First Blood

In a corner of the Inn, a fat man sitting in the shadows whispered a few words to the attendant beside him. The attendant nodded and walked over to the bar. "Morode wants to talk to you."

The burly man at the bar frowned and glanced over, then nodded. "I'll be there in a moment."

He waved over a subordinate and had him take his place at the bar, then headed toward the shadows. Dropping heavily into a seat, he said, "Morode, you old fox. Don't tell me you've got your eye on that little girl from earlier?"

The fat man poured himself a drink and looked up at him. Though his face was packed with flesh, his movements were far less sluggish than his appearance suggested. "Cevan, that little girl is quality merchandise. A lot of nobles have been into this sort of thing lately. If you catch her, I'm confident I can sell her for this much."

Morode held up five fingers and slowly said, "Five hundred Gold Dalers."

"A pretty little girl like that? I'm sure plenty of nobles with unusual tastes would pay that price."

Cevan frowned at that. He gave the other man a long look and said in a low voice, "Do you know what you're saying?"

"You're breaking my rules. I don't do that sort of thing in my own establishment." The fat man chuckled and shrugged, leaning closer. "You've sold me over a hundred women yourself. Don't tell me your Basement is spotless. Whether you do this job is up to you, but I guarantee that little girl can be moved quickly. Plenty of nobles have been fond of girls like her lately."

Cevan's expression seemed somewhat hesitant. He lowered his voice. "That guy won't be easy to deal with. He looks like a Rogue, and he's extremely alert!"

"There can't be any deaths in my Inn, or the Security Squad will definitely come after me."

The fat man in the corner gave an eerie smile and lowered his voice as well. "No need to worry about anyone dying. We're merchants, not killers, aren't we?"

"I have a potion I bought from a Wizard. Just soak a towel with it and cover someone's mouth and nose. They'll lose the ability to resist in no time. Once that guy leaves, just send someone in and carry the little girl out in a sack. He's an outsider. He can't stir up any trouble here. If necessary, we can also..."

Morode made a throat-slitting gesture and said grimly, "Five hundred Gold Dalers is no small sum." "I knew you were thinking of quitting. After this job, you can buy yourself a small estate."

Cevan fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "Fine. But your people do the job."

"The price has to go up to six hundred Gold Dalers. With my years of experience, that little girl is absolutely top-quality merchandise. When she grows up, she'll definitely be a peerless beauty."

Morode hesitated briefly, then held out his hand. "You really are a greedy old dog."

"Deal."

"I'll give you the money after the goods are sold. Don't worry. Fine merchandise like this is very popular with those noble lords."

Cevan extended his hand and said heavily, "Fine."

The burly man rose from the table, gave a look to the thugs nearby, and then entered the kitchen at the back.

A tall, thin man turned around and leaned close to Morode. "Boss, is it really worth making a move here for one little girl? The Guard Force in White Horse City has been cracking down hard lately. Besides, six hundred Gold Dalers is far too high. I'd say she's worth a hundred or two at most."

"What do you know!"

Morode frowned at him and said quietly, "That little girl is somewhat unusual."

"How could I possibly sell her to nobles like those old dogs? I know certain things are willing to pay a high price for special merchandise like this..."

The tall, thin man shuddered all over as unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind.

The women and children abducted from outsiders in the Slums of the old district were naturally not all sold to White Horse City's nobles or disposed of as slaves. Other creatures were also willing to pay high prices for such merchandise, especially pure virgins and goods with unusual bloodlines. People who moved through the Gray Zone could never avoid dealings with the Dark Domain. Certain creatures hidden within human society had always been major customers of human traffickers.

Not attacking ordinary people without cause had long become an unspoken rule of the Dark Domain. Many unusual creatures had already secretly connected themselves to the human trafficking trade.

As long as the deal was completed, there would be no trouble at all!

If the goods they sold happened to die, the buyers would naturally take care of the bodies.

Morode frowned at the man beside him and said gravely, "With guts this small, how are you supposed to make big money with me? Once we finish this job, we'll leave this place. The situation has been getting more unstable lately."

"If you get the chance, make your move."

On the second floor, inside the room.

Soren set Vivian down and looked around the room.

He took some things out of the Bag of Holding, then crouched in front of Vivian and said seriously, "This place is full of all kinds of people. You need to be careful when I go out."

Soren took out a Dagger and held it out to the little girl. "Do you remember what I taught you?"

Vivian lightly nodded her little head, took the Dagger, and said softly, "I remember."

"Don't worry, Brother."

Soren hesitated, but he still could not put his mind at ease. Vivian had over twenty points of extraordinary Charm by nature. People with high Charm often drew attention easily. If she had been an adult capable of protecting herself, it would have been fine, but she was only an eight-year-old girl. That made her far too likely to attract covetous eyes.

Especially from scum involved in human trafficking. In every city, trafficking was an important source of income in the Grey Domain.

