Robert and the others had exhausted every argument trying to explain the harm Loren's plan would cause, but in the end, they still couldn't persuade him as they had expected.
Instead, just a few words from Loren had left them shaken, as if the whole world had been turned upside down.
"Are rules that have existed for millions of years necessarily right?"
"What if this world is the one that's wrong?"
Looking at their bewildered faces, Loren didn't explain much more.
It wasn't the right time yet. The necessary conditions weren't in place.
Besides, when people encountered things they couldn't understand or that ran counter to their beliefs, most of the time they didn't choose to accept them.
Instead, they would do everything they could to deny them, preserving the apparent validity of their own beliefs.
A weakness of human nature.
The servants nearby reacted in different ways. Some looked at Loren as if he were a madman, while others wondered whether they should inform their families. If this noble lord really was willing to hand out land for free, then it would be foolish not to take advantage of the offer.
"Lord Loren, I trust your wisdom won't lead you astray. We won't say any more."
Still shaken, Robert hurriedly changed the subject. Loren's ideas were simply too radical for him to accept, given the values he'd held for decades.
"Would you like to buy all these human slaves?"
Loren nodded.
"Have someone assess their abilities. I'll take anyone with a special talent."
He glanced at the few frail-looking half-orcs in the room and shook his head, disappointed.
"Do you have a way to acquire strong slaves? Bronze Grade would be best."
A Silver Grade slave cost between 150,000 and 200,000. Even if he spent all his money, he could only afford a little over a hundred.
By comparison, Bronze Grade slaves cost only 50,000 each. He wouldn't mind buying two or three hundred of them.
And as long as he had time to develop them, he could raise these soldiers to Silver Grade or even Gold Grade.
"Strong slaves?"
Robert thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
"Lord Loren, the city lord's Gold Knights went to hunt down a demon dragon half a month ago and captured a large group of Highland Barbarians."
"I hear Highland Barbarians are exceptionally powerful in battle. At the same level, only humans who've awakened their Bloodline Power can fight them. They're exactly what you're looking for."
He hesitated, then added,
"But those barbarians are unruly and stubborn as rocks. They're difficult to subdue.
"I hear that after the city lord's Gold Knights captured them, several hundred barbarians were killed or wounded while resisting."
Loren's eyes lit up.
Barbarians were a race that lived in the cold highlands. They were hulking and strong, able to fight tigers and leopards bare-chested in the snow. They were savage and wild.
They regarded death as their destiny, loved to fight, and worshipped the strong. Their fighting prowess was formidable.
Born warriors.
They were exactly what he needed.
"Come on. Take me to see them."
Seeing Loren's eagerness, Robert smiled and nodded, then immediately turned to lead the way.
Fiana, who had remained silent until then, followed closely behind Loren, her sharp gaze sweeping from side to side in case of danger.
But with their fine clothes and noble bearing, no one dared approach them too closely.
About ten minutes later, after threading through the crowded marketplace, Robert stopped in the central area.
Before them stood a five-story building made entirely of stone, the largest merchant house in the slave market: the Black Feather Merchant Association.
It was said to have been named after the black griffin that had served as the mount of Decker City's first city lord.
With Decker City as its backing, the Black Feather Merchant Association had long since become the largest merchant association in the North.
Its trade spanned everything from slaves to silk and cloth, from grain to salt and steel. There was hardly an industry in which it had no presence.
At the entrance, Loren saw several young nobles dressed in noble robes like his, gathered in small groups and chatting.
Among the people stationed at the entrance to greet visitors, a portly steward spotted Loren's distinguished bearing and hurried over to welcome him.
His gaze flicked to the noble crest on Loren's chest, and he paused. Why did that crest look so familiar?
"Honored noble sir, welcome to the Black Feather Merchant Association. May I ask what you require? We'll immediately arrange for someone to assist you."
