Throne Of Supreme

Chapter 216: Robin's Experience

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The exquisite white building sparkled under the sun, while clear water trickled through the small fountain, producing a soft gurgling sound.

In the shadowy corner of an adjacent alley, two ragged, emaciated figures huddled together. Their bodies twitched faintly, a grim testament to the fact that they were still alive.

Da, da, da.

Amid the quiet, the measured sound of footsteps echoed. A middle-aged man appeared at the entrance of the alley, flanked by two guards who walked with practiced vigilance.

"The medicine is here! Hurry if you want to buy it!"

At his announcement, a desperate crowd surged forward, including the two half-dead figures in the corner. Once the throng parted, it became clear they were a man and a woman, both so gaunt and skeletal they hardly resembled humans.

"Give me one!"

"I need two! Hurry, before it's gone!"

"Stop pushing, you fools!"

The crowd erupted into chaos, shoving and cursing as they clamored to secure the medicine, each fearing they'd be too late.

The frail man and woman were too weak to force their way through, their hollow, high-cheekboned faces painted with frustration and anxiety.

When the crowd finally dispersed, the two skeletal figures staggered to the middle-aged man, each clutching a meager handful of crumpled bills.

"Here! Give me one!"

The man looked at the pitiful sum and shook his head. "Not enough."

Desperation seized the skinny man. "This is all I have! Please, just one!"

The middle-aged man's expression remained unmoved. "Not enough is not enough. No money, no medicine. Don't waste my time."

The skinny man's eyes burned red with panic. Without warning, he grabbed the skinny woman's money.

"Here! All of it! Is it enough now?"

The middle-aged man glanced at the combined amount, nodded grudgingly, and gestured for one of his guards to collect it. He produced a small, white pill and tossed it toward the man.

The skinny man snatched it mid-air, while the woman's gaze remained fixed on the pill, her face consumed with longing.

The middle-aged man smirked, his mocking expression unnoticed by the two, who were utterly absorbed in the object of their desperation. He turned and left with his guards, disappearing into the sunlight.

"I gave more this time, so I get to take it first! I'll share next time!" the skinny man declared.

The woman's face contorted with fury. "No way! Have you forgotten that the medicine you took last time was bought with my money? I should get it this time!"

The man snapped back, "What about the times before that? Didn't I spend everything I had on the medicine you took?"

Their argument escalated, their hollow eyes burning with ferocity as neither would back down.

Then, in a sudden move, the skinny woman snatched the pill and shoved it into her mouth.

The man's eyes went bloodshot with rage. Without hesitation, he grabbed a brick and brought it down on her head with a sickening thud.

A gruesome hole opened in her skull as she collapsed to the ground. Blood and brain matter spilled across the alley, her lifeless eyes still holding a trace of madness.

The man immediately dropped to his knees, pried her mouth open, and fished out the saliva-covered pill. A twisted smile of triumph spread across his face.

"Yes! Hahaha! Yes!"

Without a second thought, he swallowed the pill, ignoring the blood and saliva coating it. Moments later, his body seized violently, and he fell to the ground, twitching.

When he opened his eyes again, his pupils were bloodshot, his expression wild.

"Why… why didn't it last longer? Why's it already gone?"

Clawing at his head in a frenzy, he left deep, bloody gouges across his scalp. After an indeterminate amount of time, his trembling body stilled, and he slowly rose to his feet.

He stared blankly at the lifeless woman on the ground.

Who is this?

Ah, yes. She was his wife.

But he remembered something. He had married a beautiful girl who loved to laugh. How had she become like this? Why was she lying lifeless on the ground?

Was she dead?

Who had killed her?

Oh.

It was me.

The man's dull face betrayed no emotion. His cloudy eyes and expressionless demeanor gave him the appearance of a walking corpse.

Two seconds later, he limped away, muttering, "Medicine... Give me medicine…"

From a nearby corner, Nico Robin emerged, her gaze fixed on the man's emaciated, retreating figure. Her face was tense.

What's going on?

What had happened in the Ram Kingdom?

This wasn't the first time she had witnessed such a scene. Since arriving in the capital, she had seen similar occurrences at least three times. And she had encountered countless others like the skinny man, wandering aimlessly like husks of their former selves.

At first, she had assumed it was some kind of disease. But now, it was clear—it wasn't something as simple as that.

"What the hell is that white pill?"

A flicker of doubt crossed Robin's mind. She adjusted the brim of her hat and began walking again.

After leaving the White Feather Society, she had departed the Kingdom of kano without hesitation. Her experience in the dark underworld had taught her one thing: once exposed, it was best to disappear into another country. Staying too close risked being discovered again.

The Ram Kingdom, bordering the Kingdom of kano, had seemed like a viable refuge.

But she hadn't expected to encounter such scenes upon reaching its capital.

Suddenly, Robin stopped in her tracks.

A familiar figure lay sprawled on the ground ahead—tattered clothes clinging to his skeletal frame. It was the same man from before.

Now, however, there was no trace of life left in him.

As she stared, a middle-aged woman walked by, her expression one of disgust. She sidestepped the corpse and muttered, "Little girl, don't feel sorry for these poisoned dogs!"

"Poisoned dog?" Robin turned to face the woman.

The woman nodded knowingly. "It's obvious they died from taking drugs. Sure, they look pitiful now, but when their addiction takes hold, they'll do anything for another pill—burn, kill, steal, lie, cheat... all of it!"

"Drugs?"

Robin's time in the underworld had made her no stranger to such things. But never had she seen drug abuse on this scale.

The middle-aged woman studied her, then asked, "You've just arrived in the capital, haven't you?"

Robin nodded silently.

"Here to stay with relatives?" the woman pressed.

At fourteen, Robin's tall frame might have made her appear older, but her youthful face betrayed her age. She still looked like a child.

"No," Robin replied calmly.

The woman's expression softened, and a trace of pity crossed her features.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight? If not, you're welcome at my home. I live alone, and there's an extra room."

Robin smiled faintly, but her tone was firm. "Thank you, but I already have somewhere to stay."

It was a lie.

She had learned through bitter experience that accepting such offers—whether from genuinely kind people or dangerous opportunists—rarely ended well. Declining outright was always the safest course of action.

"Alright," the woman said with a sigh. "But, little girl, remember this: never touch that stuff. Whether it's bliss pills, happy pills, or whatever else they're calling it these days, once you're hooked, your life is over.

"It's such a shame you came at the wrong time. This kingdom wasn't always like this…"

The woman continued speaking for a while, her tone carrying a mix of sadness and resignation, before finally leaving.

Robin turned her gaze back to the lifeless body on the ground. She sighed softly before walking away.

She was barely surviving herself. There was no way she could intervene in matters like this.

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