"Why pretend to sleep? just open your eyes and ask your questions." Zhi Rui said.She was laying down on a round bed inside the luxurious carriage brought in by the Lizard"s tribe.
She faced down on the bed with her back exposed, her relaxed eyes rested on the blonde siblings lying down on the couches of the carriage.
Rubble suddenly sighed.
With a grunt, he slowly sat up his face went pale. His head soaked up with cold sweat, "Ughhhh!" Grunting he stood up leaning himself on the back of the sofa.
"Don"t move Crystal. Just lay there, the bones hadn"t mended completely yet." Rubble said as he saw Crystal moving her hands to pull herself up.
She stopped, her eyes focused on the ceiling above her. "Are you okay?" She asked softly.
"Yes, just a little pain." Rubble answered.
Seeing the color returning to his face, and the calm Crystal
Zhi Rui smiled.
"Giving in from your lie just because someone supposedly caught you, what a good boy and girl you are."
Rubble looked at the relaxed Zhi Rui.
"We"re descendants of the first barbarians; the gold tribe. We"re revered and taken care of. Even if there"s a conflict between the higher status, none of it had ever affected us. The only reason we"re here is that everybody a.s.sumed it"d be an easy win. n.o.body expected a poor hundred to defeat the rich three hundred." Rubble looked up and sighed his voice turning into a whisper. "This was supposed to be a trip to run away from boredom."
Zhi Rui pulled her arms crossing them under her chin.
"Trying to intimidate me with your status is a good move. But you see, I already knew your status." Zhi Rui raised a finger in the air
"I knew you two were different from the moment I laid eyes on you. And your inability to keep on fighting after taking one or two well-placed attacks told me how pampered and sheltered you were."
Rubble frowned "You knew it, and still enslaved us.."
"They"ll come for you." Crystal said.
Zhi Rui laughed, "Yes they will, but I can deal with them. After all, those who lose belongs to those who won."
"You"re an outsider, they won"t extend the barbarian laws to you." Rubble retorted "Even more for someone who so blatantly step on that same rules."
"But I"m a native though, look, can"t you see my brown skin?" Zhi Rui said with a mischievous smile.
Rubble"s eyes twitched "That"s sunburn."
Zhi Rui laughed. "Yes it is, but in the books and on the mouths of people my skin will be as bronze as the purest native, and my green eyes will be represented by the most natural green amethyst of the desert."
Her words echoed inside the carriage, Rubble scrunched up his face, while crystal trembled with clasped fists on the couch.
Zhi Rui felt their indignancy. She didn"t understand completely the reason so she pressed with a smirk and a provocative stare.
Rubble snapped.
"The barbarism is not so fragile as to allow an outsider to mess with our history! Even if humans fail to protect it, the ancestor won"t allow such a disgrace to the mainland!"
Crystal came right after.
"Your words are rude and it steps on our pride. If the barbarism were so stupid as to allow people like you to rise amidst our people, it would"ve been destroyed years ago."
Feeling their anger and hearing their words, Zhi Rui had a dumbfounded look on her face.
She closed her eyes immediately and started thinking, Trying to find a reason for their thick nationalism and naivete, she thought about the recent situation on the barbarian lands. and linked to their status. Her eyes snapped open and their status became clear on her mind.
Zhi Rui looked at both of them as if looking at innocent children. She chuckled at first. then for their confusion, Zhi Rui started laughing out loud.
Slowly she settled down, with tears in her reddened eyes. breathless she spoke, "Oh, my poor bunnies, you don"t know just how much of a victim you are."
Their eyebrows scrunched, rubble opened his mouth to spout his words while crystal tried to get up in spite of the pain.
*knock* *knock*
They stopped immediately. Zhi Rui saw this and squinted her eyes.
"That wasn"t intentional, it was reflex."
"Come in," Zhi said.
The door creaked open.
Blue-amethyst with her dark black hair and s.h.i.+ning blue eyes stepped inside the carriage. She was wearing new, distinguished leather armor. When she turned to close the door, a crimson colored half cape was strapped on her left shoulder cascading down to her feet. it only covered her left side.
Zhi Rui smiled. "Building an image?"
Blue-amethyst smiled "The alpha"s dark red executioner. How"s that?"
Zhi Rui chuckled.
Blue-amethyst walked towards her, sat on the edge of the bed and started to gently ma.s.sage Zhi Rui"s back and torso.
"Hmm~~ the people?" Zhi Rui groaned and softly asked.
