Chapter 64: Encountering Good People Once Again and the Return

"What good luck, to actually meet good people in this place."

While gnawing on fruit and feeling the breeze on the road, a group of people caught up from behind, and that group attacked them with faces full of excitement.

After his own caravan was attacked, Broly was even a bit moved; it had been so many days since he had last encountered such simple, good people who would deliver things right to his door.

However, Broly did not make a move, because Akame and the others wanted to stand on their own two feet, so it was left to them to welcome this group of fiery, enthusiastic good people.

As expected, among the twenty-six good people, the two sisters Akame and Kurome sliced up seven; the broken blade they had picked up carried a peculiar power — what Broly's mental database identified as Tetanus Force — where a single scratch meant instant death, though the food obtained from them consequently carried no poison.

Of the remaining nineteen, Nahashu, Pony, and the other children joined forces to finish off six; as for the remaining thirteen, Esdeath alone directly kicked eleven to death.

The last two, because they had attacked Merad, were wiped out by Merad and Cassandra using the Human Acupoint Assassination Technique.

"What a loss."

Merad complained a little; as an assassin, she charged a fee for killing.

And now she had helped two people depart this world without collecting a fee — to her, that was a massive loss.

"Look, their carriage is carrying a lot of money."

Fortunately, while inspecting this harvest, Main found a large bag of coins on the attackers' carriage.

Opening the bag to check the denominations of the coins inside, hefting the weight of the whole money bag in her hand, Merad made an assessment.

"Roughly between five hundred thousand and seven hundred thousand, I'd say. Seeing these carriages also have handcuffs, ropes, whips, and other tools, this should be a slave buying team; just don't know why they took us for… huh?!"

Speaking to this point, Merad suddenly stopped; she abruptly realized their whole team consisted of small statures — even Nahashu, the most mature-looking, appeared only a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy.

For a team like this to be attacked — or rather, to only be attacked now — in a place like the Western Territory, was already considered somewhat rare.

It was all because the team had Broly, this powerful one, that she had subconsciously overlooked the personnel composition of this team.

"Big harvest, big harvest~"

Broly hadn't lifted a hand, yet he actively helped clean up the battlefield; this sort of post-battle cleanup was actually something he quite liked doing.

And after searching these good people's bodies, Broly used a great strength throw to hurl them deep into the wilderness.

Although this is a wilderness road, corpses blocking the path is no good; one must pay attention to traffic order.

The attack was just an interlude; Broly's team still arrived at Rubber Tree Village at noon.

"Have the people arrived?"

"They've arrived."

"Who came this time?"

"Heard it's Tieniu."

"It's him, ah. That guy likes good wine and meat; go kill a few chickens, and dig up the wine buried underground, and properly entertain that bunch.

Our village may have to sell children to survive, but we also have to maintain good relations with those slave traders, so they'll sell our kids to some better places."

The Village Elder instructed; there are differences between slaves. Children sold from Rubber Tree Village have the skill of tapping rubber to fall back on, plus the village's arrangements, so they generally won't be treated too harshly.

"If any of you get picked, get on the carriage. Remember, after leaving the village you must be more obedient, so you'll suffer fewer whippings."

The Village Elder looked at the village children standing to one side and admonished them thus; some of these children were dazed, but some had awareness.

In the distance, the slave buying team gradually approached; once they reached this side, suddenly a person ran out from the team, waving his arms and shouting toward here: "Grandpa, I'm back!"

Hearing this, the Village Elder's body shook; he saw his own grandson, who had been picked last time and sold for the village's sake, now running out from the opposite team, calling out as he ran toward here.

Surprise, shock, bewilderment — these complex, intertwined emotions instantly kneaded together on the Village Elder's single old face.

"Chicken soup's here."

At noon, the chicken soup originally meant to entertain the slave buying team was used to entertain Broly's team instead.

Upon learning that they had conveniently wiped out a slave buying team on their way over here.

The Rubber Tree Village Elder's face showed a panicked expression.

However, upon hearing that not a single survivor was left, the old man instead calmed down.

Hmph, there are so many robbers in the Western Territory; a slave buying team carrying money being attacked is perfectly normal.

Not a single survivor left — it's totally impossible that it was done by honest, simple rubber tappers like them, right? So, it has not a penny's worth of connection to Rubber Tree Village.

As for whether they'd incur the wrath of the major slave merchants behind the scenes.

A joke; Rubber Tree Village also pays taxes to the Lord.

It would be easy for the major slave merchants to destroy Rubber Tree Village, but offending the Nobles of this Land over it wouldn't be worth it. The Village Elder sees clearly; of course, the Nobles are also one of the difficulties in relocating the village.

"Thank you for bringing my grandson back, but unfortunately you've come at a bad time; our village is currently in a difficult situation and cannot properly entertain you."

The grandson being rescued from the slave traders and sent back is indeed a happy event, but the village's predicament remains unsolved; the returned grandson will in the end just be sold off once more.

The Rubber Tree Village Elder began speaking to his own grandson, the gist being that he had already failed him once, yet would have to fail him again soon after, directly leaving Damu — this big boy who had just returned home — completely dazed.

Just got home and is going to be sold by his own grandpa; even if it's for the village, isn't that a bit too excessive?

"Grandpa, you can't keep shearing the same sheep for wool."

The boy cried out in complaint.

"This is also something that can't be helped. You were sold, you came back, but the others who were sold never returned. If you don't step forward, the hearts of the village people will scatter."

"Why me? I was able to come back because I met Broly-san; otherwise, I might still be on a slave carriage taking whippings right now."

The grandson's roar left the Village Elder also somewhat helpless; he had lived long, seen much, and understood the principle that people worry not about scarcity but about inequality.

The grandson was lucky to return, but if he doesn't step up again, how can the other families who have already sacrificed children for the village accept it?

If hearts scatter, the team becomes hard to lead; the old man's feelings for the village clearly exceeded his feelings for his own grandson.

"Damu, Grandpa has wronged you; consider it Grandpa begging you — please save our village one more time."

The old man knelt before the boy and pleaded.

Damu's complexion was incomparably complex; he had been sold into slavery before, knew just how terrible a slave's treatment was.

But the person before him was his grandfather, and faced with such a request, he didn't know what to do.

He looked at Broly, who was eating a fried chicken leg.

Seeing him look over, Broly said one sentence: "You don't want to be sold, I can help you punch him."

Damu: "..."

One punch from Broly-san, and his own grandfather would probably ascend to heaven directly.

"Speaking of which, why exactly must you sell your own grandson into slavery?"

Just as Damu was preparing to accept his fate, Main felt it was somewhat strange and asked the question.

"It's because our village's tree sap harvest was poor this year, a batch of newly planted rubber trees also died, water prices rose again, plus tax factors — we simply can't get through this year."

The Village Elder spoke the Rubber Tree Village's difficulties without concealment, and this kind of difficulty would truly cause a large swath of this village to die afterward.

Once many people die, a vicious cycle arrives; because of the vicious cycle, villages that perish are countless in this chaotic world.

So, this kind of thing — sacrificing the small self to fulfill the greater self — is truly not rare; the more one yearns for their hometown, the more willing they become to sacrifice for it.

Including but not limited to running to the Big City to work and send money home, or selling oneself into slavery to save the hometown with the sale money.

"So, this is a money problem?"

Nahashu asked.

"You could put it that way."

"Then how much was Damu's sale price last time?"

Luosang pursued the question.

"Thirty-five thousand Imperial Currency."

This figure, for a child's purchase price, already counts as a high price.

"Eh, how much was our settlement fee last time?"

Broly suddenly asked Nahashu.