Chapter 44: Chapter – 44 - Journeying To Inner Circle Of Madsa-Tamu
"Ahhhhh!!"
Rihanna jumped up in fright, the scream still reverberating in her ears. Waking up so suddenly from a deep dreamless sleep, she looked startled and confused as she looked around in fear, wondering where she was.
A little way off Young Siyu was staring at her in equal shock and confusion. Young An stood next to her, holding onto a thick branch, ready to start pounding it on her head. Fluffy stood a little way off, and showed no interest in intervening, while Phantasm was also staring at her in wonder and amusement.
Rihanna blinked, then blinked again, trying to make some sense through the haze of sleep still clinging to her eyelids.
"What.....what happened? What attacked?"
"Who are you?"
Rihanna blinked again, thoroughly confused.
"Huh?!"
'Stupid girl.....take a look at yourself first before you speak. Or you might really get beaten up. Not that I would mind. You deserve a spanking for all the things you have put me through!'
Rihanna glanced at Fluffy, scratching her head in even deeper confusion. Wait....why....was her hair so long? Oh....no!....In all the mess and anxiety and with all the running to get away.....she had forgotten to feed her blood to the appearance changing jade!!
"Hey....umm....could you let go of the stick first? Let's sit and talk.....I can explain this!"
"Where is Grandpa?....And why are you wearing his clothes? What did you do to him?"
Young An looked as threatening as a kitten, his body huffing up in anger and frustration. Siyu on the other hand looked scared and on the verge of tears. Rihanna bit her lips, feeling guilty. She had already made them leave everything they were accustomed to, and told them to place their trust in her, running away to who knows where.
And now she had to tell them that the 'Grandpa' they believed in technically did not exist! Would they be able to bear such a news?!
Suppressing her frustrations, she heaved a deep sigh, then sat up straight.
"Put down the stick and sit down. I will not hurt you. But you need to listen carefully to what I am about to say. It might take some time, so it's best that you sit."
An still looked suspicious, and he did not put away the stick, but he still sat down, keeping some distance in between. Siyu followed and sat down beside him. Rihanna took another breath to boost her own courage.
"It's me....Grandpa. Except....this is what I really look like. That was my disguise. I didn't mean to lie to you, but there were so many things going on there. Initially I didn't want you to know more than necessary, so you wouldn't be caught in the mess. But later I myself got caught in the things going on, and what I was myself planning.....and I sort of forgot to mention that I am actually a girl."
An stared in shock. Siyu too forgot to cry, and both siblings looked on in disbelief. That old man they had been calling 'Grandpa', and even though they knew that he was lying about being their being distant relative, they had still become attached to him during their time together.
He was always looking out for them, trying to help them when their workload was too heavy, coming over every other day to talk to them, often bringing in fruits and meat. He had always been so straight forward and dependable, like a real elder taking care of his youngsters. It felt so good to know there was someone whom they could depend upon, who at least showed them care and made an effort for them.
And now that old man was actually a little girl, even younger than themselves?! They were too shocked to even know how to react! How were they supposed to leave themselves and their fates and their future in this tiny girls hands??
Rihanna could read their thoughts.
"Hmmm....the outer shell has indeed changed....but the inside material is still the same. Though my disguise was of an old man, but all the thoughts, words and deeds were my own. So if you could believe in me when I was an old man, then I would like you to go on believing even when I am a young girl now. I gave you my word that I would do my best for you, and I meant every word. I will not leave you both behind, and will do my best to settle you both down in some safe city."
Siyu looked at An, unsure what to reply. An glanced at his sister, then turned back to the girl who was almost as young as his sister. But there was so much of difference between his sister and this girl.
Her eyes held a determination and calmness he had rarely seen in commoners, her back as straight as a tough tree trunk, unbending and unyielding, and every word was more mature and sensible than any child could ever utter. Even in this tiny shell, she looked like a woman who had a lot of experience and understanding of the world.
An slowly looked down, clutching his fists. Was he doing the right thing? But....what else was he supposed to do. He could only look after his sister, and put his trust in this strange girl's hands. He sighed inwardly, then looked up, also determined, and nodded silently at Rihanna. Rihanna smiled in return, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. Just take care of your sister, and follow whatever I tell you to do. I will not leave you alone."
The sun's rays were already brightening up the sky. They had been travelling along the forest, circling around the main road for the past two days. After freshening up and having a light meal of roasted meat and water, they hit the road again. Thankfully Fluffy, the glutton, had reminded her, and she had stacked a whole load of food in her space ring from the different kitchens. Dried meat, fruits, iced deserts, drinks and juices of all kinds. At least they wouldn't be starved for the coming days.
