I am somewhat confused with the quantity and quality of this chapter and the upcoming chapters too. Even though this chapter is 2.1k words (2165 to be exact), is it enough to be considered a somewhat normal chapter in Royalroad? Also how is the quality of this chapter? Normal? lesser? Sorry for so many questions but i need your help >///<

Once again feedbacks are always welcome, and suggestions are always open ^_^, please enjoy.

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-Lupust perspective-

After following the lilac coloured soul to its body, he took in the surroundings which it was leading him to. It was a broken down slum. He peered into the souls of the mother and the elderly couple who were assisting with the birth. They both had pure white soul, symbolising their clear conscience and untainted way of life. The mother’s life force was getting weaker and weaker by the second. Seeing how the mother’s soul was incredibly pure and that it would help bring the child on the right path, Lupust focused the energy inside his soul realm and breathed out slowly. A tiny white wisp invisible to the naked eye flew out from his mouth and slowly fell down to earth, entering the mother’s mouth, and her life force began to increase until the risk of dying was vanished. This should ensure that the child would have a morally right upbringing, enough to set as a foundation for his future actions later to come. However Lupust still sadly sighed, this was because even though he increased the lifespan of the mother, there would be an unstoppable plague sometime in the near future that would wipe and claim the deaths of many people throughout the city and continent, especially concentrated in the slums.

For some strange reason even with the all-seeing eye treasure he had in his possession, he was still unable to discern the source of the plague. He tried to seek out alternate paths like purifying the crops and food, or isolating the plague to prevent it from spreading further, but the plague would always pop up from random areas in the continent and continue spreading, it was inevitable, and the people that died from the plague would always be predetermined. He could only hope that 5 years of being with his mother and foster grandparents would be enough to set the child on the right path and have a strong will against the corruptive forces. Breathing in a deep sigh, Lupust closed off his treasure and flew back to his domain.

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The bright orange sun arched high in the sky, glaring down at the city market as the masses of people scurried about in a rush, eager to purchase items that were rarely seen or heard of. As the people hurried to their respective places of interest, the children that were dressed lavishly chased each other with wooden swords in their hands, pretending to be great generals and soldiers defending their home country. A number of merchants were yelling at the top of their lungs, eager to display their wares that they have hauled over deserts and across the Arctic sea, and in turn the customers who were lured by the bait of discounted prices haggled desperately for even a slither of chance that the price would drop by a silver coin.

The guards hired by the merchants stood firm at their posts, their eagle eyes scanned across the mob of people, looking for any pickpockets or thieves that had the intention to rob their employee’s money.  If any of those people displayed even the faintest of desire to obtain a small piece of their boss’s stock without paying, then the guards would brutally punish the thief and break several bones but making sure that the mugger would still be alive. After all to take a life in the city was a crime and they would be severely punished by the city guards. Even though the merchant guards were martial art practitioners, they would not be able to face off against the city guards who were posted on towers throughout the city. Only the city guards under the command of the magistrate had the right to take lives. Each city guard's gaze highlighted their many life and death scenarios and displayed the image of a seasoned warrior. Everyone of them brandishing their own polished bronze spear, always at the ready to use it at a moments notice or when the situation called for it. Wearing their full dark jade armour applied the finishing touches to the overall picture of the city guard, creating and emanating an aura of pressure that had the ability to bring commoners down to their knees.

All of these city guards had the cultivation of being at least the peak of the Terra realm, some even had the cultivation of the Aeris realm where they would be able to take on 10 Terra realm practitioners, above that was the Malus realm where the commander of the city guards cultivation level was at. These city guards all had the Senoi District backing them up behind them, a powerhouse. The Senoi District were the sole rulers of the city and had a history dating back to the ancient civilisations, thus having been able to survive throughout the eons demonstrated that they had the requirements of being able to hold out on their own, this also meant that they had accumulated countless martial art techniques and cultivation resources, both rare and pure which would allow the cultivation of the main family to soar and reach the higher realms faster.

Markets and shops aligned the wide road while the horses pulling the wagons trotted and clattered down the main road, the city was bustling with liveliness and happiness, an ideal and perfect city. However over the eons, corruption grew stronger within the main family and only a few of the main members were not tainted by the corruption. Greed and jealousy were the main factors of this decline as the richer grew richer and the poorer grew even so poorer. This market square was one of the better off areas within the city, compared to the slums it was a difference between fire and water. The market’s carefree atmosphere harshly contrasted with the slum’s dead silence. Anything that could be foraged was eaten, hence the insects and birds avoided that place, creating a place devoid of any animal life. Compared to the way the people elegantly walked and dressed in the market square, the residents of the slum were almost always hunched over and covered in grime, if they possessed any clothing it was reduced into rags too much time and effort would be needed to mend it.

