I love time travel the most!

Chapter 195 The Slave Girl with Lions in Her Eyes

Leode Town.

It is a town that expands outward from a tranquil oasis, like an isolated island floating in the desert, and it is also their destination.

Upon arriving at the designated port on the south side of the town, they secured the boat to the mooring posts using thick chains. Once the boat was firmly anchored, Kobayashi and the others were able to disembark.

"It's really dry here."

Freya stepped down and into the harbor.

Even though the goddess was wearing a hood and coat, those who noticed her couldn't help but stop in their tracks; regardless of age or gender, everyone was captivated by her. Freya, however, seemed oblivious, as if she were already familiar with those eager gazes, and leisurely led Kobayashi, Boffman, and the others through the center of the harbor passage.

"Ota and the others should have already infiltrated by now."

"...What did you say, Goddess Freya?"

Freya's murmurs were drowned out by the noise of the harbor, and Boffman did not hear what she said.

Kobayashi looked around but couldn't see the jealous guys. They were probably lurking in the shadows, not wanting to disturb Freya's enjoyment. After all, no matter how you looked at it, those guys couldn't possibly be shaken off by a single ship.

Freya couldn't help but smile at the sight.

She probably understood what her family's absence meant, and decided to stop being polite and enjoy the trip freely.

Kobayashi had no intention of playing along.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; Freya is very dangerous. Neither the ruler's divinity nor his wisdom should be underestimated.

However, the goddess of beauty had no intention of letting him go. Her tone was calm, but filled with an undeniable authority, as she said, "Kolin, you'll be with me for the time being."

Freya's light words silenced Kobayashi, her gaze fixed on him with an all-knowing wisdom.

The more he resisted, the more interested Freya became. It seemed that his subconscious rejection had already caught her attention.

The other party is a goddess, and a chief deity of one of Orario's strongest familias. Kobayashi is very interested in the favor, and offending Freya is not a wise move. Since that's the case, she should agree to please her and take the opportunity to gain some benefits.

For example: the ceremony of bestowing divine grace.

“It is my honor, Lady Freya.”

Kobayashi accepted the order respectfully and gracefully.

Boffman made no comment. He had already noticed on the ship that Freya's attitude towards Kobayashi was somewhat unusual, quite different from how she treated him. Therefore, the shrewd Boffman resolved to firmly hold onto the guide's position after Kobayashi became the goddess's protector.

"Boffman, what kind of place is this?"

"Reporting to Lady Freya, this is the city of merchants, called Riod City."

Upon hearing the goddess's question, Boffman began to introduce the town to everyone with great care, while leading them toward his—Fazil's—merchant guild.

As he explained, the group learned that the town was located in the central part of the western desert.

Because it's an oasis, and because it's in a central location, the area boasts excellent security and few monster attacks. It easily attracts visitors, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a trading center.

This explains why the port here is so well-developed.

Is that why it's called the City of Abundance?

"Yes! Since this city is connected to any country in the western desert, in my humble opinion, we believe that what you, Goddess, are seeking can surely be found here!"

Boffman concluded in a tone that seemed to be doing someone a favor.

Freya did not explain to him that what she was asking for was actually a companion. As for the inexplicably smug-sounding Boffman, the goddess of beauty simply ignored his words, letting them go in one ear and out the other, and walked straight ahead.

However, she still had a little bit of hope.

We've only been on our journey a day, and we've already encountered some strange children (Kobayashi) along the way. Maybe we really can find them here?

Freya quickened her pace.

After passing through the warehouse district adjacent to the port, the view suddenly opens up, and a large market greets everyone.

The road was wide, but it was crowded with open-air shops, and merchants and customers lined both sides of the road.

The sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air, offering a wide variety of goods, from carpets and pottery jars to clothing, food, and even swords and magic stones.

"Oh~~" Freya exclaimed softly, a rare occurrence for her. "No wonder this place is called the city of merchants."

My anticipation grew even stronger.

The goddess of beauty walked gracefully down the street, looking around to admire the scenery and fully enjoying the exotic desert atmosphere.

Look forward.

At the other end of the market, you can see the azure lake, lush and green in springtime, a stark contrast to the surrounding black and yellow hues.

Crossing the bridge leads to a small island in the middle of the lake, where several uniquely designed mansions stand.

The most striking building is the central mansion with its deliberately domed circular roof; at first glance, it looks like a castle. Even the residence of Orario's elite clans doesn't reach such a magnificent scale.

Freya gave it a deep look and said, "The people and things here are indeed very novel, and one can never get tired of looking at them."

"Your Excellency is wise! Your Excellency is wise!" Boffman, who had completely transformed into a guide, kept rubbing his hands together, looking quite pleased with himself.

However, the atmosphere here is chilling.

The market itself was bustling with activity, but there was an inexplicable sense of gloom in the air.

Kobayashi keenly sensed the eerie atmosphere in the town. Freya frowned slightly; even the goddess of beauty, who could see through the eyes of God, noticed something strange.

