Chapter 11
Time in the darkness passed unusually slowly, and almost everyone wished that time could slow down even further, as no one wanted to face what was about to happen next.
However, no matter how they prayed, the “light” would always come back.
Evan arrived at his destination and, welcomed by the host and the guests, opened the box, taking out the rectangular container holding the five miniaturized people.
This wasn’t his first time here. After hearing Fred’s words at a recent party, Evan had been itching to see what Fred had mentioned about the “show.” Eventually, he couldn’t resist and contacted Fred privately, expressing his interest in experiencing the event himself.
Fred seemed to have expected this, and his response was far from surprising. He outwardly expressed understanding, acknowledging the human curiosity, but internally he mocked Evan’s hypocritical demeanor.
Still, Fred swiftly made arrangements for Evan, connecting him with the organizers of the secret activity.
A week ago, Evan, led by Fred, came to this place. Before coming, Evan had naively thought that the organizer might just be a heartless brute with heaps of wealth to squander, hence his indulgence in these miniaturized people.
But when he met the organizer, Evan was shocked. He didn’t anticipate that the man behind the event was a prominent figure in Country B, with a reputation that far exceeded his own in terms of wealth and status.
What was even more awe-inspiring was not just the man’s individual identity, but his entire family’s influence. They seemingly held unparalleled power within the country, a power that was nearly boundless.
Evan might have been wealthy, but he was just a businessman, organizing parties regularly and inviting social elites for free to strengthen his connections and expand his network.
However, he had reached the pinnacle of his social class. Few of his friends were more powerful than him. He had been looking to connect with even more influential individuals, but opportunities were scarce.
Just like the social circles he navigated, there were clear boundaries that could be seen but not touched. Once you entered, you became a part of them, elevating your status and wealth. If you couldn’t get in, you would forever hover on the periphery, looking up to them.
Now, Evan had encountered this opportunity and, of course, he grabbed it tightly.
After witnessing the events organized by the man, Evan finally admitted how juvenile his own “shows” were. Fred’s words had struck a chord with him.
The enigmatic figure behind these events didn’t reveal his real name, so he used a code name, “Zois.” In the Gregorian era, this was a homophone of “Zeus” from Greek mythology, symbolizing the god ruling over these miniaturized beings.
Hearing this code name, Evan couldn’t help but think that this guy was a bit narcissistic.
However, it had to be admitted that Zois’s events were well-structured and more rigorous than Evan’s endeavors.
The events here were ticketed, and for non-members, each viewing of a “performance” cost a million units. Just this threshold alone excluded the vast majority of ordinary people.
Of course, there were members too. Zois set strict membership criteria, and anyone who wished to join had to pay a hefty annual fee, but once inside, the perks were numerous.
Firstly, members could watch the miniaturized beings’ combat matches for free all year round and could invite a family member or friend to attend one event for free.
Secondly, members could request one custom performance, such as watching two of the miniaturized beings engage in intimate activities—don’t think it’s lewd; there were quite a few who made such requests.
Lastly, gambling was allowed on the combat events. The ticket fees collected for each event were used as a prize fund by Zois. Members who won their bets would receive fifty percent of the betting amount. If they won three times in a row, they would have earned back their membership fee.
…
Given all these temptations, Evan naturally decided to join without any principles!
Evan took each of the five miniaturized people out of the box one by one, but he didn’t release them from their boxes.
The boxes were transparent, and in order to ensure their breathing, the frontal part of the head had no rubber cushioning, which meant that the giants could directly pick up the boxes and examine their appearance.
“Wow, they look really good!” A guest glanced over, picked up the box containing Lily, and said, “I like this blonde girl!”
Evan introduced, “Her name is Lily, the prettiest one I have.”
The guest responded, “Put her on the battlefield as a prize. The fighters will surely be more fierce.”
Hearing this, everyone chuckled with implicit understanding.
“This muscular hunk looks like he can fight really well. Haha, I can’t wait to see him in action!” Another person held Johnny’s box and remarked.
Evan responded, “Indeed, he and the dark-haired guy, Jay, are both physical specimens. However, hehe, I’ve never had them participate in combat before.”
“In your previous way of raising them, weren’t you just making them put on some fat? Tsk tsk, what a waste of potential!” The person shook his head in regret and chuckled, “In my opinion, they should be involved in activities like this. Only by experiencing the threat of survival will they become more vibrant.”
Evan smirked but didn’t reply.
“Hey? There’s another one with black hair and black eyes here!” Someone picked up the box containing Shen Yuzhe.
Curiously, the person turned his head and asked, “Zois, is that guy Kai? Is he of the same ethnicity?”
Zois was scrutinizing each of the miniaturized people brought by Evan. He took the box from the person and observed it carefully.
When the box was picked up, Shen Yuzhe was so frightened that he stiffened all over. He didn’t dare open his eyes, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself to face the other person.
