What was supposed to be a heartwarming reunion quickly turned into a suffocating execution ground.
"Fa...Father, let me introduce you, this is Hiyama and this is Miss Yue."
"And this is Miss 2B."
Shea stammered, recalling Hiyama's warning to "not say a single useless word."
PS: Flowers and review votes aren't increasing. Brothers still watching, please throw some to this poor author!*
Chapter 42: Missing the Point!
"Uh, hmm...Hiyama, my name is Cam Hauria, Shea's father, and the chieftain of the Hauria.
"Thanks to you and Miss 2B's help, Shea and our entire tribe's crisis has been averted. How can I ever repay you?"
"And you're even willing to help such a weak race like us, promising to lead us out... I, as a father and a chieftain, extend my most profound gratitude to you!"
After speaking, the Rabbit People chieftain, who called himself Cam, bowed deeply to him, and the tribesmen behind him followed suit.
The Rabbit People chieftain felt he had given his hundred percent to thank this young man, wondering if he was satisfied...
The chieftain secretly raised his head, furtively observing Hiyama's expression.
"There's nothing to thank for, it's just a transaction," Hiyama said coldly.
"Besides, aren't you afraid I'll sell you? Your demi-human race shouldn't easily trust humans, right?"
Isn't it because you're too terrifying!?
Though the chieftain screamed in his heart, he still forced a dry laugh and said, "Since Shea trusts you, then we naturally trust you too."
"Hehehe, Father is right, although Hiyama looks fierce and cold, he will definitely fulfill what he promises!"
"I truly believe that."
Shea said with a cheerful smile.
But then, remembering Hiyama's warning, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth in fright.
It must be said, she looked somewhat cute like that.
However, Hiyama didn't punish her this time, which made Shea breathe a sigh of relief.
"Mm-hmm~ Since Darling said he would protect you all, he will absolutely not go back on his word," Yue also affirmed, nodding.
.....
The group journeyed through the Laisen Great Canyon, and as agreed, Hiyama needed to lead them out of this perilous place and safely return them to the Haltina Sea of Trees.
Along the way, many monsters attacked this excellent prey, but none succeeded. Without exception, they didn't even touch the Rabbit People.
The moment Miss 2B saw an enemy, she drew "white ivory" and "ebony wood" and fired bullets, mercilessly shattering their heads.
With the protection of this formidable presence, the group's journey was naturally safe and easy.
Whenever a crisp cracking sound rang out, a red flash would streak across the sky, and before they knew it, the ferocious monsters of the Laisen Great Canyon would be helplessly dead, a sight that left the Rabbit People dumbfounded.
"What kind of weapon does Miss 2B have? I've never seen anything like it!"
"Such a powerful weapon! If only we Rabbit People could use it, we wouldn't be bullied anymore."
"Speaking of which, I heard Miss 2B call Hiyama 'Master,' so he must be even stronger than Miss 2B, right?"
Naturally, they developed a sense of awe towards Miss 2B, and towards Hiyama, who could command Miss 2B so freely, their feelings surpassed awe and turned into fear.
The group finally arrived at the place where they could leave the Laisen Great Canyon. Hiyama, with his foresight ability, saw a magnificent staircase.
The stairs, carved into the cliff face, zig-zagged, bending in the opposite direction approximately every fifty meters.
Faintly, the green behind the cliff with the stairs could be seen—that was the Tree Sea.
From the exit of the Laisen Great Canyon, it would take half a day's walk to reach the Haltina Sea of Trees.
At this point, Shea said anxiously, "Are the Empire Soldiers still there?"
"Th-they might have already gone back!"
"Yeah, yeah, there's no way they'd stay there forever!"
"Once we pass this point, we can return to the Tree Sea!"
As they neared the Tree Sea, the Rabbit People's spirits couldn't help but rise, and many boldly speculated that the Empire Soldiers had already retreated.
"What if...what if the Empire Soldiers are still there?"
Someone whispered.
The group of rabbits fell silent, their gazes involuntarily turning to the white-haired young man leading them.
"Hiyama, what should we do if they're still there?" Shea asked on their behalf, and the surrounding Rabbit People quickly perked up their ears.
"What do you mean, 'what should we do'?"
Hiyama, on the contrary, asked back with a puzzled expression.
"....They are Empire Soldiers, you know! If you make an enemy of them, I'm afraid it will cause you trouble in the future."
The Empire was vast and powerful, and Shea worried that if Hiyama conflicted with the Empire because of them, it would make it difficult for him to navigate the human world afterward.
After all, in the end, Hiyama was not a demi-human like them; they could just dive into the Tree Sea and be done with it.
Hiyama was still human, and he would eventually have to return to the human world.
As Shea posed the question, the other Rabbit People also looked at him meaningfully; the problem Shea worried about was precisely what they worried about.
However, Hiyama seemed completely oblivious to their thoughts and said very simply,
"So what?"
"Huh?"