Blue-amethyst gently caressed her. "We are a few hours away from our new home, but all they talk about is your condition. That show of not waking up after sitting down to drink on the throne scared them. I told it was only fatigue and acc.u.mulation of wounds. And now I"m checking on you, but they"re still worried, Do you believe there hasn"t been any conflict or incident, all day long?
"hmmm~~" Zhi Rui groaned in pleasure.
"Faking tragedy for the sake of your name, you disgrace the heroes of the barbarism!" The hotheaded Rubble said
Zhi Rui smiled gently. "Heroes are fiction. Made up by writings, drawings and word of mouth."
They tried to open their mouth again. But Zhi Rui"s waved her hand and a stinging feeling came over them.
"Not now, we can discuss later," She said to them
"Oh, is this mine and Sandworm"s compet.i.tors?" Blue-amethyst asked with surprise.
"No, they are more important." Zhi Rui said with malice. "They" are part of my future harem."
The siblings froze and looked at her with disbelief.
Blue amethyst thought of the implications in Zhi Rui"s wording.
It meant they are not going to stay in the barbarian land like herself. But instead would accompany Zhi Rui throughout the world.
Suddenly a distinct bitter feeling flowed inside of her and she frowned. Then she remembered, Zhi Rui could know what was her thoughts and feelings, and her mood turned for worse.
She felt like getting up and run from the shame, but since she was an open book and it was already out there, She stared at Zhi Rui with her silent question." I"m not worthy of entering your harem then?"
Zhi Rui looked back with a blank look "What?" She asked.
Blue-amethyst scoffed and got up.
Zhi Rui tried to hold her wrist. "W-Wait"
"Humpf, go f.u.c.k yourself and play dumb with your new harem members." Blue amethyst said and stormed out of the door. Slamming it hard behind her back.
Zhi Rui looked dumbfounded at the door.
Zhi Rui sighed. "Women are crazy."
She laid back down and suddenly started giggling.
"They sure are." Rubble commented after not understanding a thing and seeing Zhi Rui giggle for nothing.
Crystal stared at him then looked sternly at Zhi Rui. "It seemed like you hurt her in some way, and yet you"re laughing?"
"Oh," Zhi Rui spoke amidst her giggles. "I didn"t have much of these dramas so I enjoy them now, the fact that I can live them is even more pleasurable."
Crystal frowned confused.
Zhi Rui sighed, "Don"t be so mad, she"s actually falling in love with another man, she despised him before so she"s using her infatuation with me to distract herself from it. And having them together is good for my plans so, a good ending for us both. I won"t stop bedding her though."
The siblings stared at her. Zhi Rui just laughed.
"Now that she""s gone, tell me the inner work of everything on the side of the barbarian lands."
At once Rubble frowned. "Even if you killed us, we wouldn"t betray our people."
Crystal nodded firmly.
"Oh, poor bunnies, again, you"re not their hero, nor their savior. You"re their puppet." Zhi Rui sat up on the edge of the bed and said.
Rubble didn"t even think before scoffing. "What"s this? dividing and conquering? that"s basic and obvious."
Crystal frowned.
"Three overlord tribes, two of them takes care of the war, and one, the smaller between them. Takes care of logistics and neutrality. They are the top of your people, yet they protect, instead of killing a threat to their authority like you. You never thought about it?" Zhi Rui said.
Rubble scoffed and opened his mouth, but the one to talk was Crystal.
"We are the prophetized warriors that"ll lead the barbarians to the pinnacle. when we were born, our snow white skin never darkened. Not even under the scorching desert sun. Since then, we"ve were recognized as the chosen by destiny, we were trained in the special method of old, and tempered by the sun which our ancestors bathed in.
The cultivation method, our skin, our blood, everything came from birth. And you still said we"re a sham?"
"Haa." Zhi Rui sighed. "Your thinking is wrong. It"s not about your authenticity. That doesn"t matter."
The carriage suddenly stopped.
Zhi Rui looked them with gentle eyes and stood up.
"The barbarian lands had always been in conflict, if not against outsiders, then between themselves. Thousands died daily, and the hatred against the big tribes was slowly taking root. Then out of nowhere, two babies with traits of the heroes told in the stories of the old barbarism were born."
As her words reached their ears, the siblings felt chill and the hair on themselves stood on an end.
Zhi Rui walked towards them.
"Do you understand? Like the festivals after a tragedy, or pleasant news after a royal scandal. You were not raised to be heroes, you were raised to be the permanent distraction of the ma.s.ses.