A moment ago.
"This heat is truly extreme." Noel sighed while walking in the desert.
"We are about to reach the first destination, Master." Dimitri pointed forward. "According to the map, the city should be in sight within the next few minutes."
"Is that so? Well, that's good. We have to restock our supplies as well."
"Agreed." Dimitri understood the harsh condition of the Atrecaeca Kingdom. During the day, it was so hot that even he, a Spirit Grandmaster, would have a hard time if he was exposed for a very long time. During the night, the cold was chilling enough to kill them in their sleep if they came without any preparation.
To think the people in this kingdom could withstand such harsh conditions, Dimitri and Noel were impressed.
However, they found something strange. They could see black smoke rising in the direction where they were supposed to go.
"Dimitri. Is that?" Noel pointed at the smoke while frowning.
Dimitri nodded his head, indicating his agreement. But the black smoke showed something different and much more ominous. He was afraid that this black smoke would actually get in the way since it meant that the city they were planning to visit was in trouble.
"In any case, let's head over there and check what's going on." Noel decided. In the end, they couldn't ignore their supplies, so even if they didn't want to go, they had to.
Of course, Dimitri and Noel didn't hasten their speed. They continued at the same pace, hoping that the situation was under control by the time they got there.
Unexpectedly, they found another thing that concerned them.
"Is that…" Noel gasped, seeing two bodies lying on the sand. It seemed that they had fallen unconscious.
"I don't see any presence nearby. I don't think it's a trap. Maybe the citizens are fleeing the town?" Dimitri examined the area, making sure that this wasn't a trap laid by the Atrecaeca Kingdom or the Supreme Devil Organization.
"Alright." Noel thought for a moment and said, "Is this what Old Ru means by fateful person?"
"I am not sure. After all, we haven't gone that far." Dimitri shook his head.
"Still, should we help them or something? We have entered this country illegally, you know."
"For now, let's check them first."
Noel and Dimitri agreed. They approached the two bodies and noticed that they were severely injured.
However, what piqued his interest was the fact that they had big iron bracelets on their wrists and ankles.
"This is…" Dimitri examined the two bodies and said, "I'm afraid that they are slaves, Master."
"Slaves? As in that kind of slave?" This was the first time Noel heard about slaves.
"In the Muivell Kingdom, there is no slavery. Although some are forced to do something they don't want to, there is no term for their type of labor. On the other hand, the Atrecaeca Kingdom has slavery.
"Due to the harsh living conditions, it won't be weird if someone sells their family members for some money or resources. In addition, the population growth in this place is extremely high. A single woman can actually give birth to more than five children easily and a lot of them are giving birth more than that in order to ensure the continuation of the family."
"What? Are you serious? Five or more children from a single wife?" Noel gasped. In the Muivell Kingdom, it was normal for them to have two children. Three was a bit too much for a single person, but he rarely heard more than five children from a single woman. That was why the information shocked him.
"Of course, the fatality rate is also high in this country. You could say that a lot of children are born so that the strongest can survive. Something like that."
"I see." Noel nodded with a solemn face.
"While slavery can't enter the Muivell Kingdom, which doesn't adopt such a system, it has been introduced to its neighboring country as well. There are four types of slaves: Combat, Worker, Mate, and Specialize."
Noel suddenly raised his hand and asked, "Before you continue with the explanation, should we help them first?"
Instead of answering him, Dimitri gave another explanation. "The slaves have lost all their rights. The fact that they are here means they have escaped from their owner. I don't know if they already have an owner or are still under a slave merchant. Either way, they might be captured or killed even if they return. In other words, it's up to your choice if you want to let them die or not, Master."
Noel looked at these two. On the one hand, he pitied them because he could see the determination of them escaping from the town. On the other hand, he didn't want to cause more problems on their trip this time.
Hence, Noel had to consider the pros and cons before making a decision.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Noel remembered how he was so helpless in the past, hoping someone could take him in to sweep away his sadness after his parents' execution.
In the end, Noel decided, "Let's help them and bring them a bit away from here. There is also a chance that they are the ones Old Ru mentioned. Even if they are not, we can use their knowledge about this kingdom or just hand them to the authorities later."
"Understood." Dimitri immediately covered them with his shadow so that the heat didn't kill them. "But how do we heal them?"
"I can use my Force Control to stimulate their natural recovery. It's up to their will if they are going to survive or not."
After receiving his answer, Noel and Dimitri moved away from the location, bringing the two far away from the town.
Dimitri erected a tent so that the heat wouldn't reach them while Noel used his Force Control to spread his Spiritual Energy into their body, invoking their natural recovery.
Of course, he also washed away all their wounds and bodies since it seemed that the slaves didn't even wash their bodies.
Since slaves had been deprived of their rights, Noel didn't care about their genders anymore.
After taking care of their wounds, Noel asked, "Can you continue with your explanation?"
"Understood." Dimitri raised four fingers. "The Combat Slave usually consists of strong men and women like war prisoners or poor fighters. Worker Slaves are the most common people as they can be anything, including children."
"Mate slaves can also be male or female. Unlike the Muivell Kingdom, you can basically have a lot of lovers if you want. I mean, it's normal for men to have several wives in the Muivell Kingdom, but in this place, the idea of women having multiple husbands isn't that weird. After all, having multiple wives or husbands could create connections and fighters for the family, leading to a higher chance of survival."
"Last but not least, the Specialize type. This one is similar to the Worker type, but instead of labor intensive, this Specialize type is good at other things with brain or power. For example, they understand business, manage a family, or even do research. Because this kingdom emphasizes strength, people like them are important. Among all slaves, they are probably the most well-treated ones."
"I see. Since we're talking about someone who can be my disciple, they might be in the Specialized type if they are slaves, right?"
"Indeed. Of course, we need money to buy slaves."
"The currency?"
"Because strength reigns supreme on this land, they love Demon Crystals more than gold. Ten Low Demon Crystals are equal to one Mid Demon Crystals. The rate is the same for the upper level."
Noel noticed something off. "Now that I think about it, how do you know if one is a slave or not? I mean, they surely have chains or whatsoever to bind them, but Combat Slaves are strong, right? They can simply destroy it."
"Yes. You might have noticed it already when washing their bodies. They have a similar tattoo on their back."
"Ah! Is that a mark?"
"Yeah. Though, there is also a possibility of remaking that mark with something else after escaping. I heard some slaves returned a few years later and took revenge on their previous owners. Basically, this kingdom is chaotic."
Noel didn't expect that the Atrecaeca Kingdom was this different. While the concept of slavery was understandable, he never thought that they would be treated like toys, tools, or even objects. This was something he had never known before, but for the Atrecaeca Kingdom, this was the norm.
"Well, I'm still planning to go further south for that Ricoral City and their capital, hoping that I meet another person. The only question is whether to bring them or not." Noel glanced at the two slaves, indicating that they would be a burden.
Unfortunately, they couldn't be saints who helped people just because they pitied them. Bringing them would slow down their progress or even cause a conflict, so Noel had to consider it carefully.
"That's up to you, Master. If you want, we can test whether they are useful or not. Whether it's knowledge, power, or anything… If they aren't useful, you can either turn them in or let them go. Either way, it won't affect us. Though, I hope they will wake up soon since we can't wait too long."
"Yeah. Let's do that." Noel agreed with Dimitri and chose to wait. "One day. If they can't wake up, then we'll just leave them here."
"Understood." Even though it was cold, Dimitri agreed because they had no other choice.
