Chapter 62 A Very Distant Future Unfortunately, the child's words began to move again...

Crackling sound.

The sound of wind breaking suddenly rang out; the whip cracked and sped, and the person wielding it was clearly in a bad mood.

The hyena legion was Scarface's precious treasure; she never forgot to take them with her wherever she went, fearing they might be stolen.

To ensure the legion's fighting strength, the slaves had to train relentlessly after each battle.

Scarface was very shrewd; she would put away all the better weapons and equipment to prevent them from wearing out during training, and more importantly, to prevent the slaves from turning around and rioting once they were armed.

However, she was quite generous with food, never skimping on the rations of the slaves, fearing they might lose weight or even starve to death.

Not only were the slaves physically strong, but even the instructor who had just wielded the whip had a protruding belly as he walked around the training ground.

She usually treated these war slaves with great care.

After all, swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield.

Although the instructors were only responsible for bringing up the rear, and the ones charging were all slaves, who knew that one day, in the rush to escape, they might reverse the order, and then a hail of arrows would fly from behind and turn you into a hedgehog without any explanation.

But today is different, very different.

The instructor's walking posture seemed assertive, but his face was actually tense: the atmosphere today... was off.

She knew these slaves all too well.

They are a flock of docile lambs, only able to unleash the courage deep within their souls when propelled by wolves and led by hounds.

However, the smell of these sheep has changed today.

Whenever she turned her back to demonstrate sword fighting, she could always feel a malicious gaze circling around her body, but when she turned around suddenly, she couldn't find anything.

Shasha, shashasha.

She swore she could hear whispers in the quiet ranks, and there was something going on behind the lowered eyes of these slaves that she was unaware of!

But she had no evidence.

The instructor trained her for two hours with suspicion, but nothing strange happened; only her heart kept beating faster and faster.

The slaves moved as rigidly and obediently as ever, remaining silent during training, leaving her with no reason to lash out.

Something's not right, something's really not right.

The instructor was silently torn. She really wanted to discuss it with her colleagues, and ideally, report it to her all-powerful master.

But the master didn't like to hear nonsense. Her subjective conjectures without evidence made her sound like a madwoman, a fool who had been driven mad by the slaves!

She didn't want to lower her standing in her master's eyes, so she could only grit her teeth and continue wielding her longsword, praying that the time for her to change shifts would come soon.

Ta-da, ta-da-da.

A rhythmic sound of horses' hooves came from not far away. The instructor looked towards the door with a sigh of relief: Great! Is the master coming to inspect?

She quickly recognized the three people and three horses.

Oh, they're definitely not the master, just two children and a slave.

The light in the instructor's eyes turned into curiosity.

Commoners dared not ride horses to the army's camp, even if they were not the Norlana Legion but a slave legion.

This group of people must be nobles.

But the nobles in the capital... to be honest, there are huge differences. High nobles, low nobles, those with real power, those without real power, those who are very rich, those who are not rich, there are different opinions on all of them.

The instructor sniffed, as if trying to catch a whiff of intelligence.

She quickly deduced that the two boys riding together must be children from a noble family, and their status was definitely extraordinary.

There was no fear in their eyes—no fear at all.

The girl with long, golden-red hair had a slight upturn to her lips, and her movements as she controlled the reins appeared somewhat languid yet perfectly natural.

This languid ease and effortless grace suggest that horseback riding is neither entertainment nor work for her, but simply a part of her life.

The Hetuya... Judging from her hair color and facial features, she is most likely a Hetuya who grew up on horseback, and must be of noble status.

When the instructor's gaze fell on the girl in the arms of the Hetuya girl, his pupils dilated in shock.

Black hair, amber eyes... Could it be...?

Eleanor's clothing was very simple, without any insignia that could prove her identity.

The instructor had to scrutinize Andra several times before finally arriving at a terrifying conclusion through the golden lines: Could they be Princess Andra and the Hetuya hostages left with us?

