Inside the Merchant Town of Kalur. The three businessmen that were previously trashed by Dan stood at the gates with an irritated expression on their faces. As people who stood at the peak of everything inside this Town, they couldn't stomach the humiliation that they suffered, but when they returned for payback. They found that the bastard was gone.
Holding a piece of paper in their hands, the two glanced at each other before sighing. The information said that they departed for the Great Forest of Manzur. What a joke! That place was something that shouldn't be treated lightly.
Shaking their heads, they could only forget about the matter that happened that day.
Atop the Plains of Azer, a carriage that looked out place could be seen treading through the muddy terrain of the area. The carriage looked lavish yet there were only two passengers inside, one belonged to a young man whose visual appearance looked to be at his upper teenage years while the other was a young woman that looked ethereal and divine.
At this moment, the young man was at the coachman's seat while his comrade, Grace sat behind him.
Staring at the distant horizon of daybreak, several feelings surged within his heart. It has been about a month and a half ever since he departed from the Imperial City of the Empire of Eternal Faith. He successfully completed the mission that George handed over to him and it was time to claim his rewards.
Excited by the prospects of learning more about his true roots, Dan journeyed through the Plains in a carefree manner. Tonight, they would arrive at the Great Forest of Manzur, a place where all sorts of beasts and bandits lurked.
Turning his head towards Grace, he found that the latter looked somber. Scratching his head, he understood the reason why she looked so despondent and irritated.
"Are you still mad about what happened that day?" Dan said. Grace turned towards him and heaved a sigh. She had mixed feelings about the events that happened several days ago.
Grace understood the reasons for his actions. But she still couldn't shake off the idea that Dan was someone that couldn't be relied upon.
Sensing the upheaval of emotions within the young maiden's heart. Dan shook his head and said, "Grace, what do you think about what I did? Can you still blame me for what I did?"
Grace shook her in and denied, "No, I don't blame you for what you did, I know that it's something that is necessary so that I won't be shaken by these events, but still, for me. Killing is not something that I can easily accept..."
Grace didn't have a peaceful childhood. Ever since her parents died when she was just young. She had to live by biting the knife, stealing there, and deceiving there, she had to do such things so that she could survive.
Because of these, she knew that naivety was something that should not be cultivated in this kind of world. However, the values ingrained within her by her parents about how precious life was, made her freeze up when the time for reckoning arrived.
"Will you believe me If I say that a world where murder is condemned and everyone is living peaceful lives, existed?" Dan lifted a small smile on his lips. Grace stared at him with an indescribable expression before shaking her head and saying, "No, I don't believe you..."
"Why?"
"That's because that kind of a dreamlike world is impossible, especially when the greed of humanity runs deep. No matter what we have, us humans will never be satisfied." Grace explained and Dan clapped his hands in admiration.
Even though Grace still has her innate naivety within her heart. Het outlook in life was vastly different from the other inhabitants of this world. Smiling to himself, since he accepted her as his subordinate, she will definitely know about his affiliation on the demonic path and so, he decided.
"What do you think about demonic cultivators?"
Grace knitted her eyebrows. First, they talked about such a peaceful world and now he's asking for her opinion about the demonic path? Just what are his intentions? She inwardly mumbled.
She stared at him for a moment before answering, "Just what exactly are demonic cultivators?"
His question echoed like a thunderbolt inside Dan's mind and he became dumbstruck. Now that he thought about it for a moment, just what are demonic cultivators? Though he understood that not every one of them was actually evil just because their actions only benefit themselves. In the end, just what are they?
He blanked out for a moment before he replied, "In this world's standard, demonic cultivators are aloof, prideful and as what their title says, they are demonic in nature. Meaning they will do anything as long as they can achieve their goals, no matter how atrocious their way is..."
Grace cupped her chin and thought for a moment before replying, "Do they blindly hurt anyone around them, are they like those arrogant young masters back at the Town?" Dan's expression flickered, mumbling to himself, he replied, "No, they don't just harm anyone around them, only those that stand in their way towards their goals will be affected."
"So what do you think about them, should they really be despised by the masses as repugnant tumors of society?" A small smile lifted on Dan's lips in anticipation towards her answer.
Grace gave a light chuckle, "No, I don't think that they should be treated like that in the first place. No matter who they were, it would be impossible to say that they didn't commit any bad deeds in their entire lifetime. Just because their journey towards their goal is vastly different from the normal, they should not be shunned just because of that..."
"Hahaha," Dan boisterously laughed, his sudden change of attitude startled the young maiden, "What's going on with you? Is there something, funny?"
"Nothing, I just remembered a certain someone that you will definitely get along with..." He said with a mysterious smile on his face. His fair countenance paired with his jet-black eyes that could be compared with the abyss itself made the young maiden's heart, flutter.
"How about you, young master? Can you tell me more about yourself?" Grace mustered her courage to say these words. Her expression somewhat reddened in embarrassment. Dan smiled before starting his tale.
Normally, the journey from the Merchant Town of Kalur towards the Imperial City of the Empire of Eternal Faith would be teeming with dangers. Just because they managed to annihilate the first bandit group that they encountered doesn't mean that no one would challenge them again.
In the next several days on their journey at the Plains of Azer, numerous bandit groups challenged their carriage, and Dan who felt excited about having more whetstone for Grace couldn't help but exclaim in joy amidst the latter's speechless expression.
