"The slave traders sold weapons to our enemy tribes, instigating a war between us. We were caught off guard and suffered a great loss. Over the years, many of our tribesmen were taken captive, reducing our population by half. To survive, we had no choice but to migrate. However, the slave traders always seemed to be able to find us. They even came to my father, offering to trade weapons for our captives. However, my father rejected them without hesitation.
"After that, our living environment became worse and worse, until a few tribes nearby joined forces under the instigation of the slave traders and launched a surprise attack on us. My father and brother died in that battle. They killed the old people in the tribe and sold the remaining young and strong men to the slave traders who provided them with weapons," Lariel said. "And I was one of them."
"So, those female slaves and Rakotua are from your tribe? Do they know who you are? But how is that possible? As far as I know, the slave traders would separate people from the same tribe and sell them to different buyers in order to prevent the slaves from rebelling. "
Now, including me, there are only three of us left. To be honest, I didn't expect to meet Nivasha and the others here. They were taken captive at the beginning of the war, and most of them were women. Perhaps they thought that they were less of a threat, so the slave traders didn't separate them completely. Many of them were sold here … As for Rakotua, he and I were captured together, but we were sold to different buyers. Malcolm likes to watch gladiator fights, and he's been collecting powerful gladiators. When he heard about Rakotua's prowess, he bought him back a month ago. "
Laeli paused for a moment before continuing, "When I was in the carriage, I heard that you guys were planning to deal with Malcolm?"
"It's no secret that the black-market alliance he belongs to has a grudge against my Jackdaw. Everyone in Nassau knows about it. He invited me to his manor for a banquet tonight because he's trying to find a way to reconcile." Zhang Heng nodded.
"And you don't want to accept his offer? Why?" Laeli stared into Zhang Heng's eyes as if trying to see through him.
"I don't like to put my fate in someone else's hands. "I don't have any personal grudges with Malcolm. However, if the black-market alliance he leads succeeds and gains a firm foothold on the island, it'll be bad news for all those who pursue freedom. When that happens, Nassau will be completely controlled by capital." "I don't have any personal grudges with Malcolm, but the black-market alliance he leads will gain a foothold on the island.
Laeli didn't quite understand what Zhang Heng meant, but he could tell that Zhang Heng wasn't lying to him. At least for now, Zhang Heng seemed to be standing on the opposite side of Malcolm.
After a long silence, he spoke again, "After my father and brother died in battle, according to the tribe's rules, I became the new chief. I have the obligation to save my brothers and sisters from suffering, break the shackles on their feet, and let them breathe the air of freedom again. This is why I had to escape from that manor no matter what."
Zhang Heng said, "I admire your ideals, but unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't help you much."
As someone from the later generations, Zhang Heng didn't have a good impression of the dirtiest and bloodiest chapter in modern human history — the black slave trade. However, saving Laeli was one thing, and liberating the other slaves in the manor was another. Now was the most dangerous time for the Jackdaw and Karina. Zhang Heng had to focus all his attention on Malcolm and his black-market alliance. He didn't have the energy to help Laeli.
"I'm not begging you for help. I want to work with you." The gladiator shook his head.
"Work with you?"
"Yes. You want to know what happened between Malcolm and Raymond. I might be able to help you," Laeli said. "The black people who were sold by slave traders to the New World had many tragic endings. They became gladiators and fought with their own kind like wild beasts. One of them was to be entertained by their masters. But sometimes, it wasn't entirely a bad thing. Compared to our compatriots who worked as laborers, we occasionally got to hear more things.
"In the eyes of those white people, we are just walking goods and labor. We are their private property. They don't care about our thoughts and feelings. Without their permission, we can't leave the manor for the rest of our lives. That's why they wouldn't deliberately avoid us. Since the day I was sold to Terrance Manor, I've been preparing to escape. Other than learning more words to understand this world, I've also been trying my best to gather all kinds of information, hoping to find a way to escape."
Laeli paused. "About eight months ago, Malcolm and Raymond had a private gathering. Malcolm asked me and another slave to perform gladiatorial combat in front of them. However, both of us were a little absent-minded. After that, we had a small argument."
Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows. Laeli's words had piqued his interest.
"The focus of their argument seemed to be a businessman. Since he had nothing to do with my escape plan, I can't remember his name anymore. All I know is that he was also a black-market businessman on the island, doing the same thing as Malcolm and Raymond. He seemed to be quite famous. Raymond approached him once and told him about forming a black-market alliance, but he strongly rejected the idea." He said that he was playing with fire. He even warned Raymond that Malcolm was too ambitious.
"He said that he was playing with fire and warned Redmond that Malcolm was too ambitious. Redmond discussed the matter with Malcolm after that, and both of them felt that it was a little tricky. That man wasn't one of the most profitable merchants on the island, but he was very experienced and had a certain amount of influence. Redmond wanted to slowly communicate with him, but not long after that, that guy was arrested in the colony. Redmond suspected that it was Malcolm who did it, but Malcolm said that it had nothing to do with him. The two of them had an argument over the matter and parted on bad terms."
Zhang Heng's heart skipped a beat. When he first met Carina, she told him about what happened to her father. The timing of the incident matched. Zhang Heng didn't expect that the arrest of Carina's father in New Jersey had something to do with the black-market alliance. It seemed that things weren't as simple as they seemed.
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