The sky had barely begun to brighten when Black and Asian slaves were already tending the vineyards in the fields of Farm Number 18.
Qing Chen roughly estimated that there were at least seven hundred slaves.
He moved through the grape trellises, the twisting, drooping vines providing perfect cover.
Some Black and Asian slaves noticed the sound, but when they turned around, they saw nothing and assumed they had imagined it.
As they tended the vines, the slaves chatted. "I heard that the commotion this morning was someone fighting Storm City's fleet. Could the Rebel Army have arrived?"
"Shh," one slave said in a lowered voice.
"Do you have a death wish? You actually dare discuss the Rebel Army? What if the chip behind your ear hears you?"
"Didn't you hear what people in town said? Those chips are only for tracking; they don't have eavesdropping functions." The Black man was unconcerned. "I heard the Rebel Army advocates freeing slaves..."
"What does that have to do with us? The Rebel Army can't beat Storm City's fleet anyway! Hurry up and tend the estate. The butler arrived at the manor last night. I heard Earl Kennedy's eldest son is coming here on vacation with his friends, supposedly to celebrate getting something new in the Superconducting World... The butler told us to finish cleaning the manor this morning. If any place is dirty or messy, everyone will be punished."
At the mention of that butler, everyone fell silent. It seemed they all feared speaking of him.
A Black slave said, "I heard Earl Kennedy's eldest son is coming here to select clever, quick-witted people to accompany him to Storm City. Apparently, he needs five people to work in the Superconducting World and support him. My father wants me to secretly slip the