Buying Serfs

To the right of the Municipal Center stood a building only slightly smaller. Compared to the Municipal Center's splendor, this building was undoubtedly far more plain, yet it saw even more traffic. Large numbers of knights filled the place, many wearing noble crests. Even someone like Thor of the Dreyrosa Family did not seem particularly conspicuous here.

Of course, he was merely less conspicuous.

That did not mean no one noticed him.

As Thor and his two companions entered, an attendant quickly came forward to greet them.

"Welcome, honorable knight. What do you require?"

The attendant spoke respectfully, not daring to show the slightest negligence.

"I heard you have all kinds of slaves here. I need to purchase a batch of serfs."

Thor spoke gently. Rather than immediately searching for that Half-Elf girl, he brought up another matter.

Purchasing serfs.

Building a territory required more than knights alone.

Knights merely ensured one's safety and provided sufficient military strength for expansion.

A large number of serfs were also needed.

Construction meant construction. Without serfs, construction was naturally impossible.

"Of course!"

"Our establishment is the largest Slave Market in the entire Northern Province. Our serfs are absolutely the strongest and will certainly meet your needs."

"Please follow me!"

The attendant spoke with a smile, then led Thor ahead.

Thor nodded, then proceeded with Ryan and Steve following behind him.

Before long, led by the attendant, the three arrived in the basement.

Magical crystals lit up.

Soon, figures bound with ropes inside iron cages came into Thor's view.

They were all slight and sallow-faced, their eyes vacant. Every face was filled with numbness. Clearly, they were nothing like the robust serfs the attendant had described.

Thor did not pay much attention to it.

One only needed to listen to slave merchants' words, not believe them.

The free citizens of Loren City were already in that state. How much better could slaves possibly be?

As long as they were adequate, that was enough.

"Honorable sir, the serfs on this side cost ten Silver Coins each, while the serfs on that side cost one Silver Coin each. How many do you require?"

Without the slightest embarrassment, the attendant respectfully spoke again and gestured to the side.

Hearing the attendant's words, Thor could not help sighing.

Although he had expected it, the price still startled him somewhat.

In Frost Moon Province, a serf cost around one Silver Coin. Here, the price had risen tenfold.

There were serfs at the same price, of course.

But when Thor saw the serfs costing one Silver Coin over there, the corner of his mouth twitched.

If the slaves here could barely be considered presentable, then the slaves over there were completely unpresentable. Not only were they skin and bones, many were also missing arms or legs.

Thor could not help shaking his head.

"I'll take these."

"I need five hundred."

Thor pondered briefly before stating his number.

With more than four hundred knights, he could theoretically control even several thousand serfs.

However, he had to consider both his gold coins and the fact that his territory had not yet been developed.

There was no need to mention the gold coins.

Although his father had provided considerable support and he had gained quite a bit along the way, he only had a little over ten thousand Gold Coins in hand. That was a lot of money, yet not much when it came to developing a territory. He needed to plan for future development as well, so he could not spend a huge sum of Gold Coins on serfs.

As for the territory, there was even less need to mention it.

His territory was still an untamed wilderness. If too many people entered it, even survival would become a problem.

All of this had to be considered.

Even so, such a major transaction instantly excited the attendant.

"Honorable sir, I'll handle it for you immediately!"

"Five hundred serfs come to five thousand Silver Coins, or fifty Gold Coins in total!"

The attendant's expression grew even more respectful.

Fifty Gold Coins was already a very substantial transaction. His position might even be raised because of it, so naturally, he was delighted.

"By the way, aside from these serfs, do you have any other kinds of slaves?"

As though he had suddenly remembered something, Thor asked casually.

"Other slaves?"

The attendant was somewhat puzzled, but his eyes soon lit up as he understood.

"Of course. We happen to have received a batch of excellent female slaves today. Would you like to take a look?"

The attendant spoke with a smile.

"Female slaves?"

"Let's see them."

Thor pretended to deliberate, then nodded in agreement.

"Please wait a moment!"

The attendant hurriedly spoke before rushing off.

Thor began waiting expectantly.

A moment later.

The attendant entered again.

This time, he brought in an entirely new batch of slaves behind him.

Compared to the previous slaves, these slaves were undoubtedly much neater.

Each was "dressed in rags," a sight that made one's heart race.

Gulp!

Behind him, Ryan could not help swallowing.

Thor swept his gaze over them without much interest. What a joke—what had he not seen in his previous life?

These female slaves were nothing special.

Besides, they were not his target.

"Bring in another batch."

Thor spoke calmly.

"Yes!"

The attendant hurriedly nodded and quickly called for someone to replace them.

Soon, a new batch was brought in.

"Honorable sir, this batch consists of true top-quality goods. Quite a few were even selected from within the kingdom, and their prices are extremely reasonable!"

The attendant spoke respectfully.

"Next batch."

Thor casually glanced over them, shook his head, and spoke again.

The attendant could only call for people to replace them once more.

This time, they waited quite a while before another batch arrived.

Unlike the first and second batches, which had contained forty or fifty people, this third batch had only a little over twenty.

Thor's gaze swept across them before quickly settling on the third girl from the right.

She was a girl dressed in gray cloth, with an exceptionally ordinary appearance that did not stand out among the crowd at all.

When Thor looked at her, the girl instinctively lowered her head, just like the other female slaves.

"Honorable sir, this is the last batch. If you are still dissatisfied, a batch of Orc female slaves will arrive in seven days."

The attendant spoke softly, with a hint of nervousness.

Female slaves were undoubtedly far more expensive than male slaves, but since Thor had not taken a liking to either of the first two batches, he did not hold much hope.

"I'll take this one."

"And this one."

"Also, from the first batch: the fifth and seventh from the right in the first row, and the third, first, and ninth in the second row. From the second batch: the third, sixth, and twelfth from the left in the first row."

"How much is that in total?"

Just as he was feeling uneasy, Thor suddenly spoke.

(Currency system: ten Iron Coins equal one Copper Coin, one hundred Copper Coins equal one Silver Coin, and one hundred Silver Coins equal one Gold Coin.)