The Slave Corps' Warehouse

Do everything possible to improve the abilities of the Slave-Catching Group's members, screen captured slaves for special organs, and provide the group's members with necessary organ-modification consultations.

That was how Li Ziran defined his new job.

With Li Ziran relenting and Karen deliberately recruiting him, the two sides quickly reached an agreement. Li Ziran also cast the Never-Betrayal Divine Curse to prove his sincerity.

Of course, neither side would place its hopes on some illusory divine curse. After detailed negotiations, they agreed on a three-month probationary period.

The slave corps needed to assess Li Ziran's abilities and determine his actual value before setting appropriate compensation.

After all, the high-standard treatment mentioned before had been far too vague. Once he joined the Slave-Catching Group, it had to come down to exactly how many silver coins he would receive each month.

Li Ziran did not object to the three-month probation. He had no intention of staying long anyway. He strongly approved of the proposal—once he achieved his goal, he could pat his backside and slip away.

Li Ziran had never imagined that the Devouring Curse and becoming a potion expert would turn into reality.

"Captain, I'll do everything I can!" Li Ziran stepped forward and tightly clasped Karen's hand. "As a new member, I can't wait to familiarize myself with the work environment."

"I know!" Karen held Li Ziran's hand and smiled gently.

The two walked hand in hand through the swamp like brothers reunited after a long separation. This strange sight made every member of the slave corps turn to stare in puzzlement, as if such a thing should never have been seen from Karen.

About half a quarter-hour later, beneath everyone's watchful gazes, the two arrived at a camp with a remarkably open view.

A row of small islands was flooded in oily green. Smoke rose between the tents, carrying the scent of roasting meat mixed with the stench of excrement.

The two smells intertwined, forming an indescribably bizarre odor.

Such utterly uncivilized scenes were common. Li Ziran was speechless, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He could only turn his eyes toward his prey.

More precisely, corpses that might become his.

At the outermost edge, a group of copper-gray dwarves wielded iron hammers twice the size of their bodies, pounding away at wooden stakes with all their might. These Gray-Copper Dwarves, who lived underground, were immensely strong yet inexpensive. One cost around eighty copper coins, making them extremely cost-effective.

Because they were large enough, necromancers also liked using their skeletons to summon skeletal warriors. They suited Li Ziran perfectly.

Low-level slave corps on the Wasteland all liked using such fellows. But because these creatures were dim-witted, high-level slave corps did not favor them. For manual labor, higher-ranked slave corps preferred the even stronger Taifen Elephantfolk or Dwarf Giants.

Behind this group of Gray-Copper Dwarves stood two tall Giraffes, their slender necks constantly circling above the camp.

They were Giraffe Scouts. From their height, they could see scenes several kilometers away. Their most remarkable feature was their four long hooves, which could determine whether living creatures were approaching through vibrations in the ground.

Inside their hooves was a tiny, fleshy vibration sac. One of those little things could sell for around thirty copper coins.

What truly caught Li Ziran's attention, however, were the two giant bats circling above the camp. They were Ultrasonic Bats. Their sonar was even more precise, and together with the Giraffe Scouts, they could fully ensure the slave corps' safety.

But not many people liked such corpses. Bats carried too many bacteria and easily spread disease; some illnesses could not even be resisted by necromancers.

On the Wasteland, only wizards who studied plagues showed interest in these creatures. If he encountered one, he could sell it for a good price or exchange it for rare plague potions, but that required luck.

Li Ziran immediately crossed the bats off his list of goods.

Aside from the bats, he greatly admired Karen. The species before him were absolutely the most cost-effective choices.

Yet such a captain might not be a good thing for Li Ziran. A shrewd captain would squeeze every last drop of value from his subordinates, leaving Li Ziran far fewer opportunities to exploit loopholes.

"Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!"

The cries of several Gibbons pulled Li Ziran's attention back, followed immediately by a crackling barrage of whips and the monkeys' miserable screams.

Ordinary creatures were not worth much.

But those cries came from the northwest side of the camp, where there was a large open space.

It reminded him of a special place within the Slave-Catching Group: the taming room.

It was standard equipment. After all, captured slaves always had to be tamed before they could be sold for money.

"Li, this is the temporary camp. You don't have any special duties yet. Of course, if you want to get some practice, you can select any organ from here."

Karen's meaning was obvious. The organs Li Ziran selected were not limited to slaves; they also included the Gray-Copper Dwarves working so hard.

Li Ziran indicated that he understood, then followed Karen deeper into the camp.

Compared with the order outside, the interior was remarkably lax.

There were only simple large tents. Even Karen's tent merely had one extra wooden door, through which the cluttered furnishings could be seen.

There was a desk and a makeshift wooden bed, with nothing more than a wool felt blanket spread over it.

The tent beside it, on the other hand, was extraordinarily luxurious. Its outer shell was made from pure-colored Fire Fox pelts, paired with a Fire Rat frame. Together, those two materials could filter fire elements from the Elemental Tide while shielding the tent's interior from the swamp's heavy moisture.

