Then, before his companion could look up to see what it was, he also fell to the ground, his head also empty.
Some people were eaten by their own shadows, some were eaten by monsters disguised as wild dogs, some were eaten by monsters disguised as crows, vultures, and even humans.
Even the picked-up building materials may not be trustworthy, because some buildings are indeed made of the output of the blood and bone tree - white bone wood as the skeleton, on which the blood and flesh secret art grows. This kind of house can be regarded as half a living thing, and some rotten meat must be metabolized regularly. This rotten meat is an extremely dangerous factor whether it is eaten or used as new building materials. The former may turn people into blood corpses, and the latter... Some wanderers use this material to build nests in an imitative manner, but they are swallowed by the nests when they sleep soundly in the middle of the night.
The deadly threats do not only come from monsters and weirdness, but you also have to guard against people.
Ya Lian had encountered this before... There was a girl who was abandoned by her family just like Ya Lian. She could only pick up garbage for a living temporarily. The education she received was not enough for her to understand the source of all dangers. One evening, she believed an old lady who said she wanted to adopt her, and she happily let someone take her away.
Ya Lian suspected that there was something wrong with the old woman at that time - she was too vigilant and never believed in free lunches.
So she followed them all the way to the old woman's residence, and carefully leaned against the wall to eavesdrop. She heard conversations such as "Is it delicious?", "If it's delicious, eat until you are full", and "No one can bully you from now on". She could only leave in confusion.
As a result, the next day, when she went to see again, she saw human skin drying in the yard of the house from afar. The face of the human skin was exactly the same as that of the girl.
There is no way to control this kind of thing.
Yalian tried to find someone, but the patrol refused to answer. One of the men, who had a big belly, probably felt sorry for her and whispered to her that the old woman was a powerful blood killer. She always relied on her for help when a powerful blood beast attacked, and there was no way she would be punished for such a thing.
Untouchables...If they were not really lowly, who would dare to say such a word?
The old woman may have heard the news later, or she may have noticed Yalian because of her hair color. For a period of time, Yalian would always run into her by chance. She realized that she was being targeted, so she risked her life and fled the city during that time.
The wild is more dangerous than the city, but she would rather die in the mouth of a blood beast than having her blood and essence sucked out by her own kind to be made into a human skin.
I don’t know if she was lucky or what, but the bright orange hair didn’t bring her any disaster. She successfully dug a hole under a small hill in the wild and spent the night there.
The next day, when she was hungry and was about to go back to the town to pick up garbage, she saw that half of the city gate had collapsed. People were talking about how a powerful blood beast had attacked last night and many blood slaughterers - including the old woman - had died in the battle.
She continued to wander until the family moved into a town. The "master" chose her from among the beggars on the outskirts of the city and started her out as a dung collector.
The dung worker was the lowest job in the tribe. According to Hitzfeld's observation, the urban construction in Aisha Continent was very poor, and there were no sewers in the urban areas. Therefore, the more refugees and untouchables gathered, the more stench there was, and all kinds of sewage and feces flowed everywhere, and plagues often broke out in these places.
But for the big families, their lives were not the same as those of the old European nobles.
This can actually be seen from the various distorted flesh and blood technologies. Whether it is a large blood and bone ship or a house, wall, or even a floating city made of flesh and blood, relying on the power of flesh and blood life itself, the strong can solve almost all difficulties.
This of course includes cleanliness and hygiene - this is a very normal thing. If you treat a house as a living thing, then it naturally has the function of eating and even excreting. The waste produced by humans and domestic livestock on a daily basis can be discarded into the residence, or simply fed to it. Some intelligent creatures do not eat these, and they are also excreted through buried blood and flesh pipes.
But there is still a process that comes first, which is to collect these waste materials and transport them to the pits. This is the job that the dung workers of the big families have to do. It is not tiring, but they are not respected by other servants.
Hitzfeld knew that it was not because she could read Yalian's memory, nor was it because Yalian had the habit of writing a diary and she could have spied on her.
This is what Alian said herself.
She was the leader of the servants. It was an extremely legendary experience for her to be promoted from a dung worker. Some of the younger maids were quite naive. Occasionally, during meals, they would ask her about her past. She did not shy away and told them in detail.
This girl is smart, has good eyesight, knows danger, is humble but not self-deprecating, and knows when to show her fangs and when to show gentleness.
Hitzfeld spoke highly of her, and thought that as long as she didn't die, she would become a significant figure in the future.
What did the old man say before? He wanted to bring Yalian and his young master together?
