Digging a Pit

In the Mountain Territory, looking at the group of bizarre creatures that appeared before him, Hudson found that his common sense about biology had been completely overturned.

According to the official history of the Aslant Continent, there were no Beastfolk in ancient times. It wasn't until a figure claiming to be the Beast God appeared out of nowhere that he guided magical beasts to evolve into an intelligent race.

Then, under the call of the gods, the rats evolved into Ratmen, the lions into lion-men, the eagles into eagle-men, and the cheetahs into leopard-men...

The second senior brother was more powerful, evolving into Pigmen and Boarmen respectively. The former inherited his laziness, while the latter inherited his strength.

As for the magical beasts that have not evolved, they are stubborn and unyielding creatures, abandoned by the gods.

However, this claim was strongly opposed by Beldens. According to Young Bear, these historians were unscrupulous and made up nothing but baseless fabrications.

The emergence of Beastfolk was entirely the product of the chaotic actions of some intelligent races and their incestuous relationships with wild beasts. Humans contributed the most, followed by Dragon Race, dwarves, giants... these races also had a part, and even the gods were involved.

If we had to name unrelated races, the only one probably would be the elves, whose extreme fastidiousness likely prevented them from participating in the creation of the race. Perhaps this is why elves and Beastfolk have always disliked each other.

The evidence is quite simple: the overall quality of Beastfolk is far inferior to that of magical beasts. Not only are their strengths weaker, but most Beastfolk are also less intelligent than magical beasts. Only the best among them can rival their magical beast counterparts.

With both intelligence and strength declining, it's impossible to only evolve claws, right? Such evolution is more like regression than evolution.

Of course, the persuasiveness of this evidence needs to be strengthened. After all, the direction of evolution is uncontrollable, and it's not surprising that a bunch of failures would occur.

The key issue is "divine inspiration." If a large number of failures still evolve under the guidance of the gods, then that is simply unacceptable.

On the contrary, the theory of incestuous promiscuity was more readily accepted by Hudson. After all, the Beastfolk were extremely polarized, with both their upper and lower limits being terrifyingly high.

If it's related to their ancestors who created them, then it makes sense. They're all hybrids, races tainted with divine blood, which would likely be far stronger than those created by ordinary intelligent races.

Several powerful races within the Orc Empire firmly claim to be descendants of gods. Besides their unified worship of the Beast God, they also possess numerous racial deities, or rather, totems.

The real-world example is Prince Alex of the Orc Empire. As the one who contributed the most to the race in his time, he produced quite a few peculiar offspring.

Apart from a few individuals with passable talents, the rest are all weak races, at least compared to pure-blooded Behemoths.

Through generations, Alex alone created two regiments of descendants. If these hybrids continue to interbreed with other organisms, no one knows how many new species will be created.

The large number of newly formed races also indirectly confirms the feasibility of the "hybridization theory." At least a significant portion of the Beastfolk races are descended from hybrids.

After carefully examining the area and satisfying his curiosity, Hudson decisively gave up the idea of continuing to explore the truth.

There are some things it's better not to know too much about. What if you accidentally uncover a long-buried, earth-shattering secret? How would you live your life then?

"I wonder what brings Baron Katerley here today?"

Hudson asked, puzzled.

He didn't believe his good neighbor would come all this way to deliver a gift for no reason. Besides, these strange-looking Beastfolk weren't suitable as gifts either.

If it's really about giving gifts, then it's fox spirits, Bunny Girls, cats, Leopard Women... these exotic beauties are more likely to win the owner's favor.

Of course, this is just wishful thinking. The price of exotic beauties is not cheap; in the slave market, they often far exceed those of human women, typically starting at dozens of gold coins.

Given their relationship, even the generous Lord Hudson was only willing to offer ten iron pots, so how could Kateley possibly send out dozens of exotic beauties?

"I've heard that Baron Hudson has been busy with land reclamation lately, and I happen to have a batch of cheap and useful Beastfolk slaves. If you're interested, we can transfer them to you."

