It was winter, and the wind was biting cold.
As the most prosperous city in the southwest of the Holy Mania Empire, Maple Leaf City was as lively as ever.
Carriages filled with goods hurried along the main road paved with marble. Street vendors selling hot drinks and cooked food warmly greeted the pedestrians. City Guards wearing half-body armor patrolled the streets loyally to maintain order in the city. The distant sound of a bell echoed from the church in the central square …
Suddenly, there was a slight commotion at the city gate, but it was quickly calmed down by the guards.
The ground began to rumble, accompanied by a cloud of dust. A fleet of carriages decorated with a strange snake-shaped symbol slowly drove in through the tall city gate …
The citizens coming and going in the city only glanced at them curiously before they ignored them and continued with their own business.
There were many such teams in the city recently.
"Another caravan is here."
"Looking at the style, it looks like it's from the Ayres Kingdom. Did they come from so far away?"
"They should be here for the Lord's auction, right?"
"Should be. It's said that the Lord uprooted a stronghold of the Oak Hand and captured many Elves!"
"Not only Elves, but also Humans. They were all sent to be slaves."
"Shh … lower your voice."
The citizens whispered to each other.
The caravan that entered the city was naturally the players.
At this moment, the players looked at the bustling city in front of them with excitement.
"Maple Leaf City, this is Maple Leaf City!"
Salty Meow looked at the pedestrians coming and going in the city with sparkling eyes.
So many people! What a bustling city!
This city was much more prosperous than Black Rock City in the Underworld!
"This should be the former Elven King's Capital. Looking at the buildings, there are still some Elven styles. Only the outer city wall seems to be built later."
Coocoo's eyes were also shining.
However, her focus was on the city itself.
Li Mu looked at the pedestrians around him. He saw how they were bargaining with the vendors and how they interacted with each other. Finally, he could not help but exclaim:
"Sigh … I've entered Black Rock City once, Creekwood Town once, and now here again … Such a lively and bustling main city with such vivid NPCs … It's hard to imagine that this is just a game …"
"Tsk, Brother Mu, you talk too much! If it wasn't lifelike and lively, would it still be "Elven Kingdom"? Black technology isn't just for fun. Don't think too much about it! The most important thing is to explore new maps, find hidden quests, and earn some money! "
On the other side, Demacia rubbed his hands in anticipation.
While the players were excited, Anders, who had returned with them, jumped down from the other carriage and walked towards them.
"Mr. Li Mu, Miss Salty Meow."
The old butler bowed slightly to Li Mu and Salty Meow.
"This is Maple Leaf City. I have something urgent to do, so I won't accompany you to wander around the city."
"But … I know that most of you are here for the Elfin slaves. I can introduce you to the most famous slave trading company in Maple Leaf City."
"If you need anything, you can mention it to the slave trading company. With my introduction, they will definitely treat you well and cooperate with you."
"As the Count's butler, I still have the means to do so."
Anders said proudly.
Hearing his words, the players' eyes lit up.
Slave trading company!
That was exactly what they needed now!
When they knew that there would be an auction in Maple Leaf City and that there would be Elfins in the auction, the players knew that … they had to intervene!
Save the Elfins?
No one would believe that this was not a hidden quest!
"Thank you, Mr. Anders."
Li Mu smiled and bowed to the old butler.
Anders was very satisfied with Li Mu's courteous attitude.
Indistinctly, he straightened his back even more.
Then, he took out a pen that he always carried with him. He asked the guard to find a piece of paper and wrote something on it. Then, he handed it to Li Mu.
"Mr. Li Mu, this is the address of the most famous slave trading company in Maple Leaf City. Tell them my name, and they will treat you well."
"There are three days to Silver Moon Day, and the annual auction will be held then. With the introduction of the slave trading company, you can also attend as VIPs."
"Then … I wish you all a happy time in Maple Leaf City."
After saying that, Anders bade farewell to the players and left in a hurry.
After the old butler left, the players looked at each other and had the urge to explore Maple Leaf City …
However, at this moment, the skinny guard who came with them suddenly walked up to them. He wanted to say something but stopped himself.
