The slums had their characteristics: too many people and narrow streets.
Once the city walls were breached, everyone scattered like headless flies. Countless monsters poured through the breach, a dark mass like a tide, and in the blink of an eye, residents had already perished at the hands of those monsters.
The Outer City District was no longer safe. Some clever individuals planned to flee to the Inner City; at this moment, only the inner city walls remained intact, still protected by advanced professionals. The Inner City was indeed much safer. However, Eileen had no intention of heading to the Inner City. On ordinary days, only nobles and big merchants could enter the Inner City. In such an emergency situation, it was even less likely for the poor to be allowed entry.
The best strategy was to find a place to hold out.
Eileen was very familiar with the slums. She quickly located a spot suitable for defense, backed by the city wall, with sturdy buildings nearby and some distance from the breach—a place that could be considered the best option in a short time.
The horde of monsters appeared before her eyes.
Eileen had often heard about them from her parents, but this was her first time seeing these monsters. They varied in appearance, but their common feature was their ferocity, ugliness, and the fearsome aura they emitted. It was said these were dark creatures sent by the Evil God to invade the world.
A swarm of spiders lunged over. They were the size of infants, covered in dark purple, dripping corrosive ooze from their mouths with a hissing sound.
These were the lowest-ranked Demon Spiders, yet still terrifying. Their venom had an intense corrosiveness, and many warriors would be severely injured if caught off guard.
Eileen's mind flashed with information on common dark creatures. Then she extended her hands to gather the surrounding Ice Element, taking action for the first time since her Awakening.
The temperature dropped instantly, as Ice Crystals formed in her palm.
The ice crystal pierced through the Demon Spiders, then shattered, sending fragments flying and freezing one spider after another to the ground.
For dealing with these weak in strength yet numerous dark creatures, mages like her had an advantage.
However, there were too many Demon Spiders, an endless source of them, with the screams of humans occasionally piercing through the air.
Backed against the city wall, this spot was relatively safe, having not encountered the terrible monsters within the Black Tide. However, even dealing with just these Demon Spiders had Eileen looking pale. Her Magic Power was nearly depleted, the situation hadn't improved the slightest, and she saw that the soldiers on the wall were almost entirely wiped out.
Three years earlier, she only knew the Black Tide was terrifying, yet it wasn't until now that she deeply felt this sense of powerlessness...
In the distance, the Inner City was amidst flames of war, while the Outer City had long since fallen silent. Eileen didn't know how many survivors were left in the Outer City, but she understood that she could no longer cast any spells, about to end up like the devoured dead.
Was it unwillingness...
If she hadn't Awakened three years ago, she might have died long ago; however...
The Demon Spiders pounced toward her, their venom corroding her cloak, drizzling on her skin, and causing intense pain that surged through her nerves.
Eileen instead became calm...
Her calm eyes rippled with a slight wave.
"... Would you like to become a follower of the Lord? Yes/No?"
A golden scroll appeared before her, seeming to dispel the endless darkness.
A shift in time and space.
Eileen's vision blurred, the overwhelming Black Tide vanished, the sounds of battle and screams disappeared, and what appeared before her was a tavern.
She was astonished to find she felt no pain at all. Though her robe was still in tatters, her skin was unharmed, and all her injuries completely healed. She even noticed that her Magic Power was fully replenished in an instant, restored to its best state.
Eileen pinched herself lightly, quickly realizing that everything was real. This wasn't Heaven or Hell; as the Contract indicated, this was another world.
She had arrived here as a follower, where everything would begin anew.
The soft glow of orange lantern light enveloped her. The surroundings were silent. Eileen lifted her gaze and finally locked eyes with a young man not far away, whose face was adorned with a gentle smile.
She was startled for a moment, then stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
The illusory figure on the Rune Array transformed into reality. The girl's clothes were tattered, the original large cloak had become strips of cloth fluttering around, stained with blood of many colors.
Tang Yu saw that the girl seemed to still be in a daze. He prepared to step forward, but then his raised foot suddenly stopped in mid-air...
As a Lord, facing his first follower, and it was a girl no less, what should he say at this moment?
Tang Yu was a little troubled by not preparing a script beforehand and couldn't ask Baidu, so perhaps... Hello, comrades. Comrades, you have worked hard?
That didn't seem suitable.
His peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the wine on the bar. Tang Yu's eyes lit up, and he walked forward to grab a bottle, handing it over.
Just then, Eileen stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
The atmosphere was incredibly awkward...
Eileen followed behind the Lord, still feeling as if in a dream.
First narrowly escaping death, then being summoned to this world and infused with information from the Contract's power in her mind, she didn't feel any discomfort; the language, common sense, and such in this world seemed instinctive in her daily life.
Because of this, she was surprised, and now, under the Lord's guidance, she arrived at a castle.
As a child growing up in the slums, Eileen had never seen anything . The castle was resplendent, yet she was covered in dirt, feeling as if she were sullying a beautiful painting by entering it.
She dared not step inside, but the Lord led her in, leaving dark footprints on the floor until arriving in a spacious, bright room.
"This is the bathroom... Clothes are on the rack over there. They might not fit, so just make do for now... As for food, I'll prepare some; it should be ready when you come out..."
The door clicked shut, but Eileen's mind continued to echo with the Lord's words; before her was such a beautiful room.
Her expression was still somewhat dazed. Recalling her life, ever since her parents passed away, life had plunged into darkness, bullied and ostracized, surrounded by ill-intentioned people. Yet today, she felt warmth again.
Eileen blinked, tears welling in her eyes. She removed her clothes and stepped into the warm bath. Water rose over her knees, and the Lord's gentle smile flashed in her mind.
Gradually, Eileen sat down, the water rising above her shoulders, washing away the grime.
She closed her eyes, and in her heart, a new resolve formed.
Tang Yu hummed a tune as he busied himself in the kitchen.
He couldn't actually cook, at most just able to boil some noodles. Luckily, the castle's household appliances were advanced. He tinkered a bit and managed to prepare something.
Returning to the second-floor bathroom door, he looked at the closed bathroom door, listening to the sound of water splashing inside, and for a moment, Tang Yu found his heart racing.
Although Eileen's cloak was broken, she'd been through mud, looking quite pitiful. He hadn't really seen what she looked like, only listened to her voice, which was crisp and pleasant.
He thought Eileen would take a long time in the bathroom, but soon, accompanied by the sound of the door opening, mist expanded outside.
Suddenly, Tang Yu found himself expectant.
A clean, white foot appeared in view, looking like the finest ivory. As his gaze moved upward...
Tang Yu involuntarily swallowed his saliva.
Eileen appeared as if she'd stepped out of a painting; she had sky-blue hair, almost reaching down to her waist, with droplets of water clinging to the ends that hadn't fully dried. Her small face was flushed, her skin fair and smooth, resembling radiant ice crystals.
The oversized men's coat draped over Eileen concealed her slender frame, but her pale thighs nearly exposed to the air, seemed to twist with some restlessness...
For a moment, Tang Yu felt his blood surge, realizing he might need a boost of nutrition.