A blackish-gray stone sat in one corner of the tent. It was volcanic rock, and across those rocks lay a pool of golden-red blood. The blood writhed constantly as though alive, forming scarlet vortices that burrowed into the tent.

This was the effect of Magic Beast blood mixed with large amounts of Mithril.

Without even entering the tent, Li Ziran could sense the terrifying heat inside. The air seemed ready to ignite at the slightest spark. This place, fraught with danger for anyone else, was a paradise for fire mages to cultivate in.

With his limited knowledge, Li Ziran could barely identify the blood on those volcanic rocks as coming from seven types of fire-element Magic Beasts.

Extravagant!

Extravagant to an outrageous degree!

While marveling at the tent's luxury, Li Ziran began taking Karen completely seriously. This spirit of putting himself before others was hugely disadvantageous when found in the captain of a slave corps.

It seemed that if he wanted to get corpses from the slave corps within two days, he would have to put in some effort.

"Li, this will be your workshop from now on!" Karen led Li Ziran into another tent made entirely of patterned snowcloth.

The instant he stepped inside, a coolness washed over him, as though he had returned to the snowfields.

Patterned snowcloth came from the leather of Icefield Snow Rats. Having lived on the icefields for long periods, their leather could filter precious snow elements from the Elemental Tide. It also carried insulating properties and could produce a particular warm hormone. When the two energies blended, there was neither snow's biting chill nor oppressive heat, creating a distinct, temperate-cool environment.

Under the classification of Magic Beasts from rank one to rank nine, Snow Rats were only rank-one Magic Beasts, yet their leather was an undeniable luxury good, with prices nearly matching those of rank-four mid-level Magic Beasts.

The Snow Rat pelts used for this large tent were worth as much as three gold coins.

What a grand gesture!

Li Ziran was so moved that he almost wanted to cry. In his two years scraping by on the Wasteland, no one had ever been so considerate toward him.

"Li, you've only just joined, so the furnishings are somewhat simple. If you have any requests, feel free to raise them. I'll find a way to satisfy them!" Karen spoke with great sincerity.

The more sincere Karen was, the harder it was for Li Ziran to bear it. This environment before him was completely his ideal workplace.

Sometimes, it was even something he had sketched out in his dreams. Yet now it truly stood before him, making him feel as though he were dreaming.

Terrifying!

"No need. I'm very satisfied. Let me take a look at the slaves instead. You've treated me so well that if I don't do something, I'll feel deeply indebted. At the very least, I need to earn back that bottle of red wine I drank earlier, right?"

Karen did not seem surprised by Li Ziran's loyalty. He merely gave a perfunctory smile.

"Alright, follow me!" Karen did not leave the tent. Instead, he opened a wooden curtain behind it, revealing a straight corridor. "Li, from now on, you can reach the warehouse through here. I've already given the order—you may enter and leave the warehouse as you please, and withdraw slaves without my permission!"

The warehouse, as its name suggested, was where slaves were stored.

But Karen's delegation of authority made Li Ziran nervous. This was giving him far too much power.

The warehouse was the core of a Slave-Catching Group, a privilege only the captain should control. Yet now Karen had handed this authority to him.

Either Karen truly trusted him, or there was something fishy going on.

Li Ziran did not believe that two people who had known each other for less than half a day could reach a state of hearts beating as one. This was clearly digging a pit for him!

It seemed he had not joined some foolish Slave-Catching Group after all. He had inexplicably stepped into a pit of fire.

Even knowing it was a pit of fire, he had no choice but to move forward. He could only look toward the warehouse.

Blood!

The stench of blood rushed straight at him!

Li Ziran knew that smell better than anyone. He had visited many slave corps' warehouses, but the bloodiness here was far stronger than he had imagined.

Mixed into the bloody smell were the unique reek of urine and foul stench, as though he had entered a horse stable.

Li Ziran lightly covered his nose. After passing through the cloth curtain, an enormous space of iron cages unfolded before his eyes.

Square iron cages half a person tall were stacked layer upon layer, as though he had entered a zoo.

At that moment, the cages were packed with living creatures.

Swamp Fishmen with gray-spotted tails, Snake Women constantly flicking their forked tongues, Black-Spotted Scale Snakes with slender patterned bodies, and more than a dozen thin-bodied lizards. At the end of the lizards hung three iron cages.

These cages were three times larger than the others. Inside them were gigantic beasts five times Li Ziran's size, with sharp fangs, thick tails, and rings upon rings of dense armor. With a single bite, they looked capable of chewing off Li Ziran's head.

Marsh Crocodiles!

The swamp's strongest close-combat fighters, also known as Crocodile Warriors.

But behind the Marsh Crocodiles were three nylon sacks. In that instant, the blind frog at Li Ziran's waist suddenly twitched.

In the gaps were long chains, and at the ends of those chains hung three sacks.

The moment he saw the sacks, an inexplicable feeling of strangeness abruptly rose in Li Ziran's heart.

Those were... Medusa.