Chapter 6: The Little Follower

…

Yin Jixue received a letter from Teng She, informing her that the lower-ranked demons were sleeping inside the mine every night. This immediately worried her.

She paced back and forth in her room. "If the mine collapses, that would be a disaster. I need to find a solution."

Winter was also just two months away. She had no idea how cold demon winters got, but what if they froze to death?

She wanted to improve infrastructure, not run a sweatshop!

"Feng Xiu, come here for a moment."

The guard standing at the door, Feng Xiu, stepped inside.

"Do you know where we can find clay?"

[Quest: Gain 500 Faith Power.]

[Reward: 50 Units of Building Materials.]

[Item Description: Specialized demon construction materials—warm in winter, cool in summer. Can be used for city walls.]

Yin Jixue wasn't surprised by the sudden system quest. Whenever she needed something, a quest related to it would pop up.

"Never mind that for now. Where haven't I been in the city yet?"

With so many demons in Black Dragon City, surely she could farm some more Faith Power.

Her current Faith Power stood at 268/500, just over halfway there.

"Your Majesty, you haven't visited the western part of the city yet."

"The west side? Alright. Let's check on the shops first, then head west."

Stepping into the streets, Yin Jixue was shocked to find that there were barely any shops—not even a proper general store.

The only places that resembled shops were just houses with their doors open, but there was nothing for sale inside.

No wonder Feng Xiu had looked hesitant when she mentioned checking on businesses.

"What's the situation in the West?" she asked.

"That's where the homeless demons live, Your Majesty. Most of them either lost their homes or wandered in from elsewhere," Feng Xiu replied.

A slum then. But the northern district wasn't much better either, so it was a city full of the struggling and destitute.

And this was Black Dragon City, supposedly one of the better places. Yin Jixue didn't even want to imagine how bad the other cities were.

"Let's go take a look."

As they walked, she asked, "How do demons survive the winter?"

"Everyone stays inside and conserves their energy until it's over."

Yin Jixue: …

That's beyond tragic.

"You never thought about burning wood for warmth?"

Feng Xiu explained, "Chopping and hauling firewood takes a lot of energy. We don't have enough food to spare."

So it all came back to starvation. Even demons had been forced into laziness just to survive.

And if things were this bad in the main city, the homeless demons in the west would be even worse off.

The sight that greeted them was exactly as she expected—dilapidated houses, walls barely standing, open to the elements on three sides.

The homeless demons were divided into two groups, each occupying their side of the district, never interacting with each other.

Nearly every house was damaged, making it impossible to survive the winter.

What hurt the most was seeing so many children, thin and ragged, their hollow eyes filled with exhaustion.

Yin Jixue crouched down in front of a little girl.

The child's face was smudged with dirt, and her clothes were practically in tatters.

"Where are you all from?" she asked gently.

The girl clutched the hem of her torn sleeve, answering in a timid voice, "Your Majesty, I… I'm from the city."

She looked terrified. When Yin Jixue reached out to pat her head, the girl instinctively flinched and shrank back.

"Don't be afraid," Yin Jixue reassured her. "I will help you."

At that moment, she felt a surge in Faith Power—400 points now.

The homeless demons began to rise to their feet, hope flickering in their eyes as they gazed at the Queen.

"In a little while, I will begin rebuilding the west side," Yin Jixue announced. "I'll need a lot of help, and I will make sure you are all fed while you work."

A small voice suddenly piped up from behind.

"Your Majesty… I want to go with you."

Yin Jixue turned. It was the little girl.

Feng Xiu smirked and deliberately tried to scare her. "Why do you want to follow the Queen?"

The girl clenched her fists. "My father and mother starved to death, and my little brother… he's not doing well either. I don't want to die."

She hesitated, then tried to reach for Yin Jixue's sleeve, but pulled back, afraid of dirtying it. Instead, she dropped to her knees.

Yin Jixue didn't care about the dirt or grime—she quickly helped the girl up.

"What's wrong with your brother?" she asked.

"He was so hungry that he ate the dirt on the ground."

The homeless demons were divided into two groups—locals and outsiders.

The only reason this girl and her brother had survived so far was because they were locals, protected by other local homeless demons.

"Take me to him."

Yin Jixue lifted her skirt and followed the girl—Lian Rui—to her home.

Or at least, what counted as a home.

The roof had a massive hole, and the animal fur blanket on the ground reeked of a pungent stench. This was Lian Rui's bed.

Yin Jixue only frowned slightly before crouching next to the small, malnourished boy.

The boy looked to be around five or six years old, his head abnormally large compared to his thin limbs—a clear sign of long-term malnutrition.

She pressed down firmly on his swollen stomach.

The boy suddenly sat up and vomited a pool of black sludge.

"Xiao Ze! Are you okay?!" Lian Rui rushed forward, panic in her eyes.

"Jiejie… I'm hungry…" the boy whimpered weakly.

Lian Rui clung to her brother, then turned and knelt before Yin Jixue again.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Please, help us!"

Yin Jixue turned to Feng Xiu.

"What do you think?"

Feng Xiu hesitated before replying, "Your Majesty, since Ruoshui and I serve you, the palace is allowed to take in attendants."

Yin Jixue made her decision. "You will follow me for now. Once the city is rebuilt, you can choose whether to stay in the palace or find your path."

Then she remembered an important detail.

"Oh, right. How old are you two? What are your names?"

The girl quickly answered, "I'm Lian Rui, and my brother is Lian Ze. I'm ten years old, and he's five."

Ten… and five…

How could she possibly ask them to do any serious work?

Even having them fetch water felt like child labor.

"Then you two can help tend the palace garden."

Not that there was much to tend—the sweet yams didn't need much care. By the time any changes appeared, they'd be ready for harvest anyway.