Arrival at the Holy Land

"Eh? Sister?" Sandersonia's eyes lit up when she saw Ye Chen being dragged in. She hurriedly nudged Hancock, who turned to look over and saw Ye Chen struggling desperately on the floor, refusing to let them put the collar on him no matter what.

Hancock's eyes widened in surprise, completely bewildered.

Ye Chen was putting on an act, of course. Since he had "voluntarily" allowed himself to be sold in here, he had already made his plans. He kicked both guards to the ground, and Rayleigh smiled. "Let me do it. This Ghost is far too troublesome."

Disco nodded and handed the collar to Rayleigh. Rayleigh secretly gave Ye Chen a look, signaling that he need not worry. The instant the collar was placed around Ye Chen's neck, Rayleigh suddenly exerted force with his wrist, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes. No one noticed that Rayleigh had easily tampered with the collar.

Rayleigh accepted 1 Beli from Disco and leisurely walked out. As for what would happen to Ye Chen next, Rayleigh was not worried. Everything would depend on Ye Chen's own efforts and luck.

"Get in."

With the collar on, Ye Chen settled down a little. Disco had someone open a cell and shoved Ye Chen inside. Only after entering did Ye Chen realize that he had been locked up with that girl.

Disco left, thoroughly satisfied. Ye Chen deliberately shouted a few times, "Let me out! Let me out! Help!"

The guards were all smug and ignored him. Ye Chen smiled, then sat down beside Hancock. A faint fragrance drifted into his nostrils. He glanced at Hancock and asked quietly, "What's your name?"

"Hancock. What about you? Why were you captured too?" Hancock rarely spoke to strangers, but Ye Chen had left a deep impression on her. Last time, she had even asked him for help on the street.

"My name is Ye Chen. As for why I'm here, you should know that yourself." Ye Chen smiled. "I'm tired. I'll sleep for a while first." With that, he tilted his head and leaned against Hancock.

Hancock hastily moved away, glaring at Ye Chen with disgust. "Don't touch me."

Hancock clearly did not believe Ye Chen's words. Was this how someone rescued people? He had gotten himself locked up too and could barely save himself. Everyone would be loaded onto a ship and taken away that night. How could Ye Chen possibly save them?

Ye Chen lay down and fell asleep. He had no way to explain it either. Rescuing people was not that simple. Everything would have to depend on how things developed. At the very least, Zephyr would not come here to arrest anyone.

Ye Chen's guess was completely correct. These slaves were to be transported to Mary Geoise and handed over to the Dragon People. Zephyr had no authority to search this place.

As time passed, the prisoners in the cells grew increasingly terrified. The timid ones could not help sobbing.

The three Hancock sisters huddled tightly together. Though their fate could no longer be changed, Hancock still firmly comforted her two younger sisters. "Don't worry. As long as your sister is here, no one will hurt you. I'll protect you."

Ye Chen looked utterly carefree, sleeping so deeply it was almost ridiculous. When he woke up, it was nearly dark, and the auction house suddenly became busy. A group of burly guards stormed into the cells menacingly. "All of you, come out and follow us."

Some struggled, while some cried out, but the outcome could not be changed. Ye Chen was quite cooperative. Without making a sound, he followed the others toward the harbor under the guards' commands.

Zephyr had led his men in a full day of searching, but found nothing. Though he knew Ye Chen had left Shakky's bar, he had no evidence to arrest Shakky or Rayleigh. Shakky's explanation was perfectly reasonable. "That Ghost hid in my bar, and a lot of my money was stolen too. How was I supposed to know he was hiding in the building?"

"Hm?" When two thousand slaves were escorted to the harbor, Ain suddenly spotted a familiar figure among the crowd. Just as she stepped closer to get a better look, she was blocked by guards arranged by the Dragon People.

"I'm Admiral Zephyr's student. I suspect the fugitive we've been searching for is hiding among them."

As Ain spoke, she stepped forward. But the Dragon People's guard rudely fired his gun. With a bang, Ain jumped in fright. She frowned and glared angrily at the guard, about to say something, when he snorted disdainfully. "In this matter, even an admiral has no right to interfere. Even Fleet Admiral Kong has no authority over us. We answer directly to the royal family of the Holy Land. Get lost!"

A mere Dragon People's guard dared to show such contempt for a Navy admiral. Ain gritted her teeth in fury, but there was nothing she could do.

Ye Chen and the others were locked in the ship's hold. Then the transport ship let out a piercing whistle, swayed a few times over the sea, and quickly departed Sabaody. Ye Chen curiously looked around. The hold was crammed full of slaves wearing collars, and the atmosphere was stifling. The girls wept quietly, while the men lowered their heads and sighed. Some had blank looks in their eyes, having already resigned themselves to their fate.

Ye Chen got to his feet and, relying on his nimble body, squeezed his way to the hatch. Peering outside, he found guards standing everywhere on alert—one at every step, sentries at every turn. They were strong and muscular, with vicious eyes and imposing auras. Quite a few Navy officers accompanied them as well. Ye Chen sighed softly and had no choice but to abandon the thought of escaping midway.

He had originally planned to steal the key to the girls' collars and take them overboard, but Ye Chen understood that the guards escorting these slaves were fully prepared and security was extremely tight. Escaping midway would not be easy.

None of the slaves dared move about carelessly. Not a single person dared to run, because they all knew how terrifying the collars were. Even if they escaped, once the collar detonated, their heads would be blown to pieces. Running away was still a dead end.

At night, the guards brought them food. Naturally, the slaves had little appetite, but Ye Chen did not care. Since they were already wearing collars and were being escorted to the Holy Land, it was obvious that no poison would be put in their food.

Ye Chen was naturally optimistic. He ate and drank as usual, appearing perfectly calm and unconcerned by everything around him. Everyone looked at him as though he were a fool.

Ye Chen did not care. As he ate, he said to Hancock, "Will refusing to eat make you feel any better? Only when you're full will you have the strength. At the very least, being alive matters more than anything. As long as you live, there's hope for everything!"

Hancock looked at Ye Chen, her heart stirring. She gritted her teeth and reached for the bowl in front of her as well.

After sailing at sea for four days, the transport ship finally arrived safely at the Holy Land. Having been locked in the pitch-dark hold all those days, even Ye Chen was starting to struggle with it. The moment he was brought out of the hold, the light felt unbearably glaring. Though the sunlight outside was not particularly harsh, his eyes still ached intensely. Only after a while did he barely begin to adjust.