Sylas naturally had plans for Emily, considering she was a prime candidate for a slave. However, there was no rush, now that she was with him, he could take his time. The most important thing was to complete today's task.
Once everyone was on board, Sylas used his telekinesis to steer the ship back. Upon returning to the villa area, Sylas checked the task interface and saw that the mission to rescue doctors was 20% complete. This meant that both Verda and the male doctor hadn't lied—they were indeed doctors, as recognized by the system. He needed to rescue eight more doctors to complete the mission.
Sylas settled everyone in. He made special arrangements for the fat man, Eugene. Eugene received his own private room, new clothes, and a delicious meal, quickly developing a sense of belonging. He was extremely satisfied with his current treatment. His main fear had been a lack of food, because if the base ran out, he might be seen as food himself due to his ability to turn into a pig.
The possibility of being eaten wasn't just a concern; it was a certainty if food ran out. This fear had kept him from revealing his ability until his life was directly threatened. Now, he felt temporarily safe. To ensure long-term safety, Eugene knew he had to prove his value by eventually raising a herd of pigs.
The male doctor was assigned to a residence within the community, where he could provide medical care to other survivors.
Verda and her daughter were assigned to the room next to the villa, where they could enjoy the treatment of female warriors. It was then that Verda realized that within the base, Sylas held the highest status and received the best treatment. He had the best accommodations, the best food, and all the beautiful women belonged to him. Thankfully, Sylas was the only man in the base with such privileges.
Verda, not being particularly attractive and having her daughter with her, didn't worry too much about herself. Below Sylas, there was a group of women referred to as "Mistresses." This was the public term; ordinary people only knew that Clarissa and the others were mistresses within the base, not realizing that to Sylas, they were actually female slaves.
Verda was unaware of this detail. She only knew that Clarissa and the others received the same treatment as Sylas—they ate what he ate and enjoyed a high standard of living. Next in line were the female warriors. Although their treatment wasn't as high as Sylas's, it was significantly better than that of ordinary people. The female warriors had enough to eat and meat with every meal.
After them came the ordinary survivors, whose treatment drastically declined. Sylas ensured they had two meals a day, which weren't luxurious but sufficient to meet basic bodily needs. Even this arrangement was satisfactory to the survivors. Compared to starving, having regular meals was a blessing.
Verda and her daughter lived with the female warriors and received the same treatment. All of this was explained to Verda by Tilda, the leader of the female warriors. Tilda also secretly informed Verda that their current treatment was temporary. If Emily could become a mistress, as her family, Verda and her daughter would receive privileges and enjoy the treatment of the female warriors. However, if Emily couldn't become a mistress, their current benefits would be revoked, and they would be moved to the ordinary survivors' area, receiving the same treatment as the ordinary survivors.
So whether they could live a good life depended on Emily's choice. Hearing this, Verda felt a stirring in her heart. She looked up at Tilda and nodded understandingly.
"Captain Tilda, I understand. I will persuade Emily," Verda said softly. Verda wasn't foolish; she understood the intention behind Tilda's words. It was clear that Sylas had taken an interest in her sister-in-law.
For Verda, this was good news. Most of her family was gone, leaving only her daughter Gale. For the sake of a better life for herself and her daughter, asking Emily to make a small sacrifice seemed insignificant. After all, people are inherently selfish.
Moreover, from Verda's perspective, Sylas was young, handsome, and powerful. Being his woman would be a fortunate situation. After all, even Clarissa had become Sylas's woman. If Clarissa could do it, then so could Emily.
Tilda nodded with satisfaction, pleased that Verda understood.
"It's good that you realize this. Many women wish to be the Chief's woman but don't have the opportunity," Tilda said somewhat wistfully. "The Chief has high standards, and ordinary women don't stand a chance."
Tilda herself wished to be the Chief's woman, but she knew she didn't meet the criteria. Since she couldn't be his woman, she aimed to become the sharpest weapon in his arsenal. She wanted to become stronger and lead her team well. She also wanted to excel in any task the Chief assigned.
Verda, as Emily's sister-in-law, had now been persuaded. Using Verda to convince Emily would be much easier. Meanwhile, Sylas wasn't concerned with such minor matters. He was resting on the sofa, enjoying a massage from several beautiful women.
