Three Philosophical Questions for Travelers

This year has changed a lot. At the beginning, the entire team consisted of 43 people. Now, there are less than ten people left.Two brothers of the Brook family died, three uncles escaped, and he himself was tortured badly by the disaster.

He was a strong, handsome man at first, but now he has lost a lot of weight, and his face is full of bitterness, like a gambler who owes money to usury.His temperament has also changed. In the past, he was polite and generous, and occasionally gave alms to the poor. Now he has become sensitive, suspicious, preoccupied, and loves to beat people.Every night he asked Violet to serve him, and he would show his fangs to Violet at this time.

After a year, Violet's smooth back was covered with scars.Kean liked to fuck her from behind.He held Violet's hair like a rider holds the reins.Then he hit her and called her a bitch.

Violet thought about running away, but she had no way to escape; she also thought about committing suicide, but she couldn't do it—the dignity of a slave is not very precious, at least not more precious than life.

After suffering for a year, they finally came to the Western Regions.

The first place they settled was an important town in the Western Regions. This small town was called "Shifeng Stone Town", or Stone Town for short.Stone Town was built under a natural boulder, which was [-] meters high and looked like a mountain.But it really is a rock.No one knows how it came about, no one knows where it came from.People just built a small town under his protection. The boulders can block the strong winds of the Western Regions and allow passing travelers to escape sandstorms.

The stone town is surrounded by deserts, but fortunately there are several wells in the town, which can provide drinking water for people.However, water is still precious. In order to obtain water for the next trip, Lord Keen has already had a hard time.He sat on a stone bench at the foot of a slope, flipping through the ledger repeatedly.It's as if there is gold hidden in the ledger.

Violet didn't dare to go up and talk to him at this moment, she could see that Kean was upset.If someone got into trouble, Keane would suddenly explode and slap that person.

Keane's books turned over faster and faster, which proved that he was getting more and more impatient.

Violet tried to sit as far away from him as possible, lest he take it out on her.

At this moment, Keane suddenly threw the ledger to the ground.He yelled hysterically: "Damn it! No, no, no! It's not fucking enough, it's not enough!"

He does this often, and Violet is used to it.But wait for 5 minutes and he will calm down. At that time, Violet will go up to comfort him and calm him down.

But this time he found Violet first. He grabbed Violet by the shoulder and said, "Let me ask you, how much food and water have you eaten these days?"

Violet hadn't counted that, but it certainly wasn't much. "I eat very little..."

"Halve!" she interrupted Keene before she had finished speaking. "Our rations are running out. There are too many people here to feed. My dear Violet, you must show the great qualities of a noble lady."

Her ration has been halved for the third time, and Violet has been hungry before, and now that she is halved again, she may not be able to survive the rest of the journey.

She tried to beg her master to be merciful, "No, my lord, I can't eat any less."

"No! You can!" Keen grabbed Violet's skinny thigh and pinched her skin, "Look at you fat! You slave, how can you be so fat? I can't even touch yours bone!"

Maybe he will be satisfied only if I become a skeleton!Violet endured the pain and said: "Please forgive me, my lord, I will starve to death!"

Keene slapped her across the face.

Violet was too light and thin, she was hit and fell to the ground, and then there were stars in front of her eyes, and her consciousness became blurred for a while.Faintly, she heard Keene's roar, cursing and groaning.When she came back to her senses, she saw that Kean had been held down by his men.

The person holding Keane was a tall and burly guard named Lars.This is also the only one in their group who can use a sword.He pushed Keen to the ground and yelled at him: "Keen, she can't eat half a piece of dry food a day, what's the use of you cutting her ration?"

Although Keane was his employer, he didn't dare to resist him at the moment.Lars was a head taller than Keane, and received the most rations every day, which kept him strong and powerful.Lars is the patron saint of this group of people. At this time of lack of food and clothing, everyone is in awe of this tall man.

Keene exclaimed, "But if you don't deduct her, who else? Should you deduct yours?"

Lars said: "Deduct from me, and give her from mine."

Keane was speechless.He looked at Violet and said, "Why don't you thank our bodyguards?"

Violet hurriedly saluted, Lars waved at her and said, "I don't want your thanks."