Robert watched from the side, consumed with envy. In the past, when he came to the Black Feather Merchant Association, he'd never been treated with such respect. The guards had barely even glanced at him.
By comparison, Robert felt for the first time just how wonderful it was to have someone powerful backing him.
He unconsciously straightened his back, his face brimming with pride.
Loren, however, was already used to this sort of treatment and didn't react at all.
"I hear the city lord's Gold Knights captured a group of Highland Barbarians. My territory happens to need some slaves."
The portly, middle-aged steward in a tailcoat paused, his expression turning a little odd.
"Sir, the barbarians are still being held in captivity. If you're interested, I'll take you to see them right away."
What Loren didn't know was that dozens of nobles had already tried to buy the barbarians before him.
The Black Feather Merchant Association hadn't sold them because the barbarians were far too stubborn to tame, as hard and unyielding as stone.
They also had no fear of death. Nearly two-thirds of the barbarians who had been captured had already been killed, yet the rest still refused to submit.
Interestingly, their stubbornness and fearlessness had attracted quite a few nobles, all hoping to tame the savages.
But the results had been enough to astonish everyone. Every noble who tried had returned in defeat without exception.
This had only boosted the barbarians' reputation. The younger generation of nobles had even begun competing in secret, each hoping to tame the barbarians no one else could, and prove how powerful they were.
There was a contest among the younger nobles today, and the portly steward had instinctively assumed Loren was one of the participants.
He still wore a smile, but privately, he thought less of Loren. Another noble brat who had no idea of his own limitations.
Those were barbarians—powerful, ferocious warriors who feared no death!
Even the city lord's Gold Knights couldn't make them submit. What made Loren think he could tame them?
Loren knew nothing of these complications. He had very few sources of information, and Anor was only a low-level thief. How could he know about all these noble affairs?
The group followed the portly steward into the Black Feather Merchant Association.
After winding through several passages, Loren and the others were led to a spacious open-air area.
There weren't many customers here. Only a few employees in uniform moved about.
Over a hundred iron cages stood neatly arranged around the area. Each had been forged from steel bars as thick as a wrist; only a dragon could probably break free by brute force.
There weren't many cages holding slaves, but the races inside them were all exceptionally savage.
At the cage in the center, dozens of young nobles dressed in finery watched the slaves inside with keen excitement.
"Are these the barbarians captured from Lonely Mountain?"
"They're so strong! The city lord's Gold Knights probably aren't even this muscular!"
"Look at that Barbarian Chieftain. He must be over two meters tall! He's like a bull!"
"I hear even that Akton fellow is planning to make his move today?"
"Akton's a Gold Beginner Warrior. Tsk, tsk. I wonder if he'll be able to tame these stubborn fellows today."
Guided by the portly steward, Loren went to the cage with the other nobles. Hearing them talk stirred his interest, and he peered inside.
The group of barbarians sitting silently on the ground immediately caught his eye.
Strong—extremely strong. That was his most immediate impression of them.
They wore clothes sewn from animal hides, their clearly defined muscles stretching the material taut.
The muscles exposed to the air were brimming with explosive strength, and scars of all sizes were clearly visible across them.
Their sharp eyes resembled those of wolves on the hunt, ready to tear their enemies to pieces at any moment.
Judging by the two barbarians leaning against the cage, they were generally over 1.9 meters tall.
The strongest among them was even over two meters.
Curious, Loren used the Eye of Truth to inspect them.
Barbarian Level: Bronze Advanced Bloodline: Highland Barbarian Bloodline (Unawakened) Loyalty: -50 (Extremely hostile. Given the chance, he would tear you apart without hesitation.) Bond: Surging Strength. Automatically activates when the number of barbarians reaches 100. Strength increases by 10%, and morale never collapses. Evaluation: Born warriors who worship the strong.
Loren's eyes lit up.
The barbarians had some unusual attributes. Not only were they described as born warriors, they also had a special attribute called "Bond."
