"Hey! It's this thief! Catch him!"
"Don't let him escape!"
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
In the bustling street, a young boy slipped away from several burly men like an eel.
He was carrying a long package containing his beloved flying carpet.
These several people chased him for four streets, finally cornering him in a dead end.
The leader directly kicked him in the chest, and the boy's body flew out and fell heavily to the ground.
He immediately got up, picked up a stick from the ground, and showed a fierce expression.
"Don't come near me!" he growled.
"Hand over the stardust!" The tall man at the front, over two meters tall, blocked all the light.
"I don't have it." The boy tightly gripped the stick. There was a wall behind him, and no possibility of escape.
"Somebody saw you with it, stop lying!" The man kicked a nearby bamboo basket and said, "Beat him! Beat him until he reveals the whereabouts of the stardust!"
The thugs behind him rushed in, and the boy was quickly disarmed.
His small body was beaten to the ground by several men.
Fists rained down on him, and the boy protected his head, biting his lips tightly to keep from making a sound.
"Alright, alright, don't beat him to death."
The burly man saw the boy was almost breathless and stopped his thugs, saying, "Recently, due to diplomatic issues, security has been very strict. Otherwise, today he would've ended up dead in the street."
"I'm telling you, you have seven days to hand over the stardust. Otherwise, I will cut off your hands and feet and lock you in a cage!"
"Let's go!"
The boy, beaten and bruised, his body throbbing with pain, spat out a pool of blood when the group had walked away.
He slowly took out a business card from his pocket—
West C11 Area, Central District of the Underground City - 013.
Alone in the alley, he slowly got up from the ground, carrying his thick flying carpet, and limped toward the outside.
The capital of the Kalia Empire, it was where various merchants and travelers from all over the country gathered.
No one would inquire about what happened to this little boy.
As for the stardust, it was simply a fabrication.
They were just trying to find a scapegoat.
The boy felt like his internal organs were about to shatter.
Dragging his injured body, he gradually made his way to the entrance of the underground city.
This place was remote, heavily shaded by trees, almost blocking all the sunlight. It was rare for people to pass by.
When he arrived, the vendors at the intersection looked at him unbelievably, as if they had seen a ghost.
Ignoring them, he slowly walked towards the steps below.
Blood stained his every step, dyeing the ground.
Below, there was a green train parked. He got on and chose his destination.
In the backyard, Yu Xiaoxiao was feeding the unicorn when she saw the red fairy fly in.
It perched on the wooden fence and said, "Master Xiaoxiao, there's a wounded boy outside looking for you."
"A boy?" Yu Xiaoxiao was surprised.
The white unicorn raised its head and let out a soft call. The other one munched on its feed, considerably more aloof than Cai Cai.
"He's badly hurt," the red fairy showed a worried expression.
Yu Xiaoxiao stood up and walked outside quickly.
On the steps, a little boy sat on the ground, clutching a flying carpet to his chest.
Upon hearing footsteps, he looked up, his vision blurred as he watched the girl come to him.
He murmured, "You said before..."
"You can offer me a job opportunity..."
"Does that still count?"
"It does," Yu Xiaoxiao said.
The little boy, holding the flying carpet, became weaker in his breath. "Then, after I sleep for a while..."
"Once I wake up, I'll work."
He fell asleep holding the rolled-up flying carpet.
Yu Xiaoxiao looked at the scars all over him, showing a pained expression, "Luo Luo, go and bring the first aid kit."
"Victor—" Yu Xiaoxiao called out.
The slime jumped up from the flower bed, rubbing its eyes, and asked, "What, what's wrong?"
"Get a doctor over here."
"Oh..." It rolled to the bottom of the flower bed and, upon seeing the little boy, suddenly froze, "This is—isn't this that little scammer!"
"It seems he's seriously injured. Hurry and have a physician come as soon as possible."
"Okay!"
The slime immediately rushed out.
The underground city is good for everything, except for people. Not to mention physicians.
The red fairy brought the first aid kit, and Yu Xiaoxiao could only help with a simple treatment of the wounds. But as for how severe his injuries were, it had to wait until the doctor arrived to know for sure.
Yu Xiaoxiao and the red fairy together moved the little boy into the small restaurant.
There was no bed, so they had to let him sit against the wall for the time being.
He slept deeply, his eyes swollen, and Yu Xiaoxiao was using an ice pack to apply to them.
As came in from outside.
His tail had been rewound with bandages by Yu Xiaoxiao and looked a lot better than before.
This time, he was carrying a few tomatoes and walked to the edge of the pool, throwing them in together.
Luo Luo was still a little afraid of As, so it did not dare to come close to him.
It secretly flew to the backyard, continuing to tidy up the unicorn's shed.
"Do you want to make tomato and egg stir-fry?" Yu Xiaoxiao asked.
As glanced in her direction and, upon seeing the little boy, paused while washing the tomatoes.
Yu Xiaoxiao explained, "I met him when I went to exchange for gold bricks before, and I want to bring him in."
The clown mask smiled brightly.
As continued to wash the tomatoes and, after cleaning, cut them into small pieces.
Tomato and egg stir-fry was a dish that Yu Xiaoxiao had recently taught him to make. As learned quickly, and each time he seasoned it perfectly.
Since he had become an apprentice at the small restaurant, Yu Xiaoxiao no longer had to send meals to the Third Prince every day.
Except on weekends.
"Also, there's something else." Yu Xiaoxiao stood up and walked towards the counter.
"I was too busy before and forgot to tell you."
