Chapter 63 - 62: Slave House

In truth, whether or not Ronin had expressed any intention of buying slaves, Anthony would have agreed the moment he asked to tour the Poisonous Snake Slave Exchange.

For a steward like him, anyone interested in the Slave House was a potential customer, to say nothing of a man of Ronin’s standing.

So, regardless of whether a deal would be made this time, Anthony was the picture of diligence. From the moment they entered the exchange, he was like a manager on a roadshow, constantly pitching his professionalism and the superiority of his "products" to his client.

Ronin learned a great deal more about the Slave House and the slaves themselves through Anthony’s explanations.

First was the matter of the slaves’ origins. The majority were prisoners of war. A smaller number were either enslaved for breaking a lord’s laws or had been tricked and abducted. In short, their paths to this place were many and varied.

"This past May, the Black Gold Brotherhood and the Polante Thief Gang joined forces to occupy several Baron’s Domains southeast of the Wushan Territory. A furious Earl Wiggin issued a call to arms, crushing the enemy’s Alliance Army in one fell swoop and reclaiming the occupied lands."

Anthony explained, "The Noble Alliance Army captured many prisoners of war in that battle. The various lords didn’t want to take them back to their respective territories and couldn’t be bothered to deal with them, so they sold them to the local Slave Houses. After professional training from the Slave Houses, the slaves are then resold to various places throughout the Kingdom."

Ronin knew of this battle. His predecessor’s father had led the forces. Although they were victorious, the Hyde Clan’s eldest legitimate grandson had died in battle due to an error in Wiggin’s command. That day in Wushan Castle, the Golden Frenzied Lion Knight had used this as a pretext to extort numerous concessions.

Ronin’s brow furrowed. "I’ve heard the Black Gold Brotherhood and the Polante Thief Gang have been around for a long time. Why haven’t the nobles managed to eliminate them, even by joining forces?"

"Furthermore, since the Alliance Army retook those lands, why didn’t they press the attack and eliminate the threat for good?"

Anthony threw up his hands. "My Lord, I’m afraid I can’t answer that question. I do recall, however, that long ago Wushan Castle did indeed crush those damned bastards. But after a few years, they just popped up again. They’re like rats in the castle walls—you can never truly get rid of them."

Ronin nodded slowly. The southeastern part of the Wushan Territory was a borderland where the Three Realms met. To the east lay the Villa Duchy, to the north was the Hyde Clan’s Count’s Domain, and to the west was the rest of the Wushan Territory.

That area had been occupied by the Brotherhood for years. The various powers had likely all infiltrated it, making the situation incredibly complex.

Unless Wushan Castle could completely wipe out their main stronghold, garrison it with a large force, and then spend a decade or two developing the area, true control would be impossible.

The idea that anyone could solve the problems there with a single war was clearly unfeasible.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the large building at the very front.

The air inside was dim and damp. Slaves, all stark naked, were locked in cramped cells.

They appeared to be in a terrible state, their eyes numb and hollow, devoid of even helplessness or despair. They had become little more than walking corpses.

"This is the sales area. The ones locked inside are all tamed slaves."

Anthony continued, walking over to a cell and rapping on the wooden bars. "Hey! You in there, get up! Turn around, quickly!"

At the sound of his voice, a flicker of awareness finally appeared in the eyes of the person inside.

He rose woodenly to his feet. Without a word, heedless of his nudity, he simply spread his arms and slowly turned in a circle within the cage, displaying every part of his body to the customer.

"You see? This one’s got good muscle on him. Just give him a couple of square meals, my Lord, and he’ll be an excellent worker."

Anthony picked up a small wooden stick from nearby and prodded the man’s abdominal muscles as he described the "product." His expression and tone made it clear he wasn’t describing a person, but a genuine piece of merchandise.

"My Lord, I have a few more slaves of this caliber. If you take them all, I can give you a significant discount. I’ll sell them to you for two Gold Coins and five silver each."

Though Ronin had been mentally prepared, watching a man stand stark naked before him, only to be prodded with a stick by the Steward who was smiling and discussing his price... he still found it impossible to accept.

The scene was a visceral assault on both his eyes and his conscience.

And this was just the sales area. Somewhere in this Slave Exchange was a "taming" area. ’What kind of scenes must unfold in there?’

’Sure enough,’ he thought, ’that damned sense of justice of mine is acting up again.’

Ronin took a deep breath to compose himself, then turned to Anthony with a polite smile. "The slave is fine, but the price you’re offering doesn’t impress me."

With that, he turned and started walking toward the outside.

Anthony, thinking his client was about to leave, hurried after him. "My Lord, don’t be in such a rush! We can always discuss the price, you know!"

The truth was, Ronin had no intention of leaving; he simply couldn’t bear the scene any longer.

