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*****
"A kidnapping?"
George had originally intended to patrol the area to see if he could catch a few nefarious cultists. He hadn't expected to stumble upon a kidnapping in the dead of night.
Down in a dim, narrow alleyway, a burly man dressed in a leather jacket had his hand clamped tightly over the mouth of a young girl who was returning home late. He was forcefully dragging her toward a waiting carriage.
"Forget it. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll play the role of this world's superhero for once."
Kidnapping, murder, rape—these sorts of illegal and heinous crimes occurred every single day in Backlund, especially within the impoverished districts. Under normal circumstances, George wouldn't go out of his way to interfere; otherwise, he would likely spend all his time playing savior. After all, that was the responsibility of the Police Department.
However, his spirits were high tonight, and he felt inclined to act as a superhero and rescue the abducted girl.
With a sudden flicker of a flame, he vanished from his spot on the rooftop and reappeared directly inside the carriage.
"Don't you dare speak. Don't struggle. Otherwise, I'll slit your throat right here and now."
Inside the carriage, the man delivered two sharp slaps to the girl's face before pressing a cold dagger against her neck.
The girl's cries for help were instantly choked off. She clutched her stinging face, her eyes wide with sheer terror. She was merely the daughter of a laundry worker from the slums. By day, she helped her mother wash clothes to supplement their meager household income; by night, she attended a free school established by the Church to learn how to read and write.
She had hoped that through her own hard work, she could change her destiny and escape the cycle of being a washerwoman. She never imagined that on her way home tonight, she would fall victim to a kidnapping.
Looking at the man's ferocious expression and the glinting blade, her heart filled with absolute despair.
Disappearances were a common occurrence in the slums, and most of those who vanished were young girls just like her. Once they were gone, they were never seen again. Because of this, she had always chosen safer routes patrolled by the police, even if it meant taking a long detour.
Yet, she still hadn't managed to escape.
"Please... please let me go. I can give you money."
With trembling hands, the girl pulled out her only four pence. That was money she had saved up, bit by bit, from washing countless loads of clothes. She had intended to use it to buy a new notebook for her classes.
"If the Master hadn't given specific orders, I'd really love to have my way with you right here in this carriage," the man in the leather jacket sneered. Looking at the shivering girl, he reached out a hand, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "Money? Your body is what's truly valuable!"
These captured girls were first sent to be "trained" and then presented for the enjoyment of high-ranking figures. Only after those great personages grew bored would it be the subordinates' turn. Once they were finished, the girls would be sold off to other empires to become the lowest class of female slaves or mere money-making machines.
Therefore, he could only indulge in a bit of groping for now. He would have to wait several months before he could truly enjoy her.
But it didn't matter. Once he returned to their base, he could enjoy the girls they had kidnapped a few months ago.
However, just as his hand was about to touch the girl, he suddenly froze.
Beside the girl, a spark of fire ignited, and a strange infant appeared out of thin air. The infant merely spared him a single glance, but an overwhelming sense of dread instantly surged in the man's heart.
"A Beyonder!"
He intentionally raised his voice, attempting to shout a warning to his companion driving the carriage outside. But the moment the words left his mouth, his entire body went rigid. He was transformed into a marionette, a puppet to be manipulated at will.
What he didn't know was that his companion had already been turned into a puppet a step ahead of him, and was incapable of hearing his warning.
"A kidnapper actually knows about Beyonders?"
George, hearing the man's final exclamation before being turned into a marionette, felt a flicker of genuine interest.
One had to realize that the existence of Beyonders was known only to a very small minority of people. Even many government officials and members of Parliament were kept in the dark. For a mere kidnapper in the slums to recognize a Beyonder—that was quite intriguing.
George reached out and pressed his hand against the man's forehead. In an instant, he sifted through the kidnapper's memories.
"Capim, Parker, Katy, Hurras... This human trafficking ring is actually linked to the high nobility and the military. This is proving to be quite valuable."
Stroking his chin, George felt that his intervention tonight might actually yield a significant reward. From the man's memories, he learned that their master was a man named Capim. On the surface, he was a well-known tycoon in Backlund. In reality, however, he was the city's largest human trafficker.
The reason he could conduct such large-scale human trafficking in Backlund without being discovered by the police or the Churches was, naturally, because he had powerful backers.
Parker, Katy, and Hurras were three mysterious Beyonders. They not only possessed formidable strength but also boasted powerful backgrounds. Even many high-ranking officials gave them face, turning a blind eye and granting a "green light" to Capim's trafficking operations.
Based on the abilities George's marionettes had observed, he could confirm that these three all belonged to the Arbiter pathway. Among them, the strongest, Hurras, had likely reached the strength of Sequence 6.
The Arbiter pathway was a Sequence controlled by the Loen Royal Family. Aside from the royalty, the high nobility, and the military, it was extremely difficult for outsiders to obtain the corresponding potion formulas. Even if someone did, like Xio, they would at most reach Sequence 9 or Sequence 8 by chance. It was impossible for three Arbiters to appear together by mere coincidence.
Coupled with the fact that so many high officials deferred to them, George could boldly guess that the trio either hailed from a prominent noble house or from the military.
If he dug deeper, he might uncover some truly scandalous secrets. When the time came, he could sell this information to the Church of the Evernight Goddess. It could likely be converted into enough merit to exchange for a Sequence 4 potion formula and the necessary ingredients.
Human trafficking, if it didn't involve Beyonders, was primarily handled by the Kingdom's police system. But if Beyonders were involved, the matter would be handed over to the Churches. After all, human trafficking was sometimes more than just a trade; it often involved sacrifices to evil gods.
"I... I... You..."
A trembling voice interrupted George's train of thought. He looked at the girl, whose face was a mask of terror and confusion, and waved his hand dismissively.
"Consider this compensation for the fright they gave you. Go home."
All the gold pounds from the pockets of the driver and the man in the leather jacket flew into the girl's hands. Before she could process what was happening, a burst of flames enveloped her. In the next blink of an eye, she found herself back on the very street where she had just been abducted.
If not for the paper bills clutched in her hands, she would have thought the entire ordeal had been a dream.
"Twenty... pounds!"
After counting the bills in her hand, the girl was stunned. Such a sum of money was enough to lift her family out of the direst poverty of Backlund and allow them to become ordinary residents.
The wealthy grew wealthier, and the poor grew poorer. This wasn't just due to differences in mindset or ability, but more importantly, the gap in initial wealth. A "rich second generation" with ten million in assets, even if they were a fool, could live comfortably just by collecting bank interest.
Meanwhile, the poor—especially those with elderly parents and young children—couldn't afford to stop working for even a month without facing starvation. They had no way to change their current lives.
(End of Chapter)