The pitter-patter of rain came from outside the house.
Vivian carefully placed the stool in front of the stove, then bent down and grabbed two handfuls of brown rice from the rice bag beside her. There was not much food left in the bag. Her brother had stolen a silver ornament from the dock last month in exchange for this bag of brown rice. Even though she had carefully calculated many times in the past half a month, the decreasing amount of food still made her feel a little panicked.
There was no food left.
At most, they would starve in a few more days!
Vivian looked at the small bed in the dilapidated house with red eyes. On the bed that was covered with a moldy smell, she could see an unconscious young man. Her brother had not woken up yet, and the priest sister who had been willing to help them seemed to have given up hope. After all, Bishop Phil was not willing to spend so much effort to save a thief.
Vivian wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and carefully climbed down from the stool.
She was only eight years old this year. Because she was malnourished, she looked very petite. Things like starting a fire and cooking were still very difficult for her. She held a few pieces of chopped firewood in her hands, broke some branches that she had picked up during the day, and threw them into the stove. Because of the continuous rain outside, the firewood was a little wet, and the speed at which it lit was very slow. It was accompanied by a thick, choking smoke. Vivian did not care about the pain in her eyes. She puffed up her mouth and blew with all her might. When the firewood inside was lit, she gently rubbed her eyes.
"Brother! … "
"You must wake up! … Vivian misses you so much! … "
"Don't leave me! … "
Translucent tears rolled down Vivian's cheeks as she sat beside the stove and sobbed softly. After a while, she wiped her face with her little hands, and two white streaks appeared on her blackened face. There was some salt in the house, but they had finished it last week. She wanted to learn from her brother and steal some, but she was almost caught by the fat shop owner. The owner picked up a broom and hit her on the back. Even now, her back was still bruised, and the slightest touch would make her feel a burning pain.
"Woof woof!"
An old black and yellow dog walked over. Even though it was old and clumsy, one could still tell that it used to be an excellent hunting dog. Vivian stretched out her small hand, and the old dog silently walked to her side. It raised its head to look at the stove and let out a low whimper.
"Heath."
Vivian hugged the old dog in her arms as if she saw the desire in its eyes. She sobbed softly and reached out to gently stroke its back, murmuring, "There's not much food left."
"You have to leave it for Big Brother. Vivian is also very hungry. Wait for the rain to stop and look for food outside."
"Sorry!"
"Is Vivian useless?"
"She can't steal anything, and she can't save her brother. She's always crying …"
The old dog with cloudy eyes seemed to understand her words. It silently retracted its gaze and stuck out its tongue to lick her palm. Then, it laid down at her feet and closed its eyes to sleep.
The sound of footsteps came from outside the house. It seemed that the person stopped at the door and spoke faintly.
The old black and yellow dog suddenly opened its eyes. In an instant, it was as fierce as a hungry wolf. It let out a fierce whimper and barked loudly toward the outside.
"Damn it!"
"Sooner or later, I'll kill this old dog and make soup!"
A man's exasperated voice came from outside. Then, the footsteps gradually faded away.
Vivian's frightened face calmed down a little. She stretched out her small hand to touch the old dog's head and said softly, "Heath."
"If he dares to come in, bite him!"
"Big Brother is unconscious now. Only you can protect me."
The old dog gently arched in her arms. Although it looked old and clumsy, it still had a trace of fierceness.
It was a Gorath hunting dog!
In its prime, it could even kill leopards. According to the folklore of the Agate River area, it was the offspring of the three-headed hellhound.
Unfortunately, it was very old.
The smell of porridge came from the stove. The old dog's nose twitched, and then it lay back down.
Vivian's stomach growled, but she still carefully climbed onto the stool and scooped the porridge into a bowl that was missing a corner. She gently blew on it, and then fed the porridge to the young man on the bed with a wooden spoon bit by bit. She was really too small and didn't have much strength. She couldn't help her brother up, so she could only feed him slowly.
"Big Brother!"
"Hurry up and eat! You'll get better after you finish eating! … "
"Everything will get better."
As the little girl spoke, her tears fell again. She reached out to wipe them away, put down the bowl, and climbed out of bed to close the door.
This was the slum of Amber City.
It was a place full of thieves, robbers, and human traffickers. It was difficult for a little girl like her to survive here. If she was not careful enough and had Heath by her side to protect her, she would have been kidnapped in broad daylight. All they needed to do was cover her mouth and nose with a wet towel soaked in knockout powder, and she would soon lose consciousness. Then, she would be put into a sack and sold to the human traffickers. Many little girls in the slums had gone missing like this. Sometimes, even beautiful women would be kidnapped.