The young master he mentioned should be the "master" who chose Yalian, right? He lost everything and moved to this damn place. It is likely that he fled after losing his political struggle. If he is working hard for the goal of revival, a mistress like Yalian is really good.
Yalian did not agree at the time, and did not even respond to Grandpa Gu's words. She just did what she was supposed to do as if she had amnesia. This was something that Hitzfeld particularly admired about her.
Whether this is a natural reaction or she is pretending, this girl is amazing...
Looking at those eyes that were either admiring or pretending to be admiring - the reflection of Alian reflected in those eyes, Hitzfeld suddenly felt a little sorry.
She remembered some messy conversations she had heard before, one of which said that the raw material of the "God Seed" was human, and she happened to be attached to "Yalian".
She didn't think this was a coincidence, so the most likely scenario was that... Alian and the others failed in some of their actions in the future, and she became hostile to the Church of the Mother of Savior, was defeated, captured, and her entire flesh, blood, and soul could not escape, and were turned into that twisted gem.
There must be a story behind this.
Keep reading, and you may discover more secrets of the church.
Just as I was thinking this, footsteps were suddenly heard upstairs.
This is a sound I have never heard before.
Hitzfeld's memory and discrimination are also excellent. During the time she possessed Alian, she could basically guess who the other person was based on the sound of his footsteps.
Those with lighter voices are young people, those with heavier voices are old people. Based on the different types of sounds, we can judge the shoes the other person is wearing and further guess the rank of the servant.
But now this kind of voice is coming out.
Brisk - probably means the person coming is young.
Heavy - means not only young but also strong.
Heavy - the kind of movement that only thick-soled boots could carry, and no servant could afford such shoes.
In addition, since he had never heard of this factor before, Hitzfeld roughly knew who the visitor was.
Apparently, Yalian knew it too. She stopped eating and stood up, while the others looked at her in confusion, not knowing why she did that.
"Alian, come up with me, the others continue."
It was not until a young, attractive voice came from the corner of the corridor that the faces of the servants changed drastically.
Some of the equally young girls watched as Yalian pressed her skirt and walked upstairs, regret and disappointment flashing in their eyes.
Hitzfeld was indeed very curious about the so-called "master" and "young master". She had secretly compiled many portraits of him, but when she finally saw him, she couldn't help but be surprised - she didn't expect that this person would be so young.
He can't even be described as young. The boy in front of him is only 15 years old at most. In this kind of world, even his height and body shape haven't fully developed. He is simply immature. This age is very dangerous!
So that's why he tries to stay out of the spotlight?
Hitzfeld had heard Gu's hint and was mentally prepared to face a down-and-out family that had failed in a political struggle, but she really didn't expect that the only child in this family was so small.
No wonder the old man was so eager to find a reliable and capable mistress... Relying on a 15-year-old boy, a child alone, it would be difficult to revive the family, let alone survive.
But the main reason is that Yalian is outstanding enough.
If she didn't possess all those wonderful qualities, the family wouldn't have taken that risk.
"My name is Eric, my last name... is a secret, you can just call me by my first name."
The young man took Yalian to the study, pulled out a chair and sat down, stating the facts in a calm tone.
He was good-looking, with fair and delicate skin, a high nose bridge, thin lips, and a monocle on his right side. There was a book open on the table, and it seemed that he had been studying here before.
But he was indeed too young. Hitzfeld suspected that he might not be as old as Alain, because when she estimated Alain's age before, she guessed 16 years old.
Considering that Yalian has been malnourished and has poor height and development, this age is most likely underestimated by her, and her real age may even be 17 or 18 years old.
Yalian is a smart person, and this young master should not be stupid either. Hitzfeld watched coldly, guessing how their conversation would go next.
"Would you like to marry me?"
Isn't this too straightforward?
I couldn't help wanting to cough, and then I realized that I didn't have this ability for the time being.
But it was indeed too straightforward... Even a girl like Yalian was shocked. She seemed to be constantly stroking her braids in front of her, and it was obvious that she was extremely nervous.
"This... I thought Grandpa Gu was just joking..."
"The family is in crisis and could collapse at any time." Eric interrupted her, "If I could, I wouldn't want to decide my partner this way, but on the one hand, I have nowhere else to go. On the other hand, I have observed you during this time, and what you said is not a lie."
"How could you find out?"
"It's simple. There are probably not many people with hair like yours. I guess almost everyone around here has seen you. If you did something bad, you definitely wouldn't be able to hide it."
