But he never imagined that at the age of twelve, the boy he had seen potential in would suddenly be covered in purple marks.

At first, these purple marks resembled bruises, but they gradually spread, layering themselves densely on his skin like paint that couldn’t be scrubbed off.

Only after treatment failed to determine the cause did the tall, thin man give up on the boy.

He branded a Slave Mark on the boy’s face and threw him here to serve as hard labor.

In the years that followed, the boy was constantly bullied because of the purple marks on his body. Even his food was snatched away by the others.

The tall, thin man knew perfectly well why the boy was being bullied.

For one, the purple marks were indeed unsettling, and it was easy for people to mistake them for a contagious disease.

But the bigger reason was that the other slaves, having been branded with the Slave Mark, harbored a secret hatred for the Greenfield Tavern.

When they learned that the boy once had a chance to be put in a position of importance, they decided to take their frustrations out on him.

The tall, thin man had never interfered. ’Someone who can’t create value isn’t worth a single thought.’

"Alright, get back to work, you lot!"

"Tomorrow, I’ll transfer him to the mines. I’ll throw him in as a little extra for a regular client, so he won’t be an eyesore for you any longer."

"After I’ve sent him away, if any of you cause any more trouble, I absolutely will not go easy on you."

"The Greenfield Tavern has no shortage of slaves. Anyone else who causes trouble will be thrown out and beaten to death."

Hearing the tall, thin man’s words, the slender figure curled up on the ground instinctively tightened his arms around his body.

’If I wasn’t starving, who would bother picking up a piece of hardtack so filthy it could break your teeth?’

After entering the room, Zhong Yi’s gaze fell upon the figure curled up on the ground.

Having been in the Guardian Beast World for some time now, Zhong Yi had already figured out this world’s timeline.

If the game’s server launch was considered Year Zero of the Guardian Beast World, then the current time was three years post-launch.

If Zhong Yi wasn’t mistaken, this boy curled up on the ground, clutching his head, was the person he was looking for.

The purple marks on his body were most likely a physical change caused by the influence of his Lifebound Guardian Beast, due to his failure to awaken his Soul Base on schedule.

Celestial Destiny Seekers were the future of a city, and so the Beastmaster Association had also established branches in the Lower City District.

The right to a free Soul Base awakening wasn’t exclusive to citizens of the Upper City District; those in the Lower City District could also go to the Beastmaster Association to participate in the Soul Awakening Ceremony.

But in this world, no matter how bright the light, there were always shadows it could not reach.

And these places untouched by the light were not few. Many people born in the Lower City District with a Lifebound Guardian Beast still never got the chance to awaken their Soul Base.

However, after the age of thirteen, those who failed to awaken their Soul Base would usually only experience frequent dreams and suffer no other effects.

For a Lifebound Guardian Beast to affect its Guardian Beast Master so profoundly, there was only one possibility.

’This person didn’t have an ordinary Lifebound Guardian Beast. He had an Order Beast.’

’And the Rule this Order Beast commanded was an exceptionally domineering one!’

"Since you’re planning to send him to the mines, why not let me take him off your hands instead?"

"Name your price."

Upon hearing Zhong Yi’s words, the figure who had been curled on the ground without looking up abruptly raised his head.

A pair of purple eyes met Zhong Yi’s gaze.

It was a face that Zhong Yi found hard to describe. The left half was tattooed with the Slave Mark of the Greenfield Tavern, while the right half was covered in overlapping, purplish-black marks.

These marks didn’t protrude from the surface of his skin; they simply layered it with overlapping colors.

Even so, his face could only be described as strange, but not ugly.

The boy looked older than his actual age, but the crescent-shaped scar on his temple and his purple eyes were a perfect match for the person Zhong Yi was looking for.

The tall, thin man had already been prepared to give up on this boy he had once intended to cultivate, having resolved to send him to the mines to live or die on his own.

Now, hearing that Zhong Yi intended to buy him, he simply spread open his five fingers.

"If you want him, I won’t refund the ten thousand Federation Coins from before. Just give me another five thousand Federation Coins, and you can take him."

"Don’t mind all the purple stuff on him; it’s not contagious. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have put him to work here."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yi directly took out five thousand Federation Coins and tossed them into the tall, thin man’s hand.

Then he walked forward and took out a Tuna Taco, which he had purchased in the Central District, from his Storage Pouch.

"What’s your name?"

"The ration in your hand is dirty. Eat this instead."

The taco, made from the belly meat of an Extraordinary Tier Wanderer Tuna, emanated a rich aroma. The moment the tall, thin man saw it, his pupils contracted sharply.

As one of the managers of the Greenfield Tavern, the tall, thin man was still somewhat knowledgeable.

Furthermore, the meat of the Wanderer Tuna had a magnificent purplish-red color and extremely unique patterns of fat marbling.

Anyone who had seen it before would recognize it with a single glance.

A single taco made from Wanderer Tuna meat cost no less than thirty thousand Federation Coins, and possibly even more.

’This boy who came to buy a slave from me... just casually gave such an expensive meal to the slave he just bought.’

"I... my name is Shen Xuan... I..."

To Zhong Yi, the slender boy before him looked like a roughed-up wolf pup.

He was clearly swallowing hard, yet he didn’t dare to accept the food offered to him.

"Go on, eat. I’ve bought you now. I’ll be taking you away from here shortly.