"That's what Baron Katerley said, getting straight to the point."

This wasn't the first time the two had done business together, and he knew Hudson's shady ways very well. If he didn't get straight to the point, this unscrupulous businessman could talk his way out of things all day.

With the thought that the sooner he could make his move, the sooner he would be free, Baron Katerley really didn't want to keep a large group of Beastfolk slaves in his sight.

Hudson glanced at the Beastfolk slaves again and admitted he was indeed tempted. Clearing land was extremely labor-intensive; they were still managing to focus on the hilly areas, but once they extended their reach into the swamps, those would be a death trap.

On the Aslant Continent, there are countless strange creatures and dangerous places, and no one knows what dangers may lurk in the mysterious swamp.

Even without these dangers, developing swamps would come at a high price. Without enough lives to be lost, there's no way to achieve anything.

If there were no risks, the fertile swamp would have been occupied long ago, so how could it be Hudson's turn?

Hudson, for one, refused to believe that no one had discovered the swampy area outside his territory. Even if ordinary nobles wouldn't wander around and it was understandable that they hadn't found it, surely the Griffon Cavalry flying in the sky couldn't have been completely unaware?

Using one's own serfs to fill the gaps would severely damage one's prestige. If the casualties exceeded the tolerance limit, the serfs would riot, and it could easily become a major scandal.

In contrast, using Beastfolk slaves eliminates this problem. No matter how heavy the casualties, the outside world will not care.

After a pause, Hudson tentatively asked, "Since you need to make this trip in person, there must be quite a few slaves involved, right?"

Since the goal is to purchase Beastfolk slaves, too few would be pointless, as it would only increase the management costs of the territory; too many would be too much for Lord Hudson's wallet.

In a sense, Baron Katerley's visit this time was ill-timed, as he chose to come to sell his wares when Lord Hudson was at his poorest.

"The number isn't too large. All the various Beastfolk slaves combined only amount to about 20,000 to 30,000 people. I still need to keep a portion for myself."

Both Laite and Huaidun counties are currently facing severe labor shortages, so this number of slaves is negligible!

"I said with feigned confidence, "Baron Katerley said.

No problem. As long as the price is cheap enough, 20,000 slaves are definitely not enough for the nobles in the two counties. To satisfy everyone's appetite, you might as well add a zero to the end.

The only condition is that "Beastfolk" cannot be added before "slave," otherwise the situation would be reversed. In particular, these Beastfolk are divided into dozens of races, which further increases the difficulty of sales.

"In that case, congratulations Baron Katerley on your fortune. If the price is right, I'll keep the Minotaur and kobolds."

Hudson said expressionlessly.

He wasn't sure if Beastfolk were any good. However, he had heard some stories and legends about them: kobolds were good at digging and could be used for mining; Minotaur were strong and perfect for hard labor.

As for other races, Lord Hudson said, "They're either too ugly or I'm not familiar with them."

If you're not well-off, it's best to avoid this to avoid getting into trouble. After all, this Baron Katerley doesn't seem like someone to be trifled with.

Anyone else who had been ripped off by him in a transaction would probably never come back. But this guy managed to remain rational, seemingly unaffected by his previous dealings.

"I'm sorry, Baron Hudson. These slaves are not sold individually; they can only be purchased in groups, with a minimum purchase of ten thousand at a time."

You can get discounts if you buy in large quantities. If you buy in bulk, you can even get a 30% wholesale discount.

The main problem is my poor social skills. I have no connections with most of the nobles in the two prefectures, so I'm embarrassed to go door-to-door to sell to them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have approached you, sir, for wholesale sales.

Baron Katerley replied, feigning helplessness.

They all learned from Hudson, selling high-quality and low-quality slaves together to avoid selling all the good ones and having the rest stuck with them.

To convince Hudson that he was genuinely having a tearful clearance sale, he even went so far as to expose his own shortcomings, stating frankly that he had a strained relationship with the local aristocracy.