Hiyama's demeanor didn't become particularly serious; he merely continued to speak to the bewildered Shea in a casual tone:
"I'm asking you, is there a problem with being hostile to the Empire?"
"B-because, after all, you are of the same race, aren't you...?"
"Aren't you also being hunted by your own kind?"
"That's...uh, that's true..."
"You've completely missed the point."
"The point?"
Shea's head tilted even further, and the other Rabbit People were all full of question marks.
"Whoever dares to block my path, I will kill him, regardless of who he is or how powerful his background is."
Although he said this with a calm expression.
All the Rabbit People, including Shea, were deeply shocked!
This kind of fearless, kingly aura was something they had never felt before!
The most terrifying thing was that this person wasn't just talking; he truly had the strength to back it up!
Everything they had witnessed on this journey had thoroughly proven this point!*
Chapter 43: I Refuse!
"Ahem! Since Hiyama has said so, then we have nothing to fear," the chieftain said, clearing his throat twice.
"Th-that's right! Hiyama is so powerful, we have nothing to worry about now!"
"With Hiyama here, what is the Empire!"
"Long live Hiyama!"
"Long live Hiyama!"
The Rabbit People suddenly became highly emotional again, each busy praising Hiyama.
These rabbits really knew how to curry favor.
Hiyama looked at these rabbits with cold eyes, thinking to himself.
But then again, with such weak strength, if they didn't even have the ability to attach themselves to the strong, these rabbits probably wouldn't have survived until today.
However, their current situation wasn't much better.
Next, the group finally traversed the entire staircase, successfully escaping the dangerous Laisen Great Canyon.
And as they stepped onto the cliff, waiting for them there was...
"Hey, hey, is this for real? They're actually still alive? We only stayed here because of the captain's orders, but now we've hit the jackpot!"
Thirty Empire Soldiers were stationed there, surrounded by several large wagons and signs of camping.
All of them wore khaki military uniforms and carried swords, spears, and shields. Upon seeing them, they showed expressions of surprise, but then instantly changed to joy, beginning to appraise the Rabbit People like merchandise.
According to the rules, besides a few "top-tier goods" to be handed over to their superiors, each of these soldiers would get at least one of the remaining Rabbit People.
Even if they were unlucky and got a male Rabbit Person, they could still sell him in the slave market and make a large profit.
"Squad leader! I see the white-haired Rabbit Person! She's the one the captain wants, right?"
"That's right, it's her. Don't blame me if anyone accidentally harms her later!"
"Hehe, of course not!"
"Captain! I see many female Rabbit People, can we perhaps taste them?"
"We've been stuck in this godforsaken place for three days; it's not too much to ask for some benefits, right?"
The squad leader initially wanted to refuse, as every Rabbit Person was a valuable commodity, especially female Rabbit People.
But then he saw the beast-like hunger in his subordinates' eyes and feared that refusing would cause morale instability, so he reluctantly agreed.
"If it's just two or three people, I won't bother you."
"Yahoo~ As expected of the squad leader! Truly wise!"
Perhaps because the Empire Soldiers completely viewed the Rabbit People as prey, no one adopted a combat stance. Instead, they cast leering, licking gazes upon the female Rabbit People, making the Rabbit People tremble with fear.
As the Empire Soldiers stirred wantonly, the man with the leering smile, called the squad leader, finally noticed Hiyama's presence.
"Huh? Who are you? You're not...a Rabbit Person, are you?"
Hiyama narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Yes, I am human."
"What!? Why are you with the Rabbit People? And you came up from the canyon..."
"Oh! You wouldn't happen to be a slave merchant, would you? You got information and chased them here? You people have noses as sharp as dogs!"
"But never mind, these people are now taken by the Empire. Leave them and go!"
The Empire squad leader spoke to himself, confident that Hiyama would obey him and not refuse, and thus issued an order to Hiyama.
"I refuse."
"....What did you just say?" The squad leader's expression froze on his face.
Hiyama looked at him with an expression like he was looking at an imbecile: "Didn't you hear? I said I refuse."
"These people are all my property now, so you still have time to leave."
Hearing Hiyama's defiant reply, the Empire squad leader's face turned red with anger. How dare a mere slave merchant be so arrogant!
"Brat, who do you think we are? How dare you speak to us like that?"
The squad leader's face instantly darkened, and the soldiers behind him also glared at Hiyama, stirring restlessly.
At this moment, the squad leader, who had been observing Hiyama, suddenly noticed Yue and Miss 2B appearing behind Hiyama. The two beautiful girls, one golden-haired and one silver-haired, one loli and one mature, stood together, forming a perfect scenic view.
Compared to their beauty, those noblewomen in the Empire weren't even fit to carry their shoes!
While the squad leader was momentarily stunned by their beauty, he could tell from the trio's positioning that the two women also deferred to Hiyama.
Feeling overwhelming jealousy, he couldn't help but say with a leering smile, "Oh, it seems you're not an ordinary slave merchant; you even brought two such beautiful slaves."