The slave market:
The market covered more than three hundred kilometers. Every section was a slave-trading zone, packed with people, and slaves of every race could be seen everywhere.
"Come take a look! These Iron Luo People have Apprentice Level Nine strength! Buy them for housework or use them as cannon fodder-they're a bargain either way! Only twenty Black Dragon Coins each!"
"A stunning Planetary Level Eight woman! Take her home, and she can serve as both a fighter and someone to ease your troubles! Just thirty thousand Black Dragon Coins!"
"A fresh batch of Star Level Nine slaves! Five billion Black Dragon Coins each! First come, first served-get them before they're gone!"
When Li Xin and the others entered the slave market, signs and slave traders hawking their wares greeted them everywhere they went.
They saw Star Level slaves stronger than themselves, along with entire races that had been captured and put up for sale.
Li Xin, Hong, and Thunder God were all deeply shaken.
They had already learned how cruel the universe was, but witnessing it firsthand still left them profoundly shocked!
If slave traders discovered Earth, they dared not imagine what it would look like when all of humanity was sold alongside the slaves here.
"Phew... Big Brother, are you going to buy slaves?"
Still, all three were strong-willed men, and they soon regained their composure.
"Yes. The Mechanical Puppets I make are powerful, but there are plenty of situations where it isn't convenient for them to act openly. That's when I'll need these slaves."
Li Xin nodded as he spoke. Although he could create intelligent life like that of the Machine Race, this was human territory. He could not have intelligent life handle his affairs out in the open.
The best approach was to have humans act openly while intelligent life worked behind the scenes. Combining the two would be ideal.
"Ah, esteemed sirs! We have the finest slaves here. What level are you looking for?"
Seeing the many Flowing Silver Guards protecting Li Xin and the others, the slave trader Ferry immediately approached them with eager flattery.
"Hmm? Your slaves really are quite good. How much for him?"
Li Xin glanced over the trader's slaves and spotted one who stood apart from the rest.
While the other slaves' dull eyes held nothing but despair, this slave still had a certain light in his eyes. His status as a slave had not completely broken him.
"Sir, that one is a Star Level Nine Psychic from the Lemon Race. He costs only fifteen billion Black Dragon Coins."
"Incidentally, the Lemon Race has an excellent talent for spiritual force, so their race produces many Psychics. I have other members of the Lemon Race here too. If they catch your fancy, you can buy them together."
Ferry immediately began promoting his slaves.
"How many Lemon Race Persons do you have here? How much would they cost altogether?"
Li Xin asked.
"Sir, we have ten Star Level Nine Psychics from the Lemon Race and four Star Level Nine warriors, along with forty other Star Level slaves and twelve hundred and fifty Planetary Level slaves."
"All the Star Level members of the Lemon Race come to two hundred and fifty billion Black Dragon Coins. If you buy them all, I'll throw in every Planetary Level Lemon Race slave free of charge."
Ferry's eyes practically shone. This was going to be a huge sale!
"I'll pay no more than two hundred million Qianwu Coins for all the Lemon Race slaves. One Qianwu Coin more, and I won't buy them."
Li Xin said.
"No problem! Deal!"
Upon hearing that Li Xin would pay in Qianwu Coins, Ferry did a quick calculation and agreed.
Although the price was fifty billion Black Dragon Coins lower, he might actually make more if he exchanged the Qianwu Coins for Black Dragon Coins on the black market.
Once they reached an agreement, payment and slaves changed hands. With the purchase complete, Li Xin and the others left with the slaves.
Staying in the slave market always made Li Xin uncomfortable, as though the sight itself had sullied his eyes.
"What's your name?"
Only after leaving the slave market did Li Xin question the Lemon Race Person whose eyes still held a spark of light.
"Master, my name is Alex Clarkson!"
Alex replied.
"That name is too long. I'll call you Lemon from now on."
"I can see in your eyes that you haven't fallen into complete despair like the other slaves. You still have a desire to live and a longing for freedom."
"I admire people like you. That's why I bought not only you, but all your fellow clansmen as well."
"I only need you to work for me for a hundred years. As long as you don't commit any offenses during that time, I'll give all of you your freedom."
"You can even join my organization afterward. I'll provide resources to help you grow stronger. If you're talented enough and become powerful, you can buy your homeworld back from the slave traders."
Although slaves were implanted with biochips and could not disobey their masters, slaves who carried out orders with initiative and enthusiasm achieved entirely different results from those who obeyed passively.
Besides, Li Xin was not lying. In a hundred years, he would have grown strong enough that he no longer needed these slaves to serve him. There would be no harm in setting them free.
"Thank you, sir! We of the Lemon Race will never disappoint you!"
When Lemon heard Li Xin promise to free them after a hundred years, the faint spark in his eyes blazed to life.
None of them doubted Li Xin's words. Even if the promise was false, they were willing to believe it!
"Good. I believe I've judged you correctly."
Seeing the renewed spirit of the more than a thousand slaves before him, Li Xin nodded.
Next, Li Xin and the others went to a Virtual Universe Company branch to open accounts, purchasing three hundred anonymous accounts and consciousness-sensing helmets.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, I'll give each of you ten million Qianwu Coins, one Star Level Nine Psychic slave and one warrior slave, plus two C8 Rank Mechanical Puppets as bodyguards."
"After that, go register for citizenship in the Kunwu Empire and the Shana Empire, far away from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire..."
Li Xin then arranged Hong and Thunder God's itinerary.
Li Xin needed to cultivate too. He would not accompany Thunder God and Hong on errands like these; otherwise, he really would become their babysitter.
"Don't worry, Big Brother. We'll be careful."
At the docking port, Li Xin gave Hong and Thunder God a Black Dragon Mountain Spaceship. He still had another Black Dragon Mountain Spaceship for his own use.
At the same time, he began purchasing large quantities of raw materials to manufacture spaceships, Mechanical Puppets, and technological weapons.
After all, with his Machine Race Spaceship avatar, none of this was difficult. It was a steady source of income, and he certainly would not abandon his advantage in making money.
"Finally, I can fight all kinds of opponents to my heart's content in the Virtual Universe!"
After seeing Hong and Thunder God off, Li Xin spent one million Qianwu Coins to rent an estate spanning more than ten thousand kilometers on Qiu Long Star as a temporary residence. He had his many slaves and the C9 Rank Mechanical Puppets led by Black Iron guard him.
Although he could manufacture Mechanical Puppets comparable to Universe Level Eight fighters, he did not intend to sell them yet. As he was now, he could not protect such an enormous fortune.
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