A Little Girl's Eyes

"Slaves?"

Ye Chen froze for a moment, staring unblinkingly at the people wearing collars around their necks. His heart was plunged into indescribable shock.

These people included burly men, many of whom appeared to have once been pirates, as well as mostly young and beautiful women. Of course, there were also some delicate and pretty girls.

Ye Chen's gaze swiftly swept over them. Some looked bewildered, some had vacant eyes, some wailed and cried endlessly, while others were filled with despair and fear. Still others looked hopefully at the pedestrians by the roadside, pleading silently for someone to save them from their misery.

"Are these people all slaves, Grandpa?"

Ye Chen secretly asked the old man beside him. The old man jumped in fright and instinctively glanced around before signaling Ye Chen not to speak so loudly, lest he invite trouble.

"These are slave-hunting squads. In truth, they were originally vicious pirates. After changing professions, they joined the government's hunting squads, specializing in capturing slaves everywhere. They either sell them or offer them to the Dragon People, earning generous rewards in return. After all, the government cannot openly send people to do such illegal things."

The old man knew quite a lot. It seemed he had long grown accustomed to scenes like this and even knew the inside story of the hunting squads.

"Hunting squads... and they're sanctioned by the government." Ye Chen muttered, gritting his teeth as towering waves surged in his heart. This world truly made people despair. There were simply too many horrifying things.

On the surface, there was singing, dancing, and peace everywhere. Who would have thought such inhuman tragedies were constantly unfolding beneath it all?

"Save me! Someone, please help us!"

Suddenly, a girl's cries drew Ye Chen's attention. He had only just turned toward the sound when a slave trader from the hunting squad mercilessly raised his whip and lashed it hard across the girl. The whip flashed, bringing a spray of blood with it. She was only eleven or twelve years old, delicate and pretty, with a slightly broad forehead and fair skin. Her large, captivating eyes held blue-black irises, beautiful and deep like Robin's eyes, like gems.

Though she had been struck, the girl did not make a sound. She still held her chest high with pride and stubbornly begged the passersby for help. Yet tears of humiliation kept streaming from her eyes. Beside her, two girls about her age cried out in anguish, "Sister! Sister..."

Although tears ran down her face, the girl kept her head held high. The merciless whip did not stop. It was clear that she was no ordinary girl. Anyone else would have been beaten to death already, yet this seemingly delicate and pretty girl remained stubbornly upright, never once lowering her head.

"Hm?"

Ye Chen was both furious and heartbroken. Suddenly, the girl seemed to sense something and sharply turned her head toward him.

Their eyes met, and Ye Chen immediately froze. From the side, she merely seemed delicate and pretty, but face-to-face, those deep blue eyes alone made Ye Chen feel as though he were losing himself.

"Save me!"

Though the girl said nothing, the longing in her eyes made Ye Chen's heart clench. He even felt that besides pleading, her gaze contained something else—an order!

Yes, an order! This proud girl was actually ordering him.

Of course, the feeling was faint, but Ye Chen understood women better than anyone. Robin had once asked him what he did, and Ye Chen's answer had been that he conducted research on the human body. His instincts concerning women had always been sharp.

If the meaning in the girl's eyes were broken down, eight parts were pleading, while two parts were command!

Moreover, Ye Chen could tell that this command was not intentional on the girl's part.

It was simply something that naturally radiated from her. Though she was young, she was like a queen ruling over the world. Even a single glance carried an irresistible pressure.

Ye Chen frowned anxiously. The girl, however, stopped walking and fixed her burning gaze on him. Along the way, no one had paid attention to her. Even though Ye Chen was just a child, she had at least seen hope in his eyes.

This boy wanted to help her. Though she was young, she came from the warrior race of Amazon Lily. Furthermore, despite being young, the three sisters had already dared to sail out on adventures. Otherwise, they would not have been captured by the slave-hunting traffickers.

Those tender, affectionate eyes stared at Ye Chen without blinking. Ye Chen did not dare meet the girl's gaze, because there were simply too many traffickers, and they all looked powerful. No matter how unafraid of death Ye Chen was, his brain was not full of water. He could not possibly rush in like a fool to save her.

By then, not only would he fail to save anyone, but he would get himself caught as well. Besides, Olvia needed his protection too.

Seeing the girl stop, the hunting squad whipped her even more viciously. After a while, when she saw that Ye Chen was no longer looking at her, she sighed helplessly and could only continue forward with the crowd. In an instant, her bright, lively eyes dimmed considerably, and something called despair began to grow within them.

Only after the girl had left did Ye Chen turn back with a face full of guilt. Faced with her pleading gaze, he truly hated his own helplessness. He could not even offer her the slightest bit of help.

Still, Ye Chen was curious. Holding Olvia's hand, he secretly followed from behind and discovered that these people were ultimately sent into an auction house. Security inside was extremely tight. He also heard members of the hunting squad saying that the Holy Land needed a large number of slaves, so they had to hurry and select them before sending them to the Holy Land. They could not simply sell them off in Sabaody.

"The Holy Land? What kind of place is that?" Although the name sounded benevolent, Ye Chen felt a faint sense of foreboding.

These slaves were casually captured and sold. As for that so-called Holy Land, it was probably not a good place either. Otherwise, would they be sent there? Judging by the guards' tone, they all seemed terrified whenever the Holy Land was mentioned.

It had to be a terrifying place.

Unable to find a restaurant, they casually entered a bar instead. Ye Chen was lost in thought and absent-minded, while Olvia had never experienced anything like this either, so she was in low spirits. The two remained silent. When the food was brought over, Ye Chen had no appetite. The image of that girl lingered in his mind, impossible to dispel, and he felt as though he should not have ignored her fate.

Ye Chen suddenly clenched his fists, abruptly raised his head, and asked the surrounding patrons, "Does anyone know where the Holy Land is?"