Star of Puppets: Kasantiya

(ps: The early chapters focus on the protagonist's background. If you want to read about Huohuo, skip directly to Volume 2: The Xianzhou Arc.)

Read without overthinking, and you'll have more fun.

Brain storage locker.

The sun was bright in the sky. At the corner of a bustling city street, two ugly-looking men stared at the green-haired Little Fox Person tied up with rope before them. One of the burly men let out a greedy laugh.

"Boss, a Little Fox Person like this should fetch a high price on the black market, right?"

The other man puffed on a cigarette, eyeing the Fox Person as he replied, "This one is from the Xianzhou Luofu. We could easily sell her for a hundred thousand credits."

"Hehehe, Little Fox, don't be scared. You're going to live the good life soon, hahahaha!"

The bound Fox Person looked to be only in her teens. Her green hair was messy, her clothes were fraying, and her face was etched with terror, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

"Please, don't sell me. My mom is still looking for me... sob..."

The Little Fox Person cried as she spoke. She had only come out for a trip with her parents, never expecting to run into kidnappers. She felt as if her life as a fox had reached its end, and a wave of pure fear surged through her heart.

But the two men threatened her with malicious intent.

"Shut up! If you cry again, don't blame us for cutting out your tongue!"

"Oh? Whose tongue are you planning to cut out?"

A young voice drifted from the alley, startling the two men.

"Who's there! Come out!"

The two men spoke with hostility. From behind the alleyway, the figure of a boy slowly stepped out.

"Tch, just a kid! Get lost, or don't blame me for cutting you up too! You're ruining my business!"

The boy merely smiled as he fully emerged from the alley, though he was dragging a man who appeared to be unconscious behind him.

"Wait, Boss, isn't that our employer?"

The two men looked at the unconscious person and, upon closer inspection, realized it was indeed their employer.

"What did you do to him?"

The two men drew their weapons and closed in on the boy.

"Nothing much. According to the laws of Kasantiya, anyone engaged in human trafficking or the slave trade within Kasantiya is subject to... the death penalty."

The boy smiled, tossed the unconscious man aside, and pulled a pitch-black scythe out of thin air before engaging the two men in a scuffle.

The boy swung the scythe, unleashing a black slash that sent one of the men flying directly into the wall, where he remained pinned, unable to pull himself free.

He turned and kicked the other man away, pinning him to the ground with the butt of his scythe. Taking advantage of the gap, he quickly approached the bound Little Fox Person.

"What's your name?"

The boy asked with a smile, using his scythe to slice through the ropes on the girl's wrists.

"I, I'm Huohuo... Thank you... watch out!"

Seeing the man behind him attempting a sneak attack, Huohuo cried out in alarm.

The boy continued to smile, dodging the attack with a swift movement before landing a punch on the man's waist, dealing a heavy blow.

"Ugh!"

The man collapsed to the ground, clutching his side in agony while cursing incessantly.

"Damn it! It's a Pathwalker!"

"My apologies. You're here in Kasantiya for a trip, right? These slave traders haven't shown their faces in a long time. As compensation, I'll cover all your expenses in Kasantiya."

The boy reached out to pull the girl up, brushing the dust off her ears.

Huohuo was timid and had been scared senseless by the scene; no matter what the boy asked, she could only nod blankly.

Looking at the dazed girl, the boy clutched his head and gave a wry smile.

"Geez, it's a good thing you ran into me. If it weren't for me, you would've been sold off."

Huohuo looked at the boy who had saved her, her eyes shimmering with golden light. His short white hair was scattered loosely behind his head, and with his delicate, handsome features, he almost looked like a girl.

"Thank you. Um, what's your name?"

Huohuo asked in a crisp, clear voice.

The boy finally realized he had forgotten to tell her his name.

He pulled a smile that was awkward but polite, and replied, "My name is Bai Sheng. You can call me Asheng, or you can call me brother. How old are you?"

"I... I'm fifteen."

(PS: Don't nitpick, thanks! Please just let it be.)

"Hmm, that's fine. Old enough."

The boy spoke while stroking Huohuo's hair. He had to admit, the head of a Foxian felt incredibly comfortable—even better than the finest fur.

Huohuo looked at him, bewildered, and asked, "What do you mean I'm old enough? Please, don't grab me, I'm begging you!"

Bai Sheng laughed heartily at her words. Seeing the little one pressing her palms together to plead for mercy, he found her adorable. He pinched her soft, chubby cheeks and said, "It's nothing like that. I meant you're old enough for us to file a case. Sending those human traffickers to court for the death penalty isn't a joke. Consider it a way to vent your frustrations; the Star of Puppets is actually quite a fun place."

Bai Sheng pinched Huohuo's soft cheeks while signaling the guards hidden in the shadows to take the human traffickers away.

"Oh, oh, I get it now, but you're still not letting go of me."

Huohuo said this, and it was just how children were—they made friends quickly. At least, that was how it seemed to Bai Sheng.

Afterward, to make up for the fright Huohuo had endured, Bai Sheng took her around to play until the sun dipped below the horizon, at which point they finally called it a day.

"Alright, all the expenses for your family's outing are on my tab. Let me take you to your guardians."

"Th... thank you..."

"It's nothing! Take this; I made it myself, so don't turn your nose up at it."

Bai Sheng handed Huohuo a jade pendant engraved with two fish.

"It's for protection. Keep it safe, you little crybaby."

"I am not a crybaby!"

"Sure, sure, you aren't... Welcome to the Star of Puppets, Kasantiya!"

Ten years later...

"Your Highness, to the left!"

A soldier clad in heavy armor shouted to the youth beside him.

The youth watched the enemy before him, swinging the massive, pitch-black scythe in his hand to the left and piercing through a human-sized Stingworm.

"First Squad, break through the left flank! Second Squad, provide cover on the right! Deploy the puppets! Everyone else still alive, charge with me! Wipe out all these vermin!"

"Yes!"

The group responded in unison. Blue threads emerged from the armored soldiers' hands, and immediately, puppets wearing identical armor manifested out of thin air.

The youth charged at the very front. His scythe descended like the Grim Reaper; with every swing, it claimed the lives of dozens of Stingbugs.

Looking closely, one could see a wisp of cyan light flowing from the dying insects into the scythe.

Across this vast, scorched earth, there were countless, densely packed Stingworms.

"Your Highness, we are three thousand meters from the broodmother. Shall we deploy the Orbital Cannon?"

The youth killed a Stingworm that had lunged at him, turned back, and roared, "Are you trying to die? The blast radius of the Orbital Cannon exceeds three thousand meters. I might survive, but what about you?"

However, the soldier only smiled as he manipulated his puppet to clear a path for the squad.

"Your Highness, without you, we'd still be slaves for the IPC. We have no family; we are loyal only to you. If we kill this broodmother, His Majesty should change his opinion of you. Brothers, get His Highness to the rear! It's our turn to take the stage!"

Before the youth could speak, three burly soldiers and three puppets hoisted him up. The youth, confused by their actions, struggled fiercely, but he couldn't bring himself to kill them.

"Let me go! This is insubordination!"

"Then please, Your Highness, come to our graves next year and count the orders we disobeyed at your leisure! The soldiers of Kasantiya do not fear death! Take care, Your Highness Bai Sheng!"

"You... urgh..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the youth was struck on the back of the neck and knocked unconscious.

One group escorted the youth away, while the other charged toward the broodmother, fearless of death...

"Kasantiya! Everlasting and indomitable!"

As flames soared into the sky, the broodmother, as large as half a planet, was reduced to ashes under the bombardment of the Orbital Cannon...