asked, “Is this the dramatic throwing of the match you mentioned? I saw them talking at the last exchange. I remember something like this seemed to happen before.” To increase credibility, Ruka deliberately added the last sentence.

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“Smart. Looks like bringing you here wasn’t wasted.”

Nikolai handed her a glass of wine to comfort her. Continued explaining what had just happened. “I guess they probably told each other before death that whoever became a resident should find a way back to the surface. Then Blue discovered he still had companions. While Red had no ties left. So winning was useless. Red let him win. That kind of warm-hearted game happens often among Bipeds. Once, I think they caught two who knew each other. In the end they tried to escape together and were judged double losers. What a pity.”

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Hearing him speak of humanity’s most important emotions so indifferently, Ruka sighed inwardly again. It seemed Heaven residents really did not count as human.

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At this thought, Ruka became even more determined not to offend Nikolai. He was her only lifeline here. So she quickly apologized. “Sorry for losing your chips and making you bet wrong.”

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“It’s fine. A small matter. The debt was already paid off long ago. After this drink, let’s go to the next place. As a female Heaven resident, you should be grateful for that place. You will definitely remember more.” Nikolai threw out two sentences full of unknown meaning. Then set off with Ruka.

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In the car, Ruka still had not figured out what debt Nikolai meant. But she first thought: since the winner would become a Heaven resident, there should be many Paradise people mixed in. If she could unite them, perhaps she could find a way back to the surface? But since there was such a thing as amnesia, maybe those people were also made to forget and thought they were ordinary residents.

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“You’re frowning. Worried about the winner just now?” Nikolai again seemed to see through Ruka’s thoughts. Seeing her silent after getting in the car, he took the initiative to ask, “Don’t worry. That was just the hope they wanted. Heaven is absolutely safe. They will never become residents. The winner has another use. You’ll know soon.”

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Sure enough, Nikolai misunderstood that Ruka was worried the winner would mix in and affect safety. But the answer dashed Ruka’s hope to the bottom. It turned out that in the arena, win or lose, both only led to a dead end.

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To inquire about the debt, Ruka decided to change the subject. “Sigh. If only I had won money for you just now.”

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“It doesn’t matter. It’s not even that much. I guess with your sharp eye, you’ve already paid off your debt too.” Unexpectedly, Nikolai’s reply put Ruka in a difficult spot. She had no idea what debt he meant. How should she answer?

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At that moment, Ruka’s mind raced. From the earlier conversation, she searched for clues. Connecting “daily allowance,” “casino gambling,” and “repaying debt,” the answer was about to emerge.

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She steadied herself. Answered as if nothing had happened. “Oh. You mean the debt everyone owes to the upper levels. It was paid off long ago.”

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“As expected of you. Good.” Nikolai was satisfied that he had not misjudged her. Then added on his own, “I didn’t expect one trip to the casino and you’d remember the Heaven Debt. Although in this utopia every citizen has no worries about food and clothing, everyone carries the cost of Heaven’s care. The daily allowance is for them to pay off the debt. They can use it to repay early. Or spend it freely on pleasure.”

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Seeing him beam, Ruka realized she had narrowly avoided danger. She pretended to painfully recall. Continued analyzing the Heaven Debt setup. Thought about how to respond.

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Seeing this, Nikolai asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Did you remember something bad?”

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“Yes… the fear of being unable to repay the debt when I was young…” Fortunately, Ruka reacted quickly. Smoothed it over.

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“Oh. I was like that too. Nothing to be afraid of. If you don’t finish repaying by thirty, you just retire and are cremated. Better to free up resources for other residents.” For someone like Nikolai, who had paid off his debt, it was easy to say. But many residents gambled hard to continue enjoying life. Some chose to live in the moment. Enjoy until thirty. When their lives ended.

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Hearing the setup of being unable to repay the debt, Ruka was shocked to realize Heaven also had a retirement system. Only at an even younger age. At thirty, one retired. This was also why she had seen so few middle-aged people in Heaven these past two days. Ruka felt Heaven residents were too pitiful. Ending at thirty.

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“Aren’t you curious what use extra money has after paying off the debt?”

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Hearing Nikolai’s tone suddenly change, Ruka’s expression darkened. Had she said something wrong? Thinking again about Nikolai’s lifestyle, she answered accordingly. “Of course I know. Money can buy better food, clothes, and housing.”

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“Hahaha. Not only that. You’ll remember soon. That place is a paradise for us men. You women really should be grateful.” Nikolai laughed at her answer. Placed a hand on Ruka’s thigh. Squeezed lightly.

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“Could he want to do that in the car? Maybe in Heaven this is common. So I should cooperate?” As Ruka wondered, her left hand also reached toward Nikolai. It seemed unavoidable.

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But Nikolai stopped her. Teased, “I didn’t expect you to be more eager than me. I just touched you a little. No other meaning. And there’s no time. We’ll arrive soon.” He smiled with ill intent. Satisfied that his conditioning had worked. It seemed Ruka’s cooperation would be very good from now on.

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Realizing her loss of composure, Ruka immediately withdrew her hand in embarrassment.

“Damn it. What’s wrong with me? Right. I’m just acting to fit the role. I’m acting as a Heaven resident.”

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Before long, the two arrived at their destination. This time the building before them was pure white. Without extra decoration. Very simple. Ruka’s intuition told her this was a pure place where life was nurtured. But she had never imagined this was the true hell.

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Seeing Ruka frozen outside the door, Nikolai smiled and reached out to lead her. “Go in and give thanks properly. Give thanks for this maternity ward that saves you from pain.”

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Maternity ward? Ruka had wanted to say her intuition was right. But then felt Nikolai’s words “saves you from pain” did not mean that.

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“I mentioned earlier the paradise for men, and the use of money. This is it.”

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Unexpectedly, beneath its pure appearance, the maternity ward was so filthy. Before Ruka was a corridor with many rooms on both sides. Outside the doors, screens displayed data like in the matches. Besides height, physique, and age, there were also measurements, preferences, personality, and so on.

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Ruka looked through the small window into one room. It was an independent room with a bed and a transparent bathroom. Leaving only a little space to move. About three by four meters. Barely enough to live in.

The girl inside saw Nikolai passing behind Ruka. Immediately rushed excitedly to the door and waved. But he ignored her. Continued leading Ruka.

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Only then did Ruka finally realize all the people imprisoned here were girls. Some room windows were covered. So she could not see what was happening inside. Combined with the lighting and atmosphere, could it be that in this free-mating Heaven, there were still girls selling their bodies?

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After passing several rooms, Nikolai began to introduce. “Actually, Bipeds aren’t only the kind you just saw. Males are sent to the casino to fight. While some females are…”

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