### Chapter 43: Extortion
“Eh… Ah?”
Betty appeared a bit dazed, her small face frozen in confusion. Obviously, she couldn’t see the shady intentions lurking in the crowd, but those gazes couldn’t escape my keen eyes.
There was one by the stone slab stall on the east, and two more lurking in the crowd to the west…
At least three people were staring at us, and it had been more than a quarter of an hour.
Evil intentions, huh…
Hehe, interesting, interesting~
I tilted my head thoughtfully, my eyeballs rolling around, then I leaned toward the little girl, gesturing, “Let’s get out of here, let’s leave first.”
“W-what are we doing…”
Feeling like I had no time for her confusion, I grabbed Betty’s hand and pulled her out through the crowd. After a few steps, she seemed to suddenly realize what I meant, her shoulders shook, and panic set in.
“W-who’s watching us…”
The little girl instinctively started looking around, but I pressed down on her head, forcing her to stay still: “Don’t look, just follow me.”
“What’s going on? I didn’t see anyone…”
“They’re professionals at following. You won’t see a thing.”
“Oh…”
Dazed, the little girl replied as I led her through the streets, pulling her out of the market and into a quieter alley. Those three were hanging back, perhaps thinking the daylight was still too bright and there were too many pedestrians around, so they had no intention of closing in just yet.
So I slowed my pace, pretending to admire the scenery, rummaging through a basket by the roadside as if I were a starving, homeless little beggar. Though Betty looked bewildered and anxious, not quite grasping what I was up to, she finally picked up on some cues and clutched my clothes, trembling as she followed.
“Hey, Sister…”
After distancing ourselves a little further, the sunlight began to fade, and the number of passersby seemed to decline. The three shadows lurking at the corner started moving closer, and when Betty accidentally caught sight of them, she hugged my arm tightly, fear creeping into her voice: “Who are those people…?”
“Dunno.”
“And they’re following us… what do they want…?”
I tapped my chin, thought for a second, and replied, “To give us money.”
“Give…”
The little girl froze again, her face scrunching up before her brows relaxed, as if she had let out a sigh of relief: “Oh yeah, Betty was too nervous, I forgot about Sister’s skills… Hehe.”
“Stop laughing.”
“Oh, oh…”
“Be careful not to scare away the food.”
“Mm!”
She nodded frequently, quickly retreating her smile. We rounded another street and staggered into a narrow, dark alley between mud houses. Here, piles of battered baskets and trash were scattered everywhere, exuding a nasty odor. No one with any sense would want to venture in, making it perfect for bad guys to strike.
Sure enough, the moment we stepped into this dark alley, the three figures hiding behind us finally sprang into action. Two came rushing from behind, while the third suddenly changed direction, darting into another alley beside us.
“Sister, they’re coming, they’re coming…”
“Hey, hey, hey!”
As the little girl voiced her warning, a rough shout came from behind. I leisurely turned around to see two men—one tall, one short, both skinny—blocking the alley entrance.
They wore poorly made robes and had their heads wrapped in white cloth. The tiny one started shouting, “What are two little girls doing here trying to scrounge food? Don’t you know the rules?!”
As he spoke, the other man quickly pulled out a white ball the size of an egg from a pouch at his waist and hurled it at us.
What’s that…
They didn’t waste time, throwing the projectile swiftly. But to me, it moved as slowly as molasses—the ball drifted toward me like it was under a time-slowing debuff. With a simple catch, I snatched it mid-air.
…A Lotus Seed Grass smoke bomb?
“Betty, step back!”
Boom—
In the next instant, just as I predicted, the ball exploded not with the expected gray smoke but with countless tiny particles that spread everywhere.
I quickly shoved Betty back, and in front of us, the two men pulled down their headscarves, covering their faces. The tall one reached into his wide robe and pulled out a burlap sack, starting to jog toward us.
This is…
A knockout powder made from mandrake seeds.
Didn’t expect to see this kind of stuff even in the Eastern Continent…
“Hey, look at this unlucky little darling… Quick reflexes, huh? Even caught it! But this is mandrake powder; catching it means nothing…”
“Sister—”
“What are you shouting for!? Two little girls daring to strut around waist-high, don’t you fear for your lives?… Get that little one!”
“Do we need to check the goods first?”
“Shut up, move faster! Grab them first, then we can go drink at the tavern. After that, do whatever you want.”
“They’re still so young… If they look presentable, we could sell them for a pretty penny. It’s been ages since we found such fresh goods. We’re really lucky tonight…”
…Oh, so that’s what they’re after.
As I saw them getting closer, just as they were within ten meters of me, I suddenly waved my hand. A flash of blue light flickered in my eyes, and thin ice mist splashed outwards from in front of me, sending a cold wind howling that dispelled the floating dust.
“Eh.”
I looked at the two who had suddenly frozen in place, a smirk growing on my lips as I coldly mocked, “You’re pretty lucky tonight.”
“Sister, are you okay?”
Betty’s trembling voice came from behind me. I gave her a slight hand wave, signaling her to “Cover your mouth and nose, then step back,” as I walked toward the perplexed duo.
“…Human traffickers?”
“You… you inhaled the mandrake poison, how are you still standing…?”
The tall, skinny man became wary, questioning me with a serious tone. I just winked at him: “Guess.”
Sorry, but that stuff doesn’t work on me at all.
“Uh…”
The two were utterly dumbfounded, but after a moment of confusion, their first instinct wasn’t to run away. Instead, they moved in on both sides to surround me. The tall guy unsheathed a dagger with a metallic glint, grinning wickedly, “Not bad, tonight’s goods are quite the surprise…”
“Hehe, two little girls still aren’t running away, truly don’t know how to value life…”
The shorter guy suddenly accelerated, taking a few quick steps to get beside me, clearly intending to grab me. Just then, he seemed to want to yell something at the tall one; as his mouth opened, in the next instant, I had already raised my left hand and swung it casually.
With a loud thud, my pale hand smacked the man’s face like a heavy hammer, sending him sprawling while his teeth flew out, bl**d spraying from his mouth. His body spun like a self-propelled top, and in a “poof,” he landed in a filthy garbage pile, legs in the air, twitching a few times before going still.
“Hey, I say…”
I shook my arm, my expression indifferent, then turned to the tall guy still holding the dagger, who had turned into a total space cadet: “Do you have any money on you?”