Nobles, **, the slave Black Market, even Vampires.

As a Rogue, Soren knew too well the things done in the Grey Domain. That was why he had always tried not to let Vivian leave his sight. He was deeply wary of this world. Perhaps because he had encountered too much darkness as a Rogue, he always felt that everyone he met belonged to the Evil Alignment. This was a dark and chaotic era. Laws were often nothing more than decoration, while people's conduct was more often restrained by their beliefs and morals.

And those were precisely the hardest things to determine!

Soren intended to visit the Adventurers Guild to gather information, then see if he could find companions to travel with. He had some Gold Dalers on hand now, and he might need to visit certain special places and buy some prohibited weapons from certain people at high prices.

The journey to Falling Leaf City would not be peaceful.

Taking Vivian with him at a time like this would be inconvenient, but leaving her behind also made Soren uneasy.

"Brother."

Vivian reached out with her little hand and held Soren's. As though she knew he was worried, she said quietly, "When you go out, I'll stay in the room by myself."

"I promise I won't run around!"

Soren hesitated, then nodded. "All right."

"I'll go out and gather some information, see if there's another way to leave."

"You stay in the room and behave yourself. Don't run around under any circumstances. I'll be back in half a day at most. Tomorrow, I'll find us another place to stay."

As Soren's figure disappeared, the two men downstairs immediately exchanged looks.

The fat Morode signaled to the thin man beside him, then placed a bottle of potion in his hand.

"Move quickly."

He said softly to the tall, thin man, "I'll meet you in the back. Once you have her, go straight to the old place. I'll find a way to contact the buyer."

"Won't Cevan get angry if we act now?" the tall, thin man asked.

Morode glared at him and said heavily, "That old dog would sell his own sister for money. As long as he gets paid, who cares about anything else?"

Inside the room.

Vivian idly played with the Dagger. If Soren had been there, he would have been stunned, because the little girl could actually make the Dagger dance between her fingers. It was the very technique he had once used to train his finger dexterity when bored.

"I really want to grow up soon!"

The little girl tilted her head and spun the Dagger in her palm. Her hands were tiny, making it even harder than it had been for Soren. Though she could not move as quickly as he could, she did not make the slightest mistake. If she did, the Dagger would cut her fingers.

Clang, clang, clang!

A series of knocks sounded from outside.

The little girl stood up warily, hid the Dagger behind her back, and called out, "Who is it?"

"An Inn attendant."

A man's voice sounded from outside. "The owner asked me to bring up some food."

Food?

A trace of confusion appeared on the little girl's face. She muttered, "Do they provide food for free here?"

Most inns only provided lodging. Food had to be bought at the bar in front.

Vivian gripped the Dagger in her small hand, frowned, and opened the door to look outside.

Sure enough, a tall, thin man was holding a tray of food, with a towel placed beside it.

The little girl could not help relaxing. She shifted slightly to hide the Dagger and said softly, "Sorry for the trouble. Please put it on the table."

The tall, thin man glanced around the room, and a smile appeared on his face. He quickly entered and shut the door behind him, then grabbed the towel at his side and lunged at Vivian.

In an instant!

The little girl bent down to Dodge. The moment he had rushed in and shut the door, she had sensed that something was wrong. When the tall, thin man picked up the towel and moved to cover her mouth and nose, Vivian instantly drew the Dagger, raised one finger, and uttered a strange single syllable. A burst of intense light erupted inside the room.

Blood splattered.

Blinded by the white glare, the tall, thin man lost sight of his target. As he bent over and lunged forward, the little girl slashed across his face with the Dagger, cutting through his right eye socket and destroying one eye on the spot.

A stifled scream rang out.

The tall, thin man covered his eye socket and suddenly reached for the little girl.

Vivian had already avoided him, but she was too small and weak, and was half a beat too slow. After swinging the Dagger with all her strength, she failed to evade in time.

--Lightning Shock.

The tall, thin man, who had already grabbed the little girl and was about to choke her, suddenly began trembling all over. An arc of Electricity leaped across Vivian's fingertips. His body convulsed as though he were having a seizure, and the hand gripping the little girl's arm went limp.

A cold flash appeared.

Vivian instantly thrust the Dagger into his left eye, driving it straight through the eye socket.

The tall, thin man's body stiffened, then he stopped moving.

A trace of terror appeared on the little girl's face. She looked at the blood on her palm, and the Dagger fell to the floor with a clatter.

But.

She quickly took a deep breath, picked up the Dagger again, and quietly glanced outside. After confirming that she had not alerted anyone else, she immediately gathered her things and ran from the room. When she reached the Inn's main hall, the little girl suddenly stopped, then turned and slipped into the back courtyard, crawling out through a small dog hole.

Ignoring the mud all over her body, Vivian sprinted away as soon as she crawled out of the dog hole.