Once their numbers exceeded 100, they would gain two traits.
They were practically made to serve in an army.
But that loyalty score of -50 wouldn't be easy to change.
Just as Loren hesitated, the system's prompt suddenly sounded.
Ding! Mission triggered: The Impossible Conquest. Defeat the Highland Barbarian Chieftain, Yas Frost—Gold Beginner Warrior—with your own strength. (Bloodline Power unawakened.) Mission reward: Gain the barbarians' loyalty.
Loren's eyes lit up. Another mission had been triggered?
But when he saw the details, he raised an eyebrow.
Defeat a Gold Beginner. Now that was interesting.
This exceptionally difficult mission made him grow more and more excited.
Battle, battle!
His Bloodline Power began to surge, and the battle lust in his Archdemon Bloodline stirred.
After awakening two bloodlines, his combat strength had increased by an absurd amount, but he'd never been able to accurately assess just how much.
Now, at last, he had found a whetstone.
A Gold Grade barbarian was worthy of being his opponent.
A wild smile tugged at Loren's lips as he turned to the portly steward beside him.
"How many barbarians are there in total?"
"Sir, there are 120 left."
"I'll take them all."
All of them?
The middle-aged man ought to have been pleased, but instead, his expression turned strange. "If you buy all of them, sir, it'll cost 15 million Puk."
Robert's eyes widened. "15 million? Aren't Bronze Grade slaves 50,000 each?"
"Those are ordinary slaves. Barbarians are strong and far better fighters than ordinary people. They cost 100,000 Puk each.
"And their chieftain is Gold Grade..."
Loren waved a hand, cutting off Robert before he could continue bargaining. "I'll take them all."
The portly steward smiled wryly. "Sir, the barbarians are extremely stubborn and refuse to submit.
"Several nobles who bought barbarians before ran into rebellions. As soon as these fellows leave their cages, they immediately attack anyone nearby.
"There were nearly 400 barbarians at first, but only 120 remain. The others were killed while resisting."
Far from being intimidated, Loren's fighting spirit only burned brighter.
Demons craved battle and bloodshed.
A few young nobles nearby couldn't help laughing at Loren's words.
The blond noble at the center of their group, who looked to be in his early twenties, gave Loren a scrutinizing look.
"You must have just arrived in Decker City, right?
"These barbarians are stubborn. The only way to make them submit is to completely subdue them by force.
"If money could solve the problem, we wouldn't have been gathered here for so long."
After speaking, he looked Loren up and down and shook his head.
"You're only Silver Grade. You should give up."
"Outsider, the barbarians aren't yours to meddle with. Give it up."
If Loren had been some clueless adventurer, they wouldn't even have bothered with him. They would've just laughed as they watched him go to his death.
But his noble robes gave these young nobles a measure of respect for him. At the very least, he was one of their kind.
Loren's lips curled slightly.
"Is it really that hard to conquer the barbarians?"
His calm yet domineering words instantly silenced the room. Everyone turned to look at him in unison.
In an instant, Loren became the center of attention.
Most people, however, scoffed at his words.
The curly-haired noble beside the blond one looked especially disdainful.
"Ha! That's the most ridiculous joke I've heard all day."
"A brat who's only Silver Beginner dares to say that?"
"Even Gold Grade experts wouldn't be that arrogant. What makes you think you can do it?"
The curly-haired noble's repeated insults set off a wave of discussion.
Everyone looked down on Loren. A Silver Grade warrior thought he could conquer barbarians that even the Gold Knights had failed to subdue? What a joke! They were all so valiant and extraordinary, and even they'd failed. Who did this guy think he was?!
After everyone had finished mocking Loren, the curly-haired noble turned to the blond one with a grin.
"Goddess above, I'll bet that if this fellow can conquer the barbarians, I'll eat my own socks!
"Hahahaha! I'd sooner believe that I could conquer a dragon than believe this outsider could conquer the barbarians!"
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