Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

"It's nothing."

"There's something else you haven't said."

Xilun's tone turned colder.

"no."

"to be honest."

The woman's shoulders trembled slightly.

Xilen raised her hand and pressed it against the wall beside her.

boom.

A little dust fell from the cracks in the wall.

"If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for using some methods on you."

The woman's eyes quickly reddened.

She was never good at dealing with tough people, not to mention that the aura emanating from Xilun was far more terrifying than that of an ordinary third-tier cultivator.

That wasn't oppression stemming from a difference in power levels.

Rather, it is the chilling aura left after killing too many powerful enemies.

A few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Waaah..."

Xilun's brow twitched slightly.

He hadn't expected that she would actually cry from fright.

The woman bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears, but the more she tried to suppress them, the more uncontrollable they became.

"Why are you being so fierce..."

"I just want to help you."

"If you don't want to, fine, but why keep scaring me..."

Xilun withdrew his hand.

"Let's make things clear first."

The woman wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, her voice broken and intermittent.

"I just feel that with such expensive clothes and such powerful weapons, your status must be extraordinary."

"When you get to Star Ring City, you'll definitely meet some powerful people."

Xilun looked at her.

"so what?"

The woman raised her red eyes.

"I would like to ask you for help with me and my sister."

Xilun did not agree immediately.

"What is it?"

The woman looked around, seemingly worried about being overheard.

She picked up the cloth bag from the ground and led Xilen into a narrow alleyway nearby.

A pile of discarded coal ash lay at the entrance of the alley.

The walls were damp and blackened, and there was only a dim oil lamp in the depths.

She lowered her voice only when she was far away from the crowds on the street.

"This team doesn't actually belong entirely to us."

"It was under the control of pirates."

The wind deep in the alley carried a chilly, damp chill.

After uttering the word "pirate," the woman seemed to have exhausted all her courage; her face turned pale, and she looked anxiously towards the alley entrance.

The streets were noisy with people.

The miners' laughter and curses, the shrill whistles of the steam valves, and the clatter of shattered glasses in the tavern all blended together, and no one paid attention to this dark corner.

Siron remained calm.

In the area near Star Ring City, pirate forces are far less active than on the Sinking Star Coast, but that doesn't mean they have no presence on land.

Many pirates controlled smuggling routes, mines, and ports.

They would not manage all the businesses themselves, but instead supported local caravans and mercenaries, using these people to resell the looted goods to various cities.

As long as the profit is sufficient, some nobles and merchants will pretend not to know the origin of the goods.

"Which pirate group?" Siron asked.

The woman pursed her lips.

"Black Shark Pirates"

The name left no impression on Xiren.

At least not the larger pirate groups near the Sunken Star Coast.

"They're not that strong," the woman explained. "They only have one fourth-tier commander, with about a few dozen extraordinary individuals under their command. But to people like us, they're already quite formidable."

A fourth order.

Xilun lowered his eyes.

If he were at his peak, even an ordinary fourth-tier extraordinary being would be someone he couldn't directly confront.

However, with the breath of the Styx, the remains of the evil god, and the deep-water environment, he may still have a chance to maneuver.

As for now, he can't even properly gather third-level Qi.

"The convoy transported their goods?"

"no."

The woman shook her head. "These minerals were collected and purchased by my sister and her team. We didn't transport contraband for the pirates, nor did we help them harm anyone."

"But every time we make money, we have to hand over a portion of it."

She paused for a moment.

"Often, it's a large part of it."

Xilun looked at her.

"You want me to help you break free from pirate control?"

The woman remained silent for a moment, then shook her head again.

"no."

"My sister said that the Black Shark Pirate Gang has controlled this place for many years. They have connections with officials in several nearby towns, and even if they drive away one leader, someone else will come soon enough."

"I need your help to save someone."

The flame in the oil lamp flickered gently.

The woman clutched the cloth bag in her arms, seemingly trying to gather her thoughts.

There were originally seven villages in the vicinity.

"The villagers make a living by fishing, farming, and scavenging for minerals on the beach. Although they don't earn much money, they can at least support themselves."

"More than a decade ago, the Black Shark Pirates discovered a mineral vein beneath the nearshore waters."

"It's a type of mineral called black-veined silver sand."

Xilun had some impression of this material.

Black-veined silver sand is an auxiliary material for manufacturing steam cannon barrels and extraordinary weapons. Its grade is not high, but its demand is large.

