He understood and promised to be cautious.

  She countinued explaining.

  "The age of the universe is unknown to us. The universe is vast and very dangerous. Creatures of unknown power and ability roam around, devouring stars and others. We are not weak, but there is no point going there."

  Devouring stars!? What type of world have I transmigrated in?

  "You never told me how strong you are or who even are you." He asked

  "Wait for it. Let me completely explain the politics and all." She replied.

  While they were talking, they had reached the main market square.

  There were a lot shops selling fish and sea animals. They looked pretty ugly, even insects looked better. Some fishes also had strange mutations growing out of them, filled with a white sticky substance.

  This village cluster was right beside a river where they got these. He noticed that these villagers had no crops growing even if they had ample lands.

  With a river here, the soil should be fertile enough.

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  While looking around, he also saw a lot of prostitution. Any female he saw was up for sex for money.

  Yes, any women. Including children. Many were being picked as well.

  He felt a lot of discomfort in his chest as if someone was pressing his heart.

  A mining town is supposed to be wealthy or atleast normal.

  Here the people were living like insects.

  In the entire time he walked here, he never saw any smile. Even the prostitutes. Not even any children.

  There was only one shop that sold cooked fish. Even that was almost empty.

  'Do they buy the fish and eat it raw? But that thing looks like it's full of toxins.'

  His theory was proved correct when a man bought a fish with ugly pimple like mutations.

  Without caring, the man bit into the fish right there and started to chew. The people around were looking at him with jealousy and nefarious thoughts.

  But the most surprising thing was there was almost no crime. Except for a murder that he saw a few mins ago, there was nothing. No robbery or blackmailing. No pickpocketing.

  He understands the reason as well. There is literally no money to steal. The people get their money and buy a fish, which for some coincidence was exactly equal to their salary of 1 day. He heard some people talking about their meager salary and got a lot of information from it.

  Why would they steal and kill for no reason?

  True, some sick people do exist but except for that 1 man, he didn't see any.

  He again started walking when he saw someone carrying a little girl.

  He was carrying her like luggage over his shoulder, her body almost making an upside U. Her belly was facing up.

  A living body's backbone weren't supposed to be this way.

  "She is dead. Her body shows traces of aether abuse."

  He closed his eyes and turned away. No one around him cared either. They just kept walking.

  After exiting the square, he again started to follow some miners.

  "What is aether abuse?"he asked with clenched jaws.

  She sensed his anger, but there was nothing they could do.

  "It's when a transcendent uses aether violently on a mortal. It's very painful. Aether in a foreign body tries to absorb everything. Organs, blood. It's used as a torture method by sick nobles." She answered honestly.

  The meaning was clear.

  A transcendent has sexually abused that child first. They could have let them go but then they decided that she deserved something special.

  He didn't reply.

  She sighed.

  She was devastated herself.