Following behind Fried, Maeve strolled through the market, gradually slowing down as she was amazed by everything she saw.

Fur and seafood from the North, religious paintings from the Holy City of the East, perfumes and clothing from Duskwood, and priceless tobacco from Froststone... Maeve, once a queen, was astonished to find thousands of goods she had never seen before in this enormous market.

"From here to there, these thousands of shops are all uniformly divided into a vendor area. Whether you are a warrior, a citizen, or a slave, you can set up a stall here and sell your own items..." Fried said to Maeve with a smile as he accepted a bow from a member of the chapter.

Maeve was somewhat surprised: "Slaves? Slaves are allowed to own and buy and sell personal belongings?"

Fried glanced back at her and said slowly, "Froststone City is different from other places."

“Everything you see—the buildings, the wealth, the goods, even the lives and souls of all people—does not belong to us mortals.” Fried looked at the dozens of towering statues of tyrants in the marketplace: “The Son of the Gods gave us bodies and souls. He gave us the ability to live on this earth, to act and to think. When all people die, we will naturally return everything to the Son of the Gods and await his favor once more.”

Seeing Maeve's surprised expression, Fried smiled and said, "Even slaves, their bodies and souls do not belong to their buyers, but to the children of the gods; those who buy them at most only possess the right to use them..."

Maeve's eyes widened: "Those who buy slaves only acquire the right to use them?"

"As the ruler of all people, the teachings promulgated by the Son of God clearly state: people are only distinguished by their fates, but in essence, all souls are no different. Slaves are the same; they must obey the orders of others because of their fate. However, if they are deprived of their lives due to human persecution, those perpetrators have committed the sin of contempt for the gods, and the latter should be condemned to hell after death."

Maeve carefully considered Fried's words: "People may be divided into high and low classes, but their souls are no different. Even slaves, their life and death can only be decided by the gods, not by their buyers?"

Fried nodded and said, “That’s right. So the slaves in Froststone don’t live like animals in other cities. On the contrary, they are allowed to own a certain amount of private property and are allowed to use their earnings to pay for their buyers’ daily needs while retaining basic freedom. These are all clearly stipulated in the teachings of the Sons of Gods.”

“This is really… interesting…” Maeve still couldn’t quite accept this doctrine for a while: “What if there are conflicts between people? For example, what if the powerful covet what the weak have? Or what if there is hatred between families and factions?”

"Money, power, hatred, and desire... are like shadows under the sun in the face of great faith; they exist, but they will soon disappear. Compared to pursuing material enjoyment, people are more concerned about whether they will receive divine protection after death."

Fried smiled and turned back: "That's precisely why, compared to other cities that worship false gods, Froststone City, despite its clear class distinctions, rarely experiences irreconcilable conflicts or antagonisms between people. In the faith of the Sons of Gods, people clearly understand that while fate cannot be changed, the choice between good and evil is in everyone's hands. Only by accumulating enough good can one be qualified to enter the Holy Land after death, standing on the scales of destiny. If one is lucky, one might even become a Heroic Spirit..."

Maeve lowered her head and muttered to herself, "The afterlife...?"

Fried clapped his hands, waking Maeve: "Child, you have a long way to go. During your time in Froststone, travel and see more, and you will naturally understand the power of faith I speak of... By the way, we've arrived."

Maeve looked up at the huge, square, columnar building in front of her and asked curiously, "Where is this...?"

"This is the exchange of the Grand Market. Unlike the private stalls outside, this place mainly deals in bulk commodities or rare and precious items." Fried took out a black dragon pendant made of gold from his chest and waved it at the shaman apprentice guarding the door.

The shaman apprentice, his face smeared with paint, nodded slightly and said, "Welcome, Chapter Master of the Falcon. What would you like to do today?"

Fried tilted his head to the side behind him: "I brought an outsider with me. She has some things she wants to sell."

The shaman apprentice exchanged a few words with the guards behind him, then pulled a small piece of tung wood from his robes and handed it to Fried. He glanced sideways at Maeve and the two boys, and said hesitantly, "Chief of the Falcon, I think I should remind you that this is not a place for outsiders."

Fried leaned closer to the shaman apprentice and pointed to the two Valkyries not far behind Maeve.

The shaman apprentice suddenly understood and fell silent.

Fried, holding the tung wood chip, led the way while saying to Maeve, "If you want to sell valuables, there will be a large auction this afternoon, but the items need to be registered, appraised, and numbered, so you may have to wait a long time... There is another way, I can help you find a few suitable jewelers who will bid for your items, but only if they are satisfied with them."

"Please take me to see the jewelry merchant; I urgently need the money."

At this point, Maeve asked with some confusion, "You didn't help me find a buyer in the vendor area, but brought me directly here. How did you know...?"

Fried waved his hand, interrupting Maeve: "Although I'm getting old, I still have some skill in judging people's identities from their speech and mannerisms..."

Pointing to a lavishly decorated shop in the main hall, Fried gestured for Maeve to go in: "The owner of this shop is an old friend of mine. Just say my name when you go in."

As Maeve led the child into the jewelry store, Fried stopped at the doorway, turned his head, and watched the two Valkyries approach. He smiled and said, "It's quite rare. Just what kind of person are you protecting that requires your presence?"

One of the two Valkyries was none other than the tall woman who had refused Maeve's offer of a ring.

She stared into Fried's eyes and said softly, "That woman is the Queen of the Kingdom of Connaught, and the Son of God himself promised to grant her and her two children his protection."

The smile on Fried's face slowly disappeared.

He remained silent for a long time before finally saying slowly, "The Kingdom of Connaught? Ah, I see. I should have guessed... Froststone City will soon be facing that man-eating monster again..."