1.4 Billion Blessing Promotion

Mineral Town.

Outside the brothel.

The frail girl was being dragged away step by step by the thugs. Even as she struggled with all her strength until her fingers bled and her dress tore, she could not resist several burly thugs with vicious faces.

"Please... My family's debt, I'll work hard to pay it back..." The girl's voice was hoarse, her pretty face streaked with tears.

She knew that once she stepped through those doors, what awaited her would surely be a hellish life beyond her control. In the end, she would be thrown out like trash, just as she had once seen with her own eyes when she passed this place while selling fruit with her father in Mineral Town.

"Work? How long can you work? Can you even pay it back?!"

"I'm telling you, if you keep resisting, once you enter the Red Rose, I'll make you wish you were dead in the taming room!"

Perhaps growing impatient, the lead thug grabbed the girl's long hair with enough force to nearly tear it out and shouted viciously.

His name was Luca, the Red Rose Brothel's top thug and doorman.

If not for the need to preserve the quality of the merchandise, he would have taught this stubborn girl a harsh lesson already.

But it was not too late. The taming room had plenty of tools that would not damage the merchandise's appearance while still teaching them a proper lesson.

At the thought of it, a glint of brutality and excitement flashed through Luca's eyes.

"What are you looking at? Are your farm chores done? Have you sold all your goods?"

"Get the hell out of here!"

Luca roared at the crowd of onlookers.

Xian, who had just arrived, frowned slightly at the sight. Beside him, Berg was already trembling with rage.

Looking for death?! What the hell was this thing to dare disrespect my liege?! The youth shoved through the packed crowd and strode up to Luca. Before Luca could react, he slapped him viciously across the face.

Slap! Though Luca was far larger than Berg, the strength of a transcendent was not something that could be judged by size.

That heavy slap sent stars spinning before Luca's eyes, and his fat body nearly collapsed unconscious.

"Y-You... who are you? Why did you hit me?!"

The burly man who had been so vicious and ferocious moments before now covered his face and asked blankly like a little girl.

That slap had clearly beaten him half senseless.

"Good! You disrespect my master, and you still dare talk back!"

Berg grew even angrier and raised his hand for another resounding slap.

Slap! This time, one of Luca's teeth was knocked clean out and rolled across the ground.

The other thugs behind him hurried over to help, only to freeze under Berg's fierce, hawk-like glare.

The youth before them was freakishly strong. He wore an iron sword at his waist, carried a longbow on his back and a quiver full of iron arrows, and did not even have a Profession Blessing above his head. He was most likely some ruthless transcendent.

They were happy enough to bully girls alongside their boss, but attacking such a ruthless man was simply not worth it.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please, you must forgive me."

Realizing that he would be slapped to death if this continued, Luca quickly dropped to his knees and begged desperately through his toothless mouth.

"...You should beg my liege for forgiveness."

Only then did Berg lower his hand, though the anger in his voice had not faded.

Luca finally noticed the Black-Haired Youth standing silently behind Berg and watching everything. His eyes flickered as he swiftly assessed the other man's identity using his years of experience in judging people.

Fair, delicate skin. Rare black hair and black eyes. Silk clothing. A Black Top Hat that was clearly made of exceptional materials and crafted by a master. Most importantly, there was not even a Status Blessing above his head!

Luca had naturally heard of items that could conceal one's Status Blessing, but they were all exceedingly expensive, and only lofty nobles would have any need for such things.

The identities of the two immediately became clear—a young nobleman out for leisure with his attendant.

"Gods above, honored sir, please forgive this lowly dog."

Luca crawled forward on all fours, intending to kiss the tip of Xian's shoe, but Berg stopped him with a cold glare.

What kind of thing did he think he was, to deserve kissing his liege's shoe? Only a loyal Hunting Dog like him was worthy!

"My lord, everything you spend at the Red Rose today will be free of charge, as my apology. What do you think?"

Luca awkwardly rose to his feet, rubbing his hands together with a fawning smile.

"Fine. But I want her."

Xian pointed calmly at the crying girl on the ground.

"My lord, she hasn't been tamed yet— Fine! Please come inside. I'll prepare the finest room for you!"

Luca was about to refuse when he saw Berg raise his hand again. Terrified, he immediately agreed.

"Oh, and bring me ten more girls."

As he was about to enter the brothel, Xian seemed to remember something. He plucked a red rose from the flowerbed by the entrance and said gravely.

"My lord, it will be hard to guarantee quality with ten of them!" Luca said seriously.

Berg silently lowered his hand.

Red Rose Brothel, third floor.

The ceiling was lofty and decorated with exquisite crystal chandeliers that swayed gently and scattered brilliant light.

