Grand Return System

The Cruelty of Reality

Rias continued in a quiet voice.

"They were adopted by the auction house and trained to become professional maids. Loyalty was the only thing they were taught. The auction house became their entire world."

Selena’s gaze slowly moved toward another maid.

The girl looked barely older than her.

Yet her eyes told a different story.

There was no innocence in them.

No curiosity.

Only exhaustion.

It was the kind of weariness that felt completely wrong on such a young face.

Selena’s fingers tightened around the mask in her hand.

Rias noticed but said nothing.

After a brief silence, she continued.

"There is no light left in their hearts anymore. You can see it yourself."

Her voice grew softer.

"This isn’t something that only happens here. Almost every major faction has people like them. Powerful families. Great sects. Even the royal family."

Selena remained silent.

Her eyes lingered on the maid.

The girl stood perfectly still.

Her posture was flawless.

Her expression was calm.

But somehow, that made it worse.

Rias lowered her voice.

"This is the cruelty of reality."

She paused.

"The rules of this world are never kind to the weak."

Selena slowly looked back at her.

Rias continued.

"Most people never get to choose their own fate."

"Those who are lucky, those with enough talent and aptitude, may get the chance to enter the Immortal Mountains or join powerful sects."

She glanced toward the maids.

"But those who fail..."

Her voice faded for a moment.

Then she finished quietly.

"They end up like this."

Her words drifted into the quiet corridor.

For a few moments, neither girl spoke.

The Treasure Pavilion continued operating around them.

Servants carried trays.

Cultivators whispered among themselves.

Doors opened and closed.

Somewhere deeper inside, the faint sound of an auction bell rang once.

Yet Selena barely heard any of it.

Her attention remained on those girls.

She had once been one of the fortunate ones.

At that thought, her breathing became slightly uneven.

There had been a time when she had possessed nothing.

No powerful backing.

No extraordinary treasures.

No place where she truly belonged.

If Leon had not appeared...

Selena’s eyes dimmed.

What would have happened to her?

The thought frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

She lowered her gaze, and her hand slowly curled around the edge of her sleeve.

After hearing Rias’s explanation, Selena’s face turned pale and she felt a lingering fear.

If Leon hadn’t taken her in back then, would she have become a tool to serve others like these girls?

The thought refused to leave her.

She imagined a dark room.

No sunlight.

No freedom.

No choice.

A place where her name no longer mattered and her feelings had no value.

She might have eventually stopped resisting.

Not because she wanted to surrender...

But because a person could only fight against hopelessness for so long before something inside them began to break.

Would she have become a tool for others’ desires in that dark, lightless world?

Would she have completely lost herself?

Selena’s lips parted slightly, but no words came.

She remembered the first time Leon had looked at her.

He hadn’t looked at her as a possession.

He hadn’t looked at her as a useful weapon.

He had simply seen her.

A person.

A student.

Someone worth protecting.

Her eyes gradually softened.

She quietly glanced ahead.

Leon was walking several steps in front of them.

His long shoulder-length black hair moved gently with each step, and the thin amethyst embroidery on his midnight robes caught the warm golden light of the Treasure Pavilion.

He seemed completely unaware of the conversation behind him.

Or perhaps he was aware.

Selena wasn’t sure.

That was just how Leon was.

He rarely said things that needed to be said.

Sometimes, his actions spoke first.

Rias noticed Selena’s gaze and followed it.

A small smile touched her lips.

Neither of them said anything.

There was no need.

The two girls continued walking side by side behind Leon.

For a brief moment, despite the strange atmosphere surrounding them, Selena felt something warm settle inside her chest.

She had been lucky.

Not because the world had treated her kindly.

The world had not.

She had been lucky because, when the world had given her no path forward, Leon had opened one for her.

And that was something she would never forget.

Ahead, Cavir Walton continued leading them deeper into the Treasure Pavilion.

The deeper they went, the more imposing the surroundings became.

The ordinary halls gradually disappeared.

In their place were enormous pillars carved with ancient beasts, translucent screens separating private rooms, and formations hidden beneath the floor.

Every formation was connected to another.

Every corridor had its own restrictions.

Clearly, the Treasure Pavilion wasn’t merely an auction house.

It was also a fortress.

Cavir Walton glanced back at Leon.

Seeing that the two students were following closely, he continued forward without slowing.

The black masks remained in their hands.

Soon, they would enter the true auction area.

And inside that place, countless cultivators from powerful factions had already gathered.

None of them knew who had just entered the Treasure Pavilion.

None of them knew what treasures Leon had brought with him.

And even fewer understood that among the seemingly ordinary guests walking through the entrance was someone whose strength could shake the entire hall with a single thought.

Leon calmly walked onward.

His purple eyes remained peaceful.

For him, this was nothing more than an auction.

But for others...

It might become the beginning of something much larger.

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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Grand Return System* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

Scoturn777

Creator of Grand Return System

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