"Very well, I shall attend to this matter immediately!" said the bald man, turning on his heels and leaving the room without delay.As the bald man departed, a shadow flickered near the rockery in the courtyard, deftly leaping onto the eaves."Hmm?" The bald man rubbed his eyes. Unsure whether it was a trick of the night, he dismissed the thought. After all, everyone in town knew this was Caleb's residence; would any common thief dare to trespass here?The bald man thought no more of it and left the courtyard."Summon Riley to serve me tonight," Caleb nonchalantly commanded after the bald man had left completely."Yes, sir," came a crisp response from outside the hall.Moments later, a timid, beautiful young girl of around sixteen or seventeen, clad in plain attire, entered the room."Master Caleb..." Riley's eyes betrayed her concealed terror. Over a dozen girls had entered the courtyard, all with the same purpose—to serve Caleb in bed. Riley was merely one of them.This was Riley's
"Hm?" The bald man raised an eyebrow. "We were just searching the world for him, and now he's right at our doorstep! Let's go, everyone!"Immediately, the other guards in the inn rose to their feet and followed the bald man, jogging toward Caleb's courtyard."Is it Ethan the Madman?" The other patrons in the inn, who were eating and drinking, quickly put down their cups, paid their bills, and followed suit.The innkeeper had just come downstairs and saw that the once bustling hall was now empty. His face turned green with frustration. "Bad luck! What madman? He's like a jinx!"
The bald man's heart skipped a beat as he came to his senses and hastily instructed his guards to surround Ethan.Trouble was brewing, and the bald man was growing anxious. He never imagined that Caleb, who had been a prominent figure in Stone Town for years, would be defeated by a fourteen-year-old. Hesitant to intervene and save face for Caleb earlier, he never expected this...Caleb's life seemed to be slipping away, impaled by the long blade. If Caleb died, there was still his uncle, a guest official in the Baker family!The Baker family… The bald man shuddered.
Amidst the howling wind, Ethan drifted in and out of consciousness, cradled in the arms of a scarred youth known as Seventeen. It felt as though he was fast asleep.Ever since ingesting the mysterious pill, Ethan noticed a significant improvement in his condition. At the very least, the pain had ceased. The dizziness caused by the poison of the Five Venom Claws had vanished as well. Held by Seventeen, the gusts of wind were so strong they made it impossible for Ethan to open his eyes.Moments later, Ethan felt himself being placed into a warm bed. Overcome by waves of drowsiness, he drifted into a deep slumber, lulled by the distant rumble of wheels.
They stood within a hazy, dark purple realm. A violet sun hung low in the sky, casting its eerie light upon the base of a mountain. The scenery was entirely different from before: the lush tree canopies, peculiar stones, and winding paths were all bathed in a purple glow. The limited visibility rendered everything slightly blurry."What on earth is this place?" Ethan's heart swelled with disbelief. To his knowledge, there had never been such a location on the Continent of Chaos.Overwhelmed by the strangeness, Ethan was momentarily stupefied, following Seventeen mechanically. Seventeen glanced back at him, his gaze devoid of emotion, sending a shudder through Ethan's core as if he were looking at an inanimate obje
Everyone stared at Ethan with excitement, and in their eyes, he saw greed and cruelty, as if they were looking at prey. Some of the younger ones even began to drool."Hand over the food!" a slightly older, dark-skinned youth licked his dry lips and demanded in a deep voice."Yes, yes, hand it over quickly!""Hand it over or die!" Once the dark-skinned youth spoke, the others chimed in, making it clear that he was their leader.Ethan's expression darkened as he looked up at the silhoue
"What incredible defense and strength!" Ethan thought, his eyes narrowing. A stone that size would have taken thousands of pounds of force to throw, but it didn't faze Maxwell. It was clear to Ethan that Maxwell was relying on pure physical strength, without any hint of force manipulation.Maxwell's power was astonishing, and Ethan wondered if he was either gifted or had cultivated a powerful physical defense technique. With a roar, Maxwell charged into the group, wielding the young man in his grasp like a club, causing screams of pain to erupt from his victims."Scram!" bellowed Maxwell, his voice
"Jerky?" Ethan accepted the piece of meat amidst the eager gazes of other boys, grinning, "Let me give it a try." Having spent several hours in Beyond Heaven, he had started to feel hungry."Wow..." Ethan's expression changed abruptly as he chewed on the jerky. He asked Maxwell, "This tastes terrible. What kind of meat is this?"Maxwell looked puzzled and replied innocently, "Well, it's human flesh, of course.""Human flesh?" Ethan's face turned pale, and he immediately dropped the jerky and started retching nearby. He still couldn't accept the idea of eating human flesh, unlike the others who had no idea how much longer they would have to endure such circumstances. Ethan remembered Seventeen's cryptic last words: "Ten days later.""Still acting all high and mighty? Not eating human flesh? Let's see how long you can hold out!" A short, skinny boy sneered at Ethan, his eyes lighting up as he quickly picked up the discarded jerky and stuffed it into his mouth.Just then, a strong gust o