"Honored guests, honored guests!" she exclaimed excitedly, eagerly offering to lead their horses.

But as Andra dismounted and carried Eleanor down, a cold gaze swept over him, and the instructor instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

Oh no, I almost forgot.

These two kids deliberately traveled light to avoid revealing their identities. If she accidentally exposed them and they encountered assassins on the road, not only would the instructor be killed, but even Scarface would be buried with them!

But if she didn't point it out... she knew all too well that the slaves behind her wouldn't be able to deduce so much from the clues.

They would only think that the boy with the golden-red hair was a nobleman because of his gorgeous clothes, while the black-haired child would probably be seen as a servant.

They absolutely must not do anything disrespectful—

The instructor suddenly felt a monster's claw reach out from the void, tearing at her soul and body.

What if those peasants really plan to do something big today, and the two princes die here... what will become of me?

The worst-case scenario, if any, was that she would be beaten to death by the angry slaves and become a bag of gold coins that Scarface would send to his family.

What happens next could very well result in her entire family, including the scarred man's entire family, and even their pet dog, being skinned alive and dismembered.

No, people have to save themselves!

After much agonizing thought, the instructor decided to first coax the two princes away.

"Distinguished guests, this is the legion's headquarters. If you wish to purchase any goods, please proceed over there—our largest market is located there."

The instructor, with a fawning smile, wanted to give them an immediate send-off.

However, the little princess didn't bother with her. She struggled in Andra's arms, trying to jump down, but her legs and waist were held too tightly, so she had to lean against Andra and observe the slaves outside.

She blinked innocently and said, "Wow~ there are so many warriors here, would you all like to come with me?"

The already tense atmosphere almost froze.

Her words sent chills down the instructor's spine: "Oh my, my little miss, my prince—you'd better hurry up and leave!"

However, when the air circulated again, the previously stagnant atmosphere improved slightly.

Perhaps it was because the little girl's cute appearance posed no threat, or perhaps it was because Eleanor's eyes were too clear and her tone too innocent.

So those slaves, accustomed to being scorned and ridiculed, looked at each other silently, made way, and squeezed out someone who could speak on their behalf.

The warrior who would be called Ah Ying in the future stepped forward and stood in front of Eleanor.

The bad news is that there are two noble bloodlines here, and they are about to do something big.

The good news is that these two noble bloodlines are just children and are of no use whatsoever.

哢哒.

As Ah Ying approached the little princess, the royal guards decisively stepped forward and stood between her and the princess.

“My esteemed guest, we are not selling today.”

As Ah Ying spoke, she gave the instructor a meaningful look, which made the latter tremble.

What do you mean we won't sell? Slaves are always sold; only their master, Scarface, could say that!

Betrayal... This is a shameful betrayal! They're betraying Lord Scarface!

The instructor felt utterly hopeless.

If it were on the battlefield, she could use her armor to hold off the attack for a while and then turn to call for help from her colleagues.

Unfortunately, this was the capital of Norlana, and she couldn't even send a signal.

Who dares to light a signal fire on the outskirts of the royal city?

Regardless of whether there is a slave rebellion or not, the only outcome for everyone is to be slaughtered by King Norlana or some general.

The instructor turned his head to look.

To her surprise, the little black-haired girl, who was so precocious, smiled as if she didn't understand anything and said, "Not selling? That's great! You can leave freely with me."

Upon hearing this, the instructor's first reaction was: Does this guy not want to pay?

Ah Ying was taken aback by the word "freedom".

She looked at the girl in front of her with mixed feelings.

Was she being sarcastic, or was she simply too young to understand why she assumed that slaves and free men alike should belong to her?

Both guesses were clearly bad, but the girl's innocent and persistent smile didn't anger her. It was as if there really was a third option beyond everyone's comprehension.

"No, we won't go with you."

Ah Ying's words can also be interpreted as: they are loyal war slaves and will not leave Old Scarface.