Back outside, Ronin felt a wave of relief. The oppressive atmosphere inside had been suffocating.

He looked at Anthony, deciding to cut to the chase. "Let’s start with an overview, Mister Anthony. I need to know the general price range for your slaves."

"That depends on what type you need, my Lord."

Anthony, realizing the deal wasn’t off, continued his sales pitch. "My Lord, I have men, women, old, and young—you name it. I even have two or three Basic Level Knights."

"You even have Knights?" Ronin was surprised.

"But of course!" Anthony stressed. "My Lord, you shouldn’t underestimate the Poisonous Snake Slave Exchange. If you have enough money, we can even capture and train a Mage for you. Heh heh, they’re just a little pricey."

He said with fawning enthusiasm, "A Basic Level Knight goes for around a hundred Gold Coins. A Mage is more expensive, somewhere in the neighborhood of five to six hundred Gold Coins."

Ronin raised an eyebrow. ’That’s his idea of "a little" pricey?’

’Then again,’ he mused, ’the cost of ’taming’ a Transcendent must be high, so the steep price makes sense.’

"I don’t need any of those. What I need is manual labor, various types of craftsmen, and women of child-bearing age."

The population of Mountain Forest Town had been surveyed, and Wilson, at Ronin’s request, had compiled a count comparing the number of men and women of marriageable age.

Relatively speaking, the male-to-female ratio in Mountain Forest Town was fairly balanced, but it was undeniable that men still slightly outnumbered women.

Therefore, he needed to purchase some female slaves of child-bearing age to solve the problem of bachelors among his subjects.

’Sometimes I can’t help but think I’m a truly great Lord,’ he mused, ’even worrying about my subjects’ single status.’

Next, Anthony gave him a rundown of the approximate prices for various types of slaves.

To put it simply, among commoners, the most expensive were the skilled craftsmen—artisans, Carpenters, Masons, shipwrights, and the like. Their prices started at several Gold Coins, with the price increasing along with their skill level.

Next were able-bodied young male laborers. The stronger and healthier they were, the higher their price, which was generally a few Gold Coins.

Then came the women. Their price was slightly lower than that of able-bodied young men and was also determined by their physical condition, but it generally didn’t exceed two Gold Coins.

Finally, there were the elderly and children. To many Lords, these two groups were seen as liabilities.

After all, they couldn’t work but still consumed resources. Children were a particular issue—how many resources would it take to raise them until they were old enough to be useful?

Therefore, the price for these two groups was quite low, typically no more than a single Gold Coin.

The lowest tier was the disabled. At most, they would only cost a few dozen Copper Coins; some were even sold in bulk or thrown in for free with other purchases.

Of course, there were always exceptions. For example, some unransomed noblewomen, particularly the young and beautiful ones, fetched a very high price—sometimes even higher than that of a master craftsman.

Considering the rumors circulating about Ronin, Anthony even considered bringing out a few such slaves to pitch to him.

But Ronin flatly refused. ’What would I need those slave women for, to warm my bed?’

’If I were that desperate, I’d be better off getting intimate with my maid, Bella. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about catching a disease.’

"I need fifty able-bodied young men and fifty young women. If you have craftsmen, I need Masons and Carpenters."

Ronin stated his needs. "One hundred fifty Gold Coins. You’ll take care of it for me."

A rough calculation suggested the whole lot would cost over 200 Gold Coins, but Ronin’s negotiation style was to start with an aggressive lowball offer.

Anthony’s face lit up when he heard Ronin’s requirements, but it twisted into a pained, conflicted expression when he heard the price, as if he were severely constipated.

"My Lord, that... one hundred fifty Gold Coins is far too low! I can’t possibly make that deal!"

He slowly held up five fingers. "How about adding another fifty Gold Coins? That’s the most reasonable price!"

"Anthony, you need to look at the bigger picture! You won’t get a second chance with a major client like me."

Ronin gave him a cool glance. "You should know who I am."

Upon hearing this, Anthony immediately bowed. "If I’m not mistaken, you must be the esteemed Lord Ronin, Baron of Mountain Forest Town, of the noble Wushan bloodline."

The corner of Ronin’s mouth twitched upward. ’Just as I thought. He knew who I was all along.’

"Since you know who I am, then you should also trust in the reputation of Wushan Castle. If we make this deal, I will purchase over a thousand more slaves from you at the beginning of next year. And I can guarantee, our business relationship can be a long and fruitful one."

"No one has ever doubted the reputation of Wushan Castle, and your promise is just as credible."

Anthony spoke humbly, but his face remained conflicted. "But my Lord, you’re driving the price down too far. I have to make a profit to put food on the table."

He retracted one finger, leaving four up. "How about... how about you add another forty?"

Ronin, as if he had lost all patience, shot the man a look. "Think about it. If you can make it work, come find me outside. Ridder, let’s go!"