After the stone door opened, Grandfather shouted, "Hurry up and keep up," and walked in boldly. I immediately followed. A minute after I entered, the stone door naturally restored itself.
After walking down the stone steps for about ten minutes, my vision suddenly opened up. This was a massive basement, over 200 square meters and about two stories high. Many people were walking back and forth in the basement.
Upon seeing my grandfather, everyone immediately knelt and hailed him as their leader. This was clearly an underground organization, and my grandfather was its head.
Grandfather turned back and said to me, "This is 'Nightingale,' an underground organization our family has operated for 300 years. It's primarily responsible for intelligence gathering and assassination. All the assassins in this organization are meticulously trained, and we hold leverage over every single one of them, so there's never a need to worry about leaks. Only direct descendants of the Prodia Family can know this secret, and they only take orders from us. Of course, you're still young, so I'm just letting you know for now. You don't need to do anything yet. You'll have the chance to interact with this organization when you grow up. Follow me!"
I followed Grandfather much further, passing through many rooms and secret passages. We reached a room that looked like a jail, with various "prisoners" locked behind bars. There were young girls, ordinary adult women, and various other races: Long-eared Race, Beast Race, Little People Clan—all sorts.
Everyone looked malnourished and listless, wearing tattered rags that barely covered them. Some were sobbing quietly, while others had vacant eyes, looking as if they might collapse and die at any moment.
I didn't speak or ask questions. There is legal slave trading in this world, so this sort of thing isn't unusual on the outside. It's just that the variety here was greater and the "quality" seemed better.
They were probably all Grandfather's collection.
Even though I already knew the man in front of me was scum, I didn't have the strength to resist him yet. I could only endure.
I acted like a child visiting for the first time—a bit fearful but looking around curiously. Seeing that I didn't ask questions, Grandfather ignored me and walked straight inside.
We reached the innermost room. When the door opened, there were three women inside—or rather, three girls.
Walking into the room, Grandfather took the initiative to explain. "I don't need to explain what this place is. This is the pleasure that power brings. If you want to have all this in the future, you must constantly work to improve your prestige, make more allies, increase your abilities, and climb to greater heights. Then you will possess the same power I do."
I didn't reply, waiting for Grandfather to continue.
"The ones outside are my leftovers, so I won't give them to you. These three are the latest 'new arrivals' sent from below. They come from clean backgrounds, and one is even the daughter of a minor noble. I can spare one to give to you as a birthday present. From now on, you will have the right to dispose of her; you can enjoy her as you please. Remember, Dorin, the greater the ability, the stronger the desire. A person without desire will never have great ambitions."
*This is complete sophistry,* I argued in my mind. *This old pervert wants to train me into a little pervert too.*
I was a bit tempted. A virgin in his twenties who had never touched a woman—it would be a lie to say I had no desire in that area. Otherwise, I'd be impotent or gay.
However, I personally take matters of right and wrong very seriously.
If I lack the power, I can allow myself to choose to turn a blind eye to evil. But I absolutely will not allow myself to join in and become an oppressor. That would violate my bottom line.
Just as I was about to find an excuse to reject Grandfather's birthday gift, one of the three girls looked at me with an expectant gaze.
She had the wheat-colored short hair common among Aras people, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Though she was a bit dirty, her skin looked very fair.
I suddenly realized—Grandfather said I would have the right to dispose of her. That meant how I treated this person was my choice. As long as I didn't abuse her and gave her a glimmer of hope for life, wouldn't that be enough?
Between saving one person and saving no one, I chose the former.
The other two already had vacant eyes; even if I chose them, there was likely no way to save them. So, I would save this girl who still had a bit of humanity left before she fell into despair! At least there was still light in her eyes.
I raised my hand and pointed at the girl who was looking at me.
Grandfather followed my hand and looked over. He said with a smile, "Not bad, you have a good eye. You chose the most expensive one of the three. She's the daughter of a noble. But don't worry, play with her as you like. Her parents have already sold her to me."
He ordered his subordinates to untie the girl and bring her to my side.
Just as the girl was about to speak, I looked at her with a warning gaze, and she shut her mouth.
Grandfather looked at my expression and said playfully, "Don't be too rough. It's no fun if you play her to death."
The girl trembled all over. I replied, "I will follow your teachings, Grandfather."
Grandfather didn't reply, instead instructing a subordinate: "Raven, take my grandson back. I'm going to enjoy my 'dessert' here."
A person nearby wearing a black cloak answered in the affirmative and came over to lead me out.
After the door closed, I glanced back, feeling a bit sick.
For the first time, I felt the powerlessness of being weak. That feeling of having evil right in front of you but being forced to turn a blind eye was very unpleasant.
After many twists and turns, we returned to the surface. We were no longer inside the villa. I didn't know the specific address, but it seemed to be in a single-story house.
We were still within the city of Yars. I got into the carriage at the door. Since I had never been to the outer city, I didn't know the specific coordinates. After a twenty-minute carriage ride, I returned to the villa with this "birthday gift."
I felt a bit weary. This birthday had left me physically and mentally exhausted.