Leod Town.
It is a town that expands outwards with a pure oasis as its center, like an isolated island floating in the desert. It is also the destination of their trip.
Arrive at the dedicated port on the south side of the town and use thick chains to tie the ships to the docking posts. After the boat was firmly fixed, Xiao Lin and others were able to disembark.
"It's really dry here."
Freya walked down and stepped into the port.
Even though the goddess of beauty is wearing a hood and coat, people who notice her can't help but stop in their tracks. Regardless of men, women, old or young, she will capture their attention. Freya turned a blind eye, but as if she was already familiar with the eager gaze, she led Kobayashi, Boffman and others through the center of the port channel leisurely.
"Otta and the others should have already infiltrated."
"...What did you say, Goddess Freya?"
Freya's muttering was covered by the noise of the port, and Boffman did not hear her words clearly.
Xiao Lin looked around and couldn't see the figures of the jealous kings. They were probably lurking in the dark and didn't want to disturb Freya's interest. After all, no matter how you think about it, those few people will not be thrown away by a ship.
Freya couldn't help but smile when she saw this.
She must have understood what her family members were expressing by not showing up, and decided not to be polite and to enjoy the journey freely.
Xiao Lin didn't intend to accompany him.
Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. Freya is very dangerous. No matter whether it is the divinity or wisdom of the other party, it cannot be underestimated.
However, Mei Shen did not intend to let him go. His tone was calm, but full of majesty that could not be rejected, and he said: "Xiao Lin, just follow me during this period of time."
Freya's light words blocked Xiao Lin's mouth, and she looked directly into his eyes with the wisdom that she had seen through everything.
The more she resisted, the more interested Freya became. It seemed that her subconscious rejection reaction had attracted the other party's attention.
The other party is a goddess, and she is also the main god of one of the most powerful families in Orario. Kobayashi is interested in favors, and offending Freya is not a wise move. In this case, then agree to make the other party satisfied and take the opportunity to get some benefits.
For example: God's favor granting ceremony.
"It is my pleasure, Lady Freya."
Xiaolin took the order respectfully and gracefully.
Boffman didn't say anything. When he was on the boat, he understood that Freya's attitude towards Xiaolin was a little strange, completely different from how she treated him. So the shrewd Boffman decided to firmly hold on to the position of guide after Xiaolin became the goddess's guard.
"Boffman, what kind of place is this?"
"Go back to Lady Freya, this is a city of merchants, called Leod City."
After hearing the goddess's inquiry, Boffman began to introduce the town to his heart's content, and at the same time led everyone towards him, Fazil's Chamber of Commerce.
Following his introduction, everyone learned that this town was located in the center of the Western Desert.
Because it is an oasis, and because it is the center. Not only is the local security good, there are also few monster attacks. It is easy to attract people to visit, and it is not an exaggeration to say it is a trade center.
In this way, we can understand why the port here is so perfect.
"Is this why it's called the City of Fertility?"
"Yes! Since this city can lead to any country in the desert to the west, in my humble opinion, I believe that what you are looking for, Lady Goddess, can be found here!"
Boffman concluded in a patronizing tone.
Freya didn't explain to him that what she was asking for was actually a partner. For Boffman, who sounded inexplicably proud, the beauty just ignored this statement and walked forward. .
However, she was still looking forward to it a little bit.
After only one day of departure, I met some strange children (Xiao Lin) on the way. Maybe I can really find them here?
Freya quickened her pace.
After passing through the warehouse area adjacent to the port, the view suddenly broadened, and what greeted everyone was a large market.
The road is obviously very wide, but it is crowded with open-air shops along the road, and there are merchants and customers on both sides of the road.
The sound of hawking is endless, and everything is sold here, from carpets and pottery pots to clothing, food, and even swords and magic stones.
"Oh~~" Freya exclaimed in a rare voice: "No wonder this place is called the merchant city."
I was even more looking forward to it.
The goddess of beauty walked gracefully on the street, looking around and admiring the surrounding scenery, enjoying the exotic customs of the desert.
Look ahead.
From the other end of the market, you can see the blue lake, which is full of green and spring colors, completely different from the black and yellow surrounding it.
