The other two Soul Kings also gathered around. At the sight of the bloody scene before them, both were at a loss.
One of the Soul Kings crouched down and examined the Evil Soul Master's corpse. After confirming that he was dead, he could not help exclaiming:
"This little brat really is a monster. He actually beat a Three-Ring Soul Elder to death with his bare hands. No wonder he was so full of himself back then. Heh, now that I've seen this, he really is extraordinary."
The other Soul King looked at the unconscious Toji.
"Now we've got a dead Evil Soul Master, and the kid's parents are dead too. What do we do?"
"What else can we do?" the arrogant Soul King said gloomily. "This little brat didn't take us seriously at all when we left. Now his whole family's dead, and he's the only one left. He's not much use, so why don't we sell him? Besides, with all that strength, he's a monster through and through..."
"Sell him?" The other two Soul Kings were somewhat shocked, but they failed to notice Toji, who had been unconscious, move almost imperceptibly.
"I know a friend in the Soul Fighting Arena business. He just dabbles in some gray areas." The haughty Soul King grinned cheerfully. "If he finds out this brat has the fighting strength of a Three-Ring Soul Elder, he'll definitely launch a massive publicity campaign. He can have the kid fight Soul Beasts to the death, satisfy all those noble spectators' appetite for a spectacle, then set up some gambling. Wouldn't that make a killing?"
"That way, not only do we save ourselves the trouble of settling this Little Monster, we can also take credit for killing the Evil Soul Master. That's a real achievement on our record."
The haughty Soul King looked at the motionless Toji and grinned, then turned to his two companions.
"When the time comes, if this brat really does make money in the Soul Fighting Arena like I said, you two will get a share of the profits too. So, do you agree or not?"
The other two Soul Kings hesitated for a moment after hearing him out.
Seeing their hesitation, the Soul King's expression darkened.
"Don't forget, you two, our negligence on this mission got two pieces of trash killed. If we don't deal with this brat and let him go around blabbing about how he became an orphan, won't that wipe out the credit for this mission and get the three of us punished? When it comes down to it, whether the three of us can even graduate from Shrek Inner Court would be another question. Is it worth giving up our futures for this brat?"
"If that's what you want, that's your business. I don't want these pieces of trash without Soul Power holding back my bright future. A graduation certificate from Shrek Inner Court will open the way to endless possibilities for the rest of our lives."
Hearing him go that far, and apparently somewhat wary of his status as well, the two finally agreed.
"Fine, we'll do as you say. Settling this brat afterward would be a real hassle anyway. This way we can save ourselves the work and earn some pocket money too."
Toji, who had woken up long before after being knocked out, heard the whole conversation and could not help clenching his fists, but he forced down his anger and impulse...
After all, the three of them were Soul Kings, and he was weakened. He was no match for them at all... If he woke up now and struck first, they might really kill him to silence him.
So this is Shrek's true face?
And this Inspection Corps in particular-these few scraps think they can hunt down Evil Soul Masters?
How laughable...
Since the three had chosen to sell him, they could not blame him for settling accounts with them once he grew stronger.
But for now, Toji could only pretend to be unconscious and conserve his strength for the desperate situation ahead...
Toji felt himself being thrown onto a hard surface, then he began moving. The journey was extremely bumpy. He tried to secretly remember the route, but, already exhausted in body and mind, he ultimately could not withstand his weakened state and fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, he found himself in a dark, damp dungeon.
Toji's mouth was parched, his whole body ached fiercely, and his stomach was gripped by an overwhelming hunger.
The hunger seemed to awaken Toji's most primal instinct to eat. Even if there were bread smeared with shit in front of him, he would pounce on it without hesitation, tear it apart, and swallow it.
This is unbearable.
Hunger filled Toji's mind, leaving him without a shred of reason...
How long did I sleep?
Clang-
The dungeon door opened, and a piercing white light slowly fell upon Toji. But unlike sunlight, it held no warmth. It was bitterly cold, making him feel as though he had fallen into an ice cave. He shivered all over, and his hunger-filled eyes seemed to clear a little.
It looked as though two people had come in. Toji continued pretending to be unconscious.
He had no idea what his situation was, so he should not act rashly.
A moment later, a puzzled voice rang out:
"He seemed to wake up just now. Why has he stopped moving again?"
A mature, steady middle-aged man's voice answered him:
"...His body is too weak. He's been asleep for a whole month. But I have to say, that fellow said this kid was special, that he could beat a Three-Ring Soul Elder to death all by himself. He's a ruthless one too."
"At first, I had some doubts, but now he's slept for a whole month without food or water and still has signs of life. That alone is enough to prove he's extraordinary."
"Go get him some water and food. Whatever else, I paid a hundred Gold Soul Coins for him. Treat him well. I intend to get more than a hundred Gold Soul Coins' worth out of him."
