Su Yao scratched her head. As long as it wasn't anything against the rules, she was fine with it. She just wanted to be a store manager, not a little police officer.

Looking down at Sandy, Sandy was still trying hard to introduce to Su Yao the things she knew, but she was still too young, and her explanations were all over the place. In the end, she even started talking about what she and her parents and sister liked to eat the most.

Su Yao could only continue to guide her by asking questions, "Sandy, do you think I can stay in your town? Is there a hotel here?"

Since she needed to investigate secrets, Su Yao couldn't teleport back to the hotel every day. It would be best to find a place to stay temporarily in Green Town.

Sandy patted her face with her little hands after touching the dirt in the corner, leaving two small handprints on her cheeks. This was her way of seriously considering Su Yao's question, "Red Town is nice, sister, you can go there."

"Why is it good there?"

"Because Dad and my sister both go there, and they sell meat there."

Sandy didn't know many towns, but among the ones she did, the town of Redle was the most memorable to her.

The first time she ate meat was when her father brought it back from the town of Hong'er, and the second time was when her sister brought it back from the town of Hong'er.

Being able to bring back meat, this place can't be wrong.

"Then can't I stay and live here?"

Su Yao silently noted down the name of the town, Hong'er, and Sandy's next words made her eyes widen.

"Sister, please leave. We don't allow outsiders here," Shandi said, unsure of how Su Yao had gotten in, but she certainly didn't dare to let her stay. "Last time, Little Fatty brought back a brother, and both he and that brother were beaten to death."

How is this still a legal program!

Su Yao silently clenched her fists, instructed the system to pay attention to the surroundings, and repeated Shandi's words: "Killed?"

Sandy nodded, "Yes, Little Fatty is dead too."

"I don't like Little Fatty, but after he died, there was no one left to play with me."

When Sandy said this, her expression was tinged with sadness, yet it still made a cold sweat break out on Su Yao's back. She wasn't sure how children of this age viewed death, but Sandy's attitude towards Little Fatty's death still made her feel frightened.

Such an ordinary tone, the only hint of sadness was because no one was there to play with her..

Su Yao got up, not wanting to stay here any longer.

Just then, Sandy also heard her mother calling her from behind the wall.

Wan Yi's voice had regained its earlier tenderness, and Sandy was very happy, immediately putting Su Yao out of her mind and running home.

One hurriedly ran back home, while the other hurriedly teleported away.

Su Yao's next stop was the small town of Hong'er, as Sandy had mentioned.

This small town differs from the town of Lü'er by just one character, yet their customs and traditions are worlds apart.

At the entrance of the small town, there was a large golden frame from which various handicrafts were hanging. There were grasshoppers made of leaves, rabbits cut from colored paper, and little dogs woven from string, all vividly lifelike and very cute.

Crossing this large frame, you'll reach the gate of the small town. Although it doesn't compare to the traffic of the weapons town, the number of people coming and going in front of the gate is not insignificant.

There is just a very strange point: everyone coming and going here does not use storage bags; instead, they carry a large bundle on their backs, their waists bent under the weight, yet their faces are still brimming with smiles.

Seeing that everyone was doing the same, Su Yao immediately stepped back, retreating to a spot by the door where she couldn't be seen by the crowd. She changed her outfit and also carried a large bundle on her back.

"Are you new here?"

Su Yao walked to the doorway and was stopped by an old man.

The old man pointed to the badge on his arm and showed it to Su Yao: "I'm a guard. You're new here, aren't you? I haven't seen you before."

Su Yao lowered her head and replied timidly, "Yes, it's my first time here. I haven't been out before..."

The old man frowned, and Su Yao thought she had been found out, but in the end, the person he scolded was her father: "It's your first time going out, and your father doesn't personally accompany you? What a useless man!"

"Can't I do it alone?"

The old man sighed and shook his head, "It's really not easy for one person. But don't worry, I'll find someone to take you later."

As he spoke, the old man turned around to find someone, not giving Su Yao any chance to refuse.

The people were easy to find; a row of them squatted behind the town gate. The old man directly grabbed the most idle one and introduced Su Yao's situation to him.