A mineral vein with abundant reserves can bring in extremely stable income.

"They're not good at mining," the woman continued, "and they're unwilling to spend money to hire miners, so they've taken control of the nearby villages."

"The adult men in the village are being forced into prostitution."

"Women are responsible for sifting and washing the ore, while the elderly and children are responsible for transporting the ore and repairing tools."

Her voice grew softer and softer.

"The underwater mines are unstable and often collapse."

"Every so often, someone dies down there."

"They didn't have any special waterproof clothing or enough medicine, so they could only bite down on a hose that connected to the surface and slowly descend."

The image of the low-lying village houses beside the dried-up ditch came to mind for Xilun.

As the sun sets, wisps of smoke rise from the rooftops of several houses.

Most of the fields, however, were abandoned.

This land is not uncultivable; it's just that all the young and middle-aged men have been taken away.

"Why not run away?" Xilun asked.

"Escaped."

The woman said bitterly, "In the beginning, many people tried to escape."

"But they have men all over the nearby roads and docks. If one escapes, they'll kill the one left behind in the village."

"Later, when others fled, they killed their entire families."

"There was a family where the father fled into the mountains with his two sons. The next day, pirates hung his wife and youngest daughter at the entrance of the village."

She closed her eyes, her voice trembling slightly.

"The body was hung there for three days."

"From then on, no one dared to run away."

Xiren didn't show much emotion.

He had seen far more brutal things while in the colonies of the Southern Continent.

To cover up their secrets, the Brotherhood can turn ordinary people into experimental subjects.

To maintain their power, nobles could also make an entire neighborhood disappear silently.

It is not surprising that pirates treated villagers as slaves.

"Are you and your sister from those villages too?"

The woman nodded gently.

"We lived in Baisha Village when we were children."

"My father was originally a fisherman. He refused to work in the mines for pirates, so he led a few villagers in rebellion, and later..."

She didn't finish speaking.

The result is already obvious.

"My sister was fifteen years old then, and I was only eleven."

"After my father died, my sister took me and we escaped."

"Why didn't the pirates kill your families?"

"My older sister is very good at fighting."

A complex expression appeared in the woman's eyes, a mixture of dependence and heartache.

"She wasn't an extraordinary person at the time, but she took advantage of the guards being drunk, stabbed two people with a harpoon, and then led me to hide in a seaside cave."

"We hid there for two days."

"After the tide went out, my sister carried me on her back and walked north along the coast. Her feet were cut by the rocks, and her face was slashed by the pirates who caught up with her."

Xiren recalled the three scars on the scarred woman's face.

Those are not just traces left by fighting.

It was also the price two young girls paid to escape.

"Later we encountered a caravan."

"The caravan owner rescued us and took us away from that area. My sister worked as a guard in the caravan, and I helped with bookkeeping, cooking, and taking care of the wounded."

"Later, the old owner passed away, leaving several old steam cars to my sister."

The woman looked at the vehicles parked in front of the hotel outside the alley.

"My sister gradually built up the fleet, which eventually grew to the dozen or so vehicles we have now."

Hearing this, Xilun understood some of it.

"The Black Shark Pirates have found you again."

"Um."

The woman responded softly.

"They knew my sister had a car fleet, so they made her pay money regularly."

"If we don't hand it over, they'll steal the goods and kill the convoy."

"My sister tried hiring other extraordinary individuals to deal with them. But ordinary mercenaries were simply unwilling to get involved when they heard the name of the Black Shark Pirates."

"Those willing to get involved demand very high prices."

"Last time, we hired the Black Soul Mercenary Group."

At this point, a hint of anger appeared on her face.

This is quite unusual for someone with such a gentle personality.

"They took a 300-pound deposit, saying they could protect the convoy as it passed through pirate-controlled territory."

"But as soon as the Black Shark Pirates showed up, they ran away."

"To protect the goods and the convoy members, my sister stayed behind to cover their retreat and was surrounded and attacked by three Tier 3 Extraordinary Beings."

"Although the scars on her face were there long ago, the wounds in her heart were left from that time."

No wonder the Blue Soul Potion was used up.

It's already quite an achievement that a third-tier perfect extraordinary being could single-handedly hold off three third-tier enemies and cover the retreat of more than a dozen vehicles and return alive.

"You've been staying here for more than just the convoy."

"That's what Xilun said."

The woman clutched her money bag tightly.

"Mom is still in their hands."

