An hour had passed.
At this moment, Bai Ya had a new understanding of this transport ship.
“Incredible, it’s a lake.”
Originally, she had been hiding in the forest to evade the slave capture team, but suddenly the shimmering lake before her eyes captivated her.
The town, forest, and land built atop the ship had already amazed her, and now there was even a lake. This was truly astonishing. This transport ship could practically be considered a region of its own. Amidal was indeed the most powerful nation in this world.
Surprised as she was, Bai Ya did not forget that she was still being hunted. If she were caught, terrible things would happen to her—and she would never accept that.
She was just here to revise the novel. Before she settled everything and returned to her original world, she would never allow herself to meet a bad end.
Logically, Bai Ya should continue fleeing, leave the forest to enter the town, then cause a major commotion to change the story’s course, and return to the prison before dawn. That was her urgent priority.
Yet her feet refused to move; her eyes were fixed intently on the clear surface of the lake, her pupils reflecting the tranquil ripples and the deep blue hue of the moon.
“Just a little… hmm…”
Thinking that she had already put those pursuers far behind, the cleanliness obsession dormant inside her body began to stir.
Bai Ya raised an arm close to her face, wrinkled her nose, and stuck out her tongue. Yes, there was a rotten, sour stench that could only be associated with dead rats and other foul things.
“I really should take a bath. I haven’t bathed in days, and I’m starting to feel gross.”
Without hesitation, Bai Ya tossed her bundle aside and quickly stripped off the yellow-stained cloth clothes. After dropping the tattered fabric, she was completely naked. Her frail body wore no underwear at all, only the outer cloth had been covering her. This saved her a lot of time undressing.
Such was the treatment of a slave.
After taking off her clothes, Bai Ya suddenly fell into thought.
“This is a girl’s body,” she muttered, inspecting her dirt-covered figure. Perhaps because it was her own body, her male soul felt no shame. “Looks completely unremarkable… Maybe it hasn’t fully developed yet.”
*****
The Divine Realm of Elthia
“Pfft, Bai Ya-chan really is pitiful.”
“Annoying, so annoying! Hate it! Who asked him to criticize my body like that! I’m sorry for being so unimpressive, teehee!”
“Bai Ya-chan, don’t be angry~ Even like this, you’re still cute. Let Fia give you a hug~”
“D-Don’t rub your disgusting chest on my face!”
Two goddesses observing Bai Ya’s actions in the SLAVE world began “arguing” over Bai Ya’s remarks.
*****
Muttering about her still-undeveloped girlish figure, Bai Ya took several deep breaths, vigilantly watching for any movement around her. Only after confirming that the only sound was her own breathing did she let out a long breath, eyes sparkling as she gazed toward the lake.
She approached the shore and lifted a foot to test the water’s depth. After gauging the level for a while and deciding it was safe, she placed both hands on the bank and slowly lowered herself into the water—first her feet, then her legs—until the water gradually covered her lower body.
“Oh! This is just the right depth!” Bai Ya happily thought as the shallow lake water reached her chest. This made washing her body much easier. She really was lucky.
Excitedly, Bai Ya plunged both hands into the water, stirring it around, and hummed a tune. According to her original memories, it was summer now, and the cool lake water felt wonderful. Summer was the perfect time to swim by the sea!
Well, the lake would do for now. Once this miserable ordeal was over and she returned to her original world after finishing the novel revision, she planned to vacation by the sea.
Bai Ya closed her eyes, cupped the lake water, and splashed it over herself, a look of utter comfort spreading across her face. This was addictive. Once the initial excitement of playing in the water faded, she began to carefully scrub away the grime covering her body—first her arms, then her chest.
She rubbed her flat chest, washing away the dirt. Although somewhat dull and completely lacking the self-awareness of a girl, a strange feeling arose within her. It felt… a little odd.
Her chest looked as flat as a boy’s, but it still had a slight roundness, and the softness was strangely captivating. Soft and fluffy, like a cotton ball or a cluster of feathers, the texture was quite pleasant to the touch. Bai Ya thought for a moment but gave up trying to analyze it. This wasn’t something that needed deep thought.
What did require her consideration was another matter—something from Bai Ya’s original memories about bathing.
It was really heartbreaking to think about.
The original protagonist, Bai Ya Ifiel Klorom, had gone three months without bathing. Only when the transport ship was caught in a sea storm and rain seeped through the walls did she use the murky pooled rainwater to wash herself off a little. From this, it was clear she still held onto hope, still dreamed of escape.
“Come to think of it, she was a pitiful girl. But the one who replaced her—that’s me—and I’m pitiful, too.”
After finishing her wash, Bai Ya muttered to herself while wringing out her long, wet hair that hung over her chest. She didn’t bother styling it, letting it fall naturally and messily over her front and back.
Though she remembered how to style her hair into a single ponytail, twin tails, side ponytail, or with bangs, Bai Ya had no desire to prettify herself. She lacked the self-awareness of being a girl. Her male consciousness told her that as long as she was clean, that was enough; everything else didn’t matter.
Stretching lazily, Bai Ya looked over herself carefully from left to right, checking her clean skin for any remaining dirt. After confirming there was none, she exhaled in relief, turned around, walked ashore, grabbed her bundle, and pulled out a fresh set of clothes from the slave capture team’s spoils to put on.
Having washed her body clean, Bai Ya felt like she was floating. The burden on her felt greatly reduced, and the fatigue lessened. Her entire body was re-energized—not just a fleeting feeling, but real vitality. Bathing was truly a wise decision.
“Let’s keep this momentum going. Before dawn, I’ll shake up the storyline so hard it’s unrecognizable. Let’s go, me!”
Dressed and ready, Bai Ya tapped the silver metal helmet that left only her face exposed. The sound of metal clanging rang in her ears. She wore a black light armor jacket and brown trousers—a simple combat outfit.
What she liked most about this outfit was the men’s boxer shorts underneath. Her lower body had always been chilly and uncomfortable. At last, that problem was solved.
“Status full. Good luck. Next step: pretend to be a soldier on the transport ship, sneak into the town, and set fire at the gates of the most powerful nobles. Cause a huge riot. The plot will definitely shift drastically. Then everything ends. That’ll be my complete victory.”
Bai Ya pulled a dagger from her bundle and slipped it into the leather belt at her waist. Her fingers cracked eagerly. Her face was alight with wild excitement. She couldn’t wait for what was about to happen.
Before that, she needed to sort out her thoughts—it would help with the next move.
Tomorrow, according to the story, Bai Ya and the girl slave were sent to the arena. To survive, Bai Ya sacrificed the girl and killed an ogre.
That was how the script went. Bai Ya, knowing the story well, understood that if she didn’t do this, both she and the girl would be killed. Powerless as she was, the only way to survive was to sacrifice an innocent.
Wasn’t that frustrating? Bai Ya thought so.
So she escaped from the prison, risking capture and abuse by the nobles, trying to turn this plot point around.
Her plan was to create such a massive incident that tomorrow’s arena fight would be canceled, leaving the nobles no time to amuse themselves with the lives of slaves. Once she achieved that, her goal would be met. As for what to do next—Bai Ya always took it one step at a time.