BATTLE FOR STARS

“Attendant slave?” Ding Yufei had just sat down when he heard this unfamiliar term. He looked at the man in confusion.

“Yes. A personal slave assigned to enhance your experience on this planet. You can think of them as a guide—they’ll provide explanations, take you to the best الأماكن, and accompany you throughout. They can also play with you, sleep with you… basically, anything you want.”

Although Thomson rarely encountered guests unfamiliar with attendant slaves, he showed no surprise. Instead, he explained patiently. In his experience, most visitors came here precisely for this service.

Ding Yufei felt a bit overwhelmed after hearing that. “Let us discuss it first.” He leaned closer to Belina and asked quietly, “What exactly is an attendant slave?”

Belina smiled. Even though she hadn’t been here before, she understood the system well enough. “They’re a category of slaves in the Resk Empire, very common on entertainment planets. They’re dedicated to serving visitors—accompanying them throughout their stay. You could say they provide companionship in every sense… similar to, well, escort services on Earth.”

“I see… but are they willing?” Ding Yufei asked.

“They don’t have a choice—they’re slaves. But among all slave roles, this is considered relatively easy: high income, low risk,” Belina explained.

“Still… it feels a bit strange.”

“I’m not a fan of this system either,” Belina sighed. “But these slaves were created for specific purposes from the beginning. If you look at it from another perspective, it’s not that different from many things on Earth.”

“What do you mean?”

“I won’t even mention animals slaughtered to satisfy human appetites. On this trip, you’ve seen it yourself—bears kept alive with tubes inserted into their gallbladders to extract bile continuously, suffering endlessly.”

“And Arctic foxes force-fed until their bodies grow so large their limbs break, just for better fur. Fundamentally, how different is that from what happens to these slaves?”

“But those are animals—these are people,” Ding Yufei argued.

“Do you think animals have no emotions? They may not be as complex, and humans don’t understand them, but they still feel pain and want to live. At least these attendant slaves aren’t being killed,” Belina replied.

“Here, you can’t judge everything by Earth’s standards,” she continued. “Otherwise, you’ll never figure out right from wrong. From another angle, choosing their service gives them income and a better life. They’ll feel happier, not worse. So just relax and choose.”

“…Alright.” Ding Yufei nodded, then turned to Thomson. “What options do you have? We’d like to take a look.”

“Of course, please look here.” Thomson waved his hand. A plant-like ornament on the table suddenly projected a massive display filled with countless panels.

Looking up, Ding Yufei saw each panel contained a beautiful elf boy or girl, all smiling warmly and waving.

“Wow… they’re all so beautiful,” he thought to himself. But then he noticed a few unusual figures in one corner—some appeared very young, others oddly unattractive.

“These too?” he asked.

“Yes. They’re for guests with more… specialized preferences. If you’re interested, I can introduce more,” Thomson replied.

Ding Yufei glanced awkwardly at Belina. He didn’t know what to choose—picking a female elf might upset her, but choosing a male elf felt equally uncomfortable.

“We’ll take number 38,” Belina—still using the name Zhou Weiyang—said decisively after a quick glance. It was a beautiful female elf, notably curvy. “Sade, I know you prefer that type. Is this okay?”

“Perfectly fine, Your Highness,” Sade replied with a grin.

“Alright. Please wait a moment—she’ll be here shortly.” Thomson beamed. Landing a VIP order delighted him. “Just one attendant? Usually guests like you choose several.”

“That won’t be necessary. We’re enough,” Belina said, casting him a brief glance.

Sensing her slight displeasure, Thomson quickly changed the subject. “Have you arranged accommodations? We have top-tier hotels here with views over the entire dome.”

“We’ve already made arrangements.”

“Very well. Is there anything else you need?”

“No.”

“Thank you for your visit. If you need anything, you can contact me anytime. I’ll be your dedicated service manager on this planet.” He sent them his contact details.

At that moment, a side door opened. The female elf from the display stepped out and walked briskly toward them, wearing the same outfit as before.

She approached, then immediately knelt with both knees together.

“These are your current masters until they leave the planet or request a replacement,” Thomson said.

“Yes, Master.” Without raising her head, the elf bowed deeply.

“Uh…” Ding Yufei felt completely unprepared. Having someone kneel beside him like this was deeply uncomfortable.

“The control code has been transferred. Enjoy your stay,” Thomson said to Belina, bowing deeply. He then presented a small box. “Please scan here.”

“Alright.” Belina scanned it with her wristband. Thomson put the box away and left.

“What’s the control code?” Ding Yufei leaned in and asked.

“Every slave has a chip implanted in their brain. It controls their nervous system. If they resist, the owner can activate it to immobilize them instantly,” Belina replied softly. “He just transferred partial control of that chip to me.”

“I see…” Ding Yufei nodded. “And scanning just now was payment?”

“No, that was identity verification. Payment is settled when we leave Boman.”