BATTLE FOR STARS

“So that’s how it is… you really haven’t had it easy all these years,” Ding Yufei said with a sigh. For a civilian to be forced into slavery just to survive—it was hardly a choice at all.

“But it’s almost over now,” Lina said, a hint of excitement in her voice. “I’ve already won two matches in the mech gladiator tournament. If I win the final one, I’ll get the championship reward. When that happens, both my attendant and I will be able to buy our freedom.”

“Then let me congratulate you in advance,” Ding Yufei said sincerely. “I hope everything goes smoothly.”

“You have a male attendant too?” Belina asked curiously. “What’s he like?”

“He’s my teammate at the training grounds—a sword fighter.”

“Wow, so you spend a lot of time together. You must be pretty close.”

“We are,” Lina nodded. “We’ve known each other for years. I met him when I was still young. Honestly… I might have suffered a lot more without him.”

In truth, it was more that her attendant had benefited from her. Without Lina’s support, he never would have saved enough to redeem himself so early.

“Then call him over later—we’d like to meet him too,” Ding Yufei suggested.

“Sure, maybe later. He’s busy today, taking part in some entertainment events for sword fighters. During the carnival, those jobs pay well. The master schedules every slave tightly… I’m only free because I have to prepare for the finals in a few days.”

“That’s not so bad,” Ding Yufei said. Then, after a slight pause, he added, “By the way… are there many… pairs like you two?”

He had almost said “slaves,” but caught himself and awkwardly changed the wording. Lina, perceptive as ever, noticed—but she didn’t seem bothered.

“There are quite a few,” she replied. “Life as a slave is hard enough. If someone can lend you a hand, it makes things a little easier. The problem is finding someone willing to stay long-term—it’s not easy.”

“But isn’t over ninety percent of the Resk Empire made up of slaves? How can it be hard to find a partner?”

“Finding someone isn’t hard. Finding someone who stays is. My attendant and I share the same master—that’s how we met, and why we’ve stayed together for so long. But most masters don’t have balanced numbers of male and female slaves. And even when they do, the type of work, intensity, and待遇 all vary. Finding someone compatible long-term is actually very difficult.”

As they talked, the three of them made their way out of the gestation facility. Belina was about to summon a hover car.

“Let’s take the public train instead,” Lina suggested. “Flight space underground is limited, so cars are actually slower than the trains.”

“That’s perfect—we haven’t experienced the underground trains yet,” Ding Yufei said. In his mind, it would probably be something like a subway back on Earth.

Lina led them toward a nearby station. Unlike the other buildings, this one was a fully enclosed structure shaped like a giant spiral shell.

From what Ding Yufei could tell, it operated like a maglev system. To reduce resistance, the trains ran through sealed, near-vacuum tunnels. The platforms and tracks were completely isolated from the outside environment.

The moment they entered the station, Ding Yufei noticed the crowd—slaves and civilians of all kinds. This was clearly a major hub in the underground city.

Slaves were easy to identify: pointed ears, along with visible identification markers on their bodies.

Civilians, on the other hand, were wildly diverse.

Some were fat and broad-faced, others thin to the point of looking skeletal. One had a face resembling a cat. Another was covered in over an inch of body hair, like some kind of ape.

And their clothing was even more bizarre.

Some wore almost nothing—one person had their upper body completely bare, with only two flowers covering the lower half. Others were wrapped head to toe in thick garments, their faces completely hidden.

Ding Yufei found it strange. He had been on Boman for a while now and had seen plenty of people, but nowhere near this level of… eccentricity.

After asking Lina, he finally understood.

Because of their roles, slaves were expected to fit certain standards—men strong, women attractive. There was little room for “individual expression.” But civilians were free to alter their appearance however they wished. With advanced genetic technology, they could even modify parts of their bodies to resemble animals.

Ding Yufei simply hadn’t encountered many civilians before—most he’d seen were working, not freely expressing themselves like this.

“Are people in your kingdom just as… free?” Ding Yufei asked Belina, eyeing the crowd. She had once said that the Kramic Kingdom valued freedom more than any other nation—did that mean scenes like this were everywhere?

“We have some of that,” Belina said with a slight smile. “But… not quite to this extent.”

Ding Yufei chuckled. He hadn’t been there himself—he’d have to see it someday to judge.

They didn’t linger and headed straight for the platform. But after only a few steps, several people quickly surrounded them.

Even without their VIP wristbands, it was obvious at a glance that Ding Yufei and Belina weren’t locals—they were visitors. Rare targets. Easy money.

“Looking for something exciting?” one man said, spreading his palm to reveal several colorful pills.

“Interested in some exotic service slaves? Any type you want,” another chimed in.

“We cater to every taste—submission, fetish, cold-play, livestock roleplay—whatever you’re into, we’ve got it,” a third added eagerly.

“No. No, thank you,” Lina said, her expression tinged with annoyance. This sort of thing happened every day. They weren’t aggressive—just persistent—but it was still exhausting to deal with.

Ding Yufei and Belina had no interest. Everything these people were offering could be found—more professionally—at the entertainment districts above ground. This was just a stripped-down version, aimed at local civilians and slaves.

But something else nearby quickly caught Ding Yufei’s attention.

A chubby boy, no older than his early teens, sat on a small stool behind a simple table. On the table were three cards, similar to playing cards.

The boy was short—barely 1.5 meters tall—with a round face full of soft flesh, and a plump, almost innocent appearance. Ding Yufei immediately nicknamed him “Little Chubby” in his mind.

The boy flipped the cards over, revealing three different animals. He briefly showed one of them—a turtle—to the onlookers, then turned all the cards face down again.

With swift, practiced movements, he began shuffling them across the table, swapping their positions again and again.

“Alright,” he said, looking up at the crowd. “Now guess—which one is the turtle?”

Ding Yufei found it intriguing. Back on Earth, he had seen the same game before—usually as a street magic trick.