The sound of horses' hooves came through the air, mixed with a lot of noise all around. It was a market—some places had carts, some small shops, and in other spots there were big houses.
Alexa sat inside a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage had two windows, one on the left and one on the right. She looked out through them, enjoying the views and watching the things around her.
She saw a long structure shaped like a sword, about 140 feet tall.
She said, "Oh, so this is Nova Kingdom."
She got down in the market.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw a man. He wore a brown suit and a hat, black gloves on his hands, and held a sword. With that sword he was cutting a fourteen-year-old boy all over his body.
The boy had thick, somewhat long hair. He was completely naked—not even underwear.
Many people stood around, watching the sight. Not to help, only to enjoy the show.
Then the man in the suit pushed his brown hat forward and placed it in the boy's hands.
The boy's whole body was covered in cuts. Blood flowed from them. His face stayed emotionless, but his body shook. Wherever the cuts were, they burned. When the wind blew stronger, the burning grew worse.
Still, with his trembling hands, the boy held the hat. He went to the people watching him and held the hat out toward them.
Some dropped Iren coins into it. Some threw them. Some threw random things too—many things.
But others threw stones that hit his chest. Where the stone landed, a red mark appeared. He held his chest and fell to the ground.
Then another stone came and struck his head. Blood began to flow from his skull.
Tears were in his eyes. It seemed he wanted to cry out loud, but he could not.
Now there were no expressions left on his face.
Then the naked boy placed the hat toward them on the ground. He lowered his head, turned his back upward, and tried to protect his body so he would not get hurt more.
Because of this, he did not get too many new injuries.
But then someone threw demonic acid on him. Because of it, the skin on his entire back melted like liquid.
In that same position he screamed, "Aaaaaahhhhhh nonono," in a trembling, pain-filled voice.
This was a kind of hate that people show toward those of another religion.
After some time, when the crowd thinned out, he lifted his head a little to look.
After all this, the naked boy picked up the hat with his still-trembling hands. He collected the few useful things from the coins, water, and mess around him and put them into the hat.
He went back to the man in the brown suit and held the hat out to him.
Alexa watched the entire scene from a distance.
She felt very angry, but she could do nothing.
If you are also in an unknown or new place, there is insecurity inside, there is anxiety inside, because you do not know who your enemy is—especially in a place where people enjoy watching a naked child being hurt instead of saving him.
Alexa clenched her teeth and turned away.
Then she remembered her brother. She turned back to look at the boy again.
Without thinking, she started walking toward the boy to save him.
Alexa knows this action puts her in danger too, and MC's plan could get ruined. This shows Alexa is emotionally very weak. It is easy to use her, but she also becomes a weak pawn who can ruin the entire plan. And MC must know this very well. But MC had no other option.
Alexa went to the man in the brown suit and said, "Hey old man, why are you doing this to this child?"
The brown suit man's gaze fell on Alexa. Her hair was black and long. She looked very beautiful and innocent.
The people who had left earlier slowly started gathering again.
The brown suit man stood up and walked very close to Alexa. Then he took her soft hair in his hands and began to smell it.
Alexa slapped him at once, but her slap did not even touch the man.
There was no lust or greed on the brown suit man's face. Because of this he did not seem like a normal person.
But then the brown suit man felt someone standing behind him. He tried to turn his head halfway to look.
At that moment, a cut appeared on his throat.
Behind him stood a man with white and black hair, somewhat long, tied in a small ponytail. He held his knife against the brown suit man's throat.
But there was still no fear or panic on the brown suit man's face.
The whole crowd around them stepped back three steps.
The brown suit man said, "Who are you, and why are you interfering in someone else's matter?"
The man standing behind said, "Stop this show, you bastard. My head is hurting, that's why I came here to solve this matter."
"Oh, so you came to solve the matter," the brown suit man said.
Then the brown suit man raised his hands and said, "This girl came and tried to take my property from me."
The man behind looked toward Alexa.
Alexa said, "I just came to save this child. He has been hurt very badly, that's why."
The man behind, still holding the knife to the throat, said, "But who is this child to you that you came to save him?"
Alexa could not say anything.
The man behind continued, "What is not yours, you have no right over it—no matter what is happening to it."
Alexa did not know what to say.
Then the man behind removed his knife from the brown suit man's throat and said, "I am buying this child."
The brown suit man smiled and said, "You won't be able to buy him, you son of a bitch."
The knife man showed no emotion and only said, "Tell me the price. If you don't agree, I will have to kill someone for no reason."
The brown suit man said, "You are a hunter and assassin, right? Kael Loren. Do you really think you can kill me? Nah, you can't even defeat me."
Kael looked at the brown suit man and thought in his mind: Yes, maybe he can defeat me. Because I can sense a lot of moksha from inside him. But he also knows he will not come out safe either.
Still, Kael said in a tired voice to the brown suit man, "How useless, but today you will die."
The crowd slowly stepped back more, because they knew if these two fought, the market would be destroyed.
The brown suit man thought: Anyway, I don't need this child now. But this child could be very useful to me. Still, now I need to earn money on a bigger level.
Then the brown suit man said, "Okay, fine. Anyway this child is no use to me now, so I can give him for 10,000 Iren coins."
This time anger showed on Kael's face. In his mind he said: Damn, I don't even earn that much in a year.
Then Alexa said from behind, "Fine, I will give you 10,000 Iren coins."
The brown suit man said, "Hey girl, do you even have that much?"
Then she opened a large bag in front of him and showed the coins. She said, "There are more than 10,000 in here. Take it and give me the child."
Those 10,000 Iren coins she had taken out from a ring that could carry a lot of items, worth 1,000 Iren coins.
The brown suit man happily took the bag and started to leave.
Then a thought came to his mind: Looks like she is from some big clan or big family.
He turned back, walked toward Alexa again. This time he had a card in his hand.
The brown suit man said, "Here, my card. Maybe if I can ever be useful to you, remember."
Then he left.
Alexa thought: What have I done? I spent 10,000 Iren coins so quickly. Did I make the right decision?
Remembering MC, she said in her mind where MC was saying: "When money starts feeling light in your hands, pause. That is the moment to turn it into connections—because money ends, but networks keep working long after."
Alexa said to Kael, "Thank you. Can I help you with anything?"
Kael looked at her, then at the child who was only looking at both of them.
Kael said to Alexa, "Nothing. I also just came to save this child."
Then Kael started walking toward a nearby bar shop. The name of the shop was written as [Koko ka Bear].
Alexa said, "Wait, I am new here, I don't know the place. Can you help me a little more?"
Kael signaled both of them to come with him.
Alexa held the boy's hand and started following behind him.
"Mc lay silently on the bed, one arm resting over his eyes.
The room was quiet.
Now all I have to do is wait. Everything is in Alexa's hands.
That was always the plan.
I gave her a clear goal-not because I trust her strength, but because goals reshape people.
Once someone has a clear destination, they stop asking why and start figuring out how.
Plans begin to form on their own. Choices align themselves. Effort becomes automatic. I don't need to control her actions.
I only needed to control the direction.
The rest... will happen on its own."
"Play your part, my cat's-paw."