The Price of Bread and the Path to the Main City

Upon hearing her words, their expressions instantly contorted.

Faced with the ominous muzzle of the gun, they dared not utter another word. Panic seized them, and they scattered in every direction, vanishing from sight in moments.

The grubby little girl slowly rose from the ground, clutching her black bread. Her face was deathly pale, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet Ming Yu’s gaze.

Ming Yu’s eyes, however, were fixed on the simple bread clutched in the girl’s arms.

“Here,” she offered. “How about I trade this for your food?”

She extended a rifle towards the girl, then, with practiced ease, retrieved several pieces of black bread. Tearing them into smaller fragments, she tossed them into her mouth and began to chew.

The rifle clattered to the ground.

Anna dared not even touch the weapon, much less resist. She could only watch, paralyzed by fear, as the silver-haired woman before her claimed her meager bounty. Her eyes were wide with terror.

Firearms were symbols of both brutal violence and absolute authority. To dare lay a hand on one was to openly defy the Main City, an act that would undoubtedly invite swift destruction.

Meanwhile, Ming Yu quickly devoured the food. She smacked her lips, still feeling far from full. At least her hunger pangs had finally subsided.

While the texture and flavor were hardly satisfying, such trivialities held no importance for her. Her immediate priority was to secure a vessel on this island—any boat at all.

She decided to find someone to ask for directions.

Noticing the girl’s reluctance to retrieve the rifle, Ming Yu merely raised an eyebrow, dismissing it without much thought. She then inquired in a calm voice:

“Excuse me,” she asked, “is there a port anywhere nearby?”

The girl remained silent.

“Hmm? Did you not hear me? Very well then…”

“The… the port, I heard it’s near the Main City,” Anna finally managed to stammer, forcing down the terror that still flickered in her eyes.

“The Main City? How do I get there?”

“I… I don’t know,” Anna replied, suddenly looking perplexed.

‘This silver-haired woman before me, she doesn’t even know the location of the Main City?’

‘Could she be a wanderer, too?’

Meanwhile, Ming Yu found herself in a slight predicament.

‘The Main City…’

Just then, the White-feathered Sea Eagle perched on her shoulder let out a sudden, triumphant chuckle.

“Hehehe, I know! I know!”

“You’re heading to the Main City, right? Don’t you worry, the people there are certainly no match for you!”

“I can take you there!”

The White-feathered Sea Eagle flapped its powerful wings, ascending into the air and hovering directly before Ming Yu. Strong gusts of wind whipped against her face.

Ming Yu nodded subtly, wasting no more words. She bent to retrieve the rifle, and as she stepped past Anna, who remained slumped on the ground, she suddenly paused.

“Your bread wasn’t bad,” she remarked. “If there’s anything you need my help with, no matter what it is, just say the word.”

“I’ll consider helping you sort it out.”

Her gaze settled on the girl’s face, studying the pale complexion, whether from fright or malnutrition, as she casually offered her promise.

Giving away a firearm had indeed been a rather thoughtless gesture. Still, while the girl could refuse it, Ming Yu felt obligated to offer. After all, having accepted food, she felt a certain unspoken obligation.

Anna stared, clearly taken aback by such an unexpected offer.

After a moment of silence, she tentatively spoke:

“Anything at all?”

“Hard to say. It depends on the situation.”

Ming Yu shrugged, her expression betraying little emotion.

Observing her reaction, Anna bit her lip.

“Then, I… I want to find someone…”

“Who? And where are they?”

“A nun… she was taken by the people from the Main City…”

A look of profound confusion clouded Anna’s eyes.

The relentless sea had swallowed everything she held dear, claiming her family and leaving indelible scars etched upon her heart. Now, the nun who had adopted her was branded a heretic, destined to be sacrificed to the Lord of Storms.

During their periodic celebrations, the Main City’s inhabitants would invariably select wanderers from the camps. These unfortunates would then be offered to the Lord of Storms, a sacrifice to curry divine favor.

Everyone believed in the existence of the divine. How else could the archipelago remain free of sea beasts?