Boffman, oblivious to the fact that all sorts of people and things are gathered in this town, pointed around with his arms outstretched and said, “As you can see, all sorts of people and things are gathered here. Not just exotic goods, but also… slaves.”

The scene seemed to become even noisier in sync with those words, and a cacophony unlike anything before resounded throughout the market.

"Oh? It really is true that everyone is here."

Freya followed Boffman's gaze and turned her head to look at a group of people who happened to appear on another bustling street.

A glimmer of hope stirred within the goddess, a desire to encounter an outstanding child.

But it vanished in an instant.

They were a group of people of no particular gender or race. Their only commonality was that they were all barely clothed, handcuffed and collared, and led by a rusty iron chain.

The group of people, whose faces were full of exhaustion, some with pessimistic expressions, and some even showing despair.

They were slaves through and through.

“Boffman, those slaves are…”

"They must have been brought back by slave traders, since there's a slave market here."

"There seem to be quite a lot of people here. Does this mean that hunting humans is a common occurrence here?"

Hunting humans, simply put, involves attacking multiple towns and villages and forcibly turning captured villagers into slaves, which is an extremely heinous act.

As Freya asked her question with suspicion, Kobayashi exuded a slightly frighteningly low pressure.

"You...you've misunderstood, absolutely not! No one would dare disrupt the order of this area!" Pofman, sweat beading on his forehead, quickly explained, "This is actually a war breaking out in the Western Kaos Desert..."

Just like Freya thought.

The eerie atmosphere and the large number of slaves—she, with her divine sense of war, knew best what both meant.

"War."

"Yes. The Kingdom of Sharzad, located to the north, is currently under attack from the Kingdom of Valsha to the east, so..."

All the nations that established themselves in the Caios Desert adopted a monarchical system. There were no state-affiliated clans that reflected the will of the gods; most of the relevant divine factions were listed under the military structure.

Although small-scale conflicts may break out between countries, it is unlikely that countries will go to war for hegemony.

however……

Boffman wiped the sweat from his brow and whispered, "It's said that in recent years, the Kingdom of Valsha has recruited powerful mercenary clans into its military, and then unilaterally declared war on the neighboring country of Sharza Germany..."

"So the Sharza Germans were defeated?"

Freya understood.

The difference between having received a "favor" and not having one is like night and day. The German state of Sharza will inevitably be routed, its capital fall instantly, and its territory ravaged. Slaves, of course, will naturally arise as a result of defeat.

It is likely that the Kingdom of Valsha, in order to prevent a counterattack, decided not to spare any village during its attack on neighboring countries.

The innocent residents suffered a calamity, and those who barely escaped were then unfortunately caught.

The tense atmosphere here is probably due to this reason.

It was only then that Kobayashi realized that while the market sold many luxury goods, it also sold weapons and fuel. Merchants, sensing the impending war, immediately began importing all sorts of wartime necessities to make a fortune.

On the other hand, the local residents felt uneasy about the atmosphere of war.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured! The capital of Sharzad has indeed fallen, but the remaining army has decided to support the surviving prince and continue the fight in various places! Valsha will also be busy eliminating the remnants, so I believe the war will not spread here!"

Boffman repeatedly emphasized the safety of the area.

It wasn't just to keep the goddess of beauty, but also to prevent her from blaming him, otherwise he would surely lose his head! But this also shows that the invasion was still continuing.

At this moment, a large group of slaves were forced to walk in the center of the market, while the people who retreated to the side of the road whispered among themselves, their words of contempt or sympathy mixed in.

Freya was not interested in this.

Because she had just seen the color of the souls shining through the children's bodies through her own silver eyes, and the scene that met her eyes was utterly boring to her.

After these people were enslaved, their souls turned into a filthy gray, even worse than Kobayashi, who was all gold on the outside but rotten on the inside!

To Freya, who was chasing after dazzling light, this scene was enough to displease her. After all, if you're looking for delicious food but end up in a toilet, surely no one would happily take a big bite.

Even though she wouldn't eat it, the fact that she kept wandering around the toilet was enough to annoy her, and it would spoil her interest in finding a partner.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in my face.

"Freya, your hood...!"

When Boffman discovered that Freya's hood had been pulled up, he was immediately terrified and panicked.

If the goddess's beauty were to be revealed on the spot, it could easily lead to chaos in the market. The reason is that even Boffman was captivated by Freya's profile, losing all composure as he stared at her.

The scream jolted Freya out of her thoughts.

Kobayashi moved very quickly, taking three steps at a time to reach the goddess, shielding her in front of him and covering most of her face.

But, it's too late.

The beauty of the goddess was fully revealed.

It was expected that the commotion would spread like ripples, but in reality, it remained as calm as a still lake. Passersby who noticed Freya stopped what they were doing, staring at her with fascination, their expressions as if they were lost in a dream.