Unfortunately, the result was destined to disappoint him. The poor Lord Hudson didn't even have the courage to ask the price after hearing that it was sold as a package deal.

The cost of capturing slaves from the Orc Empire and sending them over long distances, changing hands countless times along the way, is still roughly estimated.

Who would be so foolish as to become a notorious slave trader if they didn't make several times the profit? Even if they were selling cheaply, how cheap could it really be?

Even if the price were only one-third of that of human slaves, Hudson, burdened with debt, still couldn't afford it.

Even if secondary distribution were possible, Hudson would not advance funds for this high-risk deal.

After all, slaves need to eat. If the market is bad, and a large number of slaves are left in your hands, the daily expenses could be overwhelming.

"In that case, we can only look forward to the next collaboration."

No sooner had Hudson finished speaking than Baron Katerley's face turned ashen. The only person in the two counties who might have been able to take on these slaves was now backing out—wasn't that a death sentence for him?

"Your Excellency, please don't be so quick to refuse. Why not hear my offer first? The price is an unexpectedly favorable deal. If we sell all 24,000 slaves as a package, you will only need to pay 55,000 gold coins..."

Before Baron Katerley could finish speaking, Hudson turned his head away. Beastfolk slaves who could walk all the way from the Northern Frontier were undoubtedly strong laborers.

The average price per unit is less than 2.5 gold coins, which is indeed lower than expected.

For the same price, if you wanted to buy a human slave, you'd probably be beaten out by the slave traders.

As can be seen from the serfs that Hudson exchanged before, the number was less than half of this one. After adding a batch of livestock and grain, the total price was almost the same.

It should be noted that serfs were counted as a family unit, including the elderly, women, and children, with young and middle-aged men and women making up less than half of the population.

At this price, it's still considered that everyone is making friends and not deliberately ripping him off. If it were based on the current market price for slaves, the price could be even higher.

Perhaps there would be cheaper slaves at another time, but this is the market price now. One cannot expect to buy slaves in the Southeast Province, where supply and demand are severely imbalanced, at prices commensurate with the chaos of war.

"Excuse my bluntness, Baron Katerley. The price you've offered is indeed good, but a good price doesn't necessarily mean a good product."

Language communication alone is a major challenge. Moreover, these slaves are all recently captured live slaves, which will greatly increase the difficulty of managing them.

Even if they were sold separately, few noble families would be interested, let alone in a package deal.

The trade fair in Dadir City will be held soon. Your Excellency should take the slaves with you and ask Baron Ciss for help!

Hudson promptly offered a terrible idea.

Just when they were wondering how to sabotage Baron Ciss, the opportunity presented itself. For their first trade fair, they needed to make a name for themselves; a large backlog of unsold goods wouldn't do.

Unfortunately, this massive number of Beastfolk slaves was a real hot potato. As for the difficulty of managing them, that was just an excuse Hudson used to refuse.

With so few soldiers in Maple Leaf Territory, they were able to keep an eye on so many slaves. Presumably, the unruly ones had already been dealt with.

How Baron Ciss handles this trouble is none of Hudson's concern. Regardless of the final outcome, it will sow the seeds of conflict within the Northern Nobles.

"Baron Hudson, to be honest, my relationship with Baron Ciss has never been good, and it all started with an operation we went on."

I can't go into the details. In short, our relationship has never been good. Not long ago, he wanted to use my passage to attack your territory, but I refused. Hoping for his help is probably..."

Hudson couldn't determine whether Baron Katerley's sob story was genuine. But one thing was certain: Lord Hudson was truly broke.

He could grit his teeth and scrape together 10,000 or 20,000 gold coins, but 30,000 or 40,000 would require him to borrow money. Any more than that, and he'd probably have a hard time even getting a loan.

Hudson's massive debt was practically an open secret within the local aristocratic circles. When it came to money, even relatives and friends had to weigh his ability to repay.

"In that case, you should definitely go. I'm sure you've received the invitation. It clearly states that we are invited to bring our goods for trade."

