A carriage was moving at a normal, steady pace. The carriage was just slightly bigger than ordinary ones, but instead of horses, it was being pulled by camels.
The surrounding area was clearly a desert city. The carriage moved through a deserted road. Despite how dry and cracked the desert soil was, the surroundings were quite lovely.
Most homes were made of big, white tents. Most of the shops sold meat, yet there was no sign of fish anywhere. Some big structures were made of desert soil and concrete. Despite their dull color, their design was quite impressive and were definitely owned by some wealthy people.
What was even more impressive was that there were several structures made of gold and silver. It was quite astonishing to see that people were not trying to steal it all.
Other than the unique vibe, it was clearly an ordinary place like any other kingdom. Although there were so many people buying and selling things, it felt like a hub for merchants from all around the world.
At that moment, from an ordinary-looking carriage, its small wooden window flipped up. A girl with strawberry blonde hair and similar eyes looked outside.
It was none other than Emma, one of Ethan's friends.
"So this is the capital city of the desert kingdom? Is that big, chubby gold statue and that silver pillar made of real gold and silver?" Emma said, her voice full of wonder.
As a commoner, although she was from a quite rich family, they weren't rich enough to own a big gold statue of some random man.
She looked around inside the carriage. Ethan, Cassandra, Sylvania, and Violet were sitting side by side. Their faces were slightly dim, and their expressions clearly showed that none of them wanted to answer. They were all tired and cranky from the long journey.
But there was one more person in the carriage.
"It's not some chubby man. It's a statue of Kuber. It's said that long ago, he was a leader of merchants and was respected by merchants all around the world. Many merchants worship him or see him as an ideal. Many put small statues of him as a symbol of good luck and wealth!" Mohammad Abdul explained calmly, his voice patient and knowledgeable.
"Meanwhile, wealthy merchants make statues like these to show their supremacy. It's like both advertising and branding to attract rich customers!" he added.
Emma made an 'O' shape with her lips to show that she understood what he wanted to convey.
And then, Sylvania finally spoke, her voice tired and whiny. "It's already been several days and we only reached the capital city now. How much more time will it take?" she asked with a sigh.
Her back was already in a lot of pain from being in the carriage for the past few days.
"We couldn't use government teleportation, or else Lortell or her subordinates would know our location. We are not safe here either. Her spies are in almost every kingdom. They might try to kill us before we get to my palace!" Abdul answered, his voice serious and a bit tense, reminding them of the danger they were in.
The carriage moved for a few more hours until the sun started turning a little orange. The temperature was falling down rapidly. Unlike how high the temperature was a few hours ago, it started to cool off nicely.
And then, with a small vibration, the carriage stopped moving.
Everyone looked at Mohammad Abdul as he smiled lightly.
"This is it. We are finally in my area. You all can be at ease now!" he said confidently, his voice full of relief.
"Finally!" Ethan closed his eyes and sighed heavily, the tension leaving his shoulders.
"Let's get out and have some fresh air as we walk!" Abdul said, opening the door of the carriage and getting out.
One by one, everyone got off the carriage and stretched their limbs and backs, feeling like some rusted machines finally coming back to life.
There were already some guards waiting outside. They immediately bowed to Abdul.
"Welcome back, my lord," they said in unison.
"Yes, it feels good to be back safely without losing any limb," Abdul joked, but his humorless voice made none of them get the joke.
Meanwhile, everyone else was enjoying the fresh air. At some distance, they could see a big palace, likely Abdul's, and the whole surrounding ground was a beautiful marble floor.
"Phew... I'm starting to feel cold. What kind of weird climate is here?" Emma said, brushing her arms with her palm, having a shiver from the cold winds.
"Let's walk to the palace while having some fresh air. We'll talk once we're inside!" Abdul said, taking the lead.
The guards followed him. Behind them were Ethan and the others, looking around the area. They saw people in white clothes similar to that of the Romans.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Many people get the wrong idea when they think about a kingdom in a desert!" Abdul said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
"It sure is!" Cassandra replied with her usual emotionless voice.
But at that moment, Ethan spotted something unusual. There were many people gathered there, below a wooden stage.
The stage was similar to a public execution stage, but there was no public execution going on. Instead, there were many females in chains standing there like they were products for sale.
"Two gold coins!" one person bid.
"Only two? She's a virgin and has blonde hair. Think again!" the merchant said out loud, trying to drive up the price.
"How about five gold coins?" another person bid.
Ethan immediately felt angry and confused at the same time. His stomach churned.
"Slavery? Isn't slavery banned in every kingdom?" he asked, looking at Abdul with disbelief.
"Slavery isn't banned anywhere. They just do it more quietly now. Things here are just a bit more transparent, that's all," Abdul replied casually, as if he were talking about the weather.
"But it's wrong! You are the king, you should stop it!" Violet shouted, her voice full of disgust and anger. She was clearly horrified by the scene.
Abdul immediately stopped and turned back. "Look! Things are a bit different here. I'm not the king, I'm just the wealthiest and most influential person here!" he explained, his tone a little sharp.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Emma added, her voice cutting through the tension.
