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墨書 Inktalez
Ziyu has been in this world for eighteen years. Xiong Zhi is eighteen years old.
“Clank… clank…” Heavy chains bind a thin figure, and beside them are twelve others who are also restrained.
That thin figure is Xiong Zhi.
“Lan…” Xiong Zhi smiles bitterly, struggling to take steps under the watch of several guards.
The chains bind their hands and feet, and with each step, the chains rub against them. They have been walking for fifteen days, and the shackles have already worn the skin on their ankles raw, causing it to bleed.
Xiong Zhi has forgotten the past; he doesn’t even know how he lost his memory.
When he woke up, it was in Nine Swords Manor, a large family estate. Xiong Zhi possesses the memories of Ziyu, but he knows nothing of what happened to him before arriving in this world.
While at Nine Swords Manor, there was a girl beside him named Lan, a one-character name, just like Zero. Lan arrived here under unclear circumstances, just like him; they were both slaves.
As time passed, Lan and Xiong Zhi grew familiar with each other and developed mutual trust.
“What if we escape? Go outside and live our own lives…” At that moment, Lan's eyes sparkled with a desire for freedom.
“Sure, but there are so many guards; what do we do?” Freedom? Xiong Zhi recalled when he was still Ziyu, planning an escape from the organization, and succeeding. But this time, there was no Mysterious Metal to help him.
Back then, Zero said that Xiong Zhi’s soul strength was still insufficient and that it would likely take a few more years.
“Otherwise, should we wait until we have a chance?” Xiong Zhi looked at Lan.
Lan shook her head: “How long do we have to wait…”
Lan pouted and turned to leave, saying as she went, “I want to escape; I want to go out. If you want to come with me, then come. If not, stay here… Xiong Zhi, I hope you can be with me…”
Xiong Zhi felt something stir in his heart; he turned his head and smiled: “Aren't you forcing me to go with you… How could I leave you behind…”
Xiong Zhi looked at the invisible angle, and the corners of Lan's mouth slightly lifted, as if smiling.
...
“Lan…” Now Xiong Zhi dragged the chains, thinking of Lan.
That escape had failed, and Lan was left bloodied and unrecognizable... Xiong Zhi sat on the ground, looking at the fallen Lan, unsure of what to do.
Lan's lips moved as if calling out to Xiong Zhi, but Lan's body could no longer move...
In the end, Lan was dragged away, reportedly thrown onto the grass outside the city, while Xiong Zhi was still alive. However, Nine Swords Manor could no longer keep him, so he was sold to the Royal Family Mansion.
Still a slave, but with an even lower status because he was an "unruly slave."
“Eight! Hurry up!” a guard shouted.
“Ah... oh...” Xiong Zhi was startled awake from his memories and hurried to catch up, not thinking further.
There were a total of thirteen people, and Xiong Zhi was Eight.
Xiong Zhi glanced at the people nearby, the other twelve who were also treated as slaves; he did not recognize any of them.
No one knew anyone else, and the guards were fierce, making the journey quite silent.
On the twentieth day, they finally arrived at the royal mansion.
As a slave, there was hardly any time to rest; their treatment was much lower than that of the servants responsible for serving. Xiong Zhi's injuries had not healed yet, and he had to work.
“Move this bag of salt to the back kitchen!” he was ordered at the entrance.
The large bag filled with salt was quite heavy. Xiong Zhi dared not voice any complaints; being injured, he did not dare to defy again.
"Damned summer!" Xiong Zhi sighed inwardly.
Xiong Zhi lifted the bag and placed it on his shoulder, stepping toward the kitchen at the back of the Wang residence.
"It hurts..." Xiong Zhi was sweating, the salt from the bag mixing with the wound.
"One day I will get out... Lan, even if you are dead, I will find you..." Xiong Zhi persisted in his heart. In Xiong Zhi's mind, there was only Lan, the one person he could trust... his parents and relatives were all forgotten.
Days passed painfully like this...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sword?" Xiong Zhi finally had a bit more free time. He was quite honest here, straightforward and humble, so when the servants conveyed tasks, they would take care of Xiong Zhi to some extent.
