Slave Market

Li Ziran sat on the Centaur's back. The jingling bronze bells carried quietly on the Wasteland's uniquely scorching wind. Perhaps the Wasteland was too dry; few of the travelers on horseback cared to speak.

Aside from Li Ziran, who took great interest in the withered yellow scenery of the Wasteland, most of the others pressed against the Centaurs' long necks and slept soundly.

It was the habit of most living beings. They seized every possible moment to store up their strength. Those who could enjoy their time as leisurely as Li Ziran were truly few and far between.

Even he grew a little bored after seeing too much of the Wasteland's monotonous landscape. Before he knew it, he had leaned against the horse's back and fallen asleep.

A burst of wind-chime sounds woke him. When he opened his eyes, he saw a tall arched bridge in the distance. Strings of wind chimes stretched from the top of the bridge to the stone crags by the roadside. Whenever the Wasteland's Elemental Tide blew through, they rang without end.

There was a saying on the Wasteland: if you heard wind chimes, then you could not be far from the most hospitable Mading'er Town.

Li Ziran had come here once before. It was completely different from Gray Wolf Town, where he had once stayed.

Other than its distinctive orcish bunkers, there was almost no trace of the Wasteland's desolation here.

Its hospitality was unmatched across the Wasteland. Before the caravan had even come to a full stop, a group of short Dwarves came forward carrying steaming horse milk.

"Honored guests, welcome to Mading'er. There is too much wind and sand on the long road; have a bowl of hot horse milk to settle your nerves."

These Dwarves had long faces, thick muscular arms, bald heads, and a pair of donkey ears. They were called Horse Dwarves.

It was said that they were descendants of Dwarves and Centaurs, but Li Ziran did not believe it. More likely, some Witch Doctor had created this race.

After all, there was no record of this kind of Dwarf anywhere in the history of the Red Soil Continent.

These Dwarves did not feel small in the slightest. They darted swiftly among the Centaurs' hooves, each one methodically finding the traveler assigned to him.

The Dwarf standing before Li Ziran was extraordinarily burly, though he was only tall enough to reach Li Ziran's calves. His thick arms held up a bowl of horse milk twice the size of his own head, steam rising from it in waves.

"Honored guest, have a bowl of Mading'er horse milk to settle your nerves."

The Dwarf's attitude was extremely respectful, yet the bowl of horse milk was free.

No matter how hard they worked, travelers could choose not to give them a single coin.

Even so, the Dwarves hoped to meet guests who accepted the horse milk, because that meant they might become a stranger's guide.

That determined whether they could earn money and survive.

A great many Dwarves had to return disappointed. Few travelers like them needed guides, since these guides would often lead them into overpriced shops.

They survived on the kickbacks from those shops.

Li Ziran jumped down from the Centaur's back, casually accepted the horse milk, and gulped down two mouthfuls. Its rich milky fragrance swept away every last trace of sleepiness. He asked casually, "Is there anywhere to stay?"

That utterly ordinary sentence immediately made the Dwarf jump with joy. "Yes, of course! Please follow me. It will definitely be the best place in Mading'er Town."

Li Ziran smiled and casually tossed two copper coins into the bowl he had just emptied. "Take me to the slave market. I have a batch of goods to sell. Only then will I be able to afford lodging."

This was Mading'er Town's finest benefit. Here, one could sell slaves without worrying about being hunted down by the powers behind them.

After paying a portion of the fee, the town would certify that these slaves had been acquired through proper means.

The Horse Dwarf took the bowl, and when he saw the two copper coins inside, he became even more respectful toward Li Ziran.

After all, this was a tip, entirely separate from the money the shops returned to them.

He tucked the two milk-dipped copper coins into the inner layer of his clothes, then jogged over to Li Ziran. "Honored guest, please follow me. With me leading the way, I guarantee I'll find you a sales platform in the best location."

Li Ziran nodded and let the Horse Dwarf lead the way.

Having a guide truly had its advantages. Before long, they arrived at a bustling market packed shoulder to shoulder.

The outer edge of the market was enclosed by rings of wooden fences, with iron chains hanging from them.

These were used to tether large beasts. They did not count as slaves, but on the Wasteland, large beasts could help travelers transport goods.

Li Ziran saw quite a few Bactrian camels, while one beast pen held Red-Tusk Elephants. These were the Wasteland's most common beasts of burden.

They could endure the Wasteland's hunger and cold. More importantly, their trunks could absorb traces of magical energy from the Elemental Tide.

They all possessed an unusual kind of lung, which barely counted as a magical organ, but few cared about such things.

