287: Chapter 288 Betrayal Occurs

Evidently, the beggar girl had not expected that on the cold streets of Stanro City, someone would actually extend a helping hand and ask if she was willing to pledge allegiance.

Having long struggled at the bottom, accustomed to the harsh realities and dangers of the world, her first reaction was not gratitude, but an almost instinctive wariness and suspicion. There was no such thing as a free lunch; this was a truth she had learned through painful experiences. When she raised her small face, obscured by grime, to look at the source of the voice, she couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

Kneeling before her was a girl with long golden hair. Her skin was so fair it seemed translucent, and her light blue eyes were as pure as the clearest mountain lake, gazing at her with a gentle curiosity she couldn't comprehend. So beautiful... The girl's meager vocabulary couldn't find a more fitting description; she only felt that this was the most beautiful person she had seen since she started wandering—no, since she could remember—even more dazzling than the noble young ladies who were surrounded by servants and rode in luxurious magic carriages.

The feeling of awe lasted only a brief moment before her survival instinct pulled her back to reality. She quickly averted her gaze, her eyes sweeping over the other two people standing a few steps away. The black-haired, black-eyed girl had a cool, aloof demeanor, like a secluded orchid blooming silently in the night, equally breathtakingly beautiful. And the young man standing in the middle was tall and handsome, his eyes calm and profound, looking at her indifferently, revealing no particular emotion.

Such a combination was clearly extraordinary. Why would they notice her, dirty and hiding in a corner? An E-rank Talent, a useless Barrier Master?

A chilling thought instantly flashed through her mind: could they be after her body?

This thought felt like a bucket of ice water poured over her, a chill shooting from her feet to the top of her head. She had heard too many similar stories: some moderately attractive wandering girls or boys taken away by seemingly kind people, only to end up in unspeakable situations. The tragic fate of Sister Kama, whom she once knew, once again appeared before her eyes...

Fear overwhelmed everything. She didn't even have time to answer Alice, nor did she bother to pick up her empty, broken bowl. She used all her strength, scrambling to her feet with hands and feet, and turned to stumble towards the nearest dark alley. She ran desperately and frantically, almost tripping several times over the long hem of her tattered robe, but she dared not stop for a moment, her figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the alley.

“...” Lin Muyang looked at the fleeing figure, slightly surprised, but then understood.

He could probably guess what the girl was thinking. With her delicate features and well-proportioned frame, not entirely obscured by dirt, it wouldn't be difficult for her to exchange her dignity for survival resources if she were willing. But she chose to beg in rags, wrapping herself tightly and even deliberately dirtying her face, clearly using this method to protect her last bit of autonomy.

Once one became a plaything dependent on others, one truly lost all choices, and fate would be entirely at the whim of others, often leading to tragic ends. Although begging was difficult, at least the magic crystals in her hand were earned by herself, holding that meager hope—perhaps to save money to buy the lowest-grade equipment and skill books, then venture to the surface to seize that slim chance of advancement.

No matter how unrealistic this path was, it was ultimately the “freedom” she chose.

“Master, should we pursue?” Alice returned to Lin Muyang's side, tilting her head in annoyance and confusion. “Did the way I spoke scare her?”

“It's fine, no need to pursue.” Lin Muyang shook his head and turned to continue walking down the street. If he truly wanted to keep the girl, she would have had no chance of escaping. But he had only been momentarily interested, seeing her unique talent and having the thought of nurturing her. Since she was unwilling, he naturally wouldn't force her, much less bother to persuade or compel her. Their fate simply hadn't aligned.

His attention returned to observing Stanro City. His divine perception silently spread out, like the most precise radar, covering a vast area with a radius of several kilometers centered around him. The activities, conversations, emotional fluctuations, and energy flows of millions of living beings... A massive amount of information, like streams flowing into the sea, was instantly received, categorized, and processed by his powerful mental consciousness. Useless information was filtered, and key intelligence was extracted.