Unfortunately, this phase of training didn't last long for when they realized it, they finally arrived at the border of the Great Forest of Manzur. The history of the Great Forest of Manzur spanned at least a hundred thousand years and the dangers some territories inside the Forest could be considered as a Forbidden Zone where innumerable lucky chances could be found along with dangers may it be in the form of humans or beasts.
Dan stopped the carriage in front of a huge tree whose height reached at least sixty meters. He unlinked the carriage from the horse before setting them free.
Even though the terrain of the Forest enabled travel using horses. It would be much slower than running and since Dan didn't want anything other than to return and play with his little daughter and wife. He didn't hesitate in abandoning such a luxurious carriage.
Grace looked tragic towards the ordeal. Carrying a backpack with her, she stripped off some of the valuable items inside the carriage such as the jade table and the plates made with deep sea gold.
"What the hell are you doing? Why are you taking everything off? You're not even sparing the plates!" Dan knitted his eyebrows in a frown as Grace darted her gaze at him before saying, "I'm sorry about this young master, but I can't bear to see you throwing away such valuable items that can be resold at the Imperial City, even if you're rich, you shouldn't maintain such a habit..."
As someone who grew up in the slums, Grace was also a scavenger. Back then, her heart would ache every time she saw valuable objects being thrown by their owners as if they could never be sold again. But at the same time, she felt happy that wasteful people existed and as a result, she could eat.
But now that she had a backer like Dan, she would try her best in destroying the notion of wasting money like water inside Dan's mind so that the latter wouldn't eventually arrive into bankruptcy.
Dan's expression softened before laughing out loud, the previously cold impression that he had of her had disappeared. Replaced by the idea of how a cool looking young maiden like her actually had such a thrifty side to her.
Several minutes later, Grace and Dan could be seen walking beside each other. Grace glanced at the latter's fingers and said, "That Spatial Ring thing really is convenient..." A metal ring that sparkled in a cold light could be seen on Dan's right, ring finger.
Dan gave a small smile, "It's interesting, right? Don't worry I'll give you one when we arrive..."
"No, you don't have to...Such a convenient and discreet device, that definitely is expensive..." Grace fumbled with her fingers in an expression of denial, the former chuckled, "I actually have three spare Spatial Rings with me but since I still need to unload the contents, I can't give it to you right now..."
"It's okay, you don't have to, really..." Grace shook her head and Dan lifted his right hand before flicking at her forehead. Grace flinched in pain before raising her head with her face, expressing her indignance.
"What are you doing?" She asked and Dan lightly chuckled, "Don't be so distant, though your status in the eyes of the people around us is a slave, that doesn't mean that I'll treat you like that..."
Grace's figure shook, her expression turned indescribable before she hung her head low and mumbled some words that she didn't dare to voice out inside her heart.
After this small affair, the two continued their journey. Fortunately, Grace prepared for all sorts of scenarios and she bought enough supplies that could last them for weeks.
"Stop..."
Dan stretched his hand out and Grace stiffened. Glancing at the former, she found that his expression turned solemn and his eyes shone in a critical light.
[Warning: Hostile Lifeforces has been detected around the host!]
[Threat Level: Average]
"Just an average threat level?" Dan scoffed in his heart before shouting towards a distant shrub.
"There's no use hiding before my eyes, come out or I'll force you out!" Dan declared, his voice echoed throughout the forest, destroying its tranquility.
Grace followed his line of sight and the two stared at the shrub that gently swayed in the air. The bush looked normal and if one placed it inside a forest, no one would think that it had something special. Grace had her eyebrows in a frown, but since Dan still maintained his vigilant expression, she also maintained hers.
"To think that I have grown so rusty that even brats could notice me..." A harsh voice echoed from the bush, followed by the appearance of numerous figures atop tree branches.
"Boss, it looks like we struck a jackpot this time! To think that we can intercept a noble in the middle of a tryst..."
"Hehehe, we'll make sure to give you the first taste of the woman, boss..."
The figures completely surrounded them and Grace instinctively gripped Dan's arm. Dan glanced at the young maiden and found that she still looked terrified despite the fact that they endured several days of fighting with these bandits, together.
Shaking his head, Dan couldn't really force her to change. After all, a change was a gradual phenomenon and not something that could happen in a span of weeks.
Scouring the area around him, the System told him that his enemies numbered at least fifty and eighty percent of them had a Flesh Tempering Realm Cultivation with the remaining twenty percent at the Organ Tempering Realm.
A bandit group with such a manpower was definitely a tyrant of the place. And judging from the energy waves of their leader that stood before Dan, he was sure that this bandit group was the most powerful group inside this Forest of Manzur.
Their leader had a cultivation at the Peak of Spirit Tempering Realm. His cultivation was the highest among Dan's enemies and this fact made the latter excited beyond belief.
However, Dan also had to think of Grace's safety and he couldn't just abandon a mortal maiden like her to complete his desire in battling against an enemy of a higher realm.
"System, Calculate the chances of winning against all of my enemies while protecting Grace in the process!"
[System Function Initiating; 50%]
[Completed!]
[Chances of Winning: 40% Host will sustain severe injuries in the process, taking such actions is highly discouraged.]
Dan dismissed the system notification before quickly deciding in his heart.
Though it pained him to do such a thing. Since Grace was with him. He had no other choice but to retreat.
Embracing the young maiden who froze because of his sudden actions, Dan ignited his Divine Art before condensing Lightning Qi on the soles of his feet.
Bang!
With a reverberating sound of thunder, Dan soared towards the skies and disappeared towards the distant horizon.