Five days later, Ray was taking the opportunity to flex his muscles and practice arts while his room was empty.

The last week was not eventful at all, as he only got to meet his sick mother twice. Seemingly her situation had stabilized, which was something he expected after the duke's palace was purged of spies.

31 spies were captured. 22 of them committed suicide… 41 servants went missing on the same day! They were the smart ones who ran away.

The duke was probably assuming that he got rid of most of the spies, but Ray who had been listening in for a while now knew better. He only got rid of 50%.
But somehow the purge was a good thing, as it scared those spies who stayed into stopping their activities.

Ray could only sigh, during this period he learned a lot of things about the state of this continent, some of which were very disturbing.
Apparently, it was not in the same state he knew about. During the 1000 years when he went into hiding, this continent had merged with ten others forming a grand land mass 20 Times the original size!
This was caused by this world merging with another one, which caused many disastrous geological phenomena. This was the reason many of the teachings of the old were lost.

This new continent, where at the moment, was filled with dangers and otherworld races who after coming here, began to mingle with humans! And rage wars.

Thankfully the humans who had the skill cards system had enough power to fight off the new invaders and preserve their homelands!

Surviving would be more dangerous than he expected, but somehow Ray was not discouraged, as the world’s best hacker, he liked a good challenge.

At the moment, Ray was watching his baby half-brothers and half-sisters getting pampered by their entourage as he moved his tiny chubby hands in a strange pattern. That’s when a new notification appeared, startling him.

Again? He quickly checked his status while wondering what he got this time.

He got a new skill!

Oh, this one was good. Just when he needed some extra Mana some good baby chose to die and return this skill to him!
At the moment, he had 21 Intelligence points, which meant that he generated 21 Mana points throughout the day for a maximum of 21. With this skill, he would be able to store the excess to reach his STR * INT which meant 168. Not bad at all!
Wait! Why did another baby die? It was natural for babies to die at infancy considering this world’s technology level, but those babies were not commoners' babies, but children of nobles who had the world's best doctors and healers around them!

Was his soul shards causing some kind of backlash against them? No, that didn’t make any sense. The shards he got were only weak ones after all.

While Ray was pondering, the two maids that usually took care of him hurried into the room with a guard… No, he was a knight. Those were warriors who had fighting skills that surpassed others. Ray heard that there was an exam for knighthood, like for mages. Those who had the skills would succeed and earn a title!
This was not a part of the tradition he set when he formed this continent, but something that had grown naturally.

“Hey, Yuna, Is it really important to take him with us?” the first maid said, “the lady only told us to find a good maid for him… Not to let him choose the…..”

“It’s not that!” The second maid Yuna interrupted, “What if the new maid screamed after seeing him? We can’t just choose someone who will treat him with disgust! What if she hurt him later? If something were to happen to him it is our responsibility!” she explained making her colleague nod.

Yuna quickly reached for Ray, she carefully held him and wrapped him in a silky blanket then carried him out. The knight was here for this. The Duke had ordered that ray can only be carried out while escorted due to security concerns.

Ray didn’t cry or yell as he activated his OMNISCIENT SCENES X surveying the palace. Indeed in the front yard which the maids were headed to, there was a group of 5 wagons full of girls and boys.

They were slaves in the sense that they were given or sold to the palace by their parents or their lords. They had already acquired a six months training course and were brought here to replenish the Palace's servants.

Usually, most of the beginner maids and butlers like those rarely get a chance to work in the palace’s main residents and would usually start in other lower places. But due to the recent purge in the palace after Ray’s incident, a huge number of replacement servants were required.

Ray’s ‘entourage’ quickly reached the palace's front yard, where the various butlers of the duke's wives and offspring were carefully observing and taking notes as the girls descended from the carriages.

The girls were pretty as expected of maids selected to serve in the palace. Their ages ranged from 15 to 25. And all of them were virgins. The duke didn’t want to employ someone with unclear relations!
Although the girls looked healthy, someone with a keen eye can spot the signs of previous malnourishment and abuse them.
As for the boys, Ray didn’t even look at them. He just casually drooled as he began inspecting the girls, whomever he chooses now, would be a pillar in his future plans.

"Why does it feel like he looks like a pimp inspecting prostitutes?" the maid, Yara whispered in her colleague’s ear.

"Yara, stop being rude…" Yuna scolded as she hurried toward the master butler Paul. He was the one responsible here.

"Master Paul we are here to pick up a few maids for young master Ray," she told him after bowing courteously. Paul, although he was a servant like her, had great power in the palace as the duke's right-hand man.

Paul raised his head from the stack of papers in his hand, looking at the pretty maid whom he recognized as the one that usually accompanied lady Penelope. He frowned a little then nodded.

"You can only pick up one maid for him!" He clarified.

"He needs at least 3 maids! Even the concubines' daughters have that much! " Yuna retorted back, making the other maid pinch her… Was it really worth fighting for some benefits for the ugly baby? Was it really worth offending butler Paul for him?

Paul frowned a little. He didn't expect this maid to talk back to him.

"The duke orders…." he began to make excuses.

"The duke clearly accepted Lady Penelope's request that young master Ray must be treated as a full-fledged prince!" The maid said, making Paul sigh… he was put in a tight corner here. The duke didn't clearly state anything about Ray, but Lady Agatha, the duke's first wife had made her displeasure evident when Paul asked which courtyard to give him Ray week. She told Paul to give Ray the minimal possible treatment as a prince. The duke was there and he didn't correct her, so Paul knew that he subtly agreed.
Usually, a direct heir would easily get 7 or 8 maids to take care of him, this smart maid had already made concessions when she requested 3!

