Even if I transform, I will never be captured.

Esdeath's fighting style is unrestrained, without any fancy moves; she relies on absolute strength and speed to crush opponents in battle.

Born into a hunting tribe, the girl believed in the principle of "even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit," and she showed no mercy in every move.

boom!

Esdeath's fist slammed into a thug's face, and then, with a "smack," the man's head exploded like a watermelon.

Although Esdeath turned her head away in time, a splash of blood still splattered onto her cheek.

Under the crimson light, Esdeath's icy blue eyes revealed an even wilder and deeper color.

It was obvious that she was enjoying the battle... no, to be precise, she was enjoying the hunt.

The 16-year-old girl named Esdeath, though not as unreasonable as she would become later, and able to stop fighting in time after Satella expressed her unwillingness to fight, once she starts fighting, she will treat her opponent as prey and engage in a battle that is like a bloodbath.

'I still don't want to fight her.'

As the saying goes, the tough are afraid of the stubborn, and the stubborn are afraid of the reckless. Esdeath is the typical type who would fight without regard for her life.

Satella was certain that even if she and Esdeath were now barely friends, Esdeath would show no mercy once a fight broke out.

Just as Satella was thinking this, the battle over there had already ended.

There were eight thugs in total. Three of them died, four of the remaining ones were seriously injured, and the last one, seeing that things were not going well, quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.

Well, let's just call him Rogue A for now!

Satella stopped Esdeath from killing Rogue A and knelt down in front of him.

"We're new here and don't know much about the capital, so we have a few questions we'd like to ask you—"

Removing the hood of her cloak, Satella smiled sweetly and clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture: "Is it alright?"

No one can refuse a cute girl's request.

If so, it only proves that this girl isn't cute enough!

So, of course no one can refuse Satella's request, who is the cutest girl in the world.

Of course, she couldn't see the other person trembling with fear.

Originally, Satella only wanted to ask where the largest stock exchange in the capital was, and also where the best food was.

Unexpectedly, they learned some incredible information.

Intelligence 1: The old emperor of the empire is terminally ill and may pass away at any time. The imperial ministers are divided into several factions based on their support for different princes, and they are fighting tooth and nail for the throne.

Intelligence 2: In order to win over powerful figures and obtain sufficient political funds, many ministers have begun to openly sell official positions.

Satella didn't care about the struggle for the throne; what truly concerned her was the sale of official positions.

"Selling official positions...? This is something a declining empire would do."

Satella sighed softly, then tilted her head, put her index finger to her lips, and gave a cute smile.

"But it's fine this way."

A well-thought-out plan quickly took shape in Satella's mind.

She took out ten gems from her pocket and waved them at the kneeling thug, A, as if to show off: "I want to exchange these gems for money. Now, please take me to the largest exchange in the capital, okay?"

The gemstone, crafted with exquisite skill, emitted a faint glow, illuminating the dark alley and also the greedy eyes of the rogue.

Although he had spent several years in the capital's underworld without making a name for himself, he had at least developed a keen eye for talent.

These ten gemstones in front of me are impeccable in both color and shape; they are absolutely the finest gemstones!

Although the common people of the empire are impoverished, the nobles are extravagant and indulgent. For such exquisite gems, those nobles who love luxury would definitely be willing to spend astronomical sums to buy them.

The ten gems together are worth at least 50 gold coins!

Without a doubt, this is a sum of money worth risking one's life for!

He nodded humbly in agreement, but as he turned away, a sinister smile crept across the corner of his mouth.

What a foolish outsider! He was so stupid as to let this thug lead the way!

He will certainly lead the way, but the final destination certainly won't be an exchange.

—He was indeed no match for the two girls, but once he got to his lair, with dozens of men attacking together, how could he not handle two women?

When the time comes, the gems will be sold and the proceeds divided equally, and each person will receive nearly ten thousand gold coins—enough to live comfortably for a lifetime.

After pulling off this heist, he planned to go to the countryside, find a woman to marry, and live out the rest of his life in peace.

……

Page 163

……

On the outskirts of the capital, in a large, warehouse-like building.

"Snapped!"

This is the sound of a whip striking a person.

"boom!"

This is the sound of a blunt object striking a person.

Whenever such a sound is heard, a small figure huddled in the corner can't help but shrank his thin shoulders.

For a girl who had just turned 12, the scene before her eyes was like a painting of hell.

The warehouse, which was nearly a thousand square meters in size, was lit only by a few dim oil lamps and a few torches.

