Near the port, several people disembarked from a boat, their faces clearly marked by exhaustion. Among these workers were Simone and Hikiri, both out of breath.
"Look, I know the goal is to steal a boat, but if we have to keep doing this for a month, it's not gonna work," Hikiri grumbled.
Pouring water over her face, Simone replied, "You think I'm not fed up too? The captain already treats everyone like idiots. Those barrels are so heavy—okay, I get why they might be heavy for them. But us? We're cultivators! Normally, even if they weighed thirty kilos, it'd be easy to carry. But I don't get why they're this heavy," Simone complained.
Hikiri was rather surprised by Simone's reaction. Having always seen her as the leader, he'd built an image of her in his mind.
"Well, it's not every day you see this side of you," Hikiri said.
"What'd you say? No, wait… maybe I should tell the others how you dropped a barrel that weighed only five kilos," Simone said with a smirk.
Hikiri shot back instantly, "I swear, when it was in my hands, it didn't weigh five kilos!"
Waving her hand to stop his excuses, Simone said, "Quit justifying yourself! How do you explain that a regular human could lift it, but not you?"
At a loss for words, Hikiri started to walk away.
"And where are you going?" Simone asked.
Turning around while flipping her off, Hikiri said, "Let me remind you, Simone, we're heading straight into a suicide mission! There's gotta be at least a hundred or two hundred of them over there. Sure, some are experts, and there might even be a Rank Nine. And let me tell you, there's a huge gap between a Rank Eight and a Rank Nine. Like, if a Rank Nine decided to destroy the whole city…"
Grinning, Hikiri continued, "Honestly, they'd wipe out the north, south, east sides in no time and kill everyone. No boasting, but with my current power, I could only destroy the south side. So, I'm going to train."
"And you think you're close to breaking through?" Simone asked.
"No, I'm not even at the peak of Rank Eight," Hikiri replied.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked.
"Ugh, you're annoying! Alright, you know Tony? His power is way beyond Rank Six. If we fought purely on raw strength, I'd win. But with our full power, I'm not so sure. That girl chasing you on the hill? I'm certain she was one step away from Rank Eight, and yet Tony pushed her back. So, imagine when he reaches Rank Eight. Honestly, even twenty of us would struggle to beat him… Got it?"
Holding her chin, Simone locked eyes with Hikiri. "Yeah, I get it. And that's a good idea you've got."
"Anyway, see ya."
Hikiri vanished into the crowd and headed toward the forest outside the city. Simone, agreeing with him, decided to stay at the port to find a boat. She didn't want to linger in this city. Fortunately for them, the leader of the southern troupe, Chiva, had assigned them to the port, which was short on manpower, without realizing it made Simone's search easier.
In an underground prison, Dina was stationed, guarding the entrance to the violent prisoners' quarters. From her first day, she hadn't wasted any time and had started training. She'd tried to recreate the attack that had hit Sonia, but without success.
"Damn it!" she shouted. "What do I have to do to pull off that attack again? Do I need to create darkness, or should I… wait a minute…"
Deep in thought, she continued, "The darkness is already inside me. I can already turn my body into a shadow. So, if I strike while wanting my arm to reach that wall five meters away…"
She put her idea into action. Her right arm turned black, like a shadow, and vanished to reach the wall.
"Incredible," Dina thought. "My arm became a physical shadow and actually hit the wall!"
She stepped back to test the range of her attack.
"Panting… I see, my limit is five meters, and using it tires me out a lot. But no matter, let's keep going," she thought with a smile.
That night, Tony was talking with Kelvin, whom he found increasingly likable.
"So, at the castle, is it the Chang clan leader who lives there?" Tony asked.
"No, it's the three princesses. The leader left, I heard, about three months ago," Kelvin replied.
"Why, you want to join the clans?" Kelvin asked.
"Nah, not interested. Just curious. But what about you? What interests you?"
"What do you mean by that?" Kelvin said.
"Well, what do you want to do in the future?" Tony growled.
"Become a cultivator and find a place without war or lunatics. I'd take all my friends there," Kelvin said with a smile.
"But you know the path to get there will be tough," Tony said calmly.
Sighing, Kelvin replied, "So what? Honestly, it's already hell here. Yeah, the north side's worse because of Dono. It'd be easy to think other parts of the city would be better. I thought that until I explored the whole city. It's the same everywhere: kids my age starving in the streets. The only difference is they take the bodies out of the city and dump them in the forest. Acts of cannibalism… who'd have thought that could happen here? Sure, it's rare, but not everyone's rich or lives decently. So, finding a job is tough. I don't bother looking anymore, not since a friend of mine was sexually assaulted by her boss and his sons. And you know what? The next day, they accused her of abusing his sons, humiliated her in the street in front of everyone. And as if that wasn't enough, they beat her mother, who was already physically weak."
Tony's face darkened as he listened to Kelvin.
"And two days later, she died," Kelvin continued, his fists clenched. "They found rats in her body, gnawing at her from the inside. Despite our attempts to calm her, she wouldn't listen. And how could you blame her? She'd been raped, humiliated, her mother killed for no reason in the worst way possible. Without waiting, she went to get revenge, but she was easily subdued."
"And what happened to her?" Tony asked, showing no apparent emotion.
"Well, I only found out recently. I thought she was dead, but no. Those lunatics tortured her, brainwashed her. Now they sell her body to make money she doesn't even get to touch. You see, that's why I stay here. Dono might be crazy, but when he gets you, you die, nothing more. But her? She's forced to endure that until they've made enough money."
"And why are you telling me this?" Tony asked.
"What?"
"It's got nothing to do with me," Tony said.
"But… but you're a cultivator! You've got to be able to help me, or at least help her!" Kelvin shouted.
"KELVIN! It's true, you've seen traumatic and horrible things, but you haven't lived them. And that girl, honestly, even if I save her, who's to say she won't kill herself the next minute? Who's to say she hasn't become addicted to it? And tell me, how long has she been in there, and how old was she?"
"…She was fifteen, and it's been five years now that she's been stuck there," Kelvin said.
"There you go. Five years. And you, when she disappeared, you immediately assumed she was dead. In five years, she could've escaped, asked for help, or even become a cultivator. But she didn't do any of that. Yes, the trauma's there, but if a situation terrifies you that much, then do everything to change it, even at the cost of your life," Tony said before standing up and leaving.
Stunned by Tony's harsh words, Kelvin turned and asked where he was going.
"I'm heading to the forest. I need to train while I've got the time," Tony said as he walked out, leaving Kelvin alone.
On the roof of Kelvin's house, someone sat watching Tony walk away.
"Quite a speech, Tony," Rieze said. "But what a shame Dono backed out of going to the forest. It would've made a great two-on-one. Too bad," Rieze said, clapping his hands.
"I should've been more discreet. That little monster's watching me. Now I'm sure he'll come sniffing around here. And Kelvin, don't worry, I'll help you. Your dear friend Polla is tied to Verna and Shia now, after all."
Crossing his legs, Rieze continued, "To think everyone's starting to suspect me. Well, it's normal—I've got every reason to hate this clan. But as I always say, you only reveal your cards at the end of the game."
He knew full well that nearby, Li, Shia's personal guard, and Aude, Verna's personal guard, were watching him.