This man must have just had a drink, as he reeked of alcohol, his face was flushed, and his eyes were bleary. The first thing he said after being lifted up by the old man was, "Sir, you want me to take care of three girls by myself? That's not really doable."

Three girls?

The old man glanced at Su Yao, confirmed the number of people, and slapped the person on the head: "What do you mean three? Sober up quickly, there's only one person here."

"Oh, oh, alone, huh~ Her father died?"

"Siwo, don't be so rude! His father is just like Gallagher, letting her come on her own."

"Oh~ Galahad~ it would be better to be dead!"

The old man and the man named Xiwo exchanged words, leaving Su Yao feeling a bit embarrassed.

Let's not talk about being an orphan for now, but rather about this Gallagher they mentioned. The first family Su Yao met when she arrived here was the Gallagher family, which is Sandy's father.

She said she came alone because she heard from Sandy about what his father had done. Sandy's sister also came here alone, which is why Su Yao told the old man she was by herself.

Upon hearing what the old man and Xiwo said, Su Yao realized that being alone was actually a rare situation!

Xiwo was already nodding to the old man at this point: "Sure, sure, no problem, they're just kids. I can take care of them, no problem!"

"But now the old man was already worried: 'Are you really okay? Have you sobered up? I'm afraid you'll lead the young girl into a ditch.'"

The town of Hong'er has many ditches and streams that appear quite shallow, but those who fall in rarely survive.

Siwo hated it when the old man spoke to him with such a questioning attitude, so he immediately raised his arm and gave himself a heavy slap. The slap was so loud that even passersby couldn't help but glance over.

"I am already sober, I! Am! Sure!"

The old man dared not speak anymore and gestured for Su Yao to follow Xiwo on her own.

Su Yao nodded, quietly thanked the old man, and then followed Xiwo into the town.

"Did your dad send you to trade for meat or medicine?"

"Meat."

Upon hearing this, Xiwo looked at Su Yao and then nodded repeatedly: "Absolutely, absolutely. Look at your small frame, it seems your family really can't provide for you... So skinny, you definitely need to eat some meat to build yourself up."

This time, it was Su Yao who didn't dare to speak.

Siwo asked again, "So what did you exchange for it?"

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"My dad told me to check out the situation in the town first before considering what to trade."

"Why?"

"Because I took a lot of things, I still don't know the value of these things." Su Yao spoke with her head lowered, feeling very insecure.

Siwo understood this kind of "inferiority" and comfortingly patted Su Yao's bundle, saying, "You don't need to worry too much. Since your father let you bring all these things, you can definitely trade them for meat here... You don't need to observe anymore, I'll just introduce you to the prices here directly."

As he spoke, Sivo had sobered up more than halfway, but when he talked for a long stretch, he still tended to be somewhat incoherent.

He led Su Yao around three corners to a marketplace. "Remember the route we just took. We only trade things here. Every time you come to trade, you must come to this marketplace. You cannot trade anywhere else except here."

Continuing further inside, it was much like what I saw in Woshui Town, with small stalls set up one after another.

Siwo casually pointed to a stall: "This is where they sell potions. Potions are the most expensive thing here. One bottle can be exchanged for three pieces of meat, a big bag of vegetables, or several laborers... Anyway, just remember, potions are hard currency, you can trade them for anything... Oh, wait, if you want human blood, it seems you can't use potions for that."

"Human blood!" Su Yao repeated in her mind. She initially thought she had misheard, but she couldn't find any homophonic substitute; it seemed to be exactly that—human blood.

It really seems to be a legal program.

Su Yao was full of questions but didn't dare to ask them out loud. She just nodded silently, listening to Xiwo speak on his own.

"Human blood, at your young age, you don't need it, and it's okay if you don't remember it. Anyway, I think that stuff doesn't taste good, not as good as wine! Did your family send you out to exchange for human blood?"

"I heard my father say it, but he didn't tell me about this, and he didn't let me change it this time either."

Xiwo understood and shook his head: "If you don't want to trade, then don't. Let's go look at the meat again!"

"Wait!" Su Yao called out to Xiwo, "Senior, can you tell me what human blood really is? Even though I won't trade, I'm a bit curious."