"Do you have anything to say? Mr. Tom. "
Li Mu's heart skipped a beat, but he asked without changing his expression.
After this period of interaction, the players already knew that the guard's name was Tom.
However, because he was a commoner, he only had a first name and no surname.
"Sir Li Mu."
Tom hesitated for a moment and finally gritted his teeth.
"If … you believe me, don't go to the address of the trading company that Master Anders left for you."
"Hmm? Why? "
The players were very curious.
Tom took a deep breath and said, "You are from the Kingdom of Maple Leaf City.
"You are from the Kingdom of Iris, so you don't know some things about our Maple Leaf Territory. Master Anders is the butler of the count in charge of servant affairs. He has close contact with many chambers of commerce in Maple Leaf City, especially the slave chamber of commerce …"
"Anders is a very greedy guy. He often leads merchants who enter Maple Leaf City for the first time to the trading company that he has shares in."
"We all know that if he personally brings people there, it means that he wants to cooperate. But if he only gives a letter of introduction, it's a scam …"
"He introduced the slave trading company to you, but he didn't personally bring you there. It's definitely not out of kindness …"
"The slave trading company has a very deep background. Even if you have a noble behind you, a foreign merchant without any foundation, I'm afraid you'll suffer losses in their hands …"
"I'm afraid … he must think of you as a fat sheep and wants to take advantage of you."
The skinny guard blurted out everything he wanted to say in one go.
"Why are you telling us this?"
Hearing his words, Little Salty Meow asked in surprise.
Tom hesitated for a moment and continued.
"I know … you're definitely not as simple as a merchant. You must be a noble from the south, but … you're good nobles, so I don't want to see you suffer losses here."
"My lords, if you believe me, just walk around Maple Leaf City and wait for the auction. During the auction, there will naturally be many trading companies participating. There will also be merchant groups on the spot for business cooperation."
"If you really want to do business, you'll feel more at ease doing business then …"
"How do you know so much?!"
Demacia was surprised to see the thin guard speak a series of words.
A trace of nostalgia appeared on Tom's face.
"Once … I was also a city guard of Maple Leaf City, until I took an arrow to the knee …"
Demacia, "…"
Fried tomatoes, "…"
Li Mu, "…"
After saying what he wanted to say, the skinny guard bowed to the players.
"My lords, that's all I want to say. It's your business whether you believe me or not. Now that you've arrived at Maple Leaf City, I won't continue to follow you."
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
"Why did he run away too? If we don't believe him, are we going to eat him? "
Salty Meow frowned slightly as he watched the thin guard leave.
"We won't, but it's not necessarily the case for Anders. He's probably hiding from Anders."
Cooing Bird said.
Salty Meow had a sudden realization.
After the two humans left, the group of players stared at each other in the square of Maple Leaf City.
As they came to a stop, many people who were watching the show were gradually attracted to them.
After all, a dozen carriages and 200 people were a big target.
"What should we do next? Explore separately or together? Do we need to go to that Chamber of Commerce? "
A player asked.
Li Mu glanced at the note given by Anders and smiled gently.
"Why not?"
After saying that, he took a screenshot and sent it to the group.
"Look at the name of this Chamber of Commerce."
Fried Tomatoes opened the chat group and looked at it with a surprised expression.
"Sauron Chamber of Commerce?"
"Damn! Isn't this the Chamber of Commerce that Bento Box hooked up with Miss Nightingale?! "
Demacia exclaimed.
Then, Bento Box unceremoniously kicked him.
"It's the Sauron Chamber of Commerce!"
Li Mu's eyes lit up.
"The Sauron Chamber of Commerce … This is an officially recognized hostile force in Elf Nation. According to Alice, it's the main human Chamber of Commerce that sells Elves!"
"Since you know, why don't you go?"
As he said that, he suggested.
"However, we have too many people. I suggest that the three major guilds act separately. The individual players can choose by themselves."
"Some people go to the Sauron Chamber of Commerce to inquire about the news, some people go to the locals to inquire about the ruins and other information, and some people try to contact the underground forces to see if they can inquire about the Oak Hand that the NPC mentioned before …"
"Of course, the latter two can be done together. The main thing is that I don't think we need too many people to go to the Chamber of Commerce."
