A Slave Who Pays for Money
* Whoosh ~ *
Xia Fei moved very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, he had arrived at the nameless city of the Exiled Grounds under Oro's guidance.
More than a dozen hills surrounded a plain, forming a basin. Between the hills was a simple city. There were many warehouse-type buildings in the city. Inside the alloy fences, there were groups of slaves dressed in rags. They were kept in the fences like livestock.
"Most people don't know about the existence of this place. The large slave traders here sell the slaves that are difficult to sell to small traders, who will lead the slaves through the sparsely populated towns and sell them one by one. The sales of slaves in those towns and tribes aren't that good, so the large slave traders won't set up shop in those remote areas, which is why they have this distribution market," the old demon lord Oro slowly explained.
Though he had not been here for a long time, this city still served the same function as before. The only difference was that the city was larger than before, which meant that the slave trade in the Exiled Grounds was still flourishing.
Xia Fei nodded. "Since slaves that are difficult to sell are traded here, does that mean that this city is a wholesale center for defective goods?"
Oro chuckled. "You could say that. There's a reason why I brought you here. These small slave traders are the main force of the Exiled Grounds. Aside from selling slaves, they also sell daily necessities and military equipment. As long as they can make money, they'll do anything.
"The population of the Exiled Grounds is very diverse, and there aren't many large cities. The vast majority of tribes are scattered throughout the galaxy, so it's very easy to get information about those large cities, but to fully understand the situation of the entire Exiled Grounds, you can only rely on these traveling small traders. Moreover, small traders are very profit-driven, and as long as you give them a little benefit, they'll be willing to tell you anything. The large traders and tribes are very wary, and asking too much about them will inevitably draw attention. They're not as easy to deal with as these small traders. You can tell at a glance that you're an outsider, so these small traders are the perfect target."
Xia Fei very much agreed with Oro's words. The lower the social class of humans, the easier it was to deal with them.
As he walked along the muddy road into the city, the pedestrians on both sides of the road curiously sized up Xia Fei. They wore colorful blankets that covered their upper bodies, and on their feet were thick and heavy leather boots. Their heads were lowered, giving them a wretched appearance.
A few steps later, there was a wide fence. The people inside the fence were squatting on the muddy ground. Their clothes were ragged, and their faces were pale. Their hands and feet were hung with heavy alloy chains, and their faces were tattooed with various companies.
The fence was half-closed, and anyone could go in and choose the slaves they wanted. The guards at the gate set up a set of tables and chairs, and sat there eating and drinking.
The leader of the group, a fat man, threw a half-eaten drumstick into the fence and shouted, "Whoever snatches it gets it!"
The starving slaves immediately fell into chaos. In the end, a big man with a blind left eye squeezed through the crowd and grabbed the leftovers. He didn't care about the mud on the drumstick and stuffed it into his mouth, as if he had never eaten in his life.
The guards roared with laughter, immersed in this game of torturing slaves.
Xia Fei furrowed his brows. As someone from the modern era, he did not like this kind of trade that treated sapient lifeforms like livestock.
At a glance, he estimated that there were hundreds of slaves in the fence, and they were of all races. It seemed that the slave trade had nothing to do with race, and people of all races could be sold. There were also stiff corpses in the fence, giving off a foul stench that no one buried. The barbarism of the Exiled Grounds was evident.
"Slave traders like these are just small merchants. The bigger merchants often have tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of slaves in their hands. The slave trade is very popular in the Exiled Grounds. Many people who can't afford to eat will sell themselves in exchange for food and clothing. It's very common for those who can't support their children to be sold as slaves, not to mention the groups that specialize in capturing slaves. They purposefully loot small tribes, stealing their wealth and selling the residents as slaves. In any case, the Exiled Grounds is very barbaric, and all sorts of strange things can happen," Lionheart Emperor Oro explained.
Along the way, Xia Fei saw several large slave markets. The largest one had more than ten thousand slaves in it. Unfortunately, these slaves were either old, weak, sick, or stupid, and all of them were low-quality goods.
Close to the center of the city, there was a Four Maidens Inn that was relatively clean. It was located in a remote narrow alley, and the three-story building had just been painted, making it very eye-catching.
Xia Fei settled down in this inn and chose a room on the third floor that was close to the street. The cost of lodging was very cheap, costing him a grade 2 Origin Crystal a day, and there was even breakfast included.
In truth, a grade 2 Origin Crystal a day in a place like this was already very expensive. There were not many merchants staying in the inn, and most of them were slave traders or people with some assets. The restaurant and bar were also relatively quieter.
The one who brought Xia Fei to the room was Miss Four, a slightly plump girl with blue freckles all over her face. As for the real owner of the inn, it was her mother, Miss Four. The two of them ran the inn from inside out. Just like all the local merchants, Miss Four had two slaves in her family, who helped out with the miscellaneous tasks.
"I'll take this one." Xia Fei tossed a grade 3 Origin Crystal to Miss Four.