"No, it's not. There's no such thing as taxes here. That's why many merchants come here. I'm the leader of the top merchant group. If I say it in an easier way, I'm the representative of the desert kingdom rather than a king. If, in the future, there will be someone more wealthy than me, then they'll be the leader, not me," he explained, trying not to sound frustrated.
He pointed his finger at the auction site. "Sure, I can stop them, but it'll cause me more trouble later on. And as a merchant, I'm not having that. So please, just follow me," he clapped his palms together and then turned back around and started walking.
"Tch!" Ethan gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do other than follow him, his hands clenched into fists.
Soon enough, they arrived inside the palace, going directly into the throne room. The sunlight was pouring inside from the large windows of the throne room, making the golden decorations shine brightly.
"You must have been quite hungry after eating basic food for the past few days. We can talk after a nice meal if you want?" Abdul asked, trying to be a good host.
But Ethan immediately shook his head. "No. First, we'll talk, and then we'll decide if we want to spend one more second here!" he said solemnly, his mood still tense and angry.
"Okay, as you wish. But before that, I would like to show you something," he said as he looked forward, pointing at the big entrance.
As they looked over, their eyes widened immediately in shock.
Red hair, those beast ears, and that confident face. There was no doubt about it. It was Belta.
She had been beheaded by Esdeath during their battle and died. Ethan himself had buried her body.
Everyone's grim faces immediately lit up with hope and shock. Tears escaped from Emma's eyes as she stared, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"Belta? Is that you?" Cassandra asked in surprise, her usually emotionless face showing a shocked expression for the first time.
Belta walked forward confidently, with her usual smile. "Yes! I am!" she said out loud, her voice full of life.
"Belta, you're alive!" Emma immediately rushed towards her and hugged her tightly, crying over her shoulders, her body shaking with sobs of relief.
"But how?" Ethan asked in complete confusion, his mind racing.
"It was shocking for me as well. When she walked out of the graveyard, it scared me to the core!" Abdul said with another chuckle, finding the situation amusing.
Emma pulled herself back, wiping her tears with a wide smile on her face.
Belta looked at everyone else. "To be honest, I don't know much myself. It seems that before dying completely, I got my second awakening and turned into a spiritual beast. So the condition of my physical body is of less value now. I soon came back to life after I was buried!" she explained, her words sounding unbelievable.
"That's when I met Mr. Abdul. Since he saw me coming out of my grave, I had no choice but to explain He situation to him, He kinda expected that things would get quite ugly really soon and offered me to come here. I decided to believe in him and departed that very night!" Belta added.
Hearing all this, Ethan slowly turned towards Abdul, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Why? Why are you helping us so much?" he asked, his voice low and serious.
Abdul didn't say anything at first. He slowly turned around and sat on his throne, the grand chair making him look small for a moment.
"I'm a merchant, you know. You can think of it as a future investment," he said, his voice trying to sound confident.
But looking at Ethan and the others' confused expressions, he sighed, the sound heavy in the large room.
"Well, you know about my secret S-rank Awakened who protects me in the shadows?" he questioned, his gaze shifting to Ethan.
Ethan nodded lightly, his expression still unreadable.
"So the thing is, there's no S-rank Awakened protecting me. It's all just a lie," he answered, the words hanging in the air.
"I don't think so," Cassandra said, her flat voice cutting through the silence. "There are records of his fights, and not to forget, concealing this lie for so many years seems quite impossible to me."
"Yes, you're right. I chose the wrong words," Abdul admitted, running a hand over his face. "Actually, there was an S-rank. But he died of natural death, and there's no successor."
He looked down at his own hands. "The shadow thing that conceals me or anyone under it... it sure looks mysterious and grand, like some kind of S-rank killer move. But in reality, it was always me who was doing it!" he added with a deep, weary sigh.
"Although it gives quite an impression on others, this is it. It has no offense. I don't think I can conceal my lies from my rivals for long!" he said, looking down at the marble floor, a rare vulnerability in his voice.
With a deep breath, he looked up at all of them, his eyes pleading. "That's where you all come in. No matter how unusual it seems, you all are quite famous for your talents."
"That's why I want to invest in you all. In return, if any of you becomes an S-rank in the future, you'll have to provide me your protection," he proposed, his voice growing stronger. "Of course, if more than one person becomes an S-rank, the offer will still be the same. Only one has to provide its protection," he added quickly.
"Even that is not for a lifetime. Only occasionally," he said, trying to make it sound like a small favor.
"Aren't you afraid? What if we just kill you after becoming stronger? Or shake hands with your rivals?" Cassandra asked solemnly, her eyes sharp and questioning.
Abdul chuckled immediately, a real, warm laugh this time. "Yes, that's a gamble for sure. But I have gambled most of my life, rising from a fruit vendor to the wealthiest merchant," he replied, his voice full of confidence and pride.
"Besides, you all seem like good people to me. I think that gives me more than enough reason to help you!" he said politely, extending his open palm towards them in a gesture of trust.
"So, Ethan, will you accept my offer?" he asked genuinely, his eyes searching Ethan's face, without any hidden scheme behind his words.
It was truly a remarkable offer, especially when they didn't have anywhere else to go now. It was a lifeline, a chance to live securely and get stronger.
But then, Ethan shook his head, his expression hard and resolute. "I refuse!"