This made Violet very grateful, she didn't expect that someone would show mercy to a female slave.That night, Violet was full for the first time in a long time.Lars is a mercenary, he has his own private money, so he has always had a good life in the team.He not only fed Violet, but also bought her a piece of wheat candy from the Western Regions.The thing was sweet, fragrant and crisp, and Violet felt that she had never eaten such delicious candy in her entire life.She ate a small piece of candy in six bites, chewing each bite until it lost its flavor before swallowing it.

After dinner, Lars found her alone and said to her, "Come here, I have something to tell you."

It was already late at this time, and the long-term hunger made people lose their spirits. When it got dark, everyone went to sleep.They had no money to stay in a hotel, so they set up a tent in the back street, spread out a straw mat, and made do with it.

Violet followed Lars to an empty corner behind the tent, and he looked around, sneaking around.Violet was puzzled, she asked: "What do you want me for?" Do you want me to write to him?I remember he was illiterate.

At this moment Lars took off his trousers.

"Keep it in your mouth," he said to Violet.

"No, Master Lars!" Violet was terrified, she said, "I don't do this! And I'm Keen's slave, I can't serve others."

Lars was not angry, he just said suspiciously: "But you ate my food."

Are you taking me for a whore?

And a dry meal and a piece of candy are bought once, and even the humblest whore costs more than that.

What's more, Violet doesn't want to be a prostitute. She serves Keene because he saved her and gave her life that winter.That's when Keene made her swear an oath of allegiance, and she swore an oath, and she was going to keep it.

oath?What oath?

She almost forgot what she said at the time.Hunger and fatigue left her weak and dizzy.Violet thought: In order to survive, I serve Kean, so it is also for survival, why can't I hold Lars' belongings in my mouth?

If he hadn't helped me, I would have starved to death, so it was only natural for me to serve him.

This thought terrified Violet, and she realized that if she continued to think this way, she would completely degenerate into a woman who traded her flesh for money.

In the past, she insisted that being Keane's slave was just a temporary compromise, and that she would be free sooner or later.But now, she felt that she would never get that freedom again.

"No," she said.

"No?" Lars asked her, "Then how many candies do you want?"

He thinks I'm a cheaper slave than a whore, a beast called a woman.Violet was outraged at the thought, and said, "No, my lord, I said I would not do such things!"

Lars slapped her across the face.

"Slave, who taught you to rebel against your master?" he asked.

Yes, who is it?Violet thought to herself, he only told me to resist, but he didn't say how to resist.No one taught me what to do when faced with a strong man's rape.

Then Lars pushed her to the ground and roughly tore her clothes.

Violet still tried to resist, she grabbed, kicked, and bit her teeth.The result was a violent beating.No one will show mercy to slaves.

She ends up lying there like a corpse, waiting for Lars to finish his business.

Ten minutes later, the man finished his work, put on his clothes and left immediately.Violet lay on the ground covered in disgusting slime and her own blood.The liquid and yellow sand are mixed together and stick together into mud.

This kind of thing hurts, but it doesn't break Violet.After all, that's how she came here, and this wasn't the first time.

She thought again of the time when she had first been a slave.

She lived in the Southern Islands when she was a child, and she was already a sensible girl when she was captured.About seven or eight years old.

There is eternal summer in her hometown, as the legend says, there are melons and fruits that are ripe to split, there are sweet and clear streams, and the fish in the lake are so fat and stupid that a three-year-old child can catch it; The same is true for wild animals, you don't need much skill to catch them.

There was no hunger in Violet's childhood, fruit, freshwater fish, seafood and various vegetable porridge.

There are not many farmers, but there is enough rice to eat; the hunters are lazy, but the prey is always too much to rot.

The air there is humid, the sun is plentiful, and it is warm all year round.So people don't like to wear clothes, women are as bare-chested as men, and people there think breasts are sacred because mothers use them to feed life.

But this is not to say that everyone does not love beauty, on the contrary, the compatriots of Violet feel beauty the most.Both men and women wear jewelry, paint their bodies, and braid their hair like a peacock.Some like gold, some like shells, some like bones, and to them they are all alike.They have thirteen festivals in twelve months of the year, and everyone wears different clothes to celebrate each festival.