Xiong Zhi saw the sword and noticed others practicing with it, feeling a sense of familiarity.
"I wonder if I can practice swordsmanship in the future... It would be great if I could... Among so many weapons, I just find swords appealing," Xiong Zhi muttered to himself.
When he was three years old, he watched his father practice swordsmanship and thought swords were wonderful; although he couldn't remember much from back then, seeing the sword again made him choose it once more.
The sky darkened; it was going to rain.
"Hurry up and collect the clothes!" the servants shouted.
The clothes belonged to the Wang residence. The servants could collect them, but slaves could not. Even if they were running out of time and got caught in the rain, they still couldn't go because... slaves were dirty.
"Eight, come help me collect the clothes..." A woman's voice was very sweet.
Xiong Zhi paused for a moment, looking at the woman. She was the young lady of the Wang residence, one of the children of the head of the family, Wang Yuanwai. Among them were some extravagant and willful ones... there were all kinds, but this young lady was very kind-hearted.
"Hurry up... there are so many clothes. If they get wet in the rain, we’ll have to wash them again; it's such a hassle!" The young lady pouted her lips, appearing somewhat adorable.
"Miss... I... I am a slave..." Xiong Zhi was very reluctant to say such words, but after holding it in for a long time in front of the Miss, he finally spoke up.
After saying that, Xiong Zhi felt a sense of shame and anger.
"It's okay, it's okay. Although your status is low, there’s nothing wrong with it... Being hardworking and obedient is much better than some stewards," the Miss clearly did not look down on slaves like others did.
Xiong Zhi stood up and glanced at the place where the young masters of the Wangfu were practicing swordsmanship, then followed the Miss to collect the clothes.
"Eight, do you like swords?" The Miss noticed Xiong Zhi's actions.
Xiong Zhi paused for a moment and nodded.
"How did you become a slave?" The Miss chatted with Xiong Zhi while collecting clothes without needing to use her mouth.
"I don’t know. One day I woke up from a coma, and then I was in Nine Swords Manor. I forgot everything from before, so I became a slave," Xiong Zhi replied.
"Oh..." The Miss understood a bit more, "You have amnesia, right... That's also pitiful..."
"What does it matter? Being alive is good enough..." Xiong Zhi smiled bitterly.
After hurriedly finishing collecting the clothes, the Miss didn’t say much more to Xiong Zhi, gave him a few instructions, and left.
"Crash!" Just then, thunder struck, and raindrops began to fall.
The place where the slaves lived was no different from that of animals; it was very simple and even leaked rain.
The Wangfu had money, but they thought it wasn't worth it to build houses for slaves.
"Sir..." Zero appeared. In Xiong Zhi's mind, Zero could communicate by directly sending electrical signals into his brain. Similarly, if Xiong Zhi wanted to communicate with Zero, he just needed to think about it, and Zero could read his thoughts.
"Zero, I've changed my workplace again..." Xiong Zhi lay on the ground covered with hay, closed his eyes pretending to doze off, and secretly communicated with Zero.
"Sir, there is no need to worry. After a while, when the electrical currents in your brain can branch out to support my work, I will be able to escape using my computational abilities and electromagnetic radiation capabilities..."
Zero's electromagnetic radiation ability continuously emits electromagnetic waves, ultimately functioning like radar, capable of detecting nearby objects, though it consumes some energy.
Xiong Zhi knows that the moment Zero can fight alongside him is the moment he can turn the tide!
When it comes to swordsmanship, with Zero's computational abilities assisting him, Xiong Zhi does not regard anyone as his equal in terms of skill!
However, Xiong Zhi also understands that swordsmanship is not solely about precision.
Xiong Zhi has hope and has not given up.
[End of Chapter]
[PS: Is this section a bit scattered...?]
[PS: If you enjoyed the book, please consider saving it! Also, I would appreciate any support with votes!]
[PS: Today is the weekend, and my younger brother is at home. I need to set aside some time for him to use the computer, so the afternoon update will be a bit late.]
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