The road had been frozen for too long. Carriages creaked as they passed by. After five days on foot, Idiot finally reached his first destination—Kuwait Town. By taking the magic train from here, he could save an immeasurable amount of travel time.
Kuwait Town belonged to the Crystal Ice Republic at the intersection with three countries but it wasn't devoted to governing the town for its little resources and chaos brought by the instability of the border.
Officially, it was the Crystal Ice Republic's territory, but in reality, no one had little influence over the town, making people feel like it was a state almost without laws within the Republic.
"Wow!"
Blood Extinguish's whistle wasn't because of the desolate nature of the place; on the contrary, the bustle here far exceeded what a lawless area should possess.
At the entrance of Kuwait Town, a large banner hung, surrounded by colorful balloons. Stalls lined both sides of the main road leading to the town's center, selling groceries, food, and even the forbidden magic $fortune-telling$
"It's so lively here! Hey, hey, is this really an undeveloped town without any special resources? It almost feels like a big city!"
Crowds thronged, yet Blood Extinguisher's bloody eye did not open. Still, its voice did not hesitate to penetrate Idiot's mind.
Witnessing the bustling scene, the frost covering Idiot's eyes grew thicker. He had heard about this town in Senag, and the reviews about this were never positive. But such a scene at present meant something had happened here.
However, whatever occurred didn't concern idiots. Idiot was only interested in the train here and his destination, the City of Windblown Sand
"Idiot, aren't you going to look around since you are already here? How about enjoying its prosperous scene?"
Blood Extinguisher's voice always seemed so inducing.
"…"
"Tch, alright, I know! You are truly a fool, only interested in what concerns you, indifferent to everything else. Fine, fine! Let's go! Let's quickly catch that damned train and then head to the blasted Elk Empire's capital to eat sand and shit there!"
The fool ignored the dissatisfaction of the voice, looking down at the baby girl in his arms, who was sleeping sweetly, undisturbed by the noise around. Still, he tucked her closer into his embrace and pulled up the blanket to cover her ears.
Kuwait Town wasn't very big, probably only a quarter the size of Senag.Even the train's whistle from the north of town was clear.
Idiot headed straight for the train station. The bustling station was packed with people. The mix of vendors' yells and the train's whistle spread through the air, even livelier than the capital one. This commotion finally woke the baby, who started to cry.
"Damn it, the brat can do nothing except cry. Idiot, why not just ditch the useless brat and then do whatever you want? Isn't that so good for you?"
The dark voice still kept inducing and temptating with evil and didn't give up, although it had failed many times.
However, Idiot needed to persist continuously and refuse millions of times while the Blood Extinguisher only needed to win once for its intention.
The Idiot never glanced towards the sword, consoling the little infant, covering her ears with the swaddle, and holding her tight in his embrace. Perhaps feeling the protection, the baby's cries gradually ceased.
Exhaling softly, after giving the infant some water to drink, he approached the ticket booth, stood on tiptoes, and looked at the ticket seller who was nearly forty years old.
"To the City of Windblown Sand, how much?" he asked.
The ticket seller, busy trimming her nails, looked back upon hearing the question. After searching for a while, she finally saw a tattered beggar holding an infant and snorted.
"To the Elk Empire? For the express magic train, three hundred and twenty gold coins; for the regular express, two hundred. All prices are up there, read them yourself. Once done, hurry off and know your place, then don't disturb my business,"
she said harshly, not believing that the ten-year-old beggar could afford a ticket.
"The cheapest one, how much?" he persisted.
Surprisingly, his voice didn't waver with panic, it was still cold… as if even the bustling air around was about to freeze.
Looking out again, the train ticket seller fumbled out a ticket:
"I have one to the 'Sea of Death' desert transfer station. Though it isn't to the City of Windblown Sand, it's to the border of the Elk Empire, the cheapest and also not so far from your destination. Fifty gold coins, how about it?"
Fifty…
The Idiot's eyes remained frosty, his expressionless face staring at the seller, his icy gaze piercing into her eyes as if to freeze her heart.
Those icy eyes made her shiver and she retreated, waving the ticket and shouting.
"This is the cheapest, fifty! Since it's a cross-border train journey, any normal ticket is over a hundred gold coins! This is the only one for the next month, leaving at 18:00 in two days, take it or leave it! "
The seller looked out again, but all she could find was the bustling crowd.
"Weird, where did he go?"
…
Even a quite lively town has its quiet alleys. The Idiot quickly found such a lane, sat on the snowy ground, and took out his money bag.
"Two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve… good job, kid. The fifty gold coins you got for selling the princess are now mostly spent on this little girl's medicine and the pasta. Now you have only thirteen gold coins and two silver sones left, but the cheapest ticket costs fifty gold ones. Well, what will you do now? hahaha"
The horrible bloody eye opened, glaring maliciously at the infant in Idiot's arms. Yet, the little girl, oblivious, gazed curiously at the Idiot's face.
Reality is always harsh; a ticket for fifty coins couldn't be bought with thirteen. This meant two possibilities: one, give up going to the Elk Empire and stop trying; two, find a way to earn the remaining thirty-seven gold coins in just two days.
But… is that possible?
For a rat accustomed to the dark and crime, nothing is impossible.
Tucking away his money, Idiot carried the infant and moved to the alley's entrance like a ghost under the darkness, secretly watching every passerby outside. His eyes once again became those of a predator, cold and cruel.
The answer was simple, the fastest way to make money in the world is always through crime.
Building one's happiness on others' pain often jingles the loudest coins. Soon, the little beggar found his first prey—a woman about to buy apples, pulling out her purse while holding her child's hand.
"Theft? Or robbery? Either way, it's so dull. And thirty-seven gold coins isn't a small sum, is it? Hope you can gather that amount in three attempts or less. Ha, of course, if you won't be caught by these annoying guards."
The sword's sneer wasn't without reason, as Idiot also caught a glimpse of soldiers beside the street. On closer inspection, he realized that the town's guard was surprisingly abundant, with pairs of soldiers passing by every five to six minutes.
Under such tight security, making a move and then escaping… might not be so difficult. But if he was with the infant in his arms…
"Hahahaha! I told you before, right ? This little brat has been nothing but trouble and will never bring you any benefit! Haven't you realized it yet? Throw her away! Then, you can go and rob boldly without hesitation and burden."
The little beggar closed his eyes and thought for a while. Finally, as if he gave up on something, he planed to find a new way approaching his goal. But the sword didn't stop.
"If anyone dares to cause you trouble, just pull me out! Heh, it's been a long time since I felt the thrill of a massacre destroying a whole town, how about it?"
Blood Extinguisher spoke with mockery, but the Idiot didn't buy into such exaggeration.
How could he distinguish whether the devil cheated or not? It seemed that the demon just wanted blood from anyone. There was no reason that he was an exception.
For a rat living and growing in the sewer like him, untrusting anyone but self was a must to survive. Pull Blood Extinguisher out meant that he had to fight with numerous soidlers. Although he might win the fight and get enough wealth, he definitely would be wanted for the government arrest and then he would have to face troubles and dangers everyday.
He just thought that the devil was inducing him regularly as usual to make him abandon the baby girl.
"…"
The Idiot looked down at the infant, who was staring back at him with her green eyes. With the baby girl in his arms, he turned to walk into the dark alley just as he was in Senag…