Miss Four hurriedly wiped the stone on her apron and happily stuffed it between her breasts. Her eyes were filled with admiration, treating Xia Fei as a rich foreigner. After all, there were many uncouth slave traders in this place, and it was rare to see someone as clean and young as Xia Fei.
Xia Fei invited Miss Four to take a seat on the only crudely made chair in the room. Miss Four puffed up her chest. That pair of big white buns was her pride, but unfortunately, Xia Fei did not pay much attention to it. Miss Four was somewhat disappointed.
"Sir, if you want to know about the recent situation in the slave market, I can tell you about it, but you'll have to ask those slave traders who travel far and wide. It's currently daytime, so they've all gone out to choose their goods and will only be back at night. Why don't you take a look around the city and see if there's anything suitable? I heard that Old Master Liu's shop in the south of the city has a new batch of courtesans. Though they're all middle-aged, they're very amorous, and I guarantee that they'll serve you well." Miss Four looked at Xia Fei as she said this.
Xia Fei was slightly taken aback. It turned out that Miss Four had mistaken him for a wealthy young master who had come here to buy courtesans. It was no wonder, though. What else could people do in this city other than buying slaves?
Courtesans were expensive goods in the Exiled Grounds, and only the truly wealthy could afford to buy young and beautiful courtesans. The cheap goods in this city were very popular with those who did not have much money but still wanted to try their luck. The prices were cheap, and the quality was passable. Many wealthy young masters would often come here to look for cheap goods.
"When those slave traders are back by dinner time, I'll introduce you to them. I'll even sell these fellows as long as they have alcohol to drink, but your attire won't do. One look and they can tell that you're not in the trade, though. Those slave traders will surely try to deceive you. Just wait here; I'll go get something for you." Miss Four smiled as she looked at Xia Fei with a rather strange expression.
Not long after, Miss Four returned with a blanket that the locals wore. It was colorful and crudely made, and it even had an unpleasant, fishy smell.
"We have a lot of rain here, and it's cold here, so the locals will wear this sort of blanket to keep out the cold and moisture. You may look like an amateur in this, but those slave traders won't misunderstand that it's your first time here, so they won't ask for an exorbitant price. Don't look down on this attire; it can help you save quite a bit of money."
Miss Four was a little overly enthusiastic as she helped Xia Fei drape the blanket over himself. She tied a weird knot on it and called over a little boy of around eleven or twelve.
"Stone, bring this young master around the city. If you serve him well, I'll reward you with a bowl of beef rice tonight and two Stones to buy candy for you."
The little boy, who was called Stone, was skinny and short. His two eyes shone with intelligence. The moment he heard that there was money to be made and a bowl of beef rice to be eaten, he immediately patted his chest and agreed. He was an orphan and relied on running errands for various businesses in the city to make a living. He was very familiar with the slave trade in the city, so he could be a good choice for a guide.
Since he had nothing else to do, Xia Fei followed Stone out the door, wrapping himself in the smelly blanket and blending into the crowd.
With the blanket draped over him, the strange gazes from all around lessened significantly. Xia Fei very smoothly blended into the world of slave traders, which showed how important it was to do as the Romans do when in Rome.
Stone kept rubbing his stomach as he walked. Xia Fei guessed that he was hungry, so he bought a few skewers of roasted mutton from the roadside. He ate one and found it to be rather average, so he gave the rest to Stone.
He wolfed down the food, and when Little Rock saw the food, it was as if he did not care for his life. Xia Fei smiled and handed him a bottle of mineral water. "Eat slowly. Don't choke."
* Gulp, gulp. *
Stone drank half the bottle in one go and carefully hid the rest in his pocket. He wiped his mouth and looked at Xia Fei. "Are you a good person?"
"More or less." Xia Fei shrugged. It was not easy for him to answer this question. With countless lives in his hands, Xia Fei reckoned that he might not be able to enter heaven.
"Take off your blanket. That button on Missy Si's neck is a secret code. The slave trader will surely rip you off and give some of the money he earns to Missy Si. This is the rule of the city. Missy Si is going to sell you off like a fat sheep," Little Rock told Xia Fei.
Xia Fei was slightly taken aback. No wonder Miss Four had personally draped the blanket over him and tied a strange knot. It turned out that it was the secret signal of the trade.
"It's fine. I'm not buying slaves, so Miss Four won't get any commission from me," Xia Fei softly said.
"You're really not buying?"
"Nope."
Stone laughed. "That's for the best. If Miss Four sees that the knot on the blanket has been untied, not only will I not have any food to eat, but I might even get beaten up. Miss Four and her son are the worst in the city."
Xia Fei did not say anything. The Exiled Grounds was indeed not to be underestimated. Every step was a trap.
"Why don't I bring you to see the most powerful slave?"
"The most powerful? A powerful person can become a slave? "Xia Fei doubtfully asked.
Stone nodded. "Yes. Not only does this slave not ask for money, Old Master Liu will even fork out a sum of money to whoever takes him away. He's just too amazing. He's practically a legend among slaves. Even the slave traders are afraid of him, serving him tea and food every day, serving him well."
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