Chapter 3

Raven's attempt to stop it was a step too late.

In the forest, a black net suddenly flew out, easily covering little Zak. Before anyone could react, two dark figures pounced from the trees, quickly pulling Zak and the net back.

Even in that instant, the two forest goblins glanced at Raven from five meters away, as if to say, "Why wasn't the idiot who came to the edge of the forest you?"

Chilled to the bone!

Raven, like the grieving mother, could do nothing. He could only watch helplessly as little Zak was dragged up the tree and torn apart by the forest goblins, who ate the bloody chunks of flesh on the spot.

The guards tried to shoot arrows to save Zak, but the forest was too dense and dark. One missed shot, and Zak was immediately dragged deep into the forest, and soon even his final screams disappeared.

The refugees fell into a deathly silence, each one backing away from the forest, trying to stay within the light of the fire pits.

Mary, the village general store owner, cried out to the other villagers, asking about her husband's whereabouts: "Mallock, has anyone seen my Mallock... my Mallock..."

Mallock was Mary's husband, newly married, who was dragged away during last night's church defense. Many saw the already injured Mallock being dragged to the roof opposite the church, screaming as he was eaten alive...

No one dared to respond to Mary's demands, and no one had the courage to tell her the truth, nor did anyone have a way to comfort a woman who had just lost her husband.

The Aotu world is cruel, with humans and other civilized races constantly fighting monsters and beasts for living space. Whenever a city cannot accommodate more people or needs more food, there are always pioneers leading a group of poor people seeking hope to open up new land.

Some lucky ones establish themselves and become local lords.

More often, like Raven and Mary, they lose their homes due to the incompetence of their lords, unable to resist the monster invasions, and are forced to return to the big cities.

Entering a big city does not mean safety; rather, it marks the beginning of another dangerous journey.

"Karin, we need to conserve our strength."

"Bro, we're already at the Golden City."

Raven coldly replied, "Didn't you see the look in that constable's eyes? It's the look of a pig being sent to the slaughterhouse."

"..."

A fat man with a large belly stood on a platform, gesturing for the gathered refugees to be quiet: "I am Constable Parker. Listen to me, you are safe now. The Golden City has only one rule: no public disturbances. Other rules are the same as in all cities. Go in with peace of mind; many places are short of people, and I believe the enthusiastic citizens will welcome you." After announcing this, he led everyone into the city and acted as a guide.

The Golden City was indeed beautiful, with lanterns hanging more than two meters above the ground on many streets, making it a city that never sleeps. The wide cobblestone roads, wide enough for two light carriages to pass, had a one-and-a-half-meter-wide sidewalk, far superior to the muddy paths in the village.

However, as the constable led the refugees to the secondary streets, it was clear that these led to the slums. Here, there was only one lantern holder at the entrance of three or four alleys, and if residents needed to enter or leave at night, they had to pay two copper coins to hire a lantern holder to guide them, otherwise, no one would know what happened in the dark alleys.

"Alright, from now on, the lantern holders will be your best guides."

The constable left gracefully, leaving a group of bewildered people.

A scar-faced lantern holder approached first: "We have eight single men here who need women. Who's coming?"

Another lantern holder chimed in: "Boss Heath needs a few nimble kids."

A third one said, "We need a few miners."

The survivors from Aras finally understood. In the eyes of the big shots in the Golden City, they were no different from stray dogs on the street.

More and more people appeared in the darkness, surrounding the survivors from Aras.

"No, no! I just want a proper job and a small house..." Mary screamed. But her screams only drew the attention of the men.

A strong-looking man grabbed her, ignoring her screams and struggles, and carried her to a mud-brick house not far from the alley entrance.

Soon, Mary's screams were replaced by heavy breathing.

Karin covered her mouth in disbelief. Just half an hour ago, Mary was frantically searching for her husband, and now she had submitted...

One by one, people were forcibly taken away.

This was reality. The Golden City cruelly and coldly accepted the refugees. The high and mighty nobles not only needed more food but also more commoners to maintain the city's luxury.

Raven chose to quickly take Karin away. He could clearly sense the greedy looks in the eyes of many people.

He knew all too well what would happen to a handsome fifteen-year-old boy and a pretty thirteen-year-old girl in the Golden City. Even if they were temporarily accepted by a commoner, within two days, a gang would come knocking. They would be ambushed or drugged, and when they woke up, they would likely end up in the hands of Masna, who controlled all the brothels in the Golden City...

"Let's go."

"Where to?"

"I know a place that can safely accept us." Raven used all his strength to run with Karin, weaving through the streets and alleys, and after a few turns, they finally shook off the few malicious pursuers.

Raven panted heavily, his injuries still affecting him. Now, it was sheer willpower driving his body.

The Golden City had the largest slave trade center and commodity trading center on the entire continent, and its actual controller was the Church of Wealth, dedicated to the goddess Vorgin.

On the surface, the Church of Wealth was absolutely neutral and preached religious equality, but in reality, any player in the game would consider the Church of Wealth to be neutral evil. For the sake of wealth, there was nothing the Church of Wealth wouldn't do. As long as they were paid, even evil gods could easily spread their teachings in the Golden City. Good-aligned churches that couldn't afford to pay were all kicked out.

In the game, the Golden City was the best and the worst place for new players.

The best because it had everything, and almost anything could be bought.

The worst because it was full of disgusting people and events, and many players had woken up to find themselves sold to slave camps.

If Raven dared to stay in the slums, they would only meet their end.

The gods in the Aotu world had corresponding divine domains, which were the areas they governed. The gods and their churches would only protect those within their domains.

In the Golden City, there were only two places that could protect Raven and Karin from the magic of money. One was the Church of Heim, the god of guardians, but Raven had nothing to do with guardians in his two lives, so that was ruled out. The only remaining choice was the Forge Association of Gond, the god of craftsmanship and forging.

"I know an old dwarf named Wulfgar Macehammer. He might be our only option." Raven said, recalling his former forging skills, hoping he wasn't too rusty, or the old dwarf might refuse to take him as an apprentice, which would be a disaster.

Following his memory, Raven instinctively dragged his equally staggering sister Karin. He was severely injured, and Karin was exhausted.

Unexpected events always happen when you least want them to.

A tall man suddenly appeared in front of them, walked up to them, and pinched Karin's chin, saying, "Wow, a beauty!"

As soon as he spoke, Raven knew something was wrong. Seeing the black pattern on the man's cloak, Raven's mind went blank.

The Black Erosion Church?

Why did they have to run into these guys!?

Just as he was about to say something, the man sneered and threw a slightly moldy black bread at him, "Don't make me use force. Take this and get lost! This beauty is mine from now on."

The Golden City was the most indifferent, greedy, and money-obsessed place in the entire Aotu continent. Commoners had no status, only slightly better than slaves, existing purely to serve the rich in the Golden City. So, the behavior of the Black Erosion believers was not only not stopped but also encouraged by onlookers.

The weak Karin could not resist the brute's strength, and her feeble struggles only seemed to excite and invite him.

Raven realized he had to make a choice.

Would he be a coward for the rest of his life, or choose to be a hero for three seconds?