In this world, the solidification of power classes was even more severe than he had anticipated. The strong, relying on talent and early advantages, occupied the vast majority of resources, forming families or factions, passing down advantages through generations. The weak, without extraordinary opportunities, almost never had a chance to rise, their only hope being to give birth to highly talented offspring to achieve a family's comeback. Cruel, yet it was the most efficient survival model in an environment of limited resources and immense external pressure.

Although Lin Muyang did not deliberately track her, everything after the girl's escape remained under the shroud of his perception, like watching a silent play.

The girl rushed into the alley, her heart pounding, still shaken. Only after confirming no one was chasing her did she lean against the cold wall, gasping for breath, calming her heart that felt like it would leap out of her chest. After steadying herself slightly, she cautiously looked around, then, like a wild cat familiar with the terrain, quickly moved through the complex network of alleys, turning left and right, finally arriving at a hidden corner piled with discarded magic material boxes and trash.

Five or six boys and girls, all around her age and similarly dressed in rags, were already gathered there. Seeing the girl run back in a panic, a slightly older boy with a shallow scar on his face immediately lowered his voice and asked, “Sagiri, what's wrong? You look terrible.”

“I... I met some people who said they wanted to take me in...” Sagiri panted, still shaken. “Good thing I ran fast.”

“That's too dangerous! I told you not to let Sagiri go out alone!” A thin girl with dry, yellow hair said with a sob, clutching Sagiri's worn sleeve tightly.

“Exactly, Sister Sagiri is too pretty; it's easy for those rich and powerful guys to target her,” another boy said in a muffled, heavy tone.

“A month ago, Sister Kama was taken away under the pretense of offering a job, and three days later we found her body at the East District sewer exit,” a pale boy wearing broken glasses said, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with fear.

“Those guys don't treat us like people at all! They just want to have fun!” The scar-faced boy gritted his teeth.

The girl named Sagiri listened to her companions' words, and her shaken heart settled a little. At least, there were still her own people here. But she didn't notice that the thin boy, wrapped in a large, tattered robe, who had been silently keeping his head down, trembled imperceptibly, his eyes flickering under his lowered eyelids.

Next, the boys and girls began to discuss in low voices. They had previously dispersed to beg in different areas of the city, agreeing to meet here at this time every day to count their gains. Sagiri carefully took out a small cloth pouch from her inner pocket and poured out dozens of dull magic crystals. The others also took out their gains, which added up to several hundred.

“We've saved almost four thousand magic crystals now,” the scar-faced boy said, counting the magic crystals piled on the ground, a spark of hope igniting in his eyes. “That should be enough to buy a few of the worst white-grade equipment and one or two beginner skill books...”

“But...” The boy with glasses pushed up his slipping frames, worried. “I heard that the monsters on the surface are terrifying. Without a teacher to lead us, if we go down by ourselves, we might not come back. Didn't a group similar to us secretly go down in the West District a few days ago and were never heard from again?”

“What's there to be afraid of!” another relatively sturdier boy retorted, sticking out his neck. “I heard that the seniors who went down before had a secret abandoned outpost in the Grayrock Hills, which is relatively safe. As long as we're careful, don't go too deep, and only look for the lowest-level secret realms on the outskirts, it's better than staying here and waiting to die! Do you want to be beggars your whole lives, or end up like Sister Kama?”

“But why are our talents all so poor?” The yellow-haired girl was on the verge of tears, looking at her hands covered in chilblains and calluses. “Either D-rank or E-rank... If only one of us had C-rank, maybe we could be taken in as an apprentice by some workshop...”

“I'm so envious of those geniuses who awaken with A-rank or B-rank talents...” Someone murmured softly, their tone full of resentment and powerlessness.

“If our parents were still alive, at least we could work in a workshop like ordinary people and barely make ends meet,” Sagiri said, hugging her knees and burying her face in her arms, her voice muffled.

For a moment, a desperate and oppressive atmosphere enveloped this small corner. They each carefully put away their share of magic crystals, as if holding onto their last straw of hope.

Suddenly! A terrifying pressure, heavy as a mountain and cold as an abyss, crushed down from all directions without warning!

“Ugh!”

“Ah!”