As they walked on, Rihanna went over the entire map in her head, reviewing their escape route. The spread of this country was pretty simple - the infrastructure was pretty much the same as the build-up of the cities.
At the center was the Core City - similar to a Capital of a Country on earth. It was the capital of Madsa-Tamu. It was lead by 4 Major Clans, similar to the Leading Clans in the smaller cities. This place was said to be the political hub - all policies, laws and rules, trade and resource deals with other countries were made here.
The entire Core City was surrounded by a wide strip of highly toxic land, called the No Man Land. This was literally a no-man's land, because nobody and nothing could survive in this level of toxicity. Rihanna wasn't sure if this place was natural born or man made, but she did wonder how they managed to contain the the toxicity from spreading out!
The rest of the country was divided into four prefectures, known as the Quad. Each Major Clan was in charge of one Quad. These Quads were named as Uni, Beyi, Cetra and Duet...or in 'Earthly' terms they meant One, Two, Three and Four. These people were entirely uncreative!
Outside the No Man's Land lay the Inner Circle of the country. This formed a tight circle around the Core City, also being responsible for its protection. Most of the Large and Mid-level Clans were situated in the Inner Regions, and the cities in the Inner Circle were largely filled with students, mercenaries, businessmen, travelers and cultivators looking for better prospects.
This was also the region where most of the Guild Headquarters were housed, as administration was more lax, allowing more freedom in their work and trade. The cities were also the main storehouses for all types of resources accumulated from all over the country and also from other countries.
Due to this high level of trade and business, the cities in the Inner Circle were vibrant and colorful, far more lively and fun-filled than Green-Stone City or Moon-Grave City.
The area they were in currently was the outskirts of the Outer Circle. This region mostly housed all the commoners, and was largely responsible for agriculture and rearing of all kinds of beasts - both as food, and as tamed labor beasts.
The Outer Circle also housed many research centers and factories of the guild. It was also known for the underground markets which even the government ignored. These underground markets sold anything from rare and precious herbs and pills to high grade beasts to even low level cultivators with special body constitutions and commoner slaves for research purposes. Even the Guild Research centers often forcefully picked up commoners and low level cultivators for their research purposes.
As long as the underground groups and research centers did not directly challenge the government, or did not create too much havoc in the Outer Circle, the government chose to ignore it.
Thus the Outer Circle was actually far less safe for the commoners than the Inner Circle. But due to centuries of being oppressed and subjugated by the cultivators, these commoners were prone to staying in the place they were born, rarely venturing outside towards the Inner Circle, unless a special convoy was dispatched by the city's Mayors, sending large number of commoners to the Inner Circle cities due to special requirements.
And that is where Rihanna was currently headed. She remembered that as a Supervisor in Chen clan, she had come across many different commoners from inside as well as outside the city. And it was from them she had come to know that the Mayor of Moon-Grave City was going to send a large convoy of commoners to Frost City, which was actually in the same Three City region as Dark-Forest City.
From Frost City, another convoy of Cultivators would join them, and then they would go across Ice-Fire Desert to reach Ancient Beast Aura Sect. This was the new dark horse which had risen in this decades championship.
Moreover, Ancient Beast Aura Sect was in the Cetra Prefecture of Madsa-Tamu.....quite far from where they were currently. According to what she overheard, this sect was still developing, and they required a large number workers for many of their pending and new constructions. They would also be needing full time workers to help out with the miscellaneous work of the sect.
This sect was in the Inner region, so it would be relatively safer. Moreover, commoners working in a mid-level sect, whether as daily laborers or permanent workers, earned much more than in the outskirt cities.
Third and most importantly, it was much harder for cultivators to move across cities, let alone across regions and provinces. They would have to face harsh interrogation, and were not allowed to create problems once they entered. Commoners had much easier passage, mostly because they were deemed useless and harmless. Thus, whether it was the Su Clan or the low level Moon-Grave Sect, neither would be able to mess with the siblings once they entered a mid-level Sect in a different prefecture.
For Rihanna herself, she felt she had spent enough time in the Outer Circle. It was time for her to move on. Being in the outskirts limited not only her information, but also resources and places where she could seek development of her own cultivation.
Once they reached Ancient Beast Aura Sect, she would hand over the siblings to the commoners convoy, and also arrange a place for Su Matsao's sister to recuperate. She had enough spirit stones now - she had also picked up three large chests of mid-grade spirit stones from the Hidden Hall. So there was enough money to pay for the recuperation and recovery of the little girl.
She herself planned to return to Ice-Fire Desert. As Little Purple said, she needed fortuitous encounters and a hidden place where she could focus on her cultivation issues. She had to figure out how to use her energy, otherwise all the energy being stored in her dantian was as useless as garbage. She had to advance in her cultivation before taking on any more tasks.
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