It is common.
Human greed sometimes requires no complex reason at all.
Cheng Shuili felt nauseated again. In this place, it wasn't just that the beastmen didn't treat humans as people; the humans had stopped treating themselves as people, too.
The environment shapes a person, and the environment changes them.
Cheng Shuili didn't know when this environment might change, so she could only do her best to ensure she wasn't changed by it.
Cheng Shuili didn't ask further, only saying, "You are free now. You can go wherever you want."
Su Rui looked up abruptly, staring at her in disbelief: "You... you aren't going to make me work for you?"
Eight hundred game coins is no small amount!
Cheng Shuili shrugged: "I bought you on a whim, and it happened to repay the favor of that tactical belt. I didn't intend to order anyone around."
Su Rui’s eyes reddened. She clenched her fists and suddenly bowed deeply: "...Thank you."
Cheng Shuili waved her hand and turned to leave, but Su Rui hurriedly called out to her: "Wait!"
"Something else?"
Su Rui took a deep breath, her eyes firm: "I want to stay with you for a while... at least let me pay back the game coins."
Cheng Shuili sized her up for a few moments, then suddenly smiled: "Fine."
Of course, she wasn't actually that generous.
The guide had said that slaves are absolutely loyal, while servants have the potential for betrayal. If Su Rui wasn't following her of her own volition, what use would it be to force her?
What do they call this tactic again?
Playing hard to get.
The guide interjected from the side: "Human lady, time is almost up. It is time to head back."
Cheng Shuili nodded and glanced at Su Rui again.
The guide couldn't help but add: "Kind human lady, this servant of yours is no longer your kind, nor does she possess the ability to live on her own. If you tell her to leave, you are only harming her."
Cheng Shuili paused, her gaze sweeping over the pale-faced Su Rui beside her.
What the guide said must be true, but what did it mean that she didn't possess the ability to live on her own?
"Servants only obey their master’s orders to perform specific tasks. When we speak of loyalty, we refer to the degree to which they execute the master’s instructions. Slaves will complete a task one hundred percent, while a servant’s completion rate might only be eighty percent; they add their own perspectives when working. Most beastman buyers cannot accept that."
That is quite a strong need for control.
Cheng Shuili didn't show her reaction, signaling the guide to continue.
"Neither servants nor slaves have a sense of taste, and they don't need to eat. Five hundred milliliters of drinking water a day is enough to maintain their vital signs. I recall that you humans die if you don't sleep for too long, right? Servants and slaves have no such trouble; that aspect is entirely up to the master’s arrangements."
"Furthermore, neither servants nor slaves can actively harm their master. That is the premise upon which our beastman buyers are willing to purchase them."
Cheng Shuili was silent for a moment, unable to stop herself from thinking that servants were actually quite cost-effective.
The most ordinary slaves over there cost 1,000 game coins, while ordinary servants only cost 800.
That is a twenty percent discount.
Cheng Shuili looked at Su Rui, who was standing to the side. She hadn't been sold for long, so compared to the slaves over there, she had suffered relatively little.
But looking at her dispirited expression, it was clear she had suffered a significant blow.
Cheng Shuili didn't say anything, tapping her back to signal her to follow.
The guide only followed them to where Cheng Shuili had parked.
Su Rui was visibly startled when she saw the off-road vehicle parked there. Cheng Shuili had originally found it a bit strange, but after opening the door, she remembered that this person also owned an off-road vehicle.
That explained it.
Cheng Shuili didn't offer any comfort, simply nudging her inside.
Su Rui owned an off-road vehicle herself, so she naturally knew what they looked like after upgrades. When she saw the layout inside Cheng Shuili’s car, she was completely stunned.
No way?
This is an off-road vehicle?
Air conditioning, a washing machine, a bed that looked at least six feet wide, and not only was there a bed, but there was a mattress!
That mattress was so thick!
Just by looking at it, Su Rui could imagine how soft it was!
This...
When Cheng Shuili had handed over eight hundred game coins without blinking, Su Rui hadn't realized anything. But now, seeing the cozy interior and luxurious decor of the vehicle, she finally realized...
Her initial thought was correct!
This person is terrifyingly strong!
She is definitely someone famous on the leaderboard.
Cheng Shuili introduced the infrastructure inside the vehicle to Su Rui, then climbed into the driver’s seat and drove the car out of the garbage station.
The guards at the entrance silently watched them leave.
Cheng Shuili had originally planned to drive for a while and stop once the garbage station was out of sight. Before she could even hit the brakes, there was a knock on the driver’s side door from the outside.
This felt quite novel.
Cheng Shuili instinctively hit the brakes and looked back: "What’s wrong?"
Su Rui’s voice was a bit reserved: "Let me drive. You rest for a while. I can also open crates; if you trust me, you can give me a weapon."
Cheng Shuili paused, her fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel as she studied Su Rui’s tense face through the rearview mirror.
The corners of her mouth curled up, and she pushed open the door: "Sure, you drive."
The two swapped positions. Cheng Shuili handed the stat-boosting dagger to Su Rui. Regardless, a servant wouldn't actively harm their master, so giving her a weapon was fine.
Cheng Shuili stood behind Su Rui, watching her skillful operation.
This felt a bit like using an automatic driving card, but the overall experience definitely surpassed that of an automatic driving card because it could open crates automatically.
Su Rui suddenly looked back at the person standing behind her and asked: "Come to think of it, what should I call you?"
Cheng Shuili was silent for a moment before giving her real name. They would be spending a long time together; knowing each other’s names was only a matter of time.
"And your ID?"
That was asking a bit too much, but having curiosity was normal.
Cheng Shuili: "Angry Crow Takes Flight."
"What?"
The car suddenly jerked as Su Rui hit the brakes. Cheng Shuili was pushed forward by the momentum, but she instantly steadied herself. Su Rui realized she had lost her composure, coughing twice and apologizing: "I’m sorry, I was just... too surprised."
Her fingers were tightly gripping the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. Her eyes were wide as she snuck glances at Cheng Shuili’s expression in the rearview mirror, as if confirming whether she had misheard.
"You... you are that Angry Crow Takes Flight?" Su Rui’s voice trembled. "The one ranked first on the leaderboard?"
Cheng Shuili leaned back in her seat, smiling faintly: "What, do I not look like it?"
"No! It’s not that..." Su Rui shook her head frantically, nearly driving the car into a ditch on the side of the road, then scrambled to steer back onto the path.
Her earlobes were turning red at a visible speed.
Cheng Shuili observed her ears with interest; she truly hadn't expected Su Rui to have this reaction.
"No wonder you dared to wear shorts in the freezing snow, no wonder you weren't afraid at all..."
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