The farther they went toward the market's center, the more valuable the goods became.

The beast pens were no longer as crude as those outside. The rails had become iron bars, and inside were Black-Hoof Yaks, Icefield Dire Wolves, and Large Cargo Pythons. These could already be considered Magic Beasts.

Li Ziran had no interest in Magic Beasts. Only summoners and beast tamers liked to fiddle with these big fellows.

To him, they were all flashy but impractical. Though they could cast a few simple spells, buying a Wolf wolf knight inside might even come with an Icefield Dire Wolf as a bonus.

Li Ziran was eager to sell off the Snake Women and Fishmen in his hands. They ought to fetch a good price, especially the Snake Women. Though they had scales on their foreheads, their skin was delicate—deadly bait for rough old men.

After passing through the beast-pen area, they began to see special platforms one after another. These platforms were neatly divided apart like a giant stage, with a broad main road behind them.

This was the Slave-Sorting Platform. It was not prepared for small-time sellers like them, but for large Slave-Catching Groups.

Slave-Catching Groups returning with full loads would enter from that broad road, arrange their slaves in batches, and quietly wait for slave merchants to make offers.

These were bulk purchases. Only afterward would the slave merchants divide the slaves into finer categories, determining whether they belonged in the low-grade market or qualified for the auction house.

A Slave-Sorting Platform was the mark of a developed town. If a town could not build one, it meant it could not attract large Slave-Catching Groups, which in turn meant it was unlikely to have exceptional slaves.

At that moment, the Slave-Sorting Platform was buzzing with voices. Rows of tall giraffes with long necks stood in line, allowing slave merchants to choose among them.

Clearly, this latest capture had been these big fellows. They were tall and strong, good laborers, and should be quite popular.

Li Ziran gave them a glance and had the Horse Dwarf take him to the very center of the market.

At the market's center, the divisions became more refined. Stone platforms of varying sizes, each several dozen square meters, had been built there. Every platform held more than a dozen iron posts, with iron rings hanging from them and square signs placed in front.

These were the most standard slave-selling platforms. One only needed to tie the slaves to the iron posts and display the price to sell them.

The prerequisite was paying the market a portion of the fee. There were two methods: a fixed payment or a revenue share.

A fixed payment meant paying enough in one go. A revenue share allowed one to use the platform for free, but afterward the market would take a portion of the income from the slave sale.

Each had its advantages and disadvantages, satisfying the needs of different slave merchants.

Without question, the fixed payment was more economical, but Li Ziran was extremely short of money at the moment and could only choose the revenue-share option.

The advantage of having a guide now became clear. Li Ziran did not need to show his face at all. The Horse Dwarf ran back and forth three times and secured him a spot near the entrance.

As for the revenue share, the market would take three percent of the earnings.

Robbery!

The Horse Dwarf began arranging the signs neatly by the roadside so that passing customers could see them, while polishing every iron post until it shone brightly.

Li Ziran did not need to pay a single coin for this labor. The market would give them the share they deserved.

With the sales platform ready, Li Ziran did not remain idle. He untied ten frogs from his belt, bit open his index finger, and dabbed blood onto their foreheads.

The oily green light attracted quite a few people. Especially when they saw the frogs gradually grow larger in the light and turn into slender women, they crowded over excitedly.

Even the Horse Dwarf took a few extra looks. Everyone knew it was a Transformation Spell, but seeing it in person was still rather novel.

"What kind of slaves are these? How much are they?"

"When are you opening for business? They look like good quality."

"They look like Fishmen. Aren't these just laborers? They can't be worth much, can they?"

Before the goods had even been put on the platform, people were already asking around.

But Li Ziran knew there were not many real buyers. He understood the market better than these people and had no intention of deliberately lowering the slaves' prices just to sell them quickly.

The Fishmen were priced at forty copper coins. Since the Snake Women had been modified, Li Ziran directly marked them at one silver coin.

The instant the prices appeared, the crowd indeed began shouting.

"Are you trying to fool idiots? One silver coin for a Fishman? Who can stand that fishy stench?"

"Exactly. They can't even stay away from water, and they aren't as strong as Minotaurs. I'd say one silver coin for a hundred of them."

"This quality? Hah, they're not even as good as the ones next door. Brother, have you never seen money before?"

Li Ziran ignored them. He went straight to the wooden chair at the innermost part of the sales platform and sat down. Then he said to the Horse Dwarf waiting nearby, "Call me when something sells. And listen—none of these goods are to be discounted by even a copper coin, understand!"

He had lived on the Wasteland for four years, and none of the slaves in his hands had ever remained unsold.