Crossing the bridge you can reach the small island in the middle of the lake, with many strange-shaped mansions on it.
The most eye-catching one is the mansion in the center with a domed roof. At first glance, I thought it was a castle. Even the residence of Orario's backbone family members cannot reach such a spectacular level.
Freya took a deep look at it and said: "The people and things here are indeed very novel, and you will never tire of it."
"My lord is wise, my lord is wise!" Boffman, who had completely transformed into a guide, kept rubbing his hands, looking quite proud.
However, the atmosphere here is chilling.
The market itself was bustling with activity, but there was an inexplicable air of chilling air.
Xiao Lin was keenly aware of the strange atmosphere in the town. Freya frowned slightly, and the God of Beauty, who could see everything through the eyes of God, also discovered something strange.
Boffman, without realizing it, opened his hands, pointed around and said, "As you can see, all kinds of people and things are gathered in this town. Not only exotic goods, but also...slaves."
As if synchronized with these words, the scene became noisier, and a different noise than before resounded through the market.
"Oh? I really mean everyone is here."
Freya followed Boffman's gaze and turned to look. A group of people happened to appear on another busy street.
Mei Shen felt a glimmer of hope in her heart, hoping to meet an outstanding child.
But it disappeared in an instant.
It was a group of people with no consistency in gender or race. The only thing they had in common was that they were all half-clothed, handcuffed and collared, and led by a rusty iron chain.
The faces of this group of people were full of exhaustion, some had pessimistic looks, and some even showed despair.
They are outright slaves.
"Boffman, those slaves are..."
"The slave merchant must have just brought it back. After all, there is a slave market here."
"The number of people seems to be quite large. Is it possible that hunting of humans often happens here?"
Hunting humans, to put it simply, means attacking multiple towns and villages and forcibly turning captured villagers into slaves. This is a very bad behavior.
While Freya asked in confusion, Xiao Lin exuded some frightening low pressure.
"You, you misunderstood, this is absolutely not the case! No matter what, no one dares to disrupt the order in the surrounding area!" Boffman was so frightened that sweat appeared on his forehead, and he quickly explained: "This is actually the Sikeos Desert. A war is breaking out..."
Just as Freya thought.
The weird atmosphere and a large number of slaves, what the above two means, she, who has the divinity of war, knows best.
"War."
"Yes. The Shahrzad Kingdom in the north is currently being attacked by the Varsha Kingdom in the east, so..."
All the countries that established their kingdoms in the Kaios Desert adopted a monarchy system. There are no national dependent clans in the local area that reflect the will of the gods. Most of the relevant god factions are listed under the structure of the military department.
Although small-scale conflicts will break out between countries, there should be no all-out war between countries for hegemony.
However……
Boffman wiped the sweat from his forehead and whispered: "It is said that the Varsha Kingdom has introduced powerful mercenary families into the military in recent years, and then unilaterally declared war on the neighboring country of Sharza Germany..."
"So Sharza Germany was defeated?"
Freya also understood.
There is a huge difference between having [favor] and not having [favor]. Sharza Germany will definitely be defeated, the royal capital will fall in an instant, and the country will definitely be ravaged. And slaves are naturally created after defeat.
I am afraid that in the process of attacking neighboring countries, Varsha decided not to spare any village in order to prevent counterattack.
Innocent residents suffered disaster, and they were caught after barely escaping.
It's probably because of the tense atmosphere here.
Only then did Xiao Lin realize that there were many luxury goods sold in the market, but most of them were weapons and fuel. Businessmen who smelled the smoke immediately introduced various materials needed during the war to make a lot of money.
On the other hand, local residents felt uneasy about the atmosphere of war.
"Don't worry, Goddess! The royal capital of Shahrzad has indeed fallen, but the remaining troops have decided to support the surviving princes and continue to fight everywhere! Varsha will be too busy to wipe out the remnants. I believe the war will not Spread here!"
Boffman constantly emphasizes the safety here.
Not only to keep the beauty god, but also not to let the beauty god blame him, otherwise he will definitely be killed! But it also shows from the side that the aggression is still continuing.
At this time, a large group of slaves were forced to walk in the middle of the market, while the people retreating to the roadside were whispering, with words of contempt or sympathy mixed in.
