Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 100: Glimpses of Gray Stone City
(Previously posted in the author’s notes but inaccessible, now added to the beginning. The elves appearing in this chapter will not be taken in; they are merely tools for later resource exchange. If you see similar remarks about the protagonist taking in elves, please check your eyes. Added 2023.4.4)
The Demi-humans were eventually taken away by the Winter City army. Despite their cries and pleas, they could not change Ruo Yi’s resolve.
Inside the Town Mayor’s Residence, the entire room looked as if it had been ransacked. Cups and plates lay shattered on the floor, and a portrait of Ruo Yi was torn to shreds, scattered haphazardly throughout the room.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
A man’s rough growl echoed from the bedroom.
Ye Hao lay on his back on the bed, his face bruised and swollen, unable to move his body.
He hadn’t been beaten by Ruo Yi. Instead, after being injured, he was held down and brutally beaten by an old knight, who then threw him into a pigsty.
If not for a kind-hearted player discovering him, he might have remained in the pigsty for a night before recovering.
The players, with great care, bandaged Ye Hao, wrapping him in gauze from head to toe. A rather striking bow was tied on his head.
Ye Hao was on the verge of a breakdown. He felt like he was being targeted at every moment. He wasn’t a son of destiny, but a jester of fate.
His woman was gone, he couldn’t defeat his enemies, the world’s will was oppressing him, succubi were draining his vital energy, and even the players were humiliating him by tying a bow on his head.
A man’s tears flow not lightly. Two streams of tears traced their way down Ye Hao’s cheeks.
In the messy room, suppressed low growls could be heard once more.
…
In a civilian house in Dawn Town, a Demi-human girl peeked out the window and saw that the fearsome human army had left.
She couldn’t help but pat her small chest and sigh with relief.
The girl’s name was Meiduo. She was the only Demi-human not taken because Bai Ya came to find her when she wasn’t home.
Later, when she returned home, she happened to witness the events at the entrance of Dawn Town and secretly observed the entire incident from behind the window.
“I never imagined that the gentle and kind Saintess sister would defect to the evil human lord,” Meiduo muttered sadly.
She used to adore Ruo Yi. The beautiful and sacred Saintess was almost an idol to every little girl in Dawn Town.
But now, that idol had crumbled.
“Fortunately, Meiduo wasn’t caught. Meiduo will quietly go to Mudu Winter Town, the paradise of the Demi-humans!”
Meiduo mumbled, huddled in the corner, clenching her small fists to encourage herself.
She knew that those Heroic Spirit brothers were very helpful. In a couple of days, she would ask one of them to escort her to Mudu Winter Town. Then, she could ask the lords of Mudu Winter Town to rescue the Demi-humans captured by the Lord of Eagle Territory.
…
On the other side, after three days of arduous travel, Xi Wei, riding his shoddy Griffin with Loli, arrived at Gray Stone City.
Mounts were forbidden within Gray Stone City. All mounts had to be stored in special sheds before entering the city.
It was indeed a prosperous central territory. Upon entering Gray Stone City, one could see a completely different landscape from desolate Winter City.
It was nighttime.
Magic towers dotted Gray Stone City, and profound magical lights flickered throughout the city, like newly lit lanterns, resembling brilliant stars illuminating the night.
Along the streets, various shops bustled with an endless stream of people. Taverns were filled with lively conversations, adventurers entered and exited the Adventurer’s Guild, and calls from equipment shops echoed incessantly. It was truly vibrant.
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“Does anyone need a guide? Only five copper coins, and I’ll show you the entire Gray Stone City!”
“Look, look, freshly baked tier-two Frost Wolf Magic Cores, perfect quality, excellent for amplifying ice-element staffs!”
“Amplification rings from Master Kalitz of Grey Fortress, usable by both mages and knights! Only one available~”
“Hey! Buddy, can you make this Great Strength Potion a little cheaper? What? You’ll give me a bottle of Stamina Potion too? I love straightforward owners like you~”
…
Along the roads, majestic dragon statues could be seen from time to time. The statues emitted divine light, serving as unique street lamps.
Among the passersby, numerous mages could be clearly seen. They wore mage robes, either simple or luxurious, carrying staffs half their height. Their demeanor was composed, their gazes condescending, and their arrogance was evident.
Xi Wei couldn’t help but sigh. He wasn’t wrong to call Eagle Territory a barren place. Look at this place. Although mages weren’t everywhere, their density was definitely comparable to the knights in Winter City.
Beside Xi Wei, the little maid, holding his hand tightly, was mesmerized. This was her first time in such a lively city. At a glance, colorful lanterns adorned the streets, and everything overflowed with prosperity.
“Ah! Mas… Master, that is…”
Suddenly, Loli exclaimed, her pretty face flushing, and she shyly covered her face.
Xi Wei followed her gaze and saw a sumptuously dressed noble browsing in front of an equipment shop. However, the noble was holding a dilapidated and almost completely naked Elf Girl on a leash.
The Elf Girl had silver hair and a breathtakingly beautiful face. Her fair body was crisscrossed with whip marks. Her eyes were empty and numb, and she mechanically crawled on the ground, following the noble.
Passersby occasionally cast lewd and mocking glances at the Elf Girl, but most people turned a blind eye, as if such a thing was a common occurrence in Gray Stone City.
Perhaps hearing Loli’s exclamation, the noble turned towards Xi Wei and Loli.
It was a handsome and tall young man with meticulously styled brown curly hair. His eyes were gentle, and his lips curved into a smile, making him appear very approachable.
This was, of course, assuming one ignored the Elf Girl he was holding with a leash.
His gaze paused briefly on the clan emblem on Xi Wei’s chest armor. Then, he smiled and nodded, sending a friendly signal.
His gaze then lightly swept over Loli, a flash of admiration appearing before he quickly restrained it, his eyes returning to Xi Wei’s face.
Among nobles, staring at another’s maid was considered extremely impolite.
Unless they were already engaged in pleasant conversation indoors, preparing to exchange the maid as a gift to deepen their relationship.
Xi Wei, neither subservient nor overbearing, nodded at the young noble without speaking.
He didn’t recognize the man, and the man bore no family crest. However, from his ostentatious act of parading an Elf female slave on the street, Xi Wei could infer, without needing to check his status panel, that this person was likely the First Prince.
After a brief exchange of glances, Xi Wei immediately took Loli’s little hand and left.
Nobles keeping Elf female slaves was not uncommon. Although he sympathized with the Elf Girl’s plight, that was all.
There were too many unfortunate people in this world for Xi Wei to manage. For now, he could only protect the little maid by his side.
As for saving people?
Don’t be absurd. If he dared to make a move, one or two Sky Knights or Archmages would immediately appear from nowhere and bind him before roasting him over a fire.
This country, or rather, all human empires, were rotten to the core.
Such decay could not be cured by simple reforms. It required a scalpel to scrape away the corrupted flesh and a scorching iron to cauterize the rotten roots before new flesh could grow.
He didn’t want to be the scalpel, nor the branding iron. What he wanted to be was the executioner wielding the scalpel and the branding iron.
Xi Wei walked on, deep in thought. Feeling the soft, warm little hand of the maid in his, a fierce fire seemed to burn in his eyes, shining brilliantly in the long night.
