Johnny Blackbird finally drove the car to a slum in the West District.

Yes, there are slums in the West District too.

The West District was the latest to be developed. Although it is now outwardly declared to be a gathering area for major institutions, arts organizations, and museums,

the Kingdom's financial resources are limited, making it impossible to completely develop the entire West District, thus leaving quite a few vacant areas.

These places may have originally gathered people, or they may have been occupied by people later on.

For example, the western part of the West District, which is now overrun by gangs, was initially just a place where the lower class gathered. It only became what it is now with the infiltration of western gangs.

The place where Johnny Blackbird took Ethan and the others shows more of a central region flavor.

Or, to be more blunt, this is a gathering area for the natives.

The natives' influence in the Royal Capital is not small. They almost coexist symbiotically with this city.

When the city was first built, the natives contributed significantly.

Now, many years later, the natives have taken root and thrived in the Royal Capital, which is quite different from how it started.

They have split into two factions.

One faction consists of natives who have fully assimilated into the Royal Capital. They are often the descendants of those who grew up in the Royal Capital. Initially, they might have been servants to nobles, prominent figures, or capitalists. But as times changed, these people slowly gained status, either becoming capitalists themselves or becoming close confidants of noble figures.

Some natives have even become important figures in the Royal Palace.

For example, Vulture Philis, the current loyal servant of His Majesty Lucian II, is a native.

Lucian II favors Philis greatly and often refers to him as 'my Philis,' saying that there is nothing in this world that his Vulture cannot fetch back.

Aside from those important figures who have soared thanks to being favored by the royal family, most natives have risen with the wave of industrial steelization.

Especially with the development and construction of the North District, a large number of natives have been employed.

When the North District became the Kingdom's largest steel manufacturing center, the natives' circumstances also improved significantly.

Natives' gangs grew in such an environment.

Now they control the underground world of the North District, with businesses involving automobile manufacturing, smuggling, and weapon sales, they are no longer the slaves and servants they once were.

Consequently, they look down on their fellow natives residing far away in the central regions, considering them to be a different class of people.

The result is that those natives living in despair back home, hoping to seek refuge with relatives and clansmen in the Royal Capital, are often ostracized and bullied, forced to form their own groups again.

These people ended up in the West District.

Where Johnny Blackbird brought Ethan and the others is precisely the living area of these people.

As soon as Johnny Blackbird got out of the car and stepped into the dark and filthy alleyway, some frail and weak-looking native children came up to him, calling out "Johnny, Johnny" while looking at him with eyes full of longing.

"Oh, children, I'm sorry. Uncle Johnny came in a hurry today and didn't bring any candy. Next time, I'll definitely bring some, okay?"

Johnny Blackbird's voice became soft, and as he talked, he also reached out his hand to tease the children.

Although disappointed, the children still cheered around him.

Johnny Blackbird coaxed them for quite a while before they dispersed.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?"

After the children left, Ainebez asked.

She did not show any signs of disgust or discomfort; after all, she often engaged in charity work helping the poor and had been to slums before.

"Of course, it's not just this. Come, Your Highness, what I want to show you is something else."

Johnny Blackbird snapped his fingers and continued walking forward.

They passed through filthy and dark alleyways and arrived at a cramped little house. Then, he seemingly pulled some lever, opening an entrance to an underground area.

"Let's go, Your Highness, what I want to show you is down here."

Ainebez hesitated for a moment but suddenly felt reassured when she saw Ethan, standing silently beside her, and followed Johnny Blackbird down the entrance.

The underground passage was somewhat long, and it took a while before they arrived at their destination, which seemed to be a spacious underground space.

As soon as they arrived, a breeze blew over, but the smell was unpleasant, carrying a strong scent of decay and deterioration.

It seemed that someone heard the noise of their descent, and soon someone appeared in the underground space. It was a woman dressed like a nurse, wearing a mask so her face wasn't visible. Upon seeing Johnny Blackbird, she immediately exclaimed, "Thank God, Johnny, you finally came. We're out of that medicine again; it must be restocked quickly. Dudu in bed 7 and Pasa in bed 34 are not going to make it. Who are they?"

Shortly afterward, the nurse noticed the people behind Johnny Blackbird, especially Ainebez. Her presence was so unique that it didn't evoke any sense of wariness, only curiosity.

"They are my friends, Mona. You go ahead and be busy. I understand, and I'll handle it quickly. I'll just show them around first."

Johnny Blackbird reassured the nurse.

Though curious about Ainebez, Nurse Mona could only leave, having many other tasks to attend to.

"So this is an underground hospital?"

Given Mona's attire and words, it wasn't difficult to deduce.

"You could say that."

Johnny Blackbird nodded and began leading Ethan and the others further into the underground hospital.

The space here was indeed large enough, potentially accommodating hundreds of beds, with simple curtains hung all around, covering the patients inside.

Johnny Blackbird casually lifted a curtain, and immediately a strong stench of decay wafted out.

What was even more terrifying than the stench was the appearance of the patient inside.

It seemed to be a child.

The word 'seemed' is used because this person's body had completely decayed, melting into the bed like a pile of sludge, almost impossible to discern their original appearance.

But from the body shape and the still relatively intact hand exposed, it seemed to be a child, not very old.

"What happened to him?"

Ainebez finally changed expression.

"As you can see, he is gravely ill, and everyone here is suffering from this same illness. But these are far from all; in their homeland, even more people are tormented by this disease."

Johnny Blackbird, seemingly unfazed by the smell of decay, grasped the child's hand gently and said, "Hey, Oda, little boy, I'm here to see you. How are you today?"

"Where are they from?"

"I think you've already guessed the answer, haven't you, Your Highness? They are from... Moerma."

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