Su Yao suddenly became brave and open, and Xiwo raised an eyebrow: "Oh, very good, very good, young girls should boldly show what they want! If you want to ask me, just tell me!"

"Human blood is a potion that can keep one young and full of vitality."

"Oh, it turns out it's just a potion."

Su Yao was just about to relax when Xiwo continued, "Yes, but there really is human blood in it. The better the human blood potion, the better the human blood used. For example, the most expensive one sold in town before was made from the entire blood of a child. To be honest, I think it's really exaggerated. Can a child's blood really make someone stay forever young? I just think some people have too much money in their hands, and they want to show it off!"

Siwo was verbally criticizing the matter, speaking with great indignation, yet his steps kept moving towards the corner.

Finally, the two of them squatted in a deserted corner and talked for a long time. Su Yao finally learned everything about the human blood.

This region wasn't always so ignorant. But at some point, a group of people who believed in the cult of the evil dragon came to this land.

They had a lot of money and potions in their hands, and each of them was powerful. They quickly bribed some of the local mayors and town chiefs, turning them into their own people. From then on, this land came under the rule of the Cult of the Evil Dragon, entering a state of ignorance.

The cult of the Evil Dragon believes that human blood is the greatest elixir, especially the blood of children, which can invigorate people with boundless vitality. Therefore, in that place, human blood elixirs are considered priceless treasures, and many "blood slaves" are kept.

When it came to blood slaves, Su Yao finally understood why Sandy and her mother couldn't leave the house. It turned out that the two of them were the chosen blood slaves of the family.

The families here are generally either four-person or seven-person households.

A family of four consists of a couple with two children. The father and one child are allowed to go out and exchange goods, while the remaining child and the mother serve as blood slaves, providing blood to the rulers of the Dragon Cult.

A family of seven consists of two elderly people, a young couple, and three children. Among them, the young wife and two children are blood slaves.

According to this formula, Sandy and her mother should be the blood slaves left at home.

[Limited-time task completed, received card draw chance *1.]

[Limited Time Mission 2 Released: Who can tolerate such an utterly depraved cult? I can't stand it! It must be overthrown!

Please overthrow their rule within seven days and restore peace and tranquility to the southwest. Countdown: 185:59:59.

"System! You!"

[Rich rewards await~]

"Alright."

In fact, it's not just about the reward; the main issue is that this is indeed very anti-human. If the system determines that she has the ability to solve this problem, then why would she refuse to do something that would earn her merit?

Su Yao was not someone who liked to meddle in other people's business, but after coming here, she had indeed involved herself in quite a few matters, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

"Drawing blood will inevitably cause casualties. Is there really no opposition? No matter how strong one is, they can't withstand everyone resisting together, right?"

Xiwo shook his head: "Little girl, don't be naive. No one would refuse immortality."

"You—" (Didn't you just refuse?)

Su Yao's words were interrupted as Xiwo raised his hand and admitted with a smile, "Alright, alright, there are indeed people like me who are unwilling to believe in the Evil Dragon Cult, but we have no way to refuse their orders. They control the potions and the meat, how can we fight them?"

"Why not go outside to trade items? Does it have to be in this area?" Su Yao couldn't understand their mindset, were they really content with this?

After saying so much, Xiwo felt a bit tired. His head was still aching from the alcohol, and he couldn't clearly explain the matter to Su Yao.

"Who knows why they don't go out, maybe it's too far? It takes several months to go north to exchange for potions... Oh, kid, what are you worried about? You're not a blood slave. Maybe in a few years, someone in the south will be able to make potions, and then bring the potions and meat here without needing blood. Then maybe someone will be willing to join in resisting the Evil Dragon Cult."

Xiwo pulled Su Yao out: "Let's not talk about this now, hurry up and go buy some meat."

Su Yao grabbed Xiwo with a reverse grip. Xiwo was surprised and quickly exerted more force, but still couldn't pull Su Yao. "How are you so strong? Wait! Are you a magician?"

Siwo was completely sober: "How could you possibly be a magician? No, no, how could there be a magician here?"

"I must be confused, you're not from around here, are you? How did you get in?"

"I am not only a magician, I also have potions and meat. Do you want to join me in resisting them?" Su Yao asked.