Freya wasn't interested.
Because she had just seen directly the glorious color of the souls in the children through her silver eyes, and the sight that greeted her eyes was simply boring to her.
After these people became slaves, the souls in their bodies all turned a dirty gray color, even worse than Xiao Lin, who had a golden coat outside and a dirty coat inside!
In the eyes of Freya, who was looking for dazzling light, this scene was enough to make her unhappy. After all, I was looking for delicious food and ended up in the toilet, so no one would happily take a bite.
Although she won't eat, lingering in the toilet is enough to annoy her, and it will ruin her interest in finding a partner.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in my face.
"F-Goddess Freya, your hood...!"
When Boffman discovered that Freya's hood had been lifted, he was immediately frightened and panicked.
If the beauty's appearance were exposed, it would inevitably lead to chaos in the market. The reason is that when Boffman saw Freya's profile, even he lost his sense and became obsessed with it.
The scream jolted Freya out of her thoughts.
Xiao Lin was very fast. He took three steps at a time and came to the goddess, protecting her in front of him, covering most of her appearance.
But, it's too late.
The beauty’s appearance was revealed.
I thought that the commotion would spread outward like ripples, but in reality it was as quiet as a calm sea. The passers-by who noticed Freya stopped and looked at Freya obsessively, showing an expression that seemed to be immersed in a dream.
The slaves had the same reaction.
They all stopped and stood there dumbfounded, as if they had seen something wonderful that could not exist in the world, and they didn't care even in the midst of despair. Even the subordinates of the slave merchants, who were constantly pulling the chains or swinging the whips, were intoxicated by the goddess's beauty.
Xiaolin only felt shuddering at this scene, and at the same time he felt a strong sense of gratitude towards Aqua.
He didn't think it was scary before, but when he saw other people's reactions, he realized how dangerous he was back then and how powerful the blue crystal necklace made by Aqua was.
Praise Aqua! Praise the retarded...the goddess of wisdom! When you get back, treat her to some bubble wine and drink her until she's drunk!
"Thank you, Xiaolin."
Freya smiled sweetly.
Sure enough, only the strange child she met by chance on the way was outstanding here. He could shine a ray of light in the gray sand and let her wash her eyes.
at this time--
Freya's silver eyes caught the brilliance.
The location is right in the middle of the crowded and twisted queue, as if hiding in the crowd, lurking among countless chaotic souls, the light that is almost ignored is blocked by the nearby brilliance (Kobayashi)!
A girl was standing there.
She has purple eyes, brown skin and black hair. Although she is unkempt, she has a beautiful face.
That face between a girl and a woman, in Freya's eyes, was like a fresh and juicy green fruit.
The girl, like the others, covered her head with a rag and lowered her head to avoid being noticed as much as possible.
As if feeling the goddess's gaze, after looking over, the girl who was face to face with the goddess widened her eyes in surprise like the other slaves, but quickly looked away again.
This surprised Freya.
The beauty of the goddess is enough to enchant all living beings, but the girl can resist it with her own will.
After the girl lowered her head again, she showed a very painful expression, but she also looked heroic. Those sharp eyes are not dead, but instead remind people of a dormant lion waiting for the opportunity to come.
At least, that's how it looks in the eyes of the goddess.
"Lord Freya, it's time for you to put on your hood." Xiao Lin put the fallen hood back on her head.
As the face that fascinated everyone disappeared, others also came back to their senses.
The subordinates of the slave traders shook their long whips, and the team moved forward again. The girl also followed the large number of slaves towards the end and disappeared from sight.
"Interesting, really interesting."
Freya, who was protected in her arms, raised her head, her silver eyes full of interest, and said to him: "Xiao Lin, let's go."
Xiao Lin asked in a low voice: "Lord Freya, could it be..."
"That's right! It's what you think!"
Freya answered the question in the affirmative, and then strode forward.
Upon seeing this, Boffman immediately rushed over and wondered about the two people's riddle: "Goddess Freya, where are you going?"
At this time, the goddess's lips had already curled up, and she said loudly: "Please take me to the slave market."
Sure enough, Freya fell in love with that girl.
(End of chapter)