Under the light of the oil lamp were several dark cages, each containing children about her age.

Every so often, a fierce-looking adult would come in and drag them out one by one.

Because her eyes were blocked by an obstacle, the girl couldn't see what happened to the children who were being dragged away.

She only saw, from the blurry shadow cast by the oil lamp on the wall, that a fierce-looking adult raised something and then swung it down.

—Something seemed to splash up, followed by the child's piercing scream.

The girl sitting in the corner buried her head between her knees and covered her ears with her hands, but even so, the smell of blood mixed with the rotten smell of rust still entered her nostrils, making her feel nauseous.

Although she couldn't see it, the girl, who had grown up in a harsh environment, still vaguely understood what had happened.

If I'm not mistaken, those children must have had their hands, feet, or fingers cut off and then been forced to go out begging—a scene the girl witnessed far too often in her short life.

Of course, not everyone would have their limbs cut off to beg. For example, a cute girl like her would more likely be sold to nobles for their pleasure.

Compared to children whose limbs have been cut off, this outcome is undoubtedly much better.

but……

"It's better to die than to live like this!"

The girl gripped her tattered sleeves tightly, her cherry-colored eyes filled with unwavering resolve.

Hidden in her palm was a shaving of wood that had fallen from the box.

The wood shavings are not long and are not particularly sharp, but if they pierce the most vulnerable part of the human body, they can still take a person's life!

Although the girl knew that killing someone in this situation would be pointless and that she would definitely be killed by the other party's enraged accomplices afterward, she thought that dying gloriously in the fight was better than living a cowardly life!

This girl, born on the border of the empire and of foreign descent, possessed a fierce spirit unlike that of ordinary girls from a young age; she was unyielding and would rather break than bend.

"Your turn, come out!"

Amidst the cold voice, the girl's hand was grabbed, and before she could resist, she was dragged to a brightly lit place.

"boom!"

The girl was thrown to the ground, her flat chest hitting the solid floor, causing her to groan in pain.

"Your name is... Mine, right?"

It was probably the girl's petite figure and unusual cherry blossom-colored long hair that caught their attention. Someone flipped through the roster on the table, and then a voice filled with interest rang out.

"Lift your head up."

"what…!"

A girl named Mine cried out in pain as someone grabbed her pink hair and pulled her up from the waist up.

The flickering candlelight of the oil lamp allowed Mine to see three people standing in front of her—the villain who had dragged her out of the warehouse, the middle-aged nobleman sitting in a chair, and the tall man standing behind the middle-aged nobleman.

"Not bad!"

Reaching out, the middle-aged nobleman pinched Mine's delicate chin, examining the girl with the same scrutinizing eyes one would use to appraise merchandise. He nodded in satisfaction, "This material is quite good. With a little dressing up, it'll definitely fetch a good price."

really……

The nobleman's words shattered the last glimmer of hope in Mine's heart.

Without any further hesitation, Mine flipped her hand, and a wood shaving appeared in her palm. Her cherry-colored eyes were filled with resolute will, and she thrust it towards the other person's neck without hesitation.

Snapped!

The tall man who had been standing behind the nobleman suddenly appeared in front of him, and with a blank expression, he slapped Mine across the air, sending her flying.

Mine spun in the air like a falling leaf, then crashed heavily to the ground with a thud.

"Ugh... Ah!"

The violent impact caused Mayne excruciating pain, as if her internal organs were displaced, and her cheeks swelled up rapidly.

Such pain was far beyond what a 12-year-old girl could bear, but even so, Mine gritted her teeth and tried her best to support her body. As if she was unwilling to admit defeat, she tried her best to straighten her chest and stared fiercely at the middle-aged nobleman with her cherry-colored eyes full of hatred.

"What excellent eyesight, and that willpower is truly admirable."

The middle-aged nobleman clapped approvingly, "I was really startled just now. If I hadn't hired a bodyguard from the Imperial Fist Temple, you might have actually succeeded?"

That's what he said, but he clearly didn't take Mine's resistance seriously.

Having worked in this industry for so many years, he has encountered people who resisted even more fiercely than young girls, but under the discipline of drugs and whips, they eventually became obedient.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that wildcats like young girls, who still retain a hint of ferocity, are now more suited to the perverse tastes of certain nobles.

"why?"

Mine spoke in a hoarse voice, her face, swollen beyond recognition, contorted with incomprehension and hysteria, as she loudly questioned: