The door opened and the guard slowly walked inside.
Seeing the extravagant and indulgent scene in the room, his face flushed red and he quickly lowered his head and said,
"Master, the slaves have escaped! We chased after them the whole way but didn't find a single trace."
Hearing this, Ziruv immediately sat up.
He pushed aside the beauty in his arms.
The beauty, displeased, let out a delicate and annoyed sound, "Master~"
She deliberately raised her voice in a soft and fake tone, making the guard's whole body break out in goosebumps.
This little establishment was really too seductive, no wonder so many officials and nobles liked to come here for pleasure.
While the guard was secretly thinking that, Ziruv's anxious voice came again by his ear.
"Did you all search thoroughly? Damn it, where could these slaves possibly hide!"
The guard quickly responded,
"Replying to Master, we made sure not to alarm others and quietly searched everywhere.
We just brought in Chief Yan to check and found traces of teleportation talismans in a remote area.
It seems one of the slaves secretly had a teleportation charm and has already been transported thousands of miles away..."
Ziruv became even more furious at those words.
"Someone in this rundown village actually had a teleportation talisman?
Damn it, I really underestimated them!"
"Master, what should we do now?" the guard asked uneasily.
He had heard that this matter was personally assigned by Crown Prince Xhelon. That was not someone easy to face.
"Quick, bring me paper and ink. I'll write a letter immediately and send it to Crown Prince Xhelon as fast as possible.
This matter must be kept quiet. Just say a group of unregistered slaves escaped. Do not reveal their true identity!"
Ziruv calmed himself and spoke harshly,
"Keep your mouths shut. If you talk, you won't even know how you died!
I heard Crown Prince Xhelon is in a good mood lately, busy with a trip to Fenglian Mountain. He probably won't get too angry."
"Yes!"
The guard then retreated to get the paper and ink.
"Hey, go go go!
I've got important things to handle. Don't bother me. Get out."
Ziruv impatiently waved away the beauty beside him.
The beauty responded in a flirtatious tone,
"Yes."
Then, with a slightly resentful look, she swayed her hips and left the room.
Inside, Ziruv anxiously continued writing with a tense expression...
He had to choose his words carefully in this letter.
Ziruv wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and continued writing reluctantly.
Early morning.
A gentle breeze blew, and red petals drifted through the air, scattering across the ground.
Standing in her courtyard washing up, Xyliana squinted her eyes and enjoyed the morning breeze.
The fresh air mixed with the faint scent of flowers flowed into her nose and refreshed her deeply.
The sun had risen, and the late spring sunlight warmed her body.
Xyliana felt a long-lost sense of peace and happiness. She was very content with her current life.
Even though she had left the modern world in such a strange way, and after going through those harsh survival days in the jungle, she was now satisfied.
But she still wondered if she would ever have a chance to return.
Looking up at the clear blue sky, a hint of sadness quietly spread in her heart.
Forget it, forget it. She had always been alone anyway. No matter where she was, it was the same.
She had always been good at comforting herself. After settling her thoughts, Xyliana got ready to go out and buy breakfast.
In this life, only good food could not be let down.
Humming a little tune, Xyliana came to a small stall and ordered some osmanthus chestnut rice cakes.
The owner saw that she was a young lady and warmly packed a generous portion for her.
Xyliana felt a little embarrassed and secretly thought she should come support his business more often in the future.
Then she headed to the market to buy fresh vegetables and meat.
The vendors there had never seen a young lady come buy groceries, so they all enthusiastically served her and gave her extra.
Xyliana smiled politely and thanked each one. The vendors found her even more likable.
Such a gentle and well-mannered girl was truly rare.
After wandering around for more than half the day, she went into a street-side shop and bought some pastries and candied fruits.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Xyliana carried all her bags, feeling satisfied, and headed home.
The streets were full of people and very lively.
The sound of people talking came from ahead.
"Hey, did you hear? A bunch of slaves escaped from Willow Street last night."
"Really? Last night? How come I didn't hear anything?"
"It's true. My brother delivered vegetables to the kitchen of that tall building on Willow Street yesterday. He came back this morning and told me.
He said the ones who escaped were undocumented slaves," a man said in a lowered voice.
"Tch, those slave catchers snatch people every day. If their bodies are strong, they poison their throats and sell them into slavery.
If they're weak, they break their legs and make them beg. Some get even worse treatment... What beasts..."
Another person spoke angrily.
"Yeah, I agree. But my brother said the slave catchers left early this morning.
Seems like something urgent came up. Those slaves might've gotten lucky."
"Anyway, let's not talk about this now. By the way, about that thing I asked you to do..."
Their figures slowly moved farther away.
Hearing their conversation, Xyliana felt a bit surprised.
They actually escaped?
She thought of the group of slaves she had seen on the road that day, and a trace of joy rose in her heart.
No matter what, seeing those people escape from a miserable fate made Xyliana sincerely happy for them.
She had never lived the life of a slave herself.
But back in school, she had read some records in books.
There were also those shocking stories and historical images from the other continent on Blue Star...
Xyliana still remembered them clearly. Even now, the memory brought a feeling of sorrow.
Hearing this news lifted her mood, and she happily carried her bundles toward her home.
After lunch, Xyliana was napping on a rocking chair under the tree in the front yard.
The breeze blew gently, bringing a bit of coolness. Xyliana closed her eyes comfortably.
Outside the back garden gate, along the riverbank, a slightly damp breeze brushed through the reeds and made the branches sway.
In the depths of the greenery, the wind blew again and lifted a corner of tattered cloth...
She didn't know how long she had slept. Xyliana slowly opened her eyes, waited a moment to adjust, then got up.
She gathered the fruit slices she had been sun-drying in the yard over the past few days.
Seeing that it was still early, she decided to tidy up the backyard to keep herself busy.
There was no internet here, and life felt a bit dull. She had no choice but to get used to it slowly.
She took out the seeds she had bought from the market that morning and started tending the small garden in the back.
After planting all the seeds and watering them, she stood under the tree's shade and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Looking at the result of her labor, Xyliana began to imagine the whole garden blooming with fresh flowers.
By then, sitting under the tree reading with the scent of flowers would surely be a special kind of pleasure.
After putting away the tools she had used, she suddenly noticed a small door in the backyard.
"There's actually a door here? I never noticed it before.
I've never gone out through this one," Xyliana murmured.
She usually used only the front door and hadn't opened this back one even once.
Now that she had nothing to do, she might as well take a look.
Thinking about it, she went to find the key in the side room and walked over to the little door.
The key slid into the lock and turned.
Maybe because it hadn't been used in a long time, the lock was rusty and the outside was covered in stains. A faint scraping sound came out.
Click. Clack.
The door opened.
Sometimes, when we stand at a crossroads in life, we don't know which way to go because everything ahead is uncertain.
Maybe, on an ordinary afternoon, sunlight falls on you just like always.
You brush the dust off your shoulder and clap your hands.
On that seemingly regular day, in that sunny afternoon, you open the door in front of you.
No one knows what the future holds.
Maybe we can glimpse a few stories from the past experiences of others.
But everyone's life is one of a kind, don't you think?
Each encounter in the story — was it chance or fate?
Or maybe just what people always call destiny...
Since ancient times, fate has been endless.
Why should human affairs always be fixed?
If we can keep our hearts clear no matter where we are,
Then even among the dust of the world, we need not fear the weight of fate.