1606. A changed Person

Once they had all the information, the former squad leader of the city guard had a ... transformational experience and joined their entourage as faer and servant beside their recently acquired driver. The advantage was that he didn't need any illusions to look like a living human.

He stayed in Legion's space for now, while the trio returned to their hotel room, where one more task waited for them. Seated at the table in the suite's tea room, sipping tea served by the driver golem, were the two beastmen they had brought along from the incident.

Originally, they thought they were both girls, but only one of them was actually a girl; the other was a very feminine boy. They both had floppy, blonde dog ears instead of human ones and fluffy tails. At a glance, it was clear what purpose these petite slaves would have served, if they had been sold.

With their skinny builds, they were definitely not fit for grueling work.

They had readily come along in their carriage when the human slaves from the cart showed open hostility once their chains were removed, but they had done so in complete silence. Even now, they kept their gazes lowered, staring into the cups of tea.

Seth was at a loss for words. In the carriage, they had tried to assure them that they were safe now and that they would help them, but their question about their origins or parents stayed unanswered. Maybe...were their parents already gone?

If they came to this place through the Pathworks as travelers, settlers, or refugees, their group might have been attacked by cultivators. Chances were high their parent may have been killed in front of their eyes...

He didn't know how to go about this, but Mina signaled the other two that she had this. Her hand rose to her neck and she deactivated the illusion color. The face of the pretty local fairy vanished and her cat years sprung up from her head.

“Y-You!” the boy exclaimed, uttering the first words ever since they met. Mina grinned, amused, when the two young ones reared back in shock at the sudden revelation. The boy stared at her, growling a little.

“Look, I'm not some bad human intending to sell you. You can talk to me, I really just want to help you,” Mina reiterated, trying to make a connection based on their shared origin. However-

“Why would a Silent Paw help us Hound Kin?” he growled in the tongue of the XiGuang Province. Seth cocked his head. He hadn't immediately noticed when he exclaimed earlier, but now that he spoke he noticed that the boy spoke like native.

Looking at them closer, they were definitely beastpeople, but they didn't resemble any of the ones Seth had seen during his journey with Fin, or during their visit in Chrona. That didn't have to mean anything. Many people lived their whole life without ever seeing a Tijaahk.

<Observe>

<Name: Langyan

Title: "Little Tooth"

Age: 15

Gender: Male

Level: 18

The chapter shown here was copied without the author's consent. NovelPhoenix carries the version published by the author.

Race: Hound Kin

Affiliation: Great Southern Moon Den>

<Name: Gou’an

Title: "Little Nose"

Age: 14

Gender: Female

Level: 18

Race: Hound Kin

Affiliation: Great Southern Moon Den>

These guys were actually natives of the Voracious Cloud Continent! Without appraisal he would have never guessed it, but it was the difference in the status display, that showed that these guys were not part of the system like players, but more like the cultivators and commoners of this land.

That also meant the people of these lands were hostile toward them, explaining the slave's reaction. They weren't angry because the children were part of the current calamity in the province, but it was plain old racism. Maybe, who knew what their group did in this place. Maybe it was righteous fury; who knew?

“Silent Paw?” Mina asked; she had yet to catch on. Seth put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

“These guys aren't from the Pathworks or the system worlds. They are natives of this place. Isn't that right, Langyan of the Great Southern Moon Den?” the bard asked the boy. Langyan looked like he received a slap in the face, when Seth revealed the info he got from the appraisal.

“So you knew who we are!?” the boy exclaimed, shocked and angry. It was clear he thought they were trying to deceive them.

“Nope, “ he said with the <Voice of Seth>. “ I just used a little bit of magic to find out,” he added with a smirk. Since he had the boy talking, he didn't intend to let him shut up again, even it he had to provoke him a little.

“Sorcery! You are a sorcerer!” the boy accused him, shocked.

“I'm definitely not a sorcerer, “ the blacksmith said patronizingly. “If anything, I'm an artificer. It's just that I know a couple magic tricks,” he said and used the Golden Fleece to cast Superior Heal on the two, making the superficial bruises and scratches vanish.

Now, they both stared at him with big eyes.

As they stared, Seth quickly held council with the girls. Considering that their assumption were wrong and these guy were actually kidnapped from a local faction, the situation had completely changed. Had they been from a system world, or the Pathworks, the trio had intended to send them to Minas Mar.

But since they were locals, there really were only two options.

“Look, Langyan, Gou’an, if you don't want our help, you can leave. We will not stop you.”

The blacksmith gave them a choice. The first option was to let them leave alone to fend for themselves. They were no strangers to this world; chances were they could get home on their own, now that they were no longer captured.

Or the trio helped them, if they accepted their help.

Facing the sudden choice, Langyan's gaze actually wavered, exchanging glances with the girl beside him. Seth didn't need a skill to see the wheels turning in his head. Even when they were locals, they were just a couple of teens, barely lv.20.

Any cultivator in this place could beat them up and recapture them if they were sought after slaves. Especially in this place, where the Iron Claw Syndicate was desperate to stock up on slaves. Apparently there were no hidden agents or safe houses of the Great Southern Moon Den in Doushi, or he wouldn't have hesitated like that.

The boy finally swallowed his pride.

“Please- Please help us get back home,” he finally pressed out. The three smiled.

“That's exactly what Minas Mar is meant to do,” Fin mumbled reassuringly. Seth glanced at her. He didn't quite agree with that being their purpose, but he didn't say anything. He understood it well, the yearning to return home.

After that, Langyan opened up a little and the girl followed his example. They talked until it got late, and the children explained how they ended up as slaves. It sounded like a very common story.

During their training , they had strayed to far into the forest. As they were looking for a way back, they rand into former disciples of the Southern Blade Sect, who snatched them up and transported them to Doushi.

Apparently, some of the disciples Faenys scared off, had returned to their slave capturing ways, despite the main sect's demise. They would have to keep an eye out for those guys during the auction.

Once the children were tired and went to sleep in one of the guest rooms, the trio left the suite.

The Grand Auction would be held tomorrow night, tonight, they had a ...previous appointment. In the dead of the night, the three left the Jade Pavilion Hotel and vanished in the darkness.

Mina entered the shadow, Fin entered legion, Seth entered stealth mode with the Helm of Hades.

They went to visit a couple of neighbors.