"Yes, boss."
A hundred Gold Soul Coins?
Toji grumbled inwardly.
He had never thought he would be worth so much-far more than all the goods he had sold over the past three years.
The Douluo Continent's currency system was strange. One Gold Soul Coin was equal to ten Silver Soul Coins, and ten Silver Soul Coins were equal to a hundred Copper Soul Coins.
In theory, one Gold Soul Coin was enough to support an ordinary family's normal expenses for a month. And as Toji recalled, Huo Yuhao had sold his grilled fish for five copper coins apiece...
Copper Soul Coins and Silver Soul Coins were still commonly seen in business dealings among ordinary people, but higher up the social ladder, transactions between nobles and Soul Masters were conducted in Gold Soul Coins.
"Stop pretending to sleep. Wake up. I know you've been awake for a while."
Listening to the middle-aged man's voice, Toji kept his eyes closed and remained still.
"Did you know?" the middle-aged man's voice sounded again. "When someone falls asleep from normal fatigue, their breathing is quite natural and rhythmic, and their whole body is relaxed."
"Right now, although you're doing your best to conceal it, I can still hear something unnatural in your breathing. Your brow is furrowed a little tighter than when you were asleep, and your body is tenser than usual. It seems you feel very unsafe."
Only then did Toji slowly open his eyes. A middle-aged man with a hooked nose was crouching in front of him.
"Hello, little fellow. The more differently you behave from ordinary people, the more I like you."
"Let's have an honest talk about a deal-a deal that can completely change your life."
At that moment, a man in uniform arrived beside the hooked-nosed middle-aged man with water and food and spoke respectfully.
"Boss."
"Put them in front of the little fellow." The middle-aged man looked at Toji with a confident smile. "Well? Will you talk? The water and food are yours."
Toji looked at the bottle of water and the plentiful meal before him and could not help swallowing.
Just one look was enough to tell that the meat was of excellent quality.
Hunger drove his mind to pounce on the food and swallow it all, regardless of anything else, but Toji forcibly held himself back.
"What... deal?"
With immense difficulty, Toji managed to finish a complete sentence. He felt as though his mouth no longer belonged to him... Hunger and thirst had surpassed everything else.
"How rare." The middle-aged man was quite surprised to see that Toji could still maintain his reason. "Someone who's gone hungry for a month, and a child of around nine at that, practically starving to death, yet still able to think clearly in front of food. Little fellow, you really do keep surprising me."
"Then I'll get straight to the point. I'll give you a stage to perform on and turn you into the Heaven Dou Empire's most famous Soul Fighting star. All you have to do is fight with everything you have to kill your opponent on that stage and make sure you stay alive."
"As long as you succeed, I'll provide your food and lodging and support you. I'll also pay you a share of three Gold Soul Coins every month."
"Well? Are you satisfied?"
Toji was already cursing the man as a capitalist in his heart. He really deserved to be hanged from a streetlamp.
Damn it, risking my head for just three Gold Soul Coins?
But in Toji's current situation, he really had no choice but to accept.
Thinking it over, he really was the unluckiest transmigrator. What kind of godforsaken place had he transmigrated to? The conditions were far too harsh. It was like starting out as an emperor, except his starting point was begging for food as a beggar.
There was practically no chance of climbing beyond his social class. Even the one route, awakening a Martial Soul, had been ruined because he had no Soul Power.
Wait.
Toji suddenly thought of something and jerked his head up to look the middle-aged man straight in the eye.
Isn't the chance to climb beyond my social class right in front of me?
"Really?" Toji deliberately adopted an utterly humble manner. "M-my mom and dad were killed by an Evil Soul Master... If you can really support me, no matter what you ask me to do, I-I'll do it."
Seeing Toji act this way, the middle-aged man smiled in satisfaction.
"Of course I can, little fellow. So, you agree?"
"Mm-hmm." Toji nodded repeatedly, acting perfectly obedient and compliant.
Only then did the middle-aged man say:
"The food and water in front of you are all yours. Eat."
Toji pounced without hesitation and began eating heartily.
The middle-aged man watched Toji, his eyes full of delight.
What a promising talent. And he's only nine, easy to mold. On top of that, with the value he has, he's well worth developing. I could even train him to be my personal bodyguard and have him open up the market across the entire Heaven Dou Empire for me.
Meanwhile, Toji, who was wolfing down his food, was thinking:
This man should have quite a bit of wealth. I only need to bide my time for two or three years. Once I understand the situation here, I can make my move and take everything he owns. Then I'll have the resources and money I need to grow stronger, and I'll succeed in climbing beyond my social class.
I can also use his connections to go to Shrek Academy and take revenge on those three bastards who sold me.
I can't just swallow this grievance.
And so, the man and the boy, each harboring his own secret schemes, completed a deal that would change both their lives.