Even the daily expenses of everyone were generously offered to be covered by our Baron Ciss. The daily food, drink, and excretion of more than 20,000 slaves was no small sum.

"Your Excellency only needs to bring all the slaves over, and it won't be long before Baron Ciss is even more worried than you are."

Hudson enthusiastically encouraged them.

It wasn't that he intended to cause trouble; it was just that Baron Ciss was far too generous. In order to promote the reputation of Dadir City, he even dared to provide food and lodging for the participants.

Isn't this forcing Lord Hudson to do something bad?

Hudson originally planned to invite a group of nobles, bring more people over to eat and drink for free, and cause some trouble, so that the Governor hundreds of miles away could see his efforts.

Now that Baron Katerley has joined the fray, we have even more reason to support Baron Ciss. Not only do we have to support him, but we also have to make sure he's on a very high pedestal.

After some hesitation, reality ultimately prevailed. Even knowing it was somewhat unethical, Baron Katerley gritted his teeth and nodded.

In any case, offending Baron Ciss alone is better than offending a group of powerful Northern Great Houses. They are all ruthless slave traders; if you can't pay your debts to them, the consequences will be dire.

In Dadir City, with the day of the event drawing ever closer, Baron Ciss felt increasingly uneasy. His intuition told him that something bad was about to happen.

He reviewed all the preparations and made corresponding arrangements for all possible oversights, and he really couldn't find any problems.

"What's the reaction of those local nobles now that they've received the invitations? Will they collectively boycott this event?"

The nobles of the North have all agreed, even those who have had minor disagreements with him in the past, to give their full support this time. So, the only ones who can cause trouble are the local nobles.

In fact, before planning this operation, he also conducted a lot of public relations activities and won over a group of local neutral nobles.

However, compared to the entire local aristocratic group, only a minority were willing to accept his attempts to win them over.

"Don't worry, young master. According to the intelligence we've gathered, the local nobles have indeed made arrangements, but they're not boycotting this event; rather, they want to bring more people to increase our logistical burden."

It's said that the Mountain Baron was behind this operation. He probably wanted to take advantage of our numbers and create chaos for us.

They come from a small family, so their actions are inevitably a bit petty. The event only lasts a few days; even if a lot of them come, how much extra expense can they possibly incur for us?

We have taken precautions in all the necessary places. Including the Northern Nobles who are close to the young master, we will have more than 1,500 soldiers to maintain order.

Even if they try to cause trouble, we can respond promptly. Once we rebuild Dadir City's commercial standing, our current investment will be recouped many times over in the future.

The old butler said dismissively.

He had originally thought his opponent was a gold-level player, but it turned out to be a bronze-level player, which really dampened his enthusiasm.

Dadir City has obvious regional geographical advantages, and it is unrealistic to prevent it from becoming a commercial center. The best approach is to find a way to delay the inevitable.

In theory, the best way to delay the spread of its influence is for everyone to refrain from participating in the event and boycott trading in Dadir City.

But once someone arrives, even without engaging in any transactions, their influence is still generated.

Merchants are the most perceptive group, possessing their own logic for judging market potential. Once Dadir City establishes its reputation, countless businesses will naturally flock there to establish themselves.

With the arrival of merchants and the abundance of goods, the market has developed, and by then, even the nearby nobles will have no way to resist!

We can't just travel hundreds of miles to another city to make a deal just to spite someone, can we?

"That would be for the best, but we can't ignore the little tricks of those local nobles. They might just cause us a huge mess."

That Mountain Baron, in particular, needs to be kept a close eye on. He's managed his territory so well; he's definitely not just a reckless brute who only knows how to fight.

And then there's the baron from the Dalton Family, who's said to be about to graduate from the Magic Academy. Although his territory isn't as strategically located as Dadir City, it's still in the heart of Whitton County.

Considering their background, they can certainly mobilize considerable resources. If they were to challenge us for the southern regional business center, they would still have quite a few supporters.