"Captain!"
Just then, two guards stationed outside came running over, shouting, "A group of people is heading our way!"
"Let them come..."
Sage said, "Why panic? Keep them for me. I'll ask them what's going on."
Not long after he spoke, about a dozen figures approached, appearing on the high ground outside the quarry.
The child was first startled by the group of people, then sensed something was off and turned to Sage, "Didn't you come for me?"
"You're like a little monkey, why bother dealing with you," Renedia scoffed, "Who do you think you are, worthy of me dealing with you?"
"You... you're a kid too!" the filthy child retorted defiantly.
"I could knock you out with one blow!" Renedia rolled her eyes.
Just as the dozen people reached the side of the quarry, it was too late for them to retreat. Gin moved his feet, stepping onto the air, and rose into the sky.
"Moon Step!"
He soared into the air and in an instant landed behind the group, then swiftly charged at them like an afterimage. There were muffled sounds, and they all fell to the ground.
At this point, the other subordinates climbed up the outer edge of the quarry, circled them, and brought them in front of Sage.
These dozen people were wearing leather armor and carrying weapons, likely soldiers from this country.
"Who are you! This is the Anu Kingdom!"
The rugged, bearded man who seemed like their leader looked at these fierce pirates in terror, mustered the courage, and shouted, "I've never seen you before! Invading the Anu Kingdom is a crime!"
"Pirates are criminals by nature!"
Sage laughed heartily, grabbed a bone-in meat leg, and took a big bite.
"Pi-pirates?"
The dozen soldiers were suddenly shocked, even more terrified.
Have pirates invaded their Anu Kingdom?
No, that's not right. If they were pirates, why would they be in such an inland area? There's nothing to loot here; if they wanted to rob, they should have gone to White Harbor.
"We have a Navy Base here, pirates. Aren't you afraid? Let us... and him go at once!"
The soldier captain looked at the dirty child, "You! So you were hiding here, and you're with the pirates! You're a traitor!"
"Pi-pirates?"
The child looked at Sage in surprise, but at this moment, he wasn't as wary as before.
"There's a story here. What did you come looking for a child for? How big a crime can he..."
Sage stopped mid-sentence, glanced at Renedia, and waved his hand, "Forget it, take them away. Don't let them spread the message, and don't kill them here; it spoils my appetite."
The child's crime is quite serious. His sister before him was bountied at 790 million at eight years old, regardless if she was framed. That bounty is real.
As for Renedia, before her debut, she was already someone who could raid several towns.
Kaido was just starting to emerge, and the Ivory King was only eight years old!
"Understood, Captain Sage, I'll handle it personally."
Gin nodded heavily, waved his hand, and dozens of subordinates surrounded the soldiers, dragging them into the potholes beside the quarry. Soon, the soldiers fell silent.
"Hey kid, come over and eat something. You look hungry. I have some questions for you."
Sage pointed to the remaining half of the food and said to him.
"Gurgle—"
The child swallowed hard, stood for a moment, then gritted his teeth, ran to the mat, grabbed a piece of meat, and stuffed it in his mouth. In his rush to eat, half his face froze, and he nearly choked, thumping his chest.
"Eat slowly."
Marika handed him a cup of water, smiling, "If you need more, just tell me. No matter what, you need to eat your fill."
"Th-thank you!"
The child quickly took the water, swallowed the food down his throat, and continued to devour the food.
Sage watched him eat. Despite only showing half his face and being too young to reveal much, he knew this was a boy. But that wasn't the important thing.
What was important was that as the child got closer, Sage noticed the kid seemed to have a good constitution and a decent appetite.
Not an ordinary child...
The remaining food, prepared with Sage's appetite in mind, seemed like a small portion to him, but it was actually a lot. The child ate half of it, filling his belly until he was round. Only then did he satisfyingly flop onto the ground, supporting himself with his hands, and let out a content belch.
"Are you full?" Sage asked.
"Yes, I'm full! I'm sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you were like them, coming to catch me, but it turns out you're a good person!" The child quickly stood up and respectfully bowed to him.
"Pirates aren't good people."
Sage said, "I fed you and saved you; you owe me your life in a way. Here, the cost of owing me something isn't small... So tell me, did you find gold here?"
For a little kid, there's no need for complicated tactics, especially since he's already down on his luck.
But this gold, he's genuinely interested. However, he doesn't want to deceive the child, so he decides to be direct.
"It wasn't me who found it..."
The child lowered his head and took out a stone, staring at the gold in the stone. To be precise, it's not a stone; it's a gold ore, albeit with a low content.
He looked at it for a while, then suddenly raised his head. Those eyes, through his bangs, looked straight at Sage and said, "Do you believe in the Golden Country?!"