The spacious bed was covered in layers of soft silk mattresses. Blossoming red roses hung on the walls, while aromatherapy burners glowed on the bedside tables, giving off a captivating fragrance.

This truly was the brothel's most luxurious room.

"Why were you sold here?"

Xian sat on the bed and looked at the terrified girl kneeling on the ground.

"...A traveling merchant deceived our village. My family couldn't pay the taxes, so we were forced to borrow money from Lord Hawke. Then, in one week, the debt tripled."

The girl answered timidly. Blood still dripped from her fingers, yet she hardly dared breathe.

She knew that the Black-Haired Youth before her, who could make those vicious thugs retreat, must have a status far nobler than she could imagine. Perhaps even the knights who came to collect taxes would have to treat him with respect.

"Mills really has caused no end of harm..."

Xian felt some regret. If he had known, why send Mills to the Slave Capital? Wouldn't it have been better to send him to a brothel? Still, considering Mills's fairly decent appearance, he was probably doing the same kind of work in the Slave Capital. While Xian was lost in thought, ten women in revealing clothing that exposed large stretches of pale skin were brought into the room.

Their ages varied, but the oldest was only twenty-four or twenty-five. The youngest did not even look fifteen or sixteen, still more a girl than a woman.

"My lord, these are the highest-quality prostitutes in the entire Red Rose. They are all free of charge. Please enjoy them to your heart's content."

Luca smiled ingratiatingly, then wisely left the room.

"Master!"

The ten prostitutes all knelt before Xian, exposing their pale backs.

"Master, I'll stand guard for you."

Berg tactfully prepared to leave the room.

"Stop. Do you really think I came here to have fun?" Xian asked, torn between laughter and tears.

"You. Tell them again how you came here." He spoke to the girl in coarse linen from earlier.

"I was in debt—"

"Was anyone among you brought here for the same reason as her?"

Xian asked the ten prostitutes before him.

Yet to his surprise, the ten prostitutes looked at one another and all fell silent.

After a long while, the youngest girl hesitantly spoke up.

"My lord, Sir Luca does not allow us to tell customers where we came from."

"How dare you call a brothel's doorman 'sir' in front of my master!"

Berg glared viciously at her. His hawk-sharp gaze and the iron sword at his waist that seemed ready to leave its sheath instantly frightened the prostitutes into huddling together in terror.

"Alright, alright."

Xian stopped him helplessly.

For some reason, he felt that after Berg had advanced to Hunter, his temper had become much more violent. If he was not slapping people, he was glaring at them.

"I mean you no harm. I'll speak to Luca on your behalf. Can you tell me where you came from now?"

Xian rose from the bed, walked over to the kneeling prostitutes, bent down, and asked softly.

"I... I was sold here like that older sister."

Perhaps sensing his goodwill, the youngest girl spoke again.

"I was kidnapped..."

"One night, I was walking home..."

"My father sold me..."

"I saw a cleaning job posted on the recruitment board. I didn't know..."

Encouraged by the girl, the other prostitutes began to speak as well. Only the oldest among them remained silent throughout.

"Only some of you were sold over debts. Most of you were taken by force or tricked?"

Xian pondered for a moment, but his gaze grew ever colder.

He vaguely realized that this splendid building was actually a den of evil that controlled these prostitutes.

"You've suffered a great deal here, haven't you?"

Xian's words were half a sigh and half a question.

The prostitutes' expressions instantly turned terrified. Even the bravest girl merely shut her mouth and did not dare make a sound.

"Don't be afraid. Tell me about your suffering. No matter what, I'll take all of you away from here today," he said softly.

"Believe me. With the God of Sun and Justice above as witness, I swear on my honor that I have both the ability and the will to do so."

Knowing that words alone were not enough, Xian took an emblem from his pocket and showed it to them. Karen had given it to him when he left Black Wolf Castle.

The emblem bore a ferocious black Wolf Head. It represented the authority of the master who ruled this land—Hughes.

Silence filled the room. Just when Xian thought he had failed, the women burst into tears and began speaking over one another.

"My lord, when we first arrived, they locked us in the taming room and tortured us for an entire week."

"If we failed to complete our tasks, we would be beaten viciously."

"They really will skin us alive!"

"They beat my mother and father to death..."

The women were grief-stricken, their voices broken by intermittent sobs. Their misery was heart-wrenching.

"My lord, if you truly wish to understand our suffering, go take a look at the washroom on the fourth floor."

Even the oldest prostitute, who had been silent from the start, spoke through tears.

"Big sister, how can you let this lord go to such a filthy place?"

"It would soil this lord's eyes!"

At her words, the other prostitutes hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"What is there?" Xian frowned slightly and asked in a tone that allowed no argument.

