Chapter 1104

Kokalo told them that milk tea had to be finished quickly or it would spoil.

With no choice, the mother and daughter could only bring cups and split it evenly between them, drinking it all.

In this life, it seemed to be the first time drinking such a delicious beverage. Hearing Kalo say it cost 20 silver coins a cup, she could only sigh — truly worthy of being a drink priced at 20 silver coins a cup; probably only noble lords could afford to enjoy it.

This was their first time drinking milk tea, and probably also their last time with milk tea.

For an ordinary commoner family, the price of a single cup of milk tea was simply beyond their means.

The moonlight deepened.

Most of the people of Beast Pen City had long since fallen asleep, but there were still some who were toiling away.

High in the sky, a gust of wind from who knows where brought along sheet after sheet of clouds, covering the moon — the so-called dark night and high winds, the time for killing and arson.

In the darkness, a very inconspicuous figure darted swiftly through the streets and alleys, nimbly evading the night-patrolling city guards, steadily approaching the destination.

The exclusive detention area for magical beasts — the target was unmistakably here.

Only two city guards stood watch at the door, looking drowsy. After waiting a while, the two soldiers had nearly both fallen asleep leaning against the stone wall behind them.

Seizing the opportunity, that figure slipped soundlessly straight into the underground slave trading market to carry out a rescue operation.

After rounding the corner and following the route in her memory, she arrived behind a cloth curtain.

She beheld the darkest side of the Empire!

Women, children, men — each one stark naked, wrists and ankles fitted with heavy shackles, with only a few ragged scraps barely covering their vital parts. Their bodies were covered in wounds, old and new; many old wounds had yet to heal when new ones were added, some wounds had already begun to fester, yet no one came to treat them. With vacant stares they sat dumbly in the cages, their eyes lifeless.

That look — General Ji Xia had seen it before…

Once on the battlefield, before the Empire had enacted the decree prohibiting the slave trade, when enemy troops were captured by the Imperial army, they would reveal that very look. A defeated army was a defeated army; once captured, they could not expect any effective protection. Their fate was either execution or being treated as slaves and sold off to other duchies.

Despair was the common portrait of the slaves here. If one had a good-looking exterior, perhaps life could be slightly better; or if one were a martial artist or mage of considerable combat power, one could also receive basic human-rights protections. But the majority were treated like livestock, never knowing when they would be abused.

Death might be the best release for them! Otherwise, an experience filled with pain and despair — even if they were lucky enough to survive — would become a lingering nightmare for the rest of their lives.

"Damned bastards! Here… these are all living people!"

"How dare they… how dare they!"

Clenching her teeth, General Ji Xia gripped the sharp sword in her hand, her heart aching to hack those bastards to pieces, but right now the more important thing was to rescue these people.

She raised the sharp sword in her hand and aimed it at the iron lock on the cage door.

Clang! The iron lock snapped at the sound.

General Ji Xia hurriedly opened the cage door, hoping these people would flee quickly. Yet not a single person dared to escape; each one merely turned a vacant gaze toward the masked General Ji Xia, then slowly closed their eyes as if accepting their fate.

"Why aren't you leaving?"