Anna desperately hoped the nun would not become the next sacrifice.

“You… you’re not from the Main City, are you? You’re from a world beyond these islands, aren’t you?”

As these thoughts solidified, Anna scrambled to her feet as if clutching a lifeline. For the first time, a glimmer of hope sparked in her eyes.

“Are you a Sea Beast Hunter?”

At this, Ming Yu’s expression remained placid, though a faint flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

‘This little one, her mind is remarkably sharp, isn’t it?’

“So, you wish for me to help you find this person?”

“Yes, to me, the nun is a very important person. I must find her…”

****

Ming Yu agreed to the request of the girl who introduced herself as Anna, deciding to take her along to the so-called Main City.

It was en route, after all, and at most, it would only cost her a little extra time to help find the nun.

Guided by the White-feathered Sea Eagle, Ming Yu spotted the Main City’s gates in the distance, just as dusk began to settle. She immediately started her warm-up exercises.

Ordinary people wielding gunpowder firearms presented virtually no threat to her. The only real challenge was the formidable height of the city walls.

Just as Ming Yu pondered whether to deploy a gene injection, the White-feathered Sea Eagle beside her enthusiastically volunteered, squawking with excitement:

“Me, me, me! I can carry you both up there!”

“Oh, right.”

Ming Yu recalled the White-feathered Sea Eagle’s past tales, specifically how it had once carried her, unconscious, out of a perilous encirclement. The feat had sounded utterly incredible at the time.

Without further ado, they proceeded.

Under Anna’s astonished gaze, the White-feathered Sea Eagle clutched one person in each claw. It vigorously flapped its powerful wings, astonishingly lifting them both directly into the air.

It was Ming Yu’s first time witnessing such a spectacle as well. She couldn’t help but marvel at the unpredictable nature of fate; the White-feathered Sea Eagle she had once saved on a whim was now proving to be an invaluable ally.

After scaling the city wall, their path was entirely unobstructed.

This so-called Main City was utterly unlike any urban center Ming Yu had envisioned. Instead, it bore a striking resemblance to a military base. Nearly everyone within its confines was armored and armed, displaying the disciplined bearing of trained soldiers.

However, compared to Sea Beast Hunters, the city guards appeared conspicuously weak.

Accustomed to battling monstrous sea beasts, Ming Yu dispatched the ground-level combatants with effortless ease. While the circling eagles in the sky were a more complex challenge, they ultimately posed no significant threat.

Thus, she and Anna traversed the outer defense perimeter, effortlessly entering the inner residential areas.

****

Dawn, at the Rose Tavern.

Although Ming Yu’s attire was starkly out of place, the tavern’s proprietress seemed unfazed. She even accepted the rifle Ming Yu offered, then served the two women and the eagle a generous spread of fine meat dishes and fruit wine.

It had been a long time since Ming Yu had tasted alcohol. A shallow sip from a small cup sent a familiar warmth rushing straight to her head.

Sated and rested after a brief respite, her injuries were now largely healed. The minor ailments that lingered would no longer impede her combat effectiveness.

Just then, a rough, resonant voice suddenly boomed from behind her.

“Beautiful lady, judging by your attire, you aren’t from this city, are you?”

“Yet, the fact that you’ve managed to enter this place speaks volumes of your capabilities. You are certainly worthy of being our esteemed guest.”

Ming Yu turned her head slightly, her gaze flicking to the fully armed soldiers behind her. Noticing the familiar iron armor they wore, a faint smirk touched her lips.

‘They caught up this quickly, then…’

The leading officer spoke courteously:

“Your attire bears a striking resemblance to the Sea Beast Hunters we’ve encountered before. If I’m not mistaken, you are indeed one of them…”

“We’ve heard tales of Sea Beast Hunters, not only soaring across the seas but also daring to hunt fearsome sea beasts as their quarry…”

“Our leader highly values individuals of your caliber. He hopes you might honor us with your presence this morning to witness our grand celebration…”

“With a stroke of luck, you might even bear witness as the great Lord of Storms descends to bestow his blessings upon us.”

His tone at the end was profoundly devout.