Chapter 480: The Girls’ Day
Tatyana was awakened by the music playing on the radio—at least, her soul was. Her body was still drifting in the grayish-white shallow sea of semi-consciousness, feeling as though she remained a layer of mist away from the real world. She fumbled for the blankets around her until her fingers bumped into the cold railing of the bed, finally pulling her out of her sweet dream.
The girl took a deep breath of the filtered, purified seaside air, then sighed in happiness.
Every day here was a blessing. She no longer had to worry about whether she would be beaten or abused the next day, injected with strange drugs, and then thrown into a client's bed. She no longer had to fear starvation—there was so much food here that it was impossible to finish it all, and she had to undergo intense training just to convert all that nutrition into muscle.
Tatyana knew she was the luckiest among her sisters.
Not only because she was the first to be found by the Ladies, but also because she had not contracted any incurable diseases, had not been injected with drugs, and had not suffered so many beatings that her body had become deformed. She had personally witnessed infected prostitutes who could no longer work shove an apple into their mouths before being impaled by steel rods, their so-called "masters" roasting them over flames just to film a video for entertainment—like a suckling pig at a feast.
No one would ever treat them like that again. This thought was the force that banished nightmares from Tatyana's mind before she slept.
That strength came from daggers, from firearms.
From armor, from shields.
From enemies, from sisters.
From Him, from Him.
Tatyana and her dormitory sisters got out of bed, their bare feet touching the cold marble floor. According to the behavioral codes set by the Ladies, they cleansed themselves in the morning, ensuring that no trace of filth remained on their bodies. They tied up their damp hair and knelt on the floor to pray before the small shrine mounted on the wall. The brass statue, adorned with an intricate crown and a sharp sword, was personally sculpted by the Ladies, its face obscured by the radiating straight lines of the backlight.
The Ladies had told them that they were not yet worthy to gaze upon His face, for their faith was not yet strong enough.
Those perfect beings—Tatyana envied the Ladies' calm expressions. They were so powerful, so resolute, so perfect. It was said that these perfect beings were created personally by the Savior! What a magnificent miracle! The perfect Ladies were His great creation!
Tatyana closed her eyes, praying with unparalleled joy as she recalled Lady Tita's sermons.
Their God would never allow their past to repeat itself because they were His people. Their lives belonged to Him. According to the Ladies, they were to serve the Savior with their bodies. Their mission was to fulfill His will through blood and fire. Their flesh and blood were tools; their faith was a sword.
Tatyana's damp golden bangs hung straight in front of her eyes. She did not push them aside, continuing with her morning worship alongside her sisters. This ritual was performed every day—the first thing they did upon waking. After this came breakfast, a short prayer, and then training.
"I think we're the only ones who finished the assignment today. Lady Tita gave us way too many math problems, and they were so difficult. And today's lesson is swordsmanship—it's said to be the technique that He taught Lady Tita," her sister Vera whispered after the prayer, her voice tinged with both anticipation and fear, as if afraid the other sisters passing by in the corridor might hear. Vera was a shy girl, about the same age as Tatyana—fourteen. Tatyana could not imagine what kind of suffering Vera had endured in the past, so she made sure to hug her whenever she could and never mentioned the scars on her body.
"I've seen the Ladies' swords," she said through gritted teeth. "Chainsaws. They're really loud."
"Maybe those are the swords we'll use in the future." Tatyana smiled. "The Ladies say that one day, we will have our own swords and bolt guns. I remember when the Ladies used bolt guns to blast through walls. They were like angels…"
"Violent angels! I remember too! The Ladies said that's what we'll become in the future! Do you think we'll ever get to see Him?" Vera clutched Tatyana's arm tightly, her fingers trembling. "The Ladies said that if we train hard, we'll have the chance to see Him. Do you think it's true? They say Lady Tita sees Him every day."
"I don't think the Ladies would lie…"
"What if…" Vera was so nervous she stuttered, her face full of a mixture of excitement and fear. "What if we secretly go and see Him…?"
Tatyana's first reaction was to picture a hooded man shrouded in darkness.
He leaned on a longsword, radiating an endless, blinding light that could melt everything. Then her imagination jumped again—she envisioned the entire underground city as a sleeping giant, with Him coiled around its heart, overlooking the people struggling in its veins. Then she thought of Him as a giant, three rooms tall, seated upon a throne, his hood concealing countless glowing eyes. Papers filled with unreadable words were delivered to His room and spat back out, and every word He spoke was a holy decree carved into stone. Lady Tita, with wings on her back, hovered behind Him.
Tatyana shivered, overwhelmed by her own imagination. "I don't think we have the ability. He must be surrounded by guards," she quickly said. "And that would be a direct transgression. The Ladies wouldn't allow it."
"I just want to see Him." Vera was trembling. "What if we memorize all the holy scriptures and complete all our training, but we still don't get to see Him?"
"Are you accusing the Ladies of lying?" Tatyana's eyes widened.
She couldn't fathom that Vera would say something so blasphemous.
"No! I would never do that! I would never doubt the Ladies!" Vera was so flustered that she broke into a sweat. She stomped her foot, glanced around, then leaned close to Tatyana's ear, biting her lip and whispering in the tiniest voice of her life. "I just… I just want to see Him! I can't stand the statue's blurred face anymore! I want to see Him—I can't bear it any longer!"
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Stephanie's tan lines from her swimsuit were beautiful—and expensive. According to her, they were meticulously designed and had cost her several thousand dollars, making it impossible for Solomon to ignore. After seeing them, Solomon chose to go out for a walk. After all, he had looked, but there wasn't much else he could do.
Two blonde girls, dressed in the standard training uniforms of the Sisterhood, stood nearby—one clinging tightly to the other's arm, looking extremely nervous. Solomon wasn't sure how they had made their way here, but given that the Sisterhood's base wasn't far, he figured it was normal for trainees to occasionally wander by.
The magnanimous master of the Eternal City, though puzzled, still reached out to pat the heads of the two little girls before sending them back to their training base, lest the strict Lady Tita increase their training workload.
Tita's psychological rehabilitation work with these girls was impeccable, and Solomon was highly satisfied with her efforts. As far as he knew, part of their training included shooting at the corpses of their former pimps—a method that clearly helped them overcome their fear. He didn't want a group of girls controlled by terror—he wanted girls who understood what they were doing and had plans for their future.
[The reality, however, was completely different—Tita used another method altogether.]
Given the abuse and horrors these girls had endured, it was remarkable that their original personalities had been restored. They were no longer afraid of their surroundings and were actively engaging in life again. Seeing them run outside to play was just the kind of liveliness expected from girls their age—nothing to be reprimanded for. Of course, since Solomon had already delegated authority to Tita, if she discovered these two had misbehaved and chose to punish them, he wouldn't interfere.
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