Chapter 1

The sound of rain pattering against the roof could be heard from outside.

Vivian carefully placed a low stool in front of the stove, then bent down and grabbed two handfuls of brown rice from the nearby sack. The food in the sack was already running low; her brother had only managed to steal a piece of silver jewelry from the dock last month, which had been exchanged for this sack of brown rice. Despite her careful rationing over the past half month, the dwindling supply still filled her with a sense of panic.

There was no more food.

In a few days, they would be starving!

Vivian's eyes were red as she glanced at the small bed inside the dilapidated house. On the moldy blanket lay a young man in a coma. Her brother had still not woken up, and the kind priestess who had once offered to help them seemed to have given up hope. After all, Bishop Fair was not willing to go to great lengths to save a thief.

Vivian wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and carefully climbed down from the stool. She was only eight years old and looked very frail due to malnutrition. Starting a fire and cooking were still very difficult for her. She held a few pieces of chopped firewood in her hands, breaking off some branches she had collected during the day and throwing them into the stove. Due to the continuous rain, the firewood was damp, making it slow to ignite and producing a choking smoke. Ignoring the burning sensation in her eyes, Vivian puffed her cheeks and blew hard. When the firewood finally caught fire, she gently rubbed her eyes.

"Brother!..."

"You have to wake up!... Vivian misses you!..."

"Don't leave me!..."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Vivian sat by the stove, sobbing softly. After a while, she wiped her face with her small hands, leaving two white streaks on her sooty face. There had been some salt left in the house, but it had run out last week. She had tried to steal some like her brother, but almost got caught by the fat shop owner. The shop owner's wife had hit her back with a broom, and even now, her back was still bruised and painful to touch.

"Woof woof!"

An old black and yellow dog walked over. Though it was already quite old, it was still possible to see that it had once been an excellent hunting dog. Vivian extended her small hand, and the old dog silently walked to her side, looking up at the stove and letting out a low whine.

"Heath."

Vivian held the old dog in her arms, noticing the longing in its eyes. She sniffled and gently stroked its back, murmuring, "There's not much food left."

"It has to be saved for Brother. Vivian is very hungry too, but you can go out and find food after the rain stops."

"I'm sorry!"

"Am I useless?"

"I can't steal, I can't save Brother, and I always cry..."

The old dog, with its cloudy eyes, seemed to understand her words. It silently withdrew its gaze, licked her palm, and then lay down at her feet, closing its eyes as if sleeping.

Footsteps could be heard from outside, pausing briefly at the door, and faint voices could be heard.

The old black and yellow dog, which had been quite old, suddenly opened its eyes, looking fierce like a hungry wolf. It growled and barked loudly outside.

"Damn it!"

"I'll kill you and make soup out of you, you old dog!"

The angry voice of a man could be heard from outside, and the footsteps gradually faded away.

Vivian's frightened face calmed down a bit. She extended her small hand and stroked the old dog's head, whispering, "Heath."

"If anyone dares to come in, bite them!"

"Brother is unconscious, and only you can protect me."

The old dog nuzzled her in her arms, still carrying a fierce aura despite its old age.

It was a Goras hunting dog!

In its prime, it could even fight a leopard. According to local legends around the Carnelian River, it was the offspring of a three-headed hellhound.

Unfortunately, it was very old now.

The smell of rice porridge wafted from the stove, and the old dog twitched its nose before lying down again.

Vivian's stomach growled, but she still carefully climbed onto the stool, using a broken ceramic bowl to scoop up the porridge. She gently blew on it and then used a wooden spoon to feed the young man on the bed. She was too small and weak to lift her brother, so she could only feed him slowly.

"Brother!"

"Eat quickly! You'll get better after you eat!..."

"Everything will be fine."

As she spoke, tears fell again. She wiped them away, put down the bowl, and climbed down to close the door.

This was the slum of Amber City.

A place filled with thieves, robbers, and human traffickers. It was difficult for a young, vulnerable girl to survive here. If she wasn't careful and didn't have Heath to protect her, she would likely be kidnapped in broad daylight. All it would take is a damp cloth soaked in a sedative to cover her mouth and nose, and she would quickly lose consciousness, then be sold to human traffickers. Many young girls in the slums disappeared this way, and sometimes even attractive women were kidnapped.

