100 Beli

"This place is dangerous. I'll take you to the Lawless Zone."

As he spoke, Rayleigh led Ye Chen running ahead. When they passed the entrance to the auction house, Ye Chen suddenly skidded to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust. He turned to Rayleigh and asked curiously, "Uncle Rayleigh, what happened to those slaves?"

"I thought you'd forgotten about them. They'll be taken away tonight. They probably waited this long to gather enough people to send them off together."

"Tonight!"

Ye Chen muttered softly. His legs would no longer move, as though they had been filled with lead. Thinking of that nightmare, he gritted his teeth and suddenly called out to Rayleigh. "Uncle Rayleigh, the island isn't safe. Admiral Zephyr is after me, and hiding everywhere is too troublesome. I have a good idea."

"What idea?"

Rayleigh looked at Ye Chen in confusion. Ye Chen pointed toward the auction house across the street. "The most dangerous place is the safest place!"

Rayleigh looked at Ye Chen, then suddenly smiled. A faint gleam of wisdom flashed across his lenses. "It seems you're still worried about that girl. Fine, I can get you inside. But I can't guarantee what will happen afterward. Life and death are up to fate. Do you dare give it a try?"

Ye Chen nodded. "I'd be delighted!"

If he stayed on Sabaody, he would still have to worry about Admiral Zephyr's search. Rather than keep hiding, he might as well take the risk. Even if he failed to save her, at least Ye Chen would have done everything he could. That was far better than suffering through the torment every day.

"All right."

Though it was somewhat risky, Rayleigh, the right-hand man of the Pirate King Roger, greatly admired Ye Chen's fearless courage and determination. Ye Chen was rash and impulsive, loved causing trouble, and acted without considering the consequences. Yet beneath Ye Chen's slightly childish exterior, Rayleigh saw Roger's shadow.

Roger and Ye Chen were the same kind of person. Simply put, neither of them used their brains before acting. Neither feared heaven or earth, and both did whatever they wanted. Rayleigh stared at Ye Chen for a few more moments. Seeing the determination in his eyes, Rayleigh sighed softly, then grabbed Ye Chen and strode toward the auction house.

Ye Chen froze for a moment. His eyes shifted as he vaguely guessed what Rayleigh intended to do. He had not expected Rayleigh to use this method to "send" him into the auction house.

Since nearly everyone held inside was a slave bound for the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the auction house had been heavily guarded for days and had not opened for business in quite some time. Rayleigh carried Ye Chen over, and the guards at the entrance hurriedly raised their muskets and shouted.

"Old man, what are you doing? The auction house is under lockdown. Unauthorized people are not allowed near it."

Rayleigh pointed at Ye Chen. "Name your price for this kid. Enough to buy a jug of liquor will do. He ran into my bar to steal things, so I caught him. No idea where this wild brat came from. Give me whatever you like, and he's yours."

"Hm?"

The two guards froze and looked Ye Chen over, then shook their heads slightly. One thin guard muttered, "Would the higher-ups even want a little brat like this?"

"I'll go ask Steward Sander."

The other guard seemed to remember something. He instructed the first guard, "Keep watch here. I'll be right back."

Auctioneer Disco and Steward Sander were looking over the slave list. Before long, both of them sighed in unison.

Sander frowned, his face full of concern. "Disco, the numbers seem off. We're still short one. I thought something was wrong when we counted them last night. There were clearly two thousand people, so why are we missing one now?"

"It's almost time to load them onto the ship. We have to buy another one immediately. Even grabbing someone at random to make up the number would do." Sander's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. The moment he finished speaking, Disco shook his head and rapped Sander on the forehead in displeasure. "Has water gotten into your brain? You dare make up the numbers carelessly for slaves being sent to the Holy Land? If that were possible, I would have had them loaded onto the ship long ago. Why would I have waited until now? Don't you know what those people in the Holy Land are like? They want entertainment, the feeling of conquest from looking down on others. Every slave being sent over must meet the basic requirements: the men must be strong, and the women must be beautiful. Have you forgotten? What a brainless idiot."

"Mr. Disco, Steward Sander, there's an old man outside who wants to sell a child to us. He says the price is negotiable. What do you two gentlemen think?"

"Selling a child? Is it a girl?" Sander hurriedly asked, his eyes lighting up at once. If it was a girl, that would be perfect. Even if she was young and only somewhat pretty, those perverted Dragon People would not care.

The guard shook his head. "It's a boy around six or seven years old."

Upon hearing that, Sander's head immediately drooped like an eggplant struck by frost. Without even thinking, he knew that a young boy had nothing to do with strength. Male slaves had to be powerful—the stronger they were, the more satisfied the Dragon People would be. A little child of only a few years old clearly did not meet that requirement.

"I'll go take a look. It's almost time, and perhaps there'll be an unexpected gain."

Disco had always been shrewd. It was nearly time to load the ship, and if the Dragon People blamed him, Disco could not bear the consequences. He quickly arrived outside the auction house and examined Ye Chen, who was dangling from Rayleigh's hand. Disco nodded slightly. This kid had delicate features, wore a braid, and had fair, tender skin. The Dragon People were perverts, every one of them. Perhaps one of them liked abusing children. If he was lucky, he might be taken as a male pet.

"Let me see."

Disco had always been meticulous. As he spoke, he walked up to Ye Chen and reached out to feel his bones. Ye Chen suddenly began struggling. Even though Rayleigh had him firmly held, his legs still kicked wildly. Disco failed to dodge in time and was sent flying more than ten meters by Ye Chen's kick.

"Ow..."

Disco hit the ground so hard that he clutched his backside and could not get up for half the day, howling like a ghost. Yet inwardly, he was overjoyed. The Dragon People liked this sort of thing—a delicate-looking boy who could fight, with such a fierce temperament and stubborn personality. The Dragon People would definitely be satisfied.

Though he was delighted inside, Disco put on an extremely furious expression. "What a wolf cub. Forget it, old man, take him away. Today's unlucky enough already—I fell the moment I stepped outside. I don't want this brat."

Clutching his backside, Disco got to his feet and turned to leave. Rayleigh hurriedly called after him. "Don't go. How about this? Just give me whatever you want." As he spoke, Rayleigh shook the empty liquor bottle hanging at his waist and looked at Disco with a faintly pleading gaze.

"How about this? I'll pity you, old man, and give you 1 Beli. Sell him or don't—it's up to you."

"1 Beli?" Rayleigh nearly laughed in anger. Ye Chen also nearly cursed aloud. Ye Chen had learned a bit about the Beli used in this world. One Beli could barely buy a newspaper, yet this guy had valued him at 1 Beli. That was insulting beyond measure.

If his ancestors found out, they would crawl out of their graves just to laugh at him!