"Heath!"
Vivian fed him little by little until the man on the bed finished half of the bowl. Then, she hurriedly drank a few mouthfuls, washed her little hands and cheeks with water, and curled up her petite body into the musty quilt. As she touched the wound on her back, the little girl could not help but sob in pain. Then, she hugged the young man's arm with both hands and said to the old dog at the door, "If anyone comes, bark!"
"I know what they're thinking.
"They want to sell me to that woman, Sofia, because my brother is unconscious!"
That way, they can get a sum of money. "
Having grown up in the slum, she knew far more than other children her age. Sofia was the biggest human trafficker in the slum. She would select beautiful little girls, train them into prostitutes, and send them to the big brothels in Amber City.
It was impossible for an eight-year-old girl to survive in the slums.
Vivian's eyes showed a trace of determination. She leaned over and gently kissed the forehead of the comatose young man on the bed. She said in a low voice, "Even if I'm going to be sold, I'll do it myself!
Then, I'll use the money to hire a real priest. Maybe he can save Big Brother. "
She knew what kind of fate she would face.
Sofia would raise her for a few years and then teach her how to serve men. If she was beautiful enough, she would be sent to some of the city's nobles. Otherwise, she would only be sent to those despicable brothels.
But for Big Brother …
She was willing to do anything because he was her only family member.
Sounds of fighting came from outside the house.
Vivian could not help but shrink under the blanket. The old dog at the door also had a fierce look in its eyes.
It was the slum's Colin and Sawey fighting for territory. Ever since Big Brother was injured by a scary wizard, many thieves in the slum died. The original leaders were all killed on the streets, and the remaining people fought for territory many times. None of the guards came to this place because it was a forgotten corner of Amber City.
They were fighting for territory, and they were also fighting for the children in the slum.
No matter which gang it was, they needed to train their children to steal. Back then, Big Brother became a thief in order to support her.
Vivian's memories of her parents were very vague.
She only knew that her mother had a husband who was said to be an excellent thief. Unfortunately, he accepted a mission and died in a wizard's tower.
It was from then on.
Wizards became the scariest existence in her young heart.
That man was Big Brother's biological father. Although she was not born at that time, she heard Big Brother mention it.
Later on.
Her mother took Big Brother through a period of wandering. Because of the circumstances, she even worked as a waitress in a tavern, which was actually a part-time prostitute. Vivian knew that. She knew more than her peers. This kind of life lasted until her mother met a mysterious adventurer.
Soon, she became pregnant again.
That adventurer did not marry her. Instead, he raised her as a prostitute. That man was Vivian's biological father.
It was said that he was also a powerful professional.
Heath was his pet. Later on, he mysteriously went missing.
Only the old dog stayed by their side.
Her mother lost two men in a row and began to lose her mind. She even suffered from Soullessness. In the end, she died.
At that time, she was only three years old.
Big Brother was twelve years old.
The two young children lost their parents and soon wandered the streets. At that time, the elder brother often fought with others for some meager food.
Later on, Big Brother joined a gang and became a qualified thief.
At that time.
Their lives gradually became stable, and they also had a place to stay in the chaotic slum.
Shrill screams could be heard.
Vivian was so scared that her whole body trembled, and she hid in the young man's arms. The old dog at the door also suddenly stood up, and looked at the alley in the distance with a fierce gaze.
Someone died there!
It was normal for people to die in the slum. Even the priests of the Dawnlight Temple did not care about the lives of people in the slum.
The people nearby slammed the door.
Someone even picked up the bolt and locked the door tightly. Vivian also got up and struggled to pick up one of the bolts.
Based on her many years of living in the slum, if someone died, the problem would quickly become worse. The fighting would definitely become worse, and it might affect the people nearby.
Fear.
The fear in her heart made the little girl hug the old dog tightly and bring it to the foot of the bed.
"Heath."
She looked outside in horror. She could see some figures in the rain. They were holding weapons and fighting each other.
Blood flowed all over the alley and was washed away by the rain.
She could vaguely smell the scent of blood!
Vivian bent down and patted the old dog's head. Her young body trembled in fear and she whispered, "You will protect me, right?"
"Ow!"
The old dog suddenly barked.
The little girl was startled, but she soon realized that Heath was not barking at the outside. Instead, it was barking at the young man on the bed.
"Big Brother!?"
Vivian turned around in surprise and found that the young man on the bed had opened his eyes and his lips were moving slightly.
The pressure and fear that she had been feeling all this time suddenly exploded!
The little figure threw herself into his arms, and large drops of sparkling and translucent tears slid down her tender cheeks.
…
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