"Heath!"

Vivian fed the man on the bed, and when he had swallowed most of the bowl, she hurriedly drank a few sips, washed her small hands and face with water, and then, despite the pain from her back, she crawled into the moldy blanket. She hugged the young man's arm and said to the old dog at the door, "If anyone comes, bark!"

"I know what they're thinking."

"They want to sell me to Sosia, that woman, while Brother is unconscious!"

"That way, they can get some money."

Growing up in the slums, she knew far more than other children her age. Sosia was the largest human trafficker in the slums, selecting and training young girls to become prostitutes, then sending them to brothels in Amber City.

An eight-year-old girl had no chance of surviving in the slums.

A determined look appeared in Vivian's eyes as she leaned down and gently kissed the forehead of the young man on the bed, her voice low, "If I have to be sold, I'll do it myself!"

"Then I'll use the money to hire a real priest, maybe to save Brother."

She knew what fate awaited her!

Sosia would raise her for a few years, teach her how to serve men, and if she was beautiful enough, she would be sent to some noble in the city. Otherwise, she would end up in a low-class brothel.

But for Brother.

She was willing to do anything, as he was her only family.

The sound of fighting could be heard from outside.

Vivian shrank into the blanket, and the old dog at the door also showed a fierce look.

It was a territorial dispute between Kellen and Savi in the slums. Since her brother was severely injured by a terrifying wizard, many thieves in the slums had died. The original leaders had all been killed in the streets, and the remaining people had fought many times over territory. No guards came to intervene, as this was a forgotten corner of Amber City.

They were fighting over the territory and the children in the slums.

Because every gang needed to train children to steal. Her brother had become a thief to support her.

Vivian's memories of her parents were vague!

She only knew that her mother had once had a husband, a skilled thief, who had died in a wizard's tower after accepting a mission.

From that moment on.

Wizards became the most terrifying existence in her young mind!

That man was her brother's biological father, though she had not been born yet, she had heard her brother mention him.

Later.

Her mother and young brother went through a period of hardship, even working as a waitress in a tavern, which was essentially a part-time prostitute. Vivian knew this, and she understood far more than other children her age. This life continued until her mother met a mysterious adventurer.

Soon, she became pregnant again.

The adventurer did not marry her but kept her as a mistress. That man was Vivian's biological father.

He was said to be a powerful professional.

Heath was his pet, and he mysteriously disappeared later.

Only the old dog remained with them.

Her mother, having lost two men, began to lose her mind, even suffering from a form of mental illness, and eventually died of illness.

At that time, she was only three years old.

Her brother was twelve.

The two young children, having lost their parents, soon ended up on the streets. Her brother often fought with others to compete for meager food.

Later, her brother joined a gang and became a qualified thief.

At that time.

Their lives gradually stabilized, and they had a place to live in the chaotic slums.

A piercing scream echoed.

Vivian trembled all over, hiding in the young man's arms. The old dog at the door suddenly stood up, its eyes glowing fiercely as it looked toward a distant alley.

Someone had died there!

In the slums, death was a common occurrence, and even the priests of the Dawn Temple would not care about the lives in the slums.

People nearby slammed their doors shut.

Some even picked up door bolts and locked their doors tightly. Vivian also got up and, with great effort, placed a door bolt.

Based on her years of living in the slums, if someone died, the problem would quickly escalate. The fighting would intensify, and it might affect the nearby residents.

Fear.

The fear in her heart made the little girl hug the old dog and bring it to the foot of the bed.

"Heath."

She looked out in fear, seeing shadows in the rain, people wielding weapons and fighting.

Blood filled the entire alley, then was washed away by the rain.

A faint smell of blood could be detected!

Vivian leaned down and touched the old dog's head, her small body trembling with fear. She whispered, "Will you protect me?"

"Awooo!"

The old dog suddenly barked.

The little girl was startled, but she soon realized that Heath was not barking at the outside but at the young man on the bed.

"Brother!?"

Vivian turned around in surprise, seeing that the young man on the bed had opened his eyes, his lips moving slightly.

The pressure and fear she had been carrying for so long suddenly burst forth!

The small figure threw herself into his arms, large, clear tears rolling down her young face.

………………

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