The alleyway fell silent again.

The oil lamp flame made a slight crackling sound.

"When my sister took me away, my mother was captured by pirates and brought back."

"Over the years, she has been sifting and washing mineral sand for them by the sea."

"My sister and I thought of many ways to save her."

"But the pirates gathered all the controlled villagers near the mine, where there were armed guards and a steam gun emplacement."

"My sister has been there twice."

"I couldn't get close the first time."

"I almost got caught the second time, and now I have another scar on my face."

The woman raised her hand and wiped the corner of her eye.

"Later, the Black Shark Pirates proposed a rule."

"Those young people who fled the village could buy back the life of a loved one if they could earn a thousand pounds outside."

"One thousand pounds."

She repeated the number.

For a powerful extraordinary being, a thousand pounds might not be much.

Siren bought four bottles of Soul Potion in the Old Street for five hundred and sixty pounds.

The value of a few high-grade spiritual herbs and a few complete black crystals far exceeds this figure.

For ordinary villagers, a thousand pounds is a fortune that is difficult to accumulate in a lifetime.

Even for small caravans, after deducting fuel, maintenance, personnel salaries, and the pirates' cut, the actual amount of money left is very limited.

"Is this rule true?" Xilun asked.

"It was true at first."

The woman said, "Some people have used money to redeem their fathers, and others have used money to redeem their wives."

"Pirates needed someone to earn money out there. They deliberately set a price of a thousand pounds to give those who escaped the feeling that there was still hope."

Xilun understood this tactic.

Control cannot last long by relying solely on killing and fear.

Leaving behind a sliver of false hope will motivate the oppressed to work even harder to create wealth for them.

The woman looked down at the fifty pounds in her hand.

"My sister and I used it for ten years."

"At first, my sister worked as a guard for others, earning only a few pounds a month. She couldn't bear to stay in a hotel, so she slept under the wagons at night and ate leftover black bread from the caravans."

"Later we had our own fleet of vehicles and earned a little more. But the steam cars broke down and needed repair, the guards were injured and needed medicine, and we had to hand over our goods when we encountered pirates."

"My sister has a scar on her face and doesn't like people looking at her."

"Many businessmen think she's fierce and are unwilling to entrust their goods to us for transportation."

"So for every transaction, she had to keep the price very low."

She spoke very slowly.

Ten years of hard work were compressed into just a few words.

But those days and nights of leaving early and returning late, those muddy roads and snowstorms under the wheels, those wounds and hunger, cannot be so easily dismissed.

"We save money little by little."

"Twenty pounds, fifty pounds, one hundred pounds..."

"Sometimes, unexpected events happen to the team, and all the money we've saved up is spent."

"My sister has never said she would give up."

The woman's eyes were filled with tears, but she managed a weak smile.

"At the beginning of this year, we finally managed to scrape together a thousand pounds."

"When my sister took me to the mine, she even bought me a new outfit. She said that if Mom saw that we were doing well, she wouldn't be too sad."

"We also bought a pair of soft shoes."

"My mother's legs got cold in the mine, so she can't wear hard-soled shoes anymore."

She took out a piece of light red cloth that had faded a bit from her bosom.

Those must be leftover scraps from when cutting clothes.

The fabric was well preserved and free of any stains.

"But we didn't see her."

The smile on the woman's lips disappeared.

"The leader of the Black Shark Pirate Gang stopped us outside the mine."

He said that prices from ten years ago are now invalid.

Xilun's gaze turned slightly cold.

"How much does he want?"

Two thousand pounds.

The woman's fingers gradually tightened, squeezing the fabric until it wrinkled.

"His sister asked him why he didn't follow the rules."

"He said he set the rules and could change them however he wanted."

"And you also said..."

The woman's voice stopped.

Humiliation and fear surfaced in his eyes.

"What did you say?"

"Sirlen asked."

She lowered her head, not daring to look at Xilun.

He said that if they couldn't come up with two thousand pounds, there was another way.

"My sister and I, one of us can stay."

"As long as one person accompanies him to bed, he will return his mother to us."

Just then, a burst of laughter came from outside the alley.

Several drunk men passed by the intersection, their foul language mixed with laughter.

The woman instinctively shrank her shoulders.

The scene from that day clearly resurfaced in her mind.

"My sister pulled out the knife at that time."

"But there are many people in the mine, including that fourth-tier commander."

"Her injuries haven't healed yet; she's no match for them."