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Mengdie, after cursing the responsible deity, sighed and put on the necklace. Regardless, she now had the necklace; all that was left was to wait.

"Okay, now we need to find a way to leave this place," Mengdie said, tucking the necklace inside her clothes close to her chest. She then continued, "Ladies, I need you to make a decision. If you're willing to escape, please come to my side. If you're afraid of being caught while escaping, stay seated."

The idea of escaping seemed absurd to the girls. Why would they believe in escaping when Mengdie herself was captured? As expected, no one stood up to join her. The girls looked at each other, hesitant and uncertain.

"Really? No one wants to leave this terrible place?"

The girls remained indifferent.

"Little sister... I think you better not think about escaping..." Emily spoke up, "Look at yourself, so frail and thin. Many stronger girls than you have tried and failed. You're not a man, how can you possibly lead us to escape?"

Emily's words, though unintentional, stung Mengdie. She felt the difference not just in physical strength between men and women, but also in how others perceive and respond to them. The same words coming from a man's body and a woman's body could elicit very different levels of conviction.

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Mengdie looked down, glaring at her own chest, frustrated. But if the girls didn't believe in her, there was nothing she could do. Forcing them to escape could lead to chaos and even greater danger.

Just then, a commotion at the door startled Mengdie and Xiu, who quickly hid in the adjoining washroom. Soldiers entered, dropping off buckets of food and leaving. A clerk-like figure followed, looking disdainfully at the girls and sneering.

"Emily! Which one of you just arrived today, Emily?!"

The girls trembled, all eyes turning to the green-haired Emily. They knew the clerk's presence meant General Del desired a girl. Emily, trembling, barely managed to identify herself.

The clerk's gaze fell on Emily, and he snorted, "The quality of girls is really dropping. Even bringing such freckled, underdeveloped ones? Never mind! Get ready within an hour for dinner with General Del. There's a banquet tonight in honor of the Princess's return. Many important people will be there, along with performances. Remember, it's thanks to your chastity that you get to enjoy such a meal. Dress well, don’t wear these rubbish civilian clothes!"

After the clerk and soldiers left, Mengdie emerged from the washroom to find Emily crying inconsolably. Emily, fearing the loss of her chastity, broke down completely in Mengdie's arms, her cries stirring the others, who soon joined in sobbing.

"Enough! Decide now! Do you want to continue living like this, or will you follow me?"

This time, Emily quickly replied through her tears, "I... I’ll go! Save me! I don’t want to stay here! I must escape!"

Encouraged by Emily, the other girls began to wipe their tears, joining in, "I'll go!" "Me too!" Mengdie felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Good, since you’ve decided, let's eat first. Then I'll tell you what to do."

While Mengdie spoke, Xiu distributed food from the buckets. After Mengdie ate a small bowl of rice soup, she drew the layout of the General's mansion on the table, explaining her plan.

"In short, the layout is like this. We need to distract the soldiers, so everyone can run to this side door and escape. Xiu, you're not as fast as I am, so you'll lead them. I'll create a diversion elsewhere to draw the soldiers' attention. Got it?"

Xiu nodded, but then hesitated, asking Mengdie, “Miss Mengdie, dare I ask, how do you plan to create this diversion?”

Mengdie, thinking he had a different question, shrugged nonchalantly and said, “It’s simple. Start a fire somewhere, then take out a few soldiers in the chaos. Isn’t that a diversion?”

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