"There are so many beggars who are unwilling to do bad things, why did you choose me?"
"You have a light in your eyes." Eric stared at her seriously. "I really didn't have such an idea at first... I was just taking a bus into the city normally, and I saw a row of beggars sitting at the foot of the wall."
"I originally noticed you because of your hair color, but after a closer look, I found that you were the only one with a sparkle in your eyes. The others had dull eyes, their wills completely worn down by suffering."
"That's the kind of person that's easier to manipulate, isn't it?"
"Ha... The fact that you can use this kind of grammar shows that you are not an ordinary person." Eric was very happy. He crossed his legs and turned around and said, "I guess you have received a good education, but I don't know why you were abandoned..."
"answer me!"
Yalian was a little annoyed that her scars were revealed.
That would be good for her, Hitzfeld thought.
Getting angry means that one is not mature enough. No one wants to work with an old monster. This will increase her value.
"The reason is simple. If I want a servant, there are plenty of them in the slave market." Eric was not angry. He patiently explained to Yalian, "But I don't want a servant. I want a collaborator, a collaborator that only exists in dreams."
"I still don't understand." Yalian still didn't trust him.
She had seen too many similar tragedies, and didn't think fate would favor her so much. To be honest, she was very surprised to be chosen as a dung worker. The subsequent series of promotions seemed like a dream to her, and she didn't dare to hope to become the mistress of a large family.
Even if this big family seemed to be in decline, that was something that a lowly person like her could not imagine.
Eric gave too much, and she was afraid that he had some conspiracy behind the scenes.
"Collaborator, do you know what a collaborator is?" Eric was a little impatient.
"Like... you want me to help you run the family?" Yalian probed, "But why don't you just let me be your housekeeper? Why marry me... I think this is..."
"Stupid!" Eric interrupted her angrily.
Then he probably realized that he had lost his composure, and tried his best to suppress his emotions, and continued to explain in a friendly manner: "I want to revive the family. You don't think that this is something that the two of us can do, do you?"
"Do I think so highly of you? Or to put it another way, do I think so highly of myself?"
"If I had that kind of ability, why would I roll over to a place like this! I wouldn't have let my family become like this! Mom and Dad wouldn't have died! The person sitting in that position should have been me! It was me!!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became. Finally, he couldn't help but let it out. After he finished, he hung his head and gasped for breath.
Yalian didn't dare to speak. Although she was mature, it didn't mean that experience could be generated out of thin air. She really couldn't express her opinion on these things.
"Reviving a family is not just one generation, it is many generations."
Perhaps after venting his anger and thinking it through, Eric suddenly looked up and spoke.
"Now I am the only one left. My mission is not revenge but inheritance. To put it simply, I need to have more children."
Yalian didn't move, as if she still didn't understand what having more children had to do with her.
Eric had to continue explaining: "And it can't be a random birth... There's no famous family in this rubbish place, and I have no interest in those foolish women... But as for you... You are good in all aspects, I think it might be more appropriate for someone like you to be the carrier of the next generation."
Yalian still didn't move.
She really didn't know how to face it.
"You are well-educated and well-rounded. This is wisdom, and it is very rare."
"You can survive in such a rubbish place, so you must be fierce and capable, especially observant. This is what I need. We can't provoke strong enemies during the family's revival period. I don't want to marry a stupid woman who will cause trouble for me."
"Also, you look good, um... the old man said you have a big butt. I don't know if this is an advantage or not, but it's pretty comfortable to be with you. I don't hate this feeling. If you have to choose someone to have a baby so early, then I don't reject you."
"…So what do you think?"
After listing a long list of reasons, the boy finally remembered to ask the person involved for his opinion.
Then he was stunned: "Why is your face red?"
"No...no!"
Hitzfeld heard the body trembling as it lied.
"I...but I am of humble origin..."
"I do not care."
"I, I survived by picking up trash before..."
"You look good like this, and you'll look even better if you eat good food."
“I used to be a dung collector!”
"Who hasn't dealt with dirty stuff?"
"This……"
Yalian was dumbfounded.
She never expected that the young master came to her to discuss this, and his attitude was so direct!
All the experience was wasted, she didn’t know how to respond next!
"Not saying anything? Does that mean you agree?"
Eric seemed to have misunderstood what she meant. He stood up happily, opened the drawer, and took out a silver ring.
He naturally picked up the girl's left hand and put the ring on her ring finger. The boy looked up at her, who was even taller than him, and nodded vigorously.
"Then you are my wife."
