Chapter 291: The Slums of the Northern City
"Hmm… yes… yes, that's right."
A trace of curiosity flashed in Li Meng's eyes.
He had never tried the tavern's heady drinks.
The three little girls, Amay, Ame, and Amey, were still too young, so Li Meng didn't let them drink alcohol. Besides, he had no interest in drinking himself.
"This tavern only has the two of you working here?"
"Yeah, we of the Apefolk are full of energy and don't need to hire servers!"
"What's Hans to you? Your brother?"
From their appearances, Sophia and Hans did bear some resemblance.
"He's… he's my partner!"
Hearing this, Li Meng froze mid-action.
"Your husband?"
Li Meng's tone was filled with surprise.
If he had known Hans was Sophia's husband, he wouldn't have gotten involved in such troublesome matters.
Sophia, who was leaning against the door, glanced back at the man behind her.
"It's… it's fine. I don't want Hans to die at your hands."
"I have no reason to kill your partner."
Li Meng couldn't think of any reason to kill Hans.
"In our Apefolk tribe, anyone vying for a partner must kill the woman's previous husband. Hans is terrified of you; he's no match for you."
Sophia's explanation made Li Meng understand the situation.
Sophia had allowed him to have her out of fear that he would challenge Hans.
If Sophia had refused last night, she believed Li Meng would have killed Hans.
"So, in order to prevent suitors from challenging their partners, offering oneself is a custom among the Apefolk?"
Sophia nodded, then shook her head.
"It's a tradition for females—a custom that males absolutely cannot know about. If the partner finds out, he would see it as a humiliation and an indelible disgrace. If the suitor agrees to enjoy a night together and promises not to pursue further, the female offers herself. If he refuses, she offers herself to the tribe's strongest warrior to eliminate the challenger."
The customs of the Apefolk were indeed complex.
However, these customs aligned with the theme of survival of the fittest.
Only true strength could secure the most beautiful women.
If you were strong enough, you could seize whatever you desired.
Others wouldn't think you were wrong.
Whatever you obtained through strength rightfully belonged to you.
But for the weak, this world was a relentless humiliation.
Weakness wasn't terrifying; what was truly terrifying was a lack of desire to grow stronger.
"My lord, as long as Hans doesn't find out… anything is fine!"
Facing Sophia's bashful gaze, Li Meng fell silent.
Hans might not know now, but he would surely find out later.
After all, a small life was already growing in Sophia's belly.
"Xiao Bai, is there a way to make a goblin's skin look like human skin?"
Changing skin color shouldn't be too difficult, right?
After all, the Apefolk also had slightly pointed ears.
While not as large and pointed as a goblin's, a change in skin color might be enough to mask it.
"Master, that's not possible."
Hearing this, Li Meng sighed inwardly.
He hadn't pinned his hopes on Xiao Bai accomplishing this.
He had merely asked out of a "what if" mentality.
"It seems I'll have to forcibly take Sophia's child after it's born."
As for what would happen between Sophia and Hans afterward, that wasn't something Li Meng could control.
"I'm such a scumbag!"
Li Meng couldn't help but mock himself for the selfish thoughts in his heart.
"Forget it, the road will reveal itself when the time comes."
Behind the door, Li Meng moved again.
"Ah!"
Sophia's face flushed as she let out a soft cry.
For a time, the kitchen was filled with untold passion.
Half an hour later, at Sophia's urging, Li Meng finally left the kitchen.
"Boss, had your fill?"
Seeing Li Meng return, Amey teased him with a playful smirk.
Amay and Ame were also snickering.
The scent of the tavern mistress was far too strong on Li Meng.
The three girls naturally knew what their boss and the tavern mistress had been up to in the kitchen.
"Had my fill. Let's head out!"
Li Meng extended his right hand from beneath his black robe, pointing toward the door.
"Let's go!"
The three little girls cheerfully stood up and followed their boss out of the tavern.
The moment they stepped out, the noisy sounds of the outside world filled their ears.
Bathing in the sunlight, Li Meng looked up at the sky.
"Amay, Ame, Amey, let's head to the rooftops!"
With those words, Li Meng leaped up.
In a flash, his figure shot into the air, landing steadily on a rooftop.
"Boss, wait for us!"
The three girls mimicked him but couldn't jump directly onto the rooftop.
Instead, they used the clutter in front of the house to propel themselves up.
On the rooftops, Li Meng sprinted forward.
At times, he leaped across to another rooftop.
At times, he bounded over the street.
Behind him, the three girls followed, running like wild animals.
"Amay, are you sure the boss is a sage?"
Such a powerful physique hardly seemed fitting for a sage.
But the last battle at sea left Ame unable to doubt their boss's identity as a sage.
"Who cares? The boss is the boss, whether he's a sage or a warrior."
Amay didn't want to bother with such complicated thoughts.
Right now, all she wanted was to catch up with the boss.
"Hey, stop ruining my roof!"
The commotion on the rooftops caught the attention of some people on the street below.
Amidst the grumbling voices of passersby, the four swiftly disappeared into the distance.
---
An hour later, in the slums of the Northern City.
On the ruined streets, Amey and the others collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.
"Boss, let's take a break!"
An hour of non-stop running at full speed had exhausted the three girls.
Amey felt as though there was a fire burning in her chest, and even her ribcage ached.
Li Meng looked down at the three girls sprawled on the ground.
"All right, let's rest for a bit."
As he spoke, Li Meng surveyed his surroundings.
Behind them lay a city district with neat streets.
Before them stretched a scene of utter desolation.
The streets were riddled with potholes, many of which were filled with stagnant water.
The houses lining the streets were dilapidated.
Some walls were covered with cracks resembling spiderwebs.
Other buildings had collapsed entirely, leaving only heaps of rubble.
Tents cobbled together from all sorts of debris dotted the ruins.
A small figure darted across the street ahead.
The child ran out from the rubble and crouched by a puddle, drinking the filthy water.
After taking a few gulps, he hastily got up and disappeared.
"Boss, this place is so run-down!"
By now, the three girls had recovered their breath and were curiously examining the desolate area.
"This is the slum. Let's go!"
Li Meng then led the three girls deeper into the slums along the ruined streets.
As they walked, the streets began to show signs of life.
People dressed in rags, emaciated and frail, started appearing.
Most of them were disabled.
Many were missing arms or legs.