"Then our Mengmeng Committee will inquire about the ruins. Sister Gugu and I are very curious about the ruins."
Salty Meow said.
"Our First Legion will go to the underground forces."
Fried tomatoes said.
"Go to the underground forces to fight?"
Demacia grinned and sneered. Fried tomatoes rolled his eyes.
However, he didn't care. Instead, he rubbed his hands expectantly.
"Then … Brother Mu, let's go to the Sauron Chamber of Commerce?"
"That's great! I was thinking of doing business with the Slave Chamber of Commerce! I've already discussed it with a few brothers. "
After saying that, he put his arms around the other players' shoulders and laughed. They looked as wretched as possible.
"What are you doing? Are you going to commit suicide again? "
Li Mu's eyelids twitched.
"Cough cough … Since I've already bumped into the Sauron Chamber of Commerce, does that mean … I can do whatever I want?"
Demacia's eyes darted around.
Li Mu was speechless.
"Oh right, Meow Big, did you bring the Lionheart Sword? Lend it to me! I'll return it to you later! "
After saying that, Demacia looked at Salty Meow again.
"What are you doing?"
Salty Meow subconsciously took two steps back.
"Cough cough cough … I'm just … trying to do some business."
Demacia said embarrassedly.
Salty Meow was speechless.
Her eyes flashed slightly, and suddenly, her eyes lit up.
She turned around and suddenly took out a long sword wrapped in cloth from the carriage and handed it to Demacia without hesitation.
"Here, you don't have to pay rent. We'll split the profits 30-70. You get 30% and I get 70%."
Demacia was speechless.
"Isn't this too much?"
He wailed.
"I'll pay for it."
Salty Meow said calmly.
Demacia was speechless.
"Also, I've temporarily unbound you for a few days. If you lose it, or if you dare to steal it, you'll be hunted down by my people. "
Demacia was speechless.
…
Maple Leaf City's west.
As the city's business district and close to the slums, it was also full of all kinds of fights and chaos.
Black markets and underground organizations were everywhere. Of course, the major business organizations also had their own bases here.
The Sauron Chamber of Commerce was the same.
As the continent's largest smuggling chamber of commerce, it also had a base in Maple Leaf City.
In the luxurious chamber of commerce, a middle-aged man wearing a wig and a buttoned robe sat in the chamber of commerce's office with a gloomy face.
The middle-aged man was called Cage Sauron, and he was the president of the Sauron Chamber of Commerce's Maple Leaf City branch.
At this moment, Mister Cage was not in a good mood.
"Those elves are still not willing to eat?"
He tapped on the glass carvings imported from the south on the table and asked gloomily.
"Yes, Mister Cage, those elves are not willing to eat no matter what …"
On the other side, a fat man dressed as a butler wiped the sweat on his forehead and said.
"These stubborn long-eared elves! Do they want to die so badly? "
Cage grabbed the carvings on the table and threw them to the ground, smashing them into pieces.
The butler was shocked. He hesitated for a moment and said:
"Why don't … Why don't we just use magic to control their minds? Mister Cage, these elves are stubborn members of the Oak Hand, I'm afraid … They'd rather die than submit. In the end … I'm afraid we can only use force. "
"Mind control?"
Cage frowned.
"But if we use mind control, it will hurt their souls. They are elves, magic creatures. If they resist, their souls will be damaged and they will lose their minds … Elves who have lost their minds won't be able to sell for a good price."
"But … As you know, we bought these elves from the Count at a low price. The Count was able to sell them to us at a low price because the elves of the Oak Hand are stubborn …"
The old butler said with a troubled expression.
Cage's frown deepened.
At this moment, there was a light knock on the office door.
"What's the matter?"
Cage raised his head and was annoyed by the voice that interrupted his train of thought.
At this moment, a servant's respectful voice came from outside the door:
"Mister Cage, there are some young nobles from the south outside the chamber of commerce. They said they were introduced by Mister Anders and that they have a big deal with our chamber of commerce."
"Introduced by Anders? Big deal? "
Cage narrowed his eyes slightly.
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