Absolute Beast Dominion

"Hmm, this looks better." Leo nodded in satisfaction after seeing Thalvyr's new look in the red metallic obsidian armour.

Leo had bought a readymade armour because, apparently, Lizardman slaves were common in Ember City due to the secret realm.

But that didn't mean the armour was of good quality.

Leo had to roam the city for more than 2 hours before finally ending up at the most expensive armour and weapons store.

The armour was forged from crimson obsidian alloy veined with molten gold and was tailored to Thalvyr's muscular, broad-shouldered frame without hindering mobility. Layered scale plates, spiked pauldrons, reinforced vambraces, and greaves provided balanced protection, while a segmented waist guard ensured swift and fluid movement.

As for the spear, it was forged from black volcanic steel and infused with molten crystal veins. The long spear bore a wicked, barbed blade that radiated searing heat to anyone ranked below Mid 2-Star. Its balanced shaft allowed precise thrusts and sweeping strikes, while the heat-resistant grip ensured excellent control.

"How does it feel?" Leo asked as he stored away Thalvyr's previous spear, which was vastly inferior to the one he had now.

"It's great..." Thalvyr replied before performing a few thrusts and sweeps to test the balance and reliability of the weapon.

"It's a whole upgrade over my previous spear!" he said in amazement before proceeding to inspect the armour.

"Though I am not fond of covering my body, I have to say, this gives me quite a good and secure feeling."

Well, you are not fond of it because you never had the chance. Leo thought.

One could never become accustomed to something if they had never experienced it.

Leo checked his balance.

"Damn, down to 848 Gold Coins," Leo muttered.

Thalvyr's armour and spear had cost a total of 950 Gold Coins—a full set of Low-Purple Tier equipment.

Thankfully, Leo was wealthy enough to afford it. Even the manager wore a beaming smile after closing such a high-value deal.

Leo walked out of the store and casually wandered around, eating anything that caught his eye. He even offered most of it to Thalvyr, even though the latter refused every time, afraid that taking too much would offend Leo.

"Oh wait, I need to get a feather for Lily." Leo suddenly recalled and headed towards the shop.

He also remembered that the shop manager had wanted to speak with him.

Leo made his way through the crowd—or rather, the crowd made way for Leo and Thalvyr.

Nobody wanted to catch the ire of a 6'9" tall man accompanied by an even taller 8' Lizardman wearing attire that practically screamed 'executioner.'

But Thalvyr was growing increasingly confused as he walked behind Leo. Sensing it, Leo asked what was bothering him.

"Lord... please excuse me, but why don't these humans seem to have any strength? Am I too weak to sense their strength, or am I unable to sense it because of the limitations placed on me by this collar?" Thalvyr asked, touching the slave collar that blended seamlessly into the black-and-red structure of his armour.

"Don't think too much. You cannot sense their strength because they don't have any in the first place," Leo replied casually.

"W-what? So many people with no strength? How are they even surviving in this harsh world? Zharrissa has told me countless instances where she dreamt of cities being razed to the ground... why are people so comfortable then?"

Leo chuckled.

"Surviving? Thalvyr, you got it wrong. Weak people are only at the mercy of the strong—whether it's the mercy of wild beasts or the mercy of humans themselves, those high in authority," Leo said.

"Those dreams of cities getting razed? While we're talking, I'd bet many cities of this calibre are being razed right now. So everybody is surviving on borrowed time if they can't defend themselves."

Thalvyr was left dumbfounded.

"So... it's like cattle..." Thalvyr muttered, recalling what had happened the previous night, when the city official had offered girls to Leo as though they were completely disposable.

He would have formed a completely wrong impression of Leo if the elves had not explained everything to him clearly.

Turns out, those girls were indeed disposable on a grand scale.

"Then why do people in power even bother keeping such dead weight alive if they can't contribute properly? Our race has a strict policy of eliminating the incompetent to reduce unnecessary competition." As a Lizardman, Thalvyr was blunt with his words.

Leo's eyes lowered in contemplation.

"I guess... for the greater good of humankind?" Leo answered, though something entirely different was going through his mind.

Still... Thalvyr's words do have some meaning to them... Leo couldn't understand why the Emperor would focus on protecting ordinary people when those people literally had no value. Even their offspring would remain ordinary unless someone noteworthy had been born within the last 3 generations.

It's like keeping apes alongside humans in the hope that a genius would one day be born among the apes and rejoin the race to support the civilisation, even though humans already had a head start of 1 kilometre.

Maybe it's a ruling tactic... or perhaps people really are kind... or I'm simply unaware of what's happening at the top. Leo contemplated.

By then, they had already reached the place.

He immediately went inside and searched for beautiful pink feathers. Instead of buying just one, he bought several of every kind he could find while the manager made his way over after being informed that Leo had requested a meeting.

At one point, Leo noticed Thalvyr's interest in a collection of white feathers with beautiful patterns, though he hesitated to say anything.

Without a word, Leo handed him a pouch containing 200 Gold Coins.

"Thank you very much, Lord!" Thalvyr's eyes lit up as he eagerly began selecting feathers. He even picked out some for Cindriss.

The manager soon arrived in a hurry, his early-30s appearance making him easy to recognize.

"S-sir! How may I help you?" The manager would never forget Leo anytime soon, and he was terrified that Leo might still be angry about what had happened previously.

"You speak. I could tell you wanted to discuss something the last time I was here. Do it now," Leo said.

The manager's worry vanished in an instant as his merchant instincts took over.

In the distance, Thalvyr couldn't help but cast occasional glances at Leo, who was busy talking with the manager.

It's indeed as Zharrissa said... he is completely unlike those cruel humans she saw in her dreams...

Thalvyr silently vowed to do his best to remain on Leo's good side. In his current position, everything depended on Leo. And even if it meant giving his life, Thalvyr would make sure his family is safe.

While they were here, something had happened at the place where Lyswenna and Cindriss had gone shopping.

"An invitation?" Lyswenna said after reading the letter a random man had handed her.

After delivering it, the man walked away, saying—

"Lord Nirvan invites your master to settle things inside the castle. Come if you have the guts."

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