Hippo Ancient City

A gentle autumn breeze caressed his face, like delicate hands stroking it. Having completed such a major task as skin transplantation, Li Ziran felt completely relaxed.

Especially now, with the bustling crowds coming towards me, this vibrant scene is like being immersed in a sea of people, an indescribable feeling of comfort.

After seven or eight days of continuous travel, I finally don't have to endure the hardships of being exposed to the wind and sun anymore.

The hurricane that ravaged the entire Wasteland was completely blocked by the tall city walls. The cold currents from the Ice Plains collided with the warm currents from the Wasteland, making this place a warm and comfortable special area.

If Li Ziran hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that such a paradise-like place existed in the Wasteland.

"Slaves, slaves! We just caught Cavefolk, they're great value for money!"

"Girl, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, professional stall, buy early and get it first."

"The Sea Folk just caught this Clam Maiden. She's incredibly pure and innocent. Hurry up and make your move!"

Various shouts rose from the street, like beautiful music echoing in Li Ziran's ears.

"This feels so good."

The cries of those selling slaves gave him a sense of returning to the womb.

As far as the eye can see, there is no end to the road; the roadside is almost entirely lined with slave stalls. These slave owners mostly use iron chains to pull their slaves and sell them directly on the street.

However, these slaves were of relatively low quality. Behind the scattered stalls were well-established shops that not only sold various slaves but also related products.

Chains, slave badges, instruments of torture, and whips were commonly used.

Li Ziran bought seawater for a copper coin in a village that specialized in selling Sea Folk slaves, and just as Emily had said, the three girls soon showed signs of recovery.

However, to avoid causing a disturbance, the three people were turned into Frog and thrown into sleeping bags.

"Li, this is just Tenth Street, where the Slave-Catching Group distribute slaves. Go further in, and that's where the slave shops are." Emily, acting as the guide, professionally explained everything about this city-state.

The entire Hippo Ancient City is circular, with ten large rings formed from the outermost city wall inwards, which are called the ten main streets.

The outermost Tenth Street was a distribution center for slaves. Not only were there Slave-Catching Group, but also hunting groups at sea, tribes on the Ice Plains, and even fleets from human kingdoms, all of which would distribute slaves here.

The most prominent feature of Tenth Street is a boulevard ten meters wide.

This road is divided into inner and outer sides, one for entry and one for exit, and is specifically allocated for various slave platforms.

Furthermore, based on the different breeds of slaves, a vast Slave Distribution Yard was set up on Tenth Avenue, which was divided into distribution centers for ten major races: humans, Elves, Demon, Orc, Dwarf, Sea Folk, Goblin, Winged Race, insects, and rare species.

Each Slave-Catching Group will send the slaves they capture to a corresponding distribution center, where they will meet with slave merchants.

Li Ziran is currently in the border area between the human and Sea Folk's scattered areas, so he has seen quite a few humans and sea creatures.

He had lived in Bailando City, where slaves were not categorized. The entire city-state was controlled by the Brando family, and slaves were uniformly divided according to their rank. Almost all races were mixed together, and you could often see many slaves in one shop.

But this place is different; the shops here are more specialized, or more precisely, more focused on a single type of business.

For example, the clam tribe slave shop that Li Ziran is currently visiting sells all kinds of clam people and their accessories. In addition to some pretty Clam Maiden, there are also some clam metal refiners and pearl processors, and they also sell specialty pearls produced by the clam tribe.

These kinds of specialized shops are extremely rare in the Wasteland, but they are everywhere in Hippo Ancient City.

This is just Tenth Street, some ordinary slaves that flowed out of the distribution center. I really don't know what the Slave Street inside are like.

Upon entering this city-state, Li Ziran drawn to the atmosphere of slavery. No wonder Sandrew recommended this place to him; he could find almost any slave he wanted without even leaving the city.

"Li, are you interested in selling those three Fishman?" Emily whispered. "I think the girl is quite attractive; she should fetch a good price."

These words really appealed to Li Ziran. He found a Fishman's shop, took Ivy out of her sleeping bag, transformed into her Fishman form, and asked with a smile, "How much are you willing to pay for this?"

The shop owner was a long-haired kangaroo who employed two tiny Dwarf. The moment Li Ziran pulled out the Fishman, the kangaroo's eyes narrowed, but the two Dwarf beside him kept their eyes wide open.

Without the other party saying anything, Li Ziran could already estimate the approximate price in his mind.

You need at least five gold coins to start.

"Oh, Fishman, this thing isn't worth much, 15 copper coins, I guess." He then reached for Ivy's neck.

Li Ziran was faster; with a sidestep, he blocked the other's path, his finger lightly touching Ivy, which transformed into Frog hanging from her waist. "20 gold coins!"

Upon hearing this, Emily, who was standing next to him, immediately gasped. Slaves at this price could be sold on Fourth Avenue.

The long-haired kangaroo laughed, saying mockingly, "Brother, have you never seen money before? Twenty gold coins? Are you mistaken, or did I not hear you clearly? You mean copper coins?"

"20 gold coins," Li Ziran repeated. Of course, he had no intention of selling Ivy; after all, he was still waiting for the Mysterious Devouring Curse.

The long-haired kangaroo immediately became anxious and laughed, "Brother, 20 gold coins is indeed a bit expensive. Look at my little shop, I wouldn't even make that much if I sold it. How about 2 gold coins? I have cash on hand right now, let's trade on the spot."