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Many beggars and children were starving and malnourished. Some of the residents of the slums were ex-nobles, evicted from their home due to them projecting their complaint against the city’s decisions and rules. Rumours once spread throughout the slums that the previous commander of the city guard was also evicted because he voiced his opinions about the main family’s actions, even though he was at the Malus realm and was considered quite powerful, in the end his meridians were shattered so he was unable to use his martial arts and was banished from the military, but these rumours remained as rumours and eventually died down, and the region returned back to its deathly silence.

In the corner of the market square deep in the shadows, covered in dirty rags which emanated the smell of acrid piss and sweat, knelt a young boy who seemed to be around the age of 9. His black hair was long and tangled with bits of twigs and leaves stuck in them. At first glance his skin seemed to be dry and cracked but upon closer inspection it was dried mud, to provide as some sort of protection against the sun.

He was in a dogeza position, two hands twitching slightly and cupped tightly in them was a chipped and cracked wooden bowl, suggesting that he feared that even the wooden bowl would be taken away from him. He had been in this position since sunrise and so far only two copper coins, the lowest of the currency were in the bowl, still not enough for a bun which was the cheapest of the foods, costing 5 copper coins. Some days when he was wandering around the market, searching for thrown food and accidentally dropped food, he would be lucky enough to come across a silver coin, which amounted to a hundred copper coins, but those days were very rare. The boy had no name and he had no true family, ever since he was born, he was in the slums and his nameless mother died later in life due to a plague that claimed her life, while his father was presumed dead as well. Ever since then he was brought up by an elderly couple in the slums where they cared for him and treated him like their own grandchild. But shortly after that a group of drunken nobles accidentally wandered into slums and saw the elderly couple tending to themselves.

The elderly couple could do nothing as the nobles spat on their faces and stepped all over their bodies while the nobles laughed drunkenly, whipping them every now and then, simply for the sole pleasure of seeing them beg for their lives. When the elderly couple could finally offer no more yells of pain after being hit with a metal pole, the nobles quickly grew tired of the noiseless yells and left to find other “entertainment” in the slums. Shortly after, the elderly died from blood loss and the child who was five returned from scavenging only to find two small graves with a poorly erected cross, made from wood debris and tied together by rags as tombstones. He slept and cried for two days besides the graves, his body huddled closely to the two tombstones as he reminisced the days with his foster grandparents where he knew what warmth felt and wished that they were still alive with him today

The people in the slums could only back away and cower in fear, the nobles were like Gods in the slums. If they did resist, it would bring along the fury of the entire city guards where a mass execution would take place. As long as the city guards saw you, you would be dead, no discrimination, no hesitation. The last mass execution was not too long ago. A child accidentally tripped in front of a beer bellied-noble who was taking a short cut and despite beating the child until she coughed blood, the noble then reported this to the main family where they were enraged at such behaviour and called upon the city guards to wipe the slums. Only a few were left surviving. Their purpose? To solidify the fear and terror of the city guards and the nobles in the later generations to come.

A clatter of coins brought the small child back to life and he raised his head to sincerely thank the giver. It was a girl similar to his age but she was dressed glamorously, her innocent demeanour radiated an atmosphere of happiness and innocence. The clothes that she was wearing sparkled in the sunlight as it was studded gold and silver, scattering light everywhere. She was probably wearing twice the amount of gold the city had. She flinched a little at the sudden movement made by the boy and her cheeks turned a bit pink, but seeing that the boy was thanking her, beamed a radiant smile that put all the jewellery and décor she was wearing to shame. Most of all, it was her crystal blue eyes that demanded the attention from the boy. Her eyes were like the sky after a heavy storm, free, enchanting and boundless, and yet at the same time they were like a fragile precious stone, so delicate.

The boy was about to croak his thanks to the young miss when several city guards seemingly teleported directly behind the young girl, sweeping up a gust of wind and blowing away the unsullied atmosphere, replacing it with a killing intent, amplified by how the guards clenched their bronze spears tightly. It was obvious that they were the little miss’s personal guards, as they wore the red and yellow armour of the royal guards, appearing at the slightest chance of danger should anything happen to the little girl.

The city guards came so fast that the little boy had no time to even flinch. He hesitated slightly and managed to dryly whisper “Thank you miss for your benevolence”.

Hearing this the young lady nodded her head and her dazzling smile grew even wider, turning around and skipping playfully away down the where another market caught her eye. The city guards gave a disdainful look at the boy, blurred and then disappeared, no doubt returning back to the shadows where they could keep an eye on the little girl.

“So there are still such kind of people in this world…” he muttered underneath his breath with his head drooped. “Oh right, how much was in the bowl now?” he wondered and proceeded to check his bowl…

… and sucked in a quick breath. Inside the bowl was 10 big fat silver coins lying at the bottom and glinting at the sunlight. 10 silver coins! That was a lot for a mere beggar! It was enough for him to last a whole year! That amount was simply inconceivable for his mind and he quickly grew a bit dizzy imagining all the buns he could buy.