“Nothing much, sister Yun. I was just trying to send this kid away. He keeps insisting on coming with us,” she said.

The girl turned towards Alex with an inquisitive look. “Why do you want to come with us? Do you have something to do with the Stepstones tribe?”

“I’m afraid I have nothing of business with your tribe, miss,” he said. “I simply wished to accompany you to go to the nearest city. I can drop off halfway through if you are worried about me having bad intentions.”

The 3 men immediately laughed when they heard that. They did not believe Alex to be strong enough to do anything at all.

“You are so weak that you wouldn’t even be able to–“

The girl glared at them and the man stopped speaking.

“When you say you want to go to a nearby city, which city are you talking about?” she asked.

“I… am afraid I do not know about any cities around here,” Alex said.

“Wait, kid. Are you actually a player? I thought it was just a coincidence that you had untanned skin,” one of the guards said.

Alex looked at him. “I am,” he said. “Are you a player too?”

“Yes, I am,” he said. “Damn, did they start sending out more of you? Do yourself a favor kid, stop playing the game and leave. This isn’t a game, but a real world.”

“Oh, I’m not a new player,” Alex said.

“Huh? How young were you when you started playing then?” the man asked.

“Stop asking random questions,” the girl said. “You, come with me.”

The girl turned around and got back into the carriage. “Well, I guess we have no other choice then. Go on, kid,” the man said.

Alex nodded and thanked them before going onto the carriage.

The inside of the carriage wasn’t very good. All it was was some metal frame that was stuck together with some leather seats inside. There were no fancy colors or drapes.

The carriage was really just there to stop the sun. The girl sat on one side of the carriage seats, so Alex sat on the one opposite to her.

“You can seat next to me,” she said as she patted the empty seat next to her.

“No, I’m fine,” Alex said. He looked outside the carriage, but there was no sight to see other than barren land and dried-up bushes. After all, it really was all desert in this part of the southern continent.

“What is your name?” the girl asked.

“Yu Ming,” Alex said. “What’s yours?”

“Li Yun,” the girl replied without much emotion in her voice. She looked at him from head to toe. “Those are some rather crude clothes you are wearing. Someone must’ve done a bad job at drying the leather before making your clothes,” she said.

“Hehe,” Alex simply laughed and said nothing else. He looked at the girl’s own clothes.

She had a lot of skin showing from her face to her arms to her stomach and legs. The only parts that were really covered were her chest and thighs.

She wasn’t even wearing any shoes or sandals. Alex remembered back to the men outside who were only wearing some pants and nothing else.

“Are you done looking?” the girl asked.

“Ah, my apologies. I was just looking at the tailor’s work on your clothes,” Alex said. “I will look away.”

“It’s fine,” the girl said. “You can look at me if you want.”

Alex couldn’t help but be a little surprised. Any other girl would’ve surely been offended at this point and this girl was instead asking to be stared at.

“It’s alright,” Alex said and only looked into her eyes.

“I like your eyes,” the girl said.

“Thank you,” Alex said with slight confusion bubbling in his heart. He couldn’t understand what was going on here.

Was she falling in love with him? Was she even old enough to? Alex looked no older than 20 or 22 just because he was a cultivator. However, in the girl’s case, she wasn’t one.

He had heard about Southern Continent’s people being Body Cultivators, but could body cultivation improve lifespan or aging?

Alex was quite oblivious to this side of things.

“You seem to be someone important. Are you the tribe’s strongest disciple or something?” Alex asked.

“I’m the chief’s daughter,” she said. “In terms of strength, I rank pretty high in the tribe.”

“I see,” he said. ‘Tribes and chiefs huh? It seems I will have to get used to a new system of cultivators.’

“Where are you from?” the girl asked with her head resting on her hands, which rested on her knee.

“I’m from… somewhere far away,” Alex said, unsure if he wanted to say the exact place.

“And where is somewhere far away?” the girl asked.

Alex smiled as it seemed the girl was too curious. Since she had decided to give him a ride, he decided to answer her as well. “In another continent,” he replied.

The girl looked at him with foolish surprise on her face for a few seconds before bursting out into a peal of laughter.

“You are funny. Has anyone ever told you that?” she asked.

“No, not really,” Alex said.

“So, where did you really come from?” she asked.

“I wasn’t lying. I’m from another continent. I came here on accident, and I’m trying to find my way back,” he said.

“Do you have to go back?” she asked.

“Of course,” Alex said.

“But I don’t want you to,” she said with a sad look on her face.

“Sorry?” Alex looked at her awkwardly.

“I don’t want you to go anywhere,” she said.

“I don’t understand what you are trying to say, miss Yun,” Alex said. “I don’t know why you would say you you don’t want me to leave.”

“Because you are so pretty and fair, like a piece of jewelry made from ivory. I want to keep around a young and pretty man like you since you are so good in the eyes,” she said.

“I beg your pardon!” Alex was a little offended at what she had said.

“Oh, don’t worry, you will learn to stop begging very soon. All slaves are taught that very early on. Begging won’t help them at all,” she said.

“Slave?” Alex’s eyes narrowed.

“Of course,” the girl said. Her face then turned disgusted. “Although, with your meager strength, the best you could be useful for would be bait for the beasts at night, but I guess you are too pretty to die in vain. So, I will make you my slave instead.”

Alex remained quiet for a few moments as he had to take it all in. In the end, all he could do was sigh. “So, there are slaves in the Southern Continent?” he asked.

“Just in the Wastelands, but yes,” the girl said.

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“They beat their masters, of course,” she said with a smile on her face.

Alex thought his mind stopped working for a moment as what he heard was simply outrageous.

“Wait, you mean their masters beat them… no, that doesn’t make sense. Why would that be an answer? Then… what?” he couldn’t comprehend the meaning behind that simple sentence.

“Well, they cook for us, wash for us, and do whatever we say them to. But mostly, we just use slaves to beat us,” she said.

“Okay, I have no idea what sort of masochistic society you guys live in, but I’m not going to be part of it. I’m not going to be your slave either, so you can fuck right off,” Alex said.

“Heh, you can say that all you want, but once we reach our tribe, you will either be a bait or my slave. I will leave the choice up to you,” she said.

“And my choice will forever be neither. Girl, how old are you even?” he asked.

“Don’t call me girl, call me master. I’m 34 years old,” she said.

“And I’m 42. I’m older than you, so you will not talk to me like I’m younger than you,” he said.

“Whatever! I don’t know how it was in your continent, but in the Wastelands, strength beats all. If you want respect, then you need to be strong,” the girl said with a puffed-up chest. “If not, you will be lucky just to be a slave. So, be happy that you are one.”

*SLAP*

Alex made a resounding slap that reddened the girl’s cheek. The girl didn’t even see when he moved; all she could feel was a slight pain and burning heat on her cheeks.

“How’s that for strength? Do you still think I should be disrespected? Do you still think I should be a slave?” he asked.

“What… how did you?” she asked.

“What now? Since you are so weak, maybe I should make you my slave. How does that sound?” he asked.

The girl held her cheek as tears rolled down her eyes. Even so, Alex didn’t stop glaring at her.

Mere tears weren’t enough to soften the anger he felt at the moment after being repeatedly said to be turned into a slave.

“Tell me, what should I do to weaklings like you?” he asked.

The girl slowly put her hands down. “Fine, make me your slave,” she said.

‘The hell? This girl isn’t serious, right?’ he thought.

“But in return, you must marry me when I get stronger,” she said.

‘Oh no,’ he thought. ‘I got away from a madman, only to fall in the hands of another one.’

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