A man can marry many wives, and a woman can marry many men, as long as everyone is willing, there is no problem.

Violet thought from the bottom of her heart that it was a life in heaven.To the invaders, however, their customs were symbols of barbarism.After the slave owner caught her, he first taught her to wrap herself tightly with clothes, and then taught her how to obey the master.The slave master told every slave that people in this world are not equal, people are born high or low, and the master is nobler than the slave.

Later, Violet learned how to serve these "noble people", she learned everything from singing, dancing and music to bed techniques.The slave master praised her and said she was the best slave.At that time, she naively thought that her suffering could end at any time.

However, the result was that she was bought and sold again and again, and the selling price changed from high to low, and the more slaves were sold, the less valuable they became.

She was sold from the south to the valley, from the valley to the north, and finally to the bay... In the process, she grew up, became an adult, and gradually changed from a girl to a woman.She learned to be resigned and began to obey fate...

But fate is a cruel thing.When she had closed herself, she happened to come to a saint.The saint gave him respect, gave her love, gave her almost everything a normal person can get.And the sage also taught her "self-esteem", "self-love", "resistance", "freedom" and other things that she didn't dare to think about before.

She went from being a slave to being a free man, and became a teacher, giving lessons to children.People respected her, and she was experiencing that feeling for the first time.

But now fate wants her to be a slave.

If it weren't for the existence of the saint, she could still continue to be a slave.But those who have tasted meat will no longer be willing to eat grass. She knows the taste of freedom, and she can no longer be a slave.

Whenever she is in pain, she will recall the happy days before.When the two are compared, her pain will be doubled.

Violet calmly wiped off the dirty things on her body, and then got dressed.She made up her mind that she had to get away from it all.

She didn't want to, and couldn't continue to be a slave.

Keane didn't touch him when he got back in the evening.Keane simply asked her:

"Is Lars' second child older?"

Violet didn't answer, she said: "Sleep, master, we have to go on the road tomorrow."

The next morning, Violet got another piece of candy.

Violet didn't want it, but Lars shove her the candy.The man didn't speak, but Violet already understood the meaning.

She had nowhere to escape, nor could she resist, so she had to tell Keene about it and let the master decide.

Keane listened to her statement calmly, then the man nodded and said:

"Violet, this is your crime."

"My sin?" asked Violet.

"Your sin. You are too beautiful to seduce men." Keene said to him, "If you continue to stay here, more people will fall because of you. Violet, you need a new master."

"What did you say?" Violet's eyes widened.

"New master," Keen said, "I'm going to sell you."

A slave for a day, a slave for life, two

A slave for a day, a slave for life, two

Violet didn't expect to get such a reply.

"What did I do wrong?" She asked loudly, "I have kept my own place from the beginning to the end. I serve your life, cook for you, wash your clothes, and clean your shoes. I also write letters for you, read maps, and find your way. Follow you to receive guests. I even act as an interpreter for you! I have done so much, but in the end you say I am guilty? Where is my guilt?"

Keane roared: "Who taught you to talk to the master like this?" He was about to come up and beat Violet.

Violet strikes first this time. "You are not my master anymore!" She rushed to fight Kean.

Keene, though a man, hadn't really fought.The two hugged and rolled on the ground, and he was soon beaten by Violet and screamed.The screams attracted other people to come over, and they started beating Violet indiscriminately.Anyway, it is a crime for a slave to beat his master.

Violet curled up on the ground with her head in her arms, and people punched and kicked her.Then someone tore her hair and ripped her clothes.Violet screamed.

After beating for a while, Keene yelled, "Don't beat her to death! I'm going to sell her for money!" So people stopped.

Violet can't get up anymore.New and old injuries accumulated together, and the clothes on her body became tattered.A group of men surrounded her, looking at her and laughing.She sat on the ground, trying to cover her ugliness with broken clothes, but people pushed her down again, trampling her dignity wantonly.

She thought to herself: Dignity is more valuable than life, but where is my dignity?

That afternoon, the violets were sold.Keane spared no effort to belittle her when he used her, but he did his best to brag about her when he sold her.Keene said to the slave trader: "Look at this girl's skin, look at her face! This is a southern nobleman, a tribal princess! I bought her with a bag full of gold..."