"One of our sisters is there. She once tried to escape through a window, but she was paralyzed when she fell."

"Sir Luca said they had to keep her alive as a warning. Anyone who disobeyed would end up like her..."

The prostitutes answered hesitantly.

"My lord, I beg you. You don't have to take me away, but after you see her in the washroom, please kill her. I will pray to the gods for your lifelong safety."

The oldest prostitute dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"You, lead the way. Berg, we're going to the fourth floor."

After a moment of silence, Xian led the prostitute and Berg out of the room.

"My lord, you came out so quickly. Were you dissatisfied? Shall I replace them with another group?"

Seeing him emerge, Luca, who had been waiting in the corridor, immediately came over and asked fawningly.

Boom! Berg answered him with a punch that smashed him straight into the wall. The burly man with the fleshy face fainted on the spot.

Fourth-floor washroom.

Xian went in, then quickly came back out.

"Ugh... ughh!"

Xian crouched on the ground and retched repeatedly. His throat burned with pain, his stomach convulsed without stop, and snot and tears were almost pouring from his face.

"Liege, what happened to you?!"

Berg's expression was incomparably panicked, while the old prostitute beside him looked as though she had expected this.

"Liege!"

Berg tried to help him up, but Xian tightly gripped his shoulder.

"Berg, since becoming your liege, I haven't given you a formal order yet, have I?"

Xian's face had turned much paler, but his eyes were so cold that even Berg feared them. He had never seen his liege this furious, like an enraged lion.

"I, Xian, order you in my capacity as your liege."

"Kill everyone in this brothel except the prostitutes. Every last one of them. Every last one of them. Every last one of them!"

Xian ground out the last few words through clenched teeth.

He hated killing. Even when facing scum like Mills, he had not wanted to kill him outright. But this time, he truly could not endure it any longer.

"Yes, my liege. I shall obey your command. As your Hunting Dog, I will turn this place into a river of blood."

Berg's expression turned solemn. After kneeling on one knee in salute, he took the longbow from his back, nocked an iron arrow, and descended the stairs radiating killing intent.

Third floor.

"Damn it! This is too much! Go invite Lord Hawke at once. I'll have them torn to pieces!"

Luca raged after the thugs woke him.

He felt that this young nobleman had gone too far. He had merely spoken one disrespectful sentence, and he had already compensated him with ten prostitutes. Was that still not enough?

He was, after all, Lord Hawke's most trusted subordinate and an important figure in Mineral Town. After being humiliated like this today, was he supposed to have no pride at all?

"Pah! If you hadn't been lucky enough to be born a noble, how would you dare act so arrogant?!"

After his underling rushed downstairs to deliver the message, Luca, still seething with anger, spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.

Whoosh! At that moment, an arrow flew in and lodged firmly in his forehead.

Still cursing, Luca toppled over and fell to the ground without a sound.

Fourth floor.

After making sufficient mental preparations, Xian entered the washroom again under the old prostitute's astonished gaze.

"Do you need me to kill you?"

"...Yes."

"Flower Field Magical Art."

"Sun, Fire, Impact Magic Runes."

Before the prostitute's stunned eyes, the once unbearably fetid washroom was flooded by countless blooming Red Roses, becoming a sea of flowers. Then the cold-faced Black-Haired Youth walked out from the blazing floral sea.

The long string of text hidden beneath the Black Top Hat gradually turned emerald green.

Dear readers, I wanted to talk to everyone about something. Ever since this book entered the top ten of the new release rankings, it had been receiving all kinds of bad reviews and trolling. Yesterday, an account that had previously posted several malicious reviews suddenly went on a frenzy in the middle of the night, spamming bad reviews and curses. After I finally lost patience and muted it, four more accounts suddenly appeared and started attacking me together. When I looked into it carefully, I discovered that the five accounts chatting with each other and stirring things up in the previous chapter were actually all controlled by one person! And it was even an author account. It honestly disgusted me. I was so upset that I couldn't sleep all night. I truly couldn't understand why he did this. I had never offended him. Was there really a need to appear the moment I updated and use several accounts at once to stir up trouble?

I asked some senior writers, and they said that a newcomer like me, who ranked first among my peers on the new release list and had once stayed up all night revising because of reader comments, was basically the softest persimmon to squeeze. They suggested setting a fan-value requirement for comments, but I felt that readers' chapter comments were part of the book itself, part of its soul, so I had never interfered before. I ask everyone to focus more on the book's content. I will listen to and read any suggestions. I once stayed up all night revising because of that. Please believe in me, and I also ask my fellow authors not to keep stirring up trouble around me. I'm just a nobody; I'm really not worth it.