"Oh, it's not 15 copper coins anymore?"

The long-haired kangaroo chuckled awkwardly. "Brother, you know your stuff. These Deep Sea Mermaid are rare on the market, and I think this girl isn't virgin, so the price will be a bit higher, but it'll only be a few gold coins, definitely not the terrifying 20. Besides, even if I buy her, I'll have to sell her to the Sea Folk to make a profit. These kinds of girls are perfect for reproduction, and if they have good talent, the Embryo they produce should have special abilities."

Li Ziran's heart skipped a beat. He really hadn't expected that Fishman might also have a magical uterus.

However, this requires careful and gradual research. If one truly possesses a healthy uterus, it might be possible to cultivate Demon.

"Ugh, so poor. I thought you could win them over." Now that he understood, there was no point in staying any longer. He gave the other person a disdainful look and left dejectedly.

As soon as they stepped outside, Emily said with a worried look, "Li, you're in trouble."

"What is it?" Li Ziran couldn't help but ask.

"Girl, didn't you notice? That long-haired kangaroo was from the Dark Council's action team. They won't let you get away with showing off your slave-like behavior in front of him."

Li Ziran thought it was something serious; he'd encountered this kind of greedy behavior before.

Action Group?

Li Ziran raised an eyebrow. This kind of insignificant person should be dispensable, right?

Since I don't have any souls to absorb right now, why not set a trap and catch a couple?

Upon closer inspection, they indeed saw the two Goblin from the shop who had just been there following them.

There's hope!

"Do you know the Black-Red Slave Shop on Seventh Street?" Li Ziran asked casually. He'd keep these two Goblin for now; maybe he could catch a few small fish.

Emily frowned; she'd never heard of it.

Seventh Street has a very wide coverage area, with at least several hundred shops, so how could a woman who spends most of her time on the outskirts of Hippo Ancient City know their specific names?

"I haven't heard of it, but if you go to Seventh Street, you should be able to find out." Emily volunteered to be the guide.

To get from Tenth Street to Seventh Street, you need to cross three archways. These archways are the key to distinguishing the various commercial streets. Once you enter an archway, it's equivalent to entering another commercial street. These archways extend into the very center of Hippo Ancient City, layer upon layer, dividing the slave quarters into different price ranges.

Tenth Street is considered a distribution center, where shops from First Street to Ninth Street source their goods. Of course, the more central the shop, the more likely it is to have its own supply channels. Some special slave groups do not sell slaves in the distribution center; they mostly sell directly to shops.

The price of Ninth Street is around 50 copper coins, while the price of a normal slave on Eighth Street will rise to 1 silver coin. The price on Seventh Street remains around 10 silver coins. According to Emily, the lowest-priced slaves on Fifth Street are priced in gold coins.

Li Ziran interested in strolling through these famous Slave Street, but unfortunately, the two Goblin behind him, who made no attempt to conceal their presence, completely ruined his leisure time.

"Getting down to business is the priority!"

Upon entering Seventh Street, the shops become noticeably cleaner, mostly made of transparent crystal, and the floors appear to have been carefully treated. More importantly, there are no haphazardly placed stalls here.

In front of each shop, there was usually a well-dressed young woman standing there. Whenever Li Ziran passed by, she would smile affectionately at him, and some of them would even come up to introduce the business inside the shop.

After strolling along Seventh Street for a short while, I came across the Black-Red Slave Shop that I had met.

This is a three-story building, entirely constructed of transparent quartz, extending from the entrance to the roof of the third floor, forming a huge crystal space filled with azure seawater, where countless Tuna and large jellyfish swim freely.

This doesn't look like a shop; it looks more like an aquarium.

He had never seen a slave shop like this before.

Upon entering the Black-Red Slave Shop, everything changed. It was as if a thin membrane had been pierced through, and a peculiar fishy smell greeted you, as if you had entered an underwater world.

However, instead of jellyfish and small fish, the sides are now filled with swimming Fishman and Clam Maiden. In one corner, there is also a rare coral beauty, resting her chin on her hand, seemingly deep in thought.

At a glance, there were at least a dozen kinds of Sea Folk, the most special of which was a tiger shark warrior as tall as three people, with its eyes flashing with a fierce light and the corners of its eyes tinged with a blackish-red color unique to the Deep Sea.

This is clearly a high-level warrior with pure bloodline, worth one gold coin on the market, and should be the store's prized possession.

"Sir, is there anything I can do for you?" A human dressed in a formal suit approached and asked politely.

"I..." Li Ziran was a little confused. Only then did he realize that Sandrew hadn't told him the rendezvous code. He couldn't very well say that he was here to meet with Demon, could he? "Um, my Li Ziran, I'm an Organ Witch Doctor, and I made an appointment here."

The moment the words left his mouth, the receptionist froze for a second.

Li Ziran was even more stunned, feeling a violent force directly penetrate his Spirit World, impacting his Spirit Crystal like a hurricane. But in an instant, this violent spiritual force suddenly disappeared.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The receptionist suddenly remembered something and quickly apologized, "Please, our team leader... no... the boss has been waiting for you for a long time, welcome!"

Li Ziran looked at the other person and immediately began a mental scan; this guy was very unfriendly!