All six of them froze simultaneously, as if bound tightly by invisible shackles, unable to move even a finger, their breathing becoming difficult. Their faces instantly lost color, and their pupils dilated with extreme fear.

“Tap, tap, tap...”

Steady footsteps, tinged with a hint of playfulness, came from the other end of the alley. Two young men in well-made, tailored luxurious clothes walked over unhurriedly. Ornate swords hung at their waists, and they exuded clear magical fluctuations, their levels at least over a hundred, their faces bearing the mocking smiles of cats playing with mice.

“Heh, this young master really doesn't believe that Third Luo's talk of a superb find hidden in a beggar's den could be true,” the slightly pale young man with puffy eyes, walking a little ahead, sneered, his gaze lazily sweeping over the six frozen individuals.

“Since we're here, let's take a look, Young Master Valen,” the other young man said with a fawning smile, his eyes, however, scrutinizing Sagiri and the others like goods. “What if there's a pleasant surprise? We're idle anyway.”

The two chatted as they approached. When Young Master Valen's impatient gaze swept over Sagiri, who was desperately trying to keep her head down but was trembling slightly from fear, he suddenly paused.

“Hmm?” He took two steps forward and used the decorative short staff in his hand to lift Sagiri's chin, forcing her to raise her face. Despite the smudges, that delicate and exquisite face, tear-streaked like a pear blossom, still made a flash of surprise and greed appear in Valen's eyes.

“Heh heh, did Third Luo actually hit the mark?” Valen whistled, and the short staff unceremoniously pushed open the tightly wrapped collar of Sagiri's robe, revealing her slender, graceful neck and a small, delicate collarbone beneath. “Though a bit dirty, this foundation... tsk, once cleaned, she's definitely top-grade.”

“Young Master has excellent taste!” the other young man flattered, also leaning in for a closer look. “This looks, this body shape, if properly dressed up and sent to the Nightingale Court, the starting bid would be at least fifty thousand magic crystals! We've really struck gold here!”

Valen retracted his short staff with satisfaction, seemingly pleased with his companion's estimation. He turned and looked at the thin boy who had initially kept his head down, Third Luo, the informant.

“You brat, you have good taste. This girl satisfies this young master very much.” Valen casually pulled a bulging money bag from his Huai and, without looking, tossed it directly at Third Luo's feet. The mouth of the money bag loosened, and many good-quality magic crystals rolled out, roughly over five thousand. “This is your reward. Take the money and scram.”

As he spoke, the pressure on Third Luo suddenly disappeared.

Third Luo, as if granted a great pardon, scrambled to the money bag, grabbed it, and hugged it tightly to his chest, a twisted smile of ecstasy and fawning appearing on his face. He repeatedly kowtowed: “Thank you, Young Master Valen! Thank you for the reward! I will definitely continue to look out for good merchandise for you in the future!”

This scene, like the coldest ice pick, fiercely stabbed into the hearts of Sagiri and the other four beggar boys. Their eyes widened, disbelievingly looking at their companion with whom they had lived day and night, begged together, and dreamed of a future together.

Betrayal!

They had been sold out by one of their own!

Just for five thousand magic crystals, he had pushed them into a fiery pit like mere goods!

“No... Third Luo! How could you...” The scar-faced boy's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared hoarsely, but the pressure prevented him from making a loud sound.

Sagiri felt cold all over, her blood seemingly congealed. So-called companionship, in the face of profit and life and death, was so fragile and vulnerable, shattering at a touch.

Valen ignored the beggars' anger and despair, waving his hand as if shooing away flies: “Alright, take the rest away. Leave the girls; see if there are any others worth looking at. For the boys, the usual rule applies: dispose of them cleanly, don't leave any trouble.”

“As for you,” he glanced again at Third Luo, who was holding the money bag and bowing obsequiously, and said casually, “If you find good merchandise like this again, you know where to find this young master. You won't be short of benefits.”

“Yes, yes, yes! I understand! Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!” Third Luo hastily agreed, then turned to slip away, not daring to look at his former companions again.

Sagiri and the other three girls' faces were ashen. The other two boys were even paler; they knew what “dispose of them cleanly” meant.