We were wanderers on a prehistoric earth, on an earth that wore the aspect of an unknown planet. We could have fancied ourselves the first of men taking possession of an accursed inheritance, to be subdued at the cost of profound anguish and of excessive toil.
–Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

According to the narrator, what would be the negative outcomes of "taking possession" of the land?
A: "wanderers on a prehistoric earth"
B: "the aspect of an unknown planet"
C: "an accursed inheritance"
D: "profound anguish and . . . excessive toil"