Violet stood behind him with a rope wrapped around her hands, listening indifferently to Keane's bargaining with the other party.The slave owner was a middle-aged man with a rosaceous nose and a big beard. His face was greasy and shiny, and the corners of his mouth were curled up greedily.

Tomorrow I will belong to this man, she thought.She couldn't believe what her life would be like tomorrow.

In the end, Violet was sold for seven gold pieces.For the current Keane, this price is already high.After negotiating the price and shaking hands, the slave trader came over and put the shackles on Violet.He sneered, and said, "I advise you not to think so. Girl, they just hit you and fuck you, and I'll chop off your hands and feet. I tell you, a slave girl with her hands and feet is just as easy to sell. Put it in a jar and sell it, and it can sell more than a dozen gold coins at a time. Haha, some people like this!"

Violet's teeth began to chatter involuntarily, while Keane said hypocritically from the side: "Sir, you promised me to treat her well!"

The slave owner grinned, showing his yellow teeth, "I'm just scaring her!"

Then Keane held Violet's hand and said very emotionally: "I'm really sorry, Violet, my dearest and dearest maid. I really don't want to sell you! You are a good girl, you can play the piano I can sing and write, I am considerate and gentle, I am lovable day and night, I am really... hey!" He actually burst into tears at the end.

He looked just as he did when he was rich, and when he picked up the violets.Only then did Violet realize that Keane's previous politeness and elegance were all deceitful. They were for others and for himself.

In this way, Keene cried and sent Violet to the slave caravan.

In the car, Violet saw many people like her.There are men and women, they are naked, their hands and feet are thin, and all of them have numb eyes.Violet tried to greet them, but they just looked at her with terrified, weird eyes.

There was a stench of corruption in the air, and Violet saw in a corner a woman with a swollen belly full of abscesses.She knew the disease was contagious, so she tried to stay away from that person as much as possible.

Violet found a place to sit near the door, and the master drew down the curtains of the caravan.The curtain was drawn down, revealing only a gap.The caravan moved slowly, and Violet looked out through the gap, and the last image she saw was Keene holding the small bag of gold coins in his hands, smiling all over his face.

Maybe I should have gone with Hyacinth, she thought, and maybe it would be nice to die in the moor.

The air was stuffy, and the fellow slaves were coughing heavily.The caravan slowly drove out of Shicheng, the camel bells jingled, and the slave owner was chatting with others, laughing loudly from time to time.They were talking about marrying a wife and having children, which was destined to have nothing to do with Violet.

Violet couldn't help thinking about her own fate.She doesn't want to be a slave all the time, she wants fairness and freedom, and all kinds of things... But now she can't help it.Fate is heavier than the shackles on her body, and the sky is as ruthless as the yellow sand outside.She can't do anything about it.

got windy.The yellow sand from the Western Regions poured into the caravan through the gap, and Violet had to close the gap. This time, the sun and air could not come in, and the caravan became dark and stuffy.A slave groaned in pain, and Violet subconsciously thought: I should help him.But she changed her mind: What can I do to help him?

Who will help me again?

In the face of this desperate fate, the so-called pity, sympathy and kindness all become illusory.Here, people either become numb or go crazy.

After walking for a while, the slave owner stopped the car and asked the slaves to get out of the car for convenience.The slaves lined up and got out of the car one by one.

Violet sat on the outermost side, and she was the first to go down.Before getting into the car, all of Violet's belongings were confiscated, including the shoes under her feet.The yellow sand was scorched by the sun, and she felt her feet were on fire when she stepped on it.

Immediately afterwards, several skinny men came down, some from the north and some from the south.The slave owner looked at them with a whip, but no one dared to speak.The fourth man was probably too weak and fell to the ground when he got out of the car.The slave owner went up and beat him severely with a whip.The man's mouth, arms and chest were ripped apart. He screamed loudly, but even when he screamed loudly, he would be drowned by the wind and sand.

The Western Regions is the most cruel and ruthless place.From top to bottom, people abide by the precepts and abandon emotions.Because redundant emotions will affect people's judgment, and in this land, any mistake in decision-making is enough to be fatal.