“And the other one?” Angor asked.
Nausica looked at Angor and expressed a charming smile. “The other one? It was me.”
Angor’s eyes went wide. This charmingly beautiful woman won her way using her strength?
Angor could not see any bloody violence on her, only peace and indolence.
This woman was someone who slaughtered a whole chamber of people and survived?
“Cruel? Not really. This… is the world,” said Nausica. She smiled mildly, “You would do anything to live on.”
“Survival of the fittest,” Angor muttered slowly.
Nausica gave Angor an approving look, “An incisive conclusion. Although it doesn’t really fit your age.”
Angor curled his lips. She was right, but she had no idea what Angor could learn from the rich knowledge base from Earth.
“Okay, I talked to you just because I was getting bored here. Let’s call it,” said Nausica. She reached for the white curtain and pulled it down to block the window before saying, “One last word of advice. You didn’t go through the death matches, and someone will be mad about it.”
Nausica pointed to several small tents in the distance. “See those? They are winners from the nine chambers.”
They were far, so Angor could not make out many details, but he was sure the curtains of the tents were pulled down as he looked. Which meant those people had been watching him.
It reminded him of that cold, terrifying sense on his back when Flora led him around the place. So those people must be the reason for it.
“Those who survived from the chambers more or less felt superior about themselves. In this world, unfairness means conflict. You know what I mean, kid?”
Inequality was worse than poverty… Angor knew it. But… he came on to the cloud whale just today! Those death matches ended a long time ago!
“Don’t worry though. The wizard just now did not put a restriction spell outside your tent. You can leave whenever you want. We… are limited within our tents. We can’t get out. That will also be their reason to get mad at you.”
…
Angor had fun talking to Nausica, but he always stayed cautious. As she said, those who came out of the death chambers could not be too friendly to anyone.
Still, he kept Nausica’s last warning in mind. Not because he trusted Nausica. It was because he did not trust anyone.
The clouds cleared, revealing the curtain of the night under the pleasant moonlight.
Angor had his dinner. As he considered whether he should go show up in front of his teacher by himself, Flora floated into the tent.
“Good evening, Angor.”
“Good evening to you as well, Lady Flora.”
Flora did not mind Angor’s different way of addressing her. Like Easley, she did not have a family name, albeit it was for a different reason. She was raised by Sunders since young. She tried to surname herself with her teacher’s family name, but Sunders refused.
“Teacher has done his experiment. It’s time for you to meet him.”