Regarding Emily, Sylas simply gave Clarissa brief instructions and left the rest to her. After all, he still had tasks to complete and didn't have time to handle everything related to Emily. Sylas already had enough abilities for now, and with Emily already brought back, he wasn't in a hurry.
Knowing that Emily met the target criteria, Clarissa took it seriously and quickly made arrangements. This led to Tilda persuading Verda. Emily, however, was not placed with Verda but was instead arranged to live in the villa area with Clarissa and the others.
Clarissa understood that once someone experienced an upper-class lifestyle, it would be difficult for them to return to a lower-class one. She intended to let Emily first enjoy the life of a mistress. Once Emily became accustomed to it and couldn't bear to leave, persuading her would be much easier. This was Clarissa's plan to win Emily over.
In such times, it was nearly impossible for an ordinary woman to escape this kind of control, and Emily was no exception.
Emily sat uneasily on the sofa. Opposite her, Sylas lay on a sofa while several beautiful women massaged him, relieving his fatigue. Sirena was also using her healing ability on Sylas to restore his physical and mental energy. Sylas could use his own healing ability, but self-use had drawbacks, such as increasing mental fatigue. When Sirena used her ability on him, these issues didn't arise.
Sylas had been using telekinesis for transportation throughout the day, which had significantly drained his mental energy. Especially after bringing everyone back, Sylas could feel the substantial depletion of his mental reserves.
So he took the opportunity to rest and let Sirena use her healing ability on him to accelerate his mental recovery. Only when he was fully restored could he effectively complete his tasks. Although he was strong, he wasn't invincible, so maintaining peak condition was crucial.
Emily glanced at Sylas and then at the women around him, her eyes filled with disbelief. Hayden, Sydney, and Lillian—three stunning women whom she recognized. Back in the day, Hayden was a famous star, and Sydney and Lillian were popular influencers, well-known by many. It was hard to believe that these beautiful women and celebrities were now mere companions to a man. They even called Sylas "Master," which was truly astonishing.
Emily felt uneasy, not understanding why she was brought here. Just then, a delicious aroma wafted over. Clarissa approached, carrying a plate of grilled steak.
"Eat first; you must be hungry," Clarissa said with a smile, placing the steak in front of Emily.
The smell of the steak made Emily's mouth water instantly. She hadn't had meat in many days, let alone such a delicious-looking steak.
"Can I really eat this?" Emily asked softly.
"Of course, and for us, this is just ordinary food. If you decide to stay, you can eat like this every day until you're tired of it," Clarissa replied with a smile.
Emily nodded and, unable to resist any longer, picked up the knife and fork and began eating the steak. Though the steak's flavor was average, it was tender and fresh. For Emily, who had been hungry for several days, it was a gourmet meal, incredibly delicious. Alongside the steak, Clarissa had also prepared a glass of juice for her.
Emily quickly devoured the steak and juice, thoroughly enjoying the meal.
Emily still felt a bit unsatisfied but was no longer as hungry as before. Seeing that Emily had eaten her fill, Clarissa sat down next to her, gently taking her hand.
"Your name is Emily, right?" Clarissa asked softly.
"Yes," Emily nodded quickly.
"From now on, I'll call you Xue'er, and you can call me Sister Clarissa."
"Sister Clarissa," Emily called out promptly.
Clarissa nodded with a smile, looking pleased. She continued softly, "We are a big family here. We are the Master's slaves and his women. Here, we only need to listen to the Master and serve him well. He protects us and provides the best food, and he can even grant us extraordinary abilities."
Emily listened silently, though her eyes showed a trace of shock.
Clarissa went on, "Originally, you wouldn't have been eligible to live here. You would have had to stay with the ordinary survivors, eating the worst food and never getting enough to eat. Our food supply is limited. Ordinary people get just enough to stay alive but never enough to feel full."
"Only those who live here can enjoy the best living conditions. Not every woman gets this opportunity. You're very lucky because you're beautiful enough to have this chance."
"For the next few days, you can stay here and take your time to consider. We don't force anyone; you are free to choose to stay or leave. You don't need to decide immediately. You can think it over while you stay here."
Clarissa smiled as she spoke.
Though it seemed like Clarissa was offering a choice, in such a world, how much freedom did a woman really have?