But when she saw the instructor's terrified eyes, she knew he had guessed it himself... Hmph, once she got the sword, she'd send her on her way first!

Hopefully, the child is smart; she has already made her refusal so obvious. If she and her companions don't run away soon, it will be too late.

Unfortunately, Ah Ying's hopes were dashed. The little girl pondered for a moment and then asked, "So, what kind of place do you want to go?"

This question surprised Ah Ying, the instructors, and even the slaves behind them.

They moved their lips as if they wanted to answer, but the question was beyond their imagination.

If she asked, "Where do you want to go?" many people would probably answer: go home, go to the mountains, go to a place full of memories.

But the question is actually asking: What kind of place do you want to go?

Ah Ying didn't want to answer such a young child, but her lips forced a bitter smile: "Want to go? I want to go to a place where I can eat my fill, stay warm, and not get beaten."

Does it exist? No, it certainly doesn't exist for lowly slaves like them.

Her statement about not being beaten was a bit delayed, because being well-fed and warmly clothed was already an extremely difficult requirement to achieve.

They were the most elite war slaves, and Scarface would never skimp on their food. But once they were on the battlefield, whether they were starving or freezing, it was perfectly normal for them.

As for being beaten... to be honest, they didn't think there was anything inherently wrong with being a slave.

Slaves, at least, had the protection of their masters and didn't have to think about trivial matters. What they opposed was the violence of their masters; far too many slaves had been beaten to death.

Eleanor pursed her lips sadly, her eyes reddening slightly.

She had seen it too many times; even excluding the time travel, she had seen far too many similar things.

Ordinary people in this world have no opportunity to receive basic education, let alone learn more profound knowledge such as politics, history, or philosophy.

So whether it is the slave before her eyes or the slave of the past or the slave of the future she foresaw—no one, not a single slave, could overthrow the local ruler.

They lacked a program...and were essentially just as out of step with the times as she was, and were brutally whipped by the era.

Eleanor said with a sob in her voice, "You can come with me, and I swear I will take you to a place where more people have enough to eat and wear, and where they don't have to be beaten."

A child's sincere words can always touch people's hearts.

Unfortunately, no matter how touching a child's words are, adults will never believe them.

Ah Ying turned to the side, sniffed, and said in a muffled voice, "Kid, you should go back... You're so weak, don't stay here!"

Eleanor looked into her eyes and said, "Because I am weak, you won't believe what I say, right?"

"right!"

Ah Ying turned around and stared at the girl with red eyes, saying seriously, "Yes, yes, you are a nobleman—but you are not King Norlana! What gives you the right to make such a promise?"

A more ruthless thought surged within her, but she refused to utter it to the young child: Even King Nolana couldn't do it! No one in the world could!

The gods have never bestowed such happiness upon us; they haven't in the past, and they won't in the future. Therefore, we can only kill, seize, and... escape on our own.

Ah Ying's emotions were collapsing. The instructor next to her keenly sensed the slave's emotions: So that's it. Today, these slaves are not excited, but afraid.

They knew it; they knew this rebellion would be difficult to succeed; they knew they had nowhere to escape—and how many could escape the pursuit of the Norlana army?

"——"

Ah Ying opened her mouth with a ferocious expression, intending to use vicious words to make this innocent noble child cry and drive him away.

If she doesn't leave, she'll kick her ass hard and throw her onto the horse!

But when she looked up, she found that the girl hadn't cried, and even her reddened eyes had returned to their normal color.

Eleanor was thinking, and after only a moment's thought, she walked over to Andra and shoved her forward with a thud.

What does this mean?

The slaves' eyes were fixed on the boy with golden-red hair.

Eleanor nodded to Andra, then walked over to the instructor, tugged at her sleeve, and said loudly, "Those older sisters think I'm weak, so—you all should have a match with Andra first!"

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The author's note: By now, you probably already know what Andra would have encountered "before" and "originally" after reading this far.

Andra: Although I'm okay now, I inexplicably feel like I've been tortured a lot [pill][cracked]