The stench of the slave market made Field's nose sting. Those miserly merchants were bloodsuckers, unwilling to spend even a single copper coin to give the slaves a bath. Five or six slaves had to huddle in one cramped cage, eating, drinking, relieving themselves, and sleeping all in the same space.
They had no privacy, no dignity, and, thanks to the way they had been raised, not even the right to take their own lives.
In the cages set outside, many female slaves lacked even a scrap of cloth, their breasts exposed for every passerby to see. This was another marketing tactic, and a successful one at that. Old bachelors with mouths full of rotten teeth came to ogle them every day.
"My lord, looking to buy slaves? Essential for any farm, and all hardworking hands."
"A rare elven slave, just a thousand gold coins!"
"New shop opening! Come take a look, my lord!"
Field wore a smart black robe with a fine steel longsword at his hip. With his handsome features, he looked wealthy at a glance. The slave traders' eyes lit up. They loved dealing with nobles: first, nobles had money to spend, unlike the losers who came to feast their eyes but never bought anything. Second, nobles went through slaves at an astonishing rate, returning for more within days.
In the eyes of noble lords, slaves were worth less than their hunting hawks and hounds, and could be killed on a whim.
Field scanned the iron cages holding the slaves. Their eyes lacked even the faintest spark. With their filthy faces and matted hair, it was hard to tell men from women by their faces alone. Their bodies bore hideous whip wounds. Whenever a slave happened to meet Field's gaze, they immediately lowered their head and trembled.
"How much?" According to the map, the green dot was among these slaves. Field asked about prices as he searched.
"My lord, prices vary greatly between races."
The merchant, whose pointed face looked like Suneo from Doraemon, rubbed his palms together. "Goblins, halflings, and pigfolk are all ten silver coins. Demihumans are twenty, and orcs are sixty. If you're looking for a plaything, hehe, there's no upper limit."
With a lewd grin, the merchant pointed at the slaves in a large cage inside the shop. The most eye-catching was still the elf priced at a thousand gold.
She was exceptionally beautiful, dressed in revealing gauze that showed her snow-white skin. But her eyes were vacant, like those of an idiot.
"This elf was ruined by goblins. She's given birth at least twenty-six times. Haha, but she's still in high demand. I'm planning to send her to the auction house, where a thousand gold won't be enough to buy her. Care to consider it?"
"I'm not interested in her." She wasn't the green dot, and Field didn't have that much money to spend on a plaything anyway. He immediately shook his head. "How much are human slaves?"
"Humans are smart and better at obeying orders. Male slaves cost forty silver coins, females twenty-five, though they're all meant for labor. If you're looking for some fun, I still recommend the elf. Even if you don't use her for pleasure, killing her for meat or making magical items out of her are both good options."
A chill of revulsion ran through Field. In this world, nobles weren't the elegant, respectable figures shown in television dramas, but brutal feudal villains.
Once word spread that elven flesh could nourish yin and replenish yang, proud elves were promptly served at the dinner table, even though they looked so much like humans.
During their conversation, Field located the green dot. His gaze shifted to an iron cage in the corner, where a green dot hovered above it like a guide marker in a game.
She was a demihuman, a white wolf demihuman at that, with red eyes and ears and a tail like a wolf's.
Dressed in rough hemp clothing, she lay motionless in the cold, damp cage, only occasionally glancing at the keys on the merchant's waist.
"A rare species from the grasslands. Our slave-catching team went to quite some trouble to overrun their stronghold. Those damned savages had a very stubborn fighting spirit." The merchant recounted these brutal facts with a smug expression. "If you want to play with a wolf demihuman, you'd best have servants help you. Otherwise, one careless moment and they might bite off... hehe, you get the idea."
"An animal-eared girl?"
Field was thrilled. As a veteran shut-in from Blue Star, he had absolutely no resistance to red-eyed girls with animal ears.
As though coaxing a dog, Field cautiously reached toward her, trying to stroke her head.
"Grrrr..."
"You had best be careful." Kao, the butler, frowned.
A threatening growl rose from the animal-eared girl's throat, and a dangerous gleam flashed in her scarlet eyes. Connor, the captain of the knights, was already ready to draw his sword. "Lord Field, you'd best not touch them. I don't want anything going wrong before we reach Nightfall Territory."
"No need to be so tense. She's quite cute." Despite his words, Field knew when to listen to advice and immediately withdrew his hand. He could see bravado and dejection in the girl's eyes. She was both adorable and pitiful. Field straightened his collar. "How much?"
"Just three gold coins!" Seeing Field's desire, the merchant shamelessly raised the price.
One gold coin equaled a hundred silver coins, and one silver coin equaled a hundred copper coins.
Field's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. "You just said demihumans cost twenty silver coins. Are you trying to make a fool of a noble?"
"Oh, she's special. She's very beautiful, isn't she? She was only recently captured, guaranteed to be a virgin, and commoners' filthy eyes have never ogled her. She's also destined for the auction house. Such exquisite looks, but unfortunately she's a demihuman, an unclean creature! Otherwise, I wouldn't sell her even for three hundred gold coins."
"Fifty silver. Don't test my patience." Field folded his arms across his chest and dangled a tempting promise. "I'm about to take charge of my territory. She certainly won't be the only plaything or slave I buy. One sale, or countless sales-I trust you know which is better."
"Hiss..." Those words touched the merchant's deepest desires.
After an internal struggle, the merchant decided that befriending a noble with a territory and real authority was definitely a good idea. He could only grit his teeth. "That depends on how many you buy."
The butler gave Field a puzzled glance. In the past, Field never haggled; he only sympathized with merchants' hardships.
After carefully picking them out, Field bought a hundred human slaves and a hundred demihuman slaves, with a hundred and twenty males among them.
Including the animal-eared girl Field had taken a liking to, the total came to fifty-three gold coins.
"My lord, these are the slaves' soul contracts. They've all been verified by Chosen Ones."
"Contracts?" Field took the parchment, which was densely covered in names.
"Yes, these are oaths sworn with the slaves' blood. Anyone who defies your will shall be burned to ashes by divine fire." With a sleazy grin, the merchant handed over the ropes tethering the slaves. "So you can do whatever you please. Have fun, my dear customer."
"I will." Field waved a hand. Once he reached the Cursed Land, if he couldn't enjoy himself, he would most likely end up corrupted and dead anyway.
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