"When I was at the library, I found a contract book. There were many beastmen contracted with 'Grellion' inside, and they all seemed to be sealed."
About a week ago, I met one of them—"
"It's called Hasa, a giant wolf. I released its seal and brought it into our secret legion, Starlight."
The girl looked at him earnestly, "Do you think it's okay?"
If it's not, she'll make adjustments.
As was beating the eggs.
The girl said a bunch, and she didn't know if he had listened carefully or not.
Yu Xiaoxiao asked again, "Otherwise, should we tell Lord Roco about this? See if he has any good suggestions."
If not, she could also report it to the king.
"No need," As refused.
"Has it acknowledged you as its master?" As asked.
Yu Xiao took the contract hanging from her waist and placed it on the bar. After chanting for a while, the contract reverted to its previous form.
"You see, it's on the second page," Jay said.
As stirred the beaten eggs to the side and looked down at the contract. The golden letters on it were shining brightly.
After contemplating for a while, he said, "I don't recognize these words."
"Um, it's ancient magical language."
"I don't recognize it."
As had never studied ancient magical language, or to say, he didn't study a lot of things.
Other than a few years of learning aristocratic etiquette with his brothers when he was young and some basic magic, he usually didn't delve into anything too profound.
Yu Xiao explained, "This is a contract, and its original owner, Hassa, was called 'Grelion,' which is now me. These three characters are my name."
After looking at it for a while, As said, "Don't tell anyone about this."
"Um," the Crystal agreed.
It shared As's thoughts.
"Only you and Victor can know."
Even Lord Roco, Yu Xiao hadn't told temporarily.
As said, "Don't let anyone know that you are the new master of the beastmen."
As didn't understand the words, but he understood the date.
The existence of this book had a history of at least over ten thousand years.
And those sealed beastmen must have been involved in a great battle back then.
Under these circumstances, if it was known that Yu Xiao had lifted their seal, it would cause unnecessary trouble.
"Do you know Grelion?" Yu Xiao asked.
"I don't know."
"You've never heard of it before?"
"No."
Yu Xiao sighed, "That's strange then. The beastmen in this real book obeyed his commands, but I checked so many records and found nothing related to him."
"The history you can see now is what the royal family wants you to see."
As for those they don't want others to see, they will be tampered with by the royal family from generation to generation, even buried.
Otherwise, how could the Calia Empire stand for thousands of years without falling?
As put the eggs into the pan and skillfully cooked them.
Yu Xiao turned the magical book back into a pendant and hung it on her waist.
A slime accompanied an old man with a white beard from outside.
He was wearing a gray robe, hunched over, and carrying a medicine box. He looked like a centenarian wizard just from his appearance, with wrinkles all over his face.
After checking the little boy's body, he shook his head and said, "Who could be so heartless to injure him like this?"
"If it weren't for me, he'd probably be bedridden for the rest of his life."
"He had a severe lung hemorrhage."
"First, let's get this straight, my life-saving pill is very expensive."
The slime couldn't stand it, snatched the pill from the old man's hand and stuffed it into the boy's mouth.
"You—you—," the old man trembled in anger.
The slime put its hands on its hips and said, "What 'you'? Don't you know this is the underground city? Who do you think is standing in front of you? Hurry up and show respect!"
The old man looked blank for a moment.
He looked around – a simple and warm restaurant with no customers, only a person wearing a clown mask cooking.
The faint aroma in the air made him couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
He asked, "Is this the steward of the underground city?"
The recent rise of the lady had caused a stir in the Sun City! The formation of the Flame Principality meant that the underground city was about to enter a proper track.
The value of the steward had also risen accordingly.
Especially those at the Alliance headquarters treated her like a "lord." Not to mention that grumpy minister, who had nowhere to vent his anger and had mentioned her at the Kingdom meeting, but ended up being retorted by Lord Roco.
The King just sat there smiling.
Protecting your interests, that's it.
Yu Xiaoxiao asked, "Doctor, is his condition really serious? Please make sure to cure him, preferably without leaving any root of the disease. Whatever medicinal herbs, just feel free to ask for."
"Then I can rest assured."
The old man with a white beard pulled out a small piece of paper and drew on it a few times with his finger, presenting a freshly prepared list of medicines.
"As a small country, you cannot default on debts."
"These are all good things for his treatment. Take a look, if you have no objections, I will go get them for him."
"Right now, in his condition, he can't be left alone even for 24 hours."
"Who among you can stay with him? If not, then add another fee for a caregiver. Also, I need a little snack and some wine in the evening."
Yu Xiaoxiao looked at the medical expenses on top, which were as high as three hundred thousand gold coins.
She frowned, "Are you asking for an exorbitant price?"
The slime also chimed in, murmuring, "Exactly! How could it be so expensive!"
The old man became displeased, he slammed the medicine chest on the ground and said, "Miss Steward! If you don't believe me, go and ask around. Every patient that I have treated, they are all lively and jumping around. You can insult my character, but you cannot insult my medical skills! If I say I can cure, then I can cure! Fixed price, three hundred thousand gold coins!"
The young boy was still unconscious.
But he could vaguely hear the conversation between two people.
Three hundred thousand...
Gold coins?
A bitter taste rose in the boy's heart. As a homeless orphan, how could anyone be willing to spend three hundred thousand gold coins to cure him.
But, he heard the sweetest sound he had ever heard in his life.
"Alright, we'll treat him. One thing to be said upfront, I want to see him completely awake before paying. If he dies, you won't get a penny."