Inches away were a pair of enormous gray-blue eyes, and the owner of those eyes was fixated on him with a curious glint.
Shen Yuzhe’s breath became rapid, and he felt a kind of predatory excitement in the other person’s gaze.
Evan, by the side, asked, “Who’s Kai?”
The person explained, “Kai is Zois’s top champion, the undefeated record holder of the past year. Many have become his fervent fans after witnessing his combat performances!”
Evan became interested, “He’s that remarkable.”
The person sighed, “Unfortunately, he’s been on a break for half a year now.”
Having only been here once before, Evan wasn’t quite aware of all the rules of the game. He inquired further, “Why’s he on a break? Did he get injured?”
The person explained, “No, it’s a rule. To protect other combatants, a fighter who wins six consecutive matches has to go on a half-year break. During this period, no one can challenge him to fight again unless the winner of the next combat challenges him… but he’s so strong that no one dares to challenge him.”
Evan rubbed his chin, “I see.”
Just as he was about to ask more questions, Zois instructed Evan to introduce the people in the boxes to him.
Evan promptly spoke, “His name is Blake. I bought him from the A country’s Miniature World Underground Trading Center. At the time of the transaction, he was 18 years old in human age. His genes are nearly perfect, and he’s the most expensive miniature person I’ve bought. However…” Evan hesitated, seemingly struggling to express something.
Zois asked, “However what?”
Evan sighed, “I’ve raised him for a year and a half, and it seems like he’s not particularly outstanding.”
“Really?” Zois glanced at Shen Yuzhe with a smile. “I think this little guy looks pretty good.”
The miniature figure in the palm of his hand had fair skin, delicate and handsome features, especially those distinctly black and white eyes, which revealed a touch of alertness and fear. It was as if a young leopard that had lost its way in the forest.
Evan was puzzled, thinking that Zois had misunderstood, and he quickly explained, “He’s an intellect-based specimen.”
Zois chuckled and said, “Whatever it is, being good-looking is enough.”
Evan was bewildered, and later, the person next to him whispered an explanation, “It’s because of Kai. After every victory, he refused to have intercourse with the females present. At first, Zois thought he didn’t like having relationships with different species, so he specially got him a black-haired, black-eyed female as a reward, but Kai not only refused her advances, he almost killed her!”
Evan was taken aback, “Almost killed her? Why?”
“Yes, he left her with just a breath. Because that female tried to seduce him in front of everyone, and it annoyed Kai. So, we joke with Zois in private that Kai might be gay. Zois hasn’t had a chance to verify it yet. And now, you’ve brought a person… ” The person smirked and motioned toward Shen Yuzhe with his chin.
Evan’s lips twitched. He had initially thought he had three warriors and two beauties, but it turned out to be two warriors and three beauties? However, it didn’t matter as long as they were useful, capable of winning him honor and applause. What those miniature people were didn’t matter.
“I’m quite curious…” Evan was a bit puzzled and asked, “Kai doesn’t follow the game rules, nor does he obey commands. Doesn’t Zois punish him?”
The person quickly responded, “No, no, no. Kai gets more attention from Zois than we guests do. After all, he’s the unbeatable god of war here. Between you and me, many people joined just for him.”
Hearing this, Evan’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued, and he couldn’t help but want to personally witness the prowess of the legendary Kai.
Shen Yuzhe didn’t hear their conversation. After Evan introduced him, Zois placed him and Mina along with others inside a transparent glass box and opened the lid of the transportation container for them.
After being confined for a few hours and scrutinized by the giants as they were shaken around, they could finally stretch their numb bodies, yet no one dared to relax.
Next, Zois led them to an entirely unfamiliar place, saying, “Familiarize yourselves with the environment. This will be a place you’ll frequent in the future.”
It was a space several times larger than the residence Evan had constructed for them. It was spacious, and they saw hills, forests, streams—things they had never seen before. Sunlight filtered through, as if a warm silken cloth had been laid on the ground.
The sensation was both familiar and strange, seeming like something experienced before and therefore familiar, yet unfamiliar due to the lack of memories to search.
Wait a minute, sunlight?
Shen Yuzhe snapped out of his brief trance, lifted his head to look at the ceiling, and saw a massive circular skylight above. The sunlight was streaming through that opening.
He then looked around and realized that everything they were seeing had been “constructed” by the giants.
Were these all creations based on the giants’ senses? Shen Yuzhe furrowed his brow in contemplation. If everything he was seeing was a proportion that giants deemed suitable, why didn’t he feel any sense of discord? Could it be that he was once a giant too?
Just then, a loud whistle grabbed their attention.
“Wow, we’ve got some new recruits again!” A blond youth in a jacket appeared outside the transparent box, seemingly out of nowhere. He enthusiastically surveyed them.
