"Arthur, this place is awesome!"Shen Shen was looking at every shop and food stall, barely able to hold herself. She was holding Arthur"s hand as they walked around the shopping district and sightseeing. Arthur didn"t force Esco and Vyncent to accompany him but Fariya stuck close to him, claiming that wherever her master goes, she follows.
Her outfit garnered a lot of attention so she was ordered by Arthur to change into more respectable clothes, which she did, in the end. The succubus was now wearing a flamboyant green dress, which wasn"t as revealing as her original clothes but still pulled the gazes of almost every men, causing the parasite quite the head-ache.
Fariya wasn"t a heavenly beauty but her charm caused by her race naturally grabbed the attention of every male around them.
****
"Are you sure you want to go?" Asked the red-haired Esco. Vyncent was his only friend in here and it didn"t seem like he"ll be able to go convince him to stay.
He could go with him but he was weak and can"t protect himself out there, furthermore, he can"t hope to always count on Vyncent.
"I can"t linger here forever. There"s a time and place for separation and I think it"s here and now."
Vyncent kindly smiled at the criminal, patted his shoulder and jumped off the silver Spirit Boat. The flying ship was still outside of Ramel City and its only pa.s.senger was Esco, who obediently remained aboard and patiently waited for Arthur and the rest to come back. He trusted his instincts and knew that sticking with the parasite would him to the best outcome and guarantee his safety.
Fortunately, no one was foolish enough to attack the ma.s.sive silver Spirit Boat and its interior was able to accommodate the red-haired man, who was extremely bored now that he has no one to talk to.
…
Vyncent safely landed on the golden sands, his long brown robe fluttering in the wind as he took a deep breath and looked at the sky-piercing black gate hundreds of meters away. After an inordinate amount of time, a sigh escaped his lips as he took out the grey coin, which was a corrupted Zen Treasure. It was giving off an ominous black light, pulsating like a real heart. The black light entered his body and seemed to be telling him to head South, wanting him to reach a certain place.
The blondie didn"t have a clear destination in mind to he listened to the coin"s wishes, his body melted into the sounds as he used his secret technique. With incredible speed, the unseen Vyncent departed from the entrance of the capital city, his presence soon disappearing from the vicinities.
****
"Arthur…"
Shen Shen timidly pulled Arthur"s sleeve, her eyes were looking at a pitiful figure standing at the side of the road. It was a sun-weathered elder wearing dirty clothes, his face suffering from the vicissitudes of times, his eyes half-open as he hand was stretched, his palm opened as he silently begged anyone who pa.s.sed by.
"It"s no use taking pity on any beggar you see."
Arthur shook his head, unwilling to do anything. Unlike her, he had seen this sight everywhere, even on Earth and, from his point of view, helping one would only lead you to help another, which will make you fall into a never-ending cycle.
"But…"
The girl"s expression turned into a sad one as she refused to give up. Her puppy-like eyes looked back at Arthur, making him let out a long sigh as he pulled her hand and walked to the elderly beggar.
"This is the first and last time, okay?"
Unbeknownst to him, the girl was a newborn and it"s the first time she saw such a sight. She was far too innocent and could not ignore the old man, who was thinner than a stick and appeared dead on the outside, were it not for half-open eyes.
Arthur stopped in front of the beggar, crouched down, and put a gold coin in the latter"s palm, causing him to flinch. The old man smiled and bowed his head but didn"t say anything. Shen Shen was relieved but Arthur didn"t feel any emotion, he stood back up and left the area along with the little girl and the slave.
…
"How much is it?"
Pointing a beautiful swaying blue flower. It wasn"t for him but for Shen Shen, who wanted it to buy it but had no money on her.
"3 silver coins, sir."
Arthur didn"t care about the price, he was about to retrieve the money from his storage only to feel nothing. He was shocked as he looked at his middle finger but didn"t see the storage ring.
"I"ve been robbed!"
He looked around and stretched his sense but found nothing suspicious. Arthur"s face twisted in anger as he remembered the sun-weathered old man, the very fact that he has been robbed and only discovered it now infuriated him even more.
Even if the ring was taken, he should have noticed it almost immediately but it wasn"t the case.
"What"s wrong?"
Shen Shen asked him but Arthur just wryly smiled. He turned to Fariya and said,
"Buy it for me."
The succubus sweetly smiled and bought the flower before presenting it directly to Shen Shen, who put it on her hair and giggled.
"Take care of Shen Shen for a moment."
Right after saying that, Arthur vanished from Fariya"s sight. He was like a ghost as his figure instantly appeared where the beggar was but he found the place empty.
"That mother f.u.c.k-"
He held back his curse and looked at everyone around him, his eye emitting a blue l.u.s.ter. Unfortunately, the people were normal and harmless, which means that the thief had long since fled the scene.
"How come I didn"t notice a thing?"
His awareness was higher even than Exalted G.o.ds. Moreover, if the beggar was really a thief then his eye should have warned him, it was truly weird.
After a minute or so pa.s.sed, Arthur harrumphed and muttered.
"Let"s see whether you can escape or not!"
Invisible and small snakes came out of his sleeves and dispersed, each taking a direction, some even drilling into the sandy ground or pa.s.sing through the walls.