Chapter 1: Daming County

Mafa Continent, New Min Year 323, late winter, Northern Kingdom, Uganda Province, Chris County, Daming County.

Daming County is a typical mountainous county town, where agriculture relies entirely on the flatlands around the river valleys. Every year, under the attacks of various wild beasts and monsters in the mountains, it barely manages to sustain the lives of some of its people. The largest source of income for Daming County is the mines, and the vast majority of able-bodied men, as long as they have a bit of strength, work in the mines scattered around the area.

Daming County is also the only county town in Chris County without any nearby towns, standing alone in the valley, surrounded by mountains, which are mostly mines. Roads extend from the city gates into the mountains.

At the Bianchi mine entrance, Dolei painfully got up from the ground, watching the backs of Odo and his gang who had stolen three Mafa copper coins from him. He let out a light sigh, feeling neither regret nor anger, because he still had two Mafa copper coins left. These two coins were enough for him to survive the day. His tattered clothes were covered in dirt, making him look like a mud monkey.

Every morning, he would come to the Bianchi mine to break rocks, from morning until night. Due to his frailty, he could only earn five Mafa copper coins a day, which was roughly one-fifth of an adult's income. After a day of working in the mine, he would return home only to have three coins stolen by Odo and his gang. It was almost impossible for Dolei not to feel resentment. However, he was alone, while Odo had a few hooligan underlings and was the son of a small manager, Sam, at the mine. If he fought back and beat Odo, he would lose his job, and he relied on these few coins to survive.

Sighing, he patted the dirt off his clothes, rubbed his sore arm, and walked heavily towards his small shack.

The house was left by his father, who was also a miner. Two years ago, he died from silicosis, suffering greatly. After his father's death, his mother disappeared one night, leaving him alone. He barely managed to survive by working in the mine every day.

Two years have passed, and the once lively and happy Dolei is long gone, leaving only a numb and barely surviving Dolei.

He is twelve years old, and by all accounts, should be in school, but there is no school for him to attend.

The Bianchi mine is a distance from the city, and on the way, there is a market where miners buy food after work before returning home. This market is the largest near the Bianchi mine.

Because Dolei was robbed by Odo, he returned a bit later, and the road was empty and quiet. He only felt the hustle and bustle when he passed through the market.

As he entered the market, a man approached him, patted his shoulder, and said in a low, weary voice, "Don't think too much, go back and rest well. You have to work tomorrow."

Dolei looked at the man and nodded without saying a word.

This was his coworker, Dodo Olem, who is thirty years old. He has two sons, both around four or five years old, and his entire family depends on his job to survive.

Dodo left, and Dolei, with his tired steps, approached a regular food stall. He carefully took out a copper coin and handed it to the aunt selling food, saying, "Three rice balls."

The aunt looked at Dolei without much expression, took the coin, put it in the drawer, and quickly wrapped three rice balls and handed them to Dolei.

Dolei lowered his head, extended his hands to receive the rice balls, and said, "Thank you." His hands were trembling from hunger.

The aunt didn't speak, as she was busy serving other customers.

Dolei walked out of the stall, shakily unwrapped the rice balls, and took a quick bite of one.

The rice balls weren't very nutritious, but they were the only affordable thing Dolei could buy.

He ate two of the three rice balls, feeling a bit fuller, and saved the last one for a dog he had picked up over the past few days.

Dolei felt like he was going crazy these days. He himself was barely surviving and on the verge of starvation, yet he still had the heart to sympathize with a dog.

However, it was strange. The first time Dolei saw the dog, he felt a strange emotion, a desire to take care of it and keep it alive, even if it meant feeding it only once a day.

Surviving gives hope, his father used to say.

Dolei lived in the slums of Daming City, not far from the city gate. Upon entering the city gate, you could see rows of low, dilapidated, and even broken houses on the left side of the main road. This was the famous slum, where garbage, sewage, and mud were everywhere, and no one managed it. The slum was filled with starving poor people, and even thieves rarely came here.

Near the main road, women could be seen standing at their doorways, trying to attract customers. These women were average in appearance but easy to maintain, often charging only five copper coins for a night, which was very cheap. These women often tried to attract Dolei with their white thighs, but he never looked, as he himself was barely surviving and couldn't afford to help others. He could only look and satisfy his curiosity at the door.

When he reached his front door, he pushed it open, and a gray, yellow, and black-striped dog happily darted out, licking his hand and wagging its tail wildly. Dolei casually threw the rice ball to it.

"Odo, go eat."

He named the dog Odo, feeling quite excited. He wondered what Odo's expression would be if it could understand him.

Odo looked at the rice ball, hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and limped into the room, wagging its tail happily as it walked.

The room was dark, with no light. Feeling his way to his bed, Dolei lay down, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him. Within seconds, he was snoring.

Soon, Odo limped over from the corner, not wagging its tail this time. Its eyes were filled with scrutiny and seriousness as it looked at the sleeping Dolei, its face showing complex emotions.

"I never thought that I, the hellhound Bal, would be surviving on a few rice balls. This world is truly strange. This kid eats so little in a day and still shares with me. It's touching. I'll stay here for a while and wait until I recover some of my strength. This kid and I have a connection, so I'll give him some benefits."

The hellhound turned its head, looking around the room, and shook its head.

A small room, a bed, and no usable furniture—this was Dolei's home. Thieves occasionally visited, making life even harder for the child.

After staying here for a few days, although it was uncomfortable, Odo felt he couldn't leave yet. He still owed the child something.

Indeed, without those few rice balls, he probably wouldn't have survived.

He felt frustrated. If not for that traitor, he wouldn't have been defeated by the three-tailed fox and nearly died. How could he have made such a low-level mistake? If not for Dolei picking him up, he would have really died.

Thinking about this, the hellhound's face was filled with complex emotions.

Looking at the sleeping Dolei, the hellhound Odo opened its mouth and spat out a beam of colorful light, which flew towards Dolei's head.

The beam was small, only the size of a thumb, and disappeared quickly after touching Dolei's forehead.

...

For the past few days, Dolei didn't know why, but he had the same dream every night. In the dream, he saw himself as a gentleman in strange clothes, using a kind of flame to burn every evil creature he saw. The feeling was very strange but also very powerful.