Meanwhile, as soon as Velin entered the main gate, a portly merchant came forward to greet him.
"My lord, welcome to the Bashak Merchant Guild. I am Bark, the branch manager here. May I ask what you require?"
Velin looked around. Quite a few strange races were imprisoned in exquisite iron cages for display, including several Half-elves. He had to admit that this merchant was quite bold.
"I want strong slaves, as well as blacksmiths, carpenters, masons. I even want architects."
Bark's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and his gaze toward Velin grew even friendlier. "Rest assured, my lord. We have everything you need. The Bashak Merchant Guild may not have much else, but we have plenty of skilled slaves."
"This way, my lord. Watch the step."
They passed through a passageway and arrived at the basement where the Bashak Merchant Guild kept its slaves.
There were thugs patrolling nearby. Judging by their strength, they were roughly on par with Orlando.
"My lord, look. These male slaves have excellent teeth and are all around twenty years old. They can work for you for another thirty years without any problem." Bark stepped forward, gripped a slave's chin, and displayed his teeth before Velin, doing his utmost to make the sale.
"How much each?"
"My lord, twenty Gold Coins each. If you buy a large quantity, I can give you a discount." Seeing Velin ask about the price, Bark hurriedly replied, afraid he might change his mind.
"Mr. Bark, if I purchase three hundred strong slaves, how much will that cost?"
"At twenty percent off, the original price is six thousand Gold Coins. You only need to pay four thousand eight hundred Gold Coins."
"Put it on the bill. Take me to see the other skilled slaves."
"Yes, my lord. This way, please."
With the deal settled, Bark's face was filled with smiles as he led Velin to the next area.
A blacksmith cost eighty Gold Coins, a carpenter fifty Gold Coins, and a mason thirty Gold Coins.
After Bark's round of salesmanship, Velin purchased ten blacksmiths, fifteen carpenters, and twenty-five masons, spending 2,300 Gold Coins.
In the end, Velin spent another thousand Gold Coins to buy one hundred boys aged eleven or twelve from Bark.
Loyal followers had to be cultivated from a young age. Their values had to be shaped, and these boys were just right for the task.
"Bark, where is the architect I asked for? Take me to see them." Velin had made his rounds and bought everything he needed, but he could not help asking Bark.
For the second phase—the construction of his castle—he truly feared it might collapse halfway through without an architect's plans.
Hearing Velin's words, Bark revealed a troubled expression. "My lord, there is one architect slave in the guild, but the price is very high, and she is a Half-elf. Do you truly wish to buy her?"
"A Half-elf? It does not matter. As long as she can be useful, I do not care about such things." Velin waved his hand, showing that he did not care about a slave's race as long as she had value.
Seeing this, Bark led Velin and the others deeper into the basement.
They passed through a secret room and arrived at another isolated chamber.
"My lord, please look. This Half-elf girl is an architect. She is proficient in all kinds of construction and specializes in building various castles. If you buy her outright, we can even give you a specially made Carriage."
Hearing this, Velin walked up to the iron cage and crouched down to look at the Half-elf girl. She was exceptionally beautiful, enough to make even his heart stir.
Despair filled the Half-elf girl's eyes, and she was indifferent to everything around her.
Seeing that Velin had not reacted for a long while, Bark grew anxious and continued his sales pitch. "My lord, she is still a virgin. You can buy her as an architect, or as ***."
"How much?"
"Three thousand five hundred Gold Coins, and you can take her away. The Bashak Merchant Guild will also give you a specially made Carriage." Bark hurriedly answered as soon as he heard the question.
"Fine, I'll buy her. Send all the slaves I want outside the city."
Velin stood up and took eleven one-thousand-Gold-Coin Gold Notes from his pocket, handing them to Bark.
Seeing the gleaming Gold Notes, Bark's eyes shone. He respectfully accepted them, carefully inspected them, then cautiously tucked them into his pocket.
"Here, my lord. These are four one-hundred-Gold-Coin Gold Notes. Please accept them."
Afterward, Velin left with his men.
As they walked, Orlando suddenly asked, "Master, there is clearly something wrong with that Bashak Merchant Guild. Why did you still trade with them?"
"The others should not be a problem." Velin stopped and said to Orlando, "The issue was likely that Half-elf slave. I suspect the local nobles coveted her, and the two sides came into conflict because they could not agree on a price."
"After all, not everyone is as rich as your master."
Velin stroked Orlando's golden hair and replied with a smile.
"Yes, Master. I understand."
Outside Bagamo, at a Manor, Kazak, the son of Kadlo Province's governor, had invited his gang of cronies to hold an open-air Banquet.
"My lord, the Bashak Merchant Guild will surely deliver that Half-elf woman to your door within a few days."
"Hahaha." Kazak raised his wine glass and replied with a smile to a young noble beside him, "There is nothing Kazak wants that I cannot obtain."
At the thought of obtaining a Half-elf girl worth three thousand five hundred Gold Coins without spending a single coin, his heart swelled with delight.
At that moment, the Manor's Butler came to Kazak's side and quietly reported, "Young Master, that Half-elf girl has been bought."
"Who? Who bought her?"
Kazak clenched his wine glass and asked with a fierce expression.
"A Pioneer Knight. It is said that he is—"
"What? A doglike thing dared to steal what I had already claimed? Does he have a death wish?"
Before the Butler could finish, Kazak exploded into curses, looking ready to immediately gather men and wipe the other party out.
"Young Master, he is a member of the Ex Family. We cannot afford to provoke him!" Seeing Kazak preparing to leave, the Butler hurriedly finished his words, afraid that he would cause trouble again.
The moment he heard that the other party belonged to the Ex Family, Kazak's confidence immediately faltered.
He recalled that more than a month ago, a member of the Eagle Family had come to Kadlo Province and killed a guard right in front of his father.
His father could only laugh it off and did not dare pursue the matter.
Afterward, Kazak himself had been called into the study and sternly warned never to come into conflict with the other party.
Their family might be a count family, but compared to the Ex Family, they were as different as a tiger and a mouse.
Within the kingdom, not all count families were equal.
A family as strong as the Eagle Family was more powerful than most marquis families.
A family as weak as the Dosk Family, to which he belonged, was only somewhat stronger than newly elevated count families.
"Boss, since he is so disrespectful, how about I take some men and snatch that Half-elf girl back for you?" Seeing Kazak's ugly expression, the young noble beside him hurriedly declared his loyalty, hoping to leave a deep impression on his boss.
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