"Excuse me, how much are these horns of red ogres?"
"Oh! Lady, it seems that you defeated seven red ogres by yourself, how about seven golds?"
"Huh? Are you kidding me? I would rather go to the Core's goods and sell it for scraps that price."
" Fourteen! I cannot go higher than that otherwise I'll just lose money."
"Hehe, deal!"
It has been eight years that the lady selling several horns managed to arrive in one of the strongholds in Intris and at that time she was but just a child that lost everything including her family. She thought that she would starve to death even if she managed to enter inside the stronghold with how many people there were at that time and there would have been more if the road to reach one of these strongholds wasn't filled with any kind of danger but it seemed that fortune was with her and gave her a system and some useful skills to guarantee her some form of livelihood.
The variety of monsters coming out from the gates with also different characteristics within the same species made life like hell. But difficult times meant also adapting and many heroic figures emerged in these chaotic times, the lady wasn't one of them and she was just one of the many that worked alone and earned enough to survive.
The tolling of a bell interrupted the thoughts of the lady and everyone inside the stronghold.
"New ones!"
"Oh! I cannot miss this! I wonder if any of the chiefs will choose one of them as their subordinate."
"Huh, this again." The lady muttered as she was displeased with how many people around her were treating this event similar to a show but her legs also walked to where the others were going.
When a certain number of newcomers arrived there would be an event where the newcomers will be tested, then offered an appropriate job to help the stronghold and there will be three choices that the newcomers can decide: to accept, refuse and appeal their skills to find a more preferred job or leave. Rarely people would chose the second option and more so the third one and those who decided to do so they are already dead.
Dozens of people were standing in front of seven direct subordinates of the seven chiefs with each representing one of the main pillars that supported the stronghold and those being: the Guardians, the Army, the Mages, the Labourers, the Supervisors, the Explorers and the Sweepers, there was also another force that belonged to the one in command of the stronghold but they rarely directly come to scout new talents, all the other strongholds have this kind of social structure.
"Huh, why most of them are only women and weak kids? Can they even do something?"
"Shut up, man. Think for a moment, can a bunch of weaklings bypass those monsters out there? Unless there is someone special amongst them but that is unlikely since the group of women and that of the kids arrived in different period of times and from different directions, it is likely that the strong ones that was amongst their group decided to protect them and ended up dying, it is a rare occurance but not unheard of, I can only feel respect for them."
"Huh?! Respect? They were fools! They should've survived instead of those weaklings! The number of labourers is half of the entire stronghold."
"You really are a piece of shit, but I cannot deny the fact that we need more capable people and while quality is good but quantity with a certain degree of quality is better."
"Atleast the kids can be taught and maybe we can find some potential in them or better that some of them have a system."
"What about that group of seven women? Hmm...Some of them are cute enough to find someone as their guardians."
"Hehe, maybe it is my time to shine."
As more people came to see the event the more the chatter filled the plaza with a bit of malice in them.
Eyes that looked down, eyes that were inspecting the bodies, eyes filled with contempt, eyes that was filled with curiousity or indifference. All kind of people with different past and mindset were gathering.
The strength of the populace might be slightly increasing day by day but did the moral compass dulled in return? The survival of the whole pack might be moral but it is so for the individual?
A pair of crimson eyes watched with interest the other side, who knew who was really observing who, but such eyes coincidentally met for a second with those of the lady who was strangely pulled by the bearing of the seven women. Each one of them appeared human and yet for the lady they oozed an aura totally different from everyone, it was as if a god decided to talk to the ignorant commoners.
The group of children were trembling and were even in the verge of crying as words around them seemed to open their wounds and put salt in them and yet the group of seven women seemed to be unaffected by the words and presence of the people around them.
The lady could see that the woman with crimson eyes stopped watching around and started to converse with the other women.
The eyes of the lady slightly shone. Despite being unable to hear what they were saying she could read their lips from the long distance.
-Really? Deva, can these people even get better?
-Not particularly them, I am referring to people in general. It is normal that most of them are like this with how they now passed years in these conditions. The definition of moral is now just a word and do not have a weight in the heart of most people. Survival, hope for the populace but not to the individual that is how Intris has been able to remain afloat without too much severe consequenses.
-I think it will take a really long time to improve that. What did you say weeks ago? That the path is paved with sacrifices just so that other can move forward?
-Yeah, that's what- Hey! You watched my memories again! That means that you know about those little things!
-I apologize, I couldn't help myself.
-Heh, you better be. Oh, they are coming. Hah, I cannot wait for the main event to start three days later.
The lady couldn't find any sense in what they were talking about but the chills in her skin couldn't stop even after minutes, the conversation between those women seemed to be so ominous.
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