Chapter 10 Casta

On this continent, there were two great citadels, four medium citadels, and numerous small citadels.

Small citadels were dependent and had no jurisdiction over this continent.

The place they wanted to go to was one of the two great citadels.

Tu An wondered why A Ky Man and Khac Na Lang stayed here knowing how bad it was.

According to A Ky Man, except for the 6 citadels rated above, the remaining were not too different. To enter those great ones required a certain level of competence; otherwise, a person could only be a slave to others, and very few were willing to take such risks; they would rather suffer a little hunger and cold than become slaves and have their rights taken away.

A Ky Man and Khac Na Lang were both born and nurtured in the nearby tribes, and they became members of the current citadel after several conflicts and mergers. They were among the few who dared to leave, but their future remained uncertain.

Since their tribe united with two neighboring tribes, tensions and arguments ensued, making A Ky Man and Khac Na Lang increasingly disillusioned with this society.

When Khac Na Lang was injured while fighting to protect the citadel, the majority of the people in the citadel wanted to abandon and give up on him. As a result, Khac Na Lang made the decision to leave.

It was only a pity they hadn't had time to avenge themselves, for there would be a battle to choose people to join their army the following time at a great citadel. Khac Na Lang was eager to take part in this fight.

The outside world was not so beautiful, but it was colorful.

Tu An came to terms with the fact that he was the one who had to carry everything. That was due to the fact that Khac Na Lang had to lead the way, hunt, and beware of danger.

Khac Na Lang, on the other hand, did not entirely regard him as a slave.

Tu An knew this because he had seen how other people treated their slaves with his own eyes.

Slaves had classes as well, and the slave class was highly distinct.

They had just arrived in a citadel where there was a bustling market with a product called "slaves", the slave trade was open to the public, and each slave was clearly marked with a price.

The cost of a healthy slave was about twenty pieces of animal skin. A wimpy slave would be two pieces. The strong slave might have some clothing, whereas the weak one had nothing to wear.

Tu An was a slave as well. Tu An thought he was merely a weak type if he had to be classified.

Tu An, on the other hand, was covered in animal skin clothing, and there were two more sets in a little bag slung over his shoulder. All were given by Khac Na Lang.

The slaves were not allowed to eat at the same time as the master; instead, they were only allowed to eat the leftovers after the master had finished eating. Tu An ate with Khac Na Lang most of the time. And if they had a lot, they ate a lot; if they had a little, they ate less.

This was a highly developed citadel, while it was not one of the continent's six most famous citadels, but it was still more advanced than their former location, at least in terms of the "wall" surrounding it, which was built of wood. Tu An heard A Ky Man saying that the two great citadels' "walls" were made of stone, were extremely high, and were painted in a variety of colors.

Residents at the previous citadel were required to join groups to go hunting or stay in defense, but this was no longer the case here. They might work together or hunt separately, and the profits could be split among them. They would only have to pay a portion of the cost, not the entire cost.

The citadel's army would receive the portion offered by other hunters, and they might go out for a meal in their spare time.

Everything could be brought to a market and traded.

When Khac Na Lang and A Ky Man entered the citadel, they could obtain two wooden cards, but Tu An was unable because he was a slave.

There was a lot of vacant land in the city since the land was not worth it. They didn't have a plan for that, so newcomers could randomly choose an area and hang a giant leaf, and then that site was theirs. Khac Na Lang chose a good location which was near the stream and was greeted with pleasant morning light.

Khac Na Lang and A Ky Man were about to go hunting, so Khac Na Lang gave Tu An the stone linked with the slave collar on his neck, saying:

"Later, I will buy you a better brace."

A better brace was the one that would extend the distance more.

Tu An didn't want to, but he also didn't dare to speak to Khac Na Lang directly like that.

Khac Na Lang was no longer worried about Tu An escaping. He knew Tu An was smart enough.

Tu An was straightening a few items up after Khac Na Lang had left when someone came over.

He, also, was a slave, and he was wearing a necklace, which was most likely the high-class thing Khac Na Lang had referred to.

He was wearing nicer clothes than Tu An and had long hair, but he had the same black eyes as Tu An.

He had noticed Tu An because of this shared similarity. He raised his eyes to Tu An and asked:

"Hello, my name is Casta, and you've only recently moved here, I suppose."

Tu An didn't want to hold a grudge against anyone since his status wasn't high-ranking, so he agreed to humble the person in front of him:

"Hello, we're new here."

Casta laughed:

"How dare you use the word 'we,' your Master adores you, doesn't he?"

Tu An didn't know what to say, so he continued to do his job silently, not caring about others who were unwilling to speak with him.

Casta got angry and tugged on Tu An's arm:

"Hey, didn't you hear what I said?"

Tu An jerked his arm away, but a voice from outside interrupted him before he could respond:

"Casta, are you there? Keran has returned."

Casta seemed a bit rushed and scared, he pushed Tu An again, raising his voice threateningly:

"This place does not welcome you; leave as soon as possible. My lord is the most powerful person in this area, and if you don't leave soon, I'll make you regret it."

Casta quickly walked away after saying that.

He did not, of course, manage to shove Tu An down. Casta was not stronger than Tu An. He believed that if they fought, he would definitely win.

But Casta's Master should not be offended, and he didn't want to cause trouble for Khac Na Lang. They were, after all, newcomers.