"Fine then… I will give you three maids…But…. Two of them must be from the last wagon…" he said firmly after some pondering… he didn't show it but he really appreciated Yuna. A maid who fights for her master's benefits despite the risks was a very good and loyal one!
But this was the most he could do to help without offending Lady Agatha who was known to be as unforgiving as a 3 years old spoiled princess who got her cookies confiscated!

Yuna carefully looked at the last wagon then frowned and sighed. This wagon, unlike the rest which was filled with pretty clean maids, was filled by a group of dirty ugly slave boys and girls in rags.

Those were not brought here as servants but as disposable items. They were meant to do miscellaneous and dangerous ‘jobs’ around the palace like poison testing or to be moving targets for the combat and magic practices!.

They were mostly little thieves, prisoners of war, or traitors' children!

They had no real maid training or education, only a slave brand on each of them that ensured that they could never betray their masters.

The other maids, although were also technically slaves, didn't have something like this. A slave mark was not only considered degrading, but it also greatly limited a person's power and skills!

“Thank you, butler!” Yuna said, bowing slightly before turning to her colleague “Let’s go…” She said as she headed to get the formal maid first.

The pretty girls were lining up while wondering whether they would be able to score big and get to serve a prince, or whether their destiny would be the kitchen where they would spend the next few years peeling potatoes.

Yuna, being wise, slowly approached the girls and just walked past them, not alerting them that she was holding a prince. She just monitored their expressions as they looked at him.

All of them, without an exception, reacted in some very expected ways. Most just frowned, some gasped and a few had the audacity to snort in disgust… Yes, Ray was just that handsome!

The two maids sighed after passing by the entire line of girls and finally reaching the place where the last wagon was parked.

Their criteria were not working at all…Those maids were obviously smug, thinking that they had reached the sky by getting chosen to work in the palace! They didn’t even realize that the ugly baby who was drooling as he was being carried around was a prince!

In the end, they decided to just get him some random unfortunate maid. That's when baby ray suddenly began making noise as he reached for a certain direction. It was the last wagon.

Yuna frowned and then got the strange idea to make the baby choose. They were his servants after all, and they would have to take care of him from now on!

Yuna quickly started moving toward the sorry-looking slaves who were being whipped to stand in line. Both Yara and the knight who was following were surprised by Yuna’s move, but after some thinking, they decided to follow.

Yuna just followed Ray’s tined outstretched hand until she reached one of the slaves. It was a dirty-looking albino short girl in rags. She had white pale skin that was covered with scars, blood, and dirt. Her most prominent feature was the ugly scar cutting her face and the unkempt ghastly white hair that made her look menacing … Even the other slaves were staying away from her.

Yuna hesitated then slowly lowered Ray toward the thin girl who flinched and slowly raised her bright golden eyes from the ground to look at Yuna and then at Ray who began caressing the scar on her face.

“Hey! What are you ....” One of the guards began to scold, but one look from the knight who was escorting Yuna made him shut up. He recognized that knight as one of the Duke’s personal guards! Why was he escorting two maids? Is that ugly baby the rumored one? Damn, he nearly insulted a prince…. That was close!

Ray ignored the sweating guard as he slowly pulled the slave girl’s white hair then began to giggle while trying to reach for her to hold him!
The girl looked at him stoically, saying nothing… She didn’t seem to be disgusted by his looks.

Yuna hesitated for a moment then looked at one of the butlers supervising this wagon.
“Tell me about this one!” she ordered coldly. She was now speaking in the name of her young master.

The butler who secretly glanced at Paul and watched him nod, quickly flipped his leger.
“Tia, 12 years old, a halfblood… Unknown father, her mother was some runaway slave… This one worked in the mines since she was 5… The mines were closed three months ago and the slaves got sold.”

“What’s her bloodline?”

“We don’t know, but most likely her father was from the earth lizard tribe…”

“What can she do?” Yuna asked.

“... What can you do b*tch?” The butler asked the girl as he weaved his whip. If he didn’t fear hitting Ray, he would have struck her.

“I can sing and dance….” the girls flinched then said in a harsh voice.

“Can you take care of a baby?” Yuna asked as she watched Ray really enjoy his time pulling the stoic girl’s white hair. He was acting as if he got a treasure. The girl didn’t resist, she just answered.

“I… I can…” Tia said, making Yuna think for a moment then nodded.

“I will be taking this one first!” she declared, “You will now serve young master Ray!” she told Tia who flinched then nodded.

The butler slowly walked to her side, pulled off the rag covering her chest then put his hand on the ugly cross-shaped brand there. He uttered a verse, then looked at Yuna, who softly grabbed Ray’s chubby hand and put it on the brand uttering the same verse.

Tia flinched as her ownership switched.

“She’s all yours…” The butler said as he quickly took a handkerchief to wipe his hand.

Yuna nodded then sighed as she felt Ray begin to jump around in her hands wanting to be carried by Tia. It was as if he knew that girl was his. Why did he like her this much? Yuna had no idea, but thinking for a moment, she hesitated and then looked at Tia.

“You hold him… He is your master now! Careful with the head….” she said slowly pushing young Ray into Tia’s nervous hands…

Yara was nervously watching, it was not wise to give a baby to a child… especially a filthy one like this. But she chose to stay out of this. If anything happened later, Yuna can take the blame alone.

The knight, on the other hand, watched carefully ready to intervene at any moment. The duke had purposefully demoted him and given him the mission to protect Ray.

Thankfully nothing happened, Tia awkwardly rubbed her hands on the filthy rag she wore as a dress, then very carefully held Ray who was giggling in her hands.
She involuntarily smiled as she looked at the way he was touching her face… She had never seen an uglier baby than this. Even those half-goblin babies she saw in the mines were prettier than him!
But somehow, the way he looked at her made her feel at peace, it was as if all of her problems could be solved by simply being with him… They were both ugly monsters after all!