I’m a Rebel in Another World

Chapter 41: New Environment

Henwil had been recuperating for five days. Under the effect of special medicine, the wounds on his body had mostly healed.

However, his internal injuries still needed some time.

But there was good news too.

The weakening agent left in his body by Earl Obiken's shadow guard had completely dissipated due to the massive blood loss.

Henwil now found himself in a room with steel-reinforced doors and windows - less a room and more a prison cell.

The furnishings inside were simple, designed to prevent anyone in the room from obtaining weapons.

Although Henwil still had ways to acquire lethal objects, he didn't act recklessly.

He had already recognized that Laiom's bodyguard was extremely formidable, just like Earl Obiken's shadow guard - both existed beyond ordinary human limits.

Without understanding the specific situation clearly, Henwil didn't plan to make any rash moves.

Now that he could move normally again, his privileged status as a patient was about to end.Sure enough, that afternoon Laiom approached Henwil: "Little one, you've recovered quite well! I'm starting to believe you really come from a knight's family.

What your name is, who your parents are, how prominent your family is, what you've been through - I don't care about any of that!

The old you is dead. Now you're called Goods Number Fifteen, my personal property!

Without my orders, you cannot harm anyone, and I won't let anyone harm my private property either.

So! You're starting a new life now! Your past has nothing to do with who you are today!

There's only one thing you need to do! Follow my instructions! Earn more gold coins for me! Do you have any objections?"

Henwil shook his head: "None! So sir, who do you want me to kill now?"

Laiom chuckled lightly: "Heh! Don't be in such a hurry, little one! I haven't finished purchasing all my goods for this trip yet!

The only thing you can do right now is behave properly and don't entertain any thoughts of escaping!

After all, I spent fifty gold coins to buy you.

I don't want my investment to end up as rotting flesh! Do you understand what I mean?"

Henwil nodded slightly again, indicating he knew what to do.

For the next half month, Henwil followed Laiom around various towns in the Ika Kingdom.

From time to time, Laiom would bring back a young boy or girl, none older than twelve years old.

These children were all silent and withdrawn, not communicating with each other.

They didn't stay in the same room either, each having their own separate small quarters.

Henwil discovered that Laiom's organization seemed to have footholds in every major city, never needing to rent hotels or similar accommodations.

This also meant Henwil never had any opportunity to communicate with the outside world. By now, Henwil had fully recovered.

He was surprised to discover that after that bloody battle.

His physical condition had improved significantly, equivalent to the effects of several bottles of body tempering cultivation potions.

Henwil didn't pay it much mind, thinking it was probably the result of that life-and-death battle fully unleashing the accumulated potion effects that had been dormant in his body.

Another month passed, and when summer arrived, Laiom stopped purchasing children.

Instead, he shackled all thirty-plus children and arranged over a dozen large wagons.

Each wagon carried three or four children, with their hand and foot shackles fixed to the four corners of the carriage, making it basically impossible for them to contact each other.

The wagons traveled during the day and camped at night.

All daily necessities were handled within the wagons during daytime, and only at night were the children allowed to disembark.

Henwil realized the purpose of this arrangement was to prevent the children from knowing their location.

Since reference points were hard to see at night, that's when they brought the children out from the wagons, also making them clean the vehicles themselves.

After about eight days of travel like this, they reached their destination.

Everything was pitch black around them as the children, blindfolded, were pulled forward by iron chains.

There was wind!

Quite strong, with relatively high humidity, and the scent of plants.

They were walking through a narrow mountain valley.

Now it changed - they entered a mountain cave.

Very winding, and they deliberately took detours!

Some passages they walked through twice!

Henwil secretly memorized all the details he could analyze - this was a hidden location established near mountainous terrain.

After walking for about two hours, Henwil was pushed into a room and his blindfold was removed.

A dim oil lamp revealed a very small room, at most six square meters, with a low ceiling only two meters high.

The walls were mountain rock, somewhat damp, producing dull thuds when knocked - solid walls without hollow spaces.

The room had no windows, only a few small holes like ventilation shafts.

This was a cave room built within mountain rock.

Henwil reached this conclusion.

Then he examined the stone bed, which had straw on it, with bedding placed in the corner.

Reaching out to touch it, the bedding was somewhat damp and smelled quite terrible, clearly having had several previous owners and never been cleaned.

The oil in the lamp was very little, definitely not enough to burn through the night.

The door was made of wooden planks, but Henwil knew there were steel bars sandwiched between the wood, making it not easy to damage.

Beyond this, Henwil made no new discoveries.

After slightly arranging the bedding, Henwil extinguished the oil lamp and slept fully clothed.

He woke again to violent hammering on the door.

Henwil jumped up, put on his shoes, and the door was opened.

A burly man entered, grabbed Henwil by the hair, and dragged him out.

Henwil could easily kill this person, but he didn't resist, allowing himself to be dragged from the room.

Through the corridor, Henwil could see the surroundings clearly - this was a four-meter-wide passage with oil lamps hanging on both sides.

The dim lighting allowed Henwil to see that this corridor was probably circular, with noticeable curvature at both ends.

Rooms were distributed along both sides of the passage somewhat asymmetrically, and now many children were being dragged out like Henwil.

Of course, some hot-tempered children or those with morning anger resisted.

But clearly they lacked the means to resist, now screaming and howling under the clubs wielded by those burly men.

At this moment, the burly man pulling Henwil's hair threw him to the ground.

Then added a kick, shouting: "Stand up, lean against the doorway, don't move, wait for orders! If you don't behave, you'll get a taste of hardship!"

Although Henwil had already obediently stood straight and leaned against the doorway, behaving very properly, he still received what they called a "taste of hardship."

That kind of oil-soaked, very flexible club struck hard against Henwil's shoulder.

The pain made Henwil grimace and bare his teeth, but he wasn't knocked down.

The burly man paused in surprise, but unlike other guards who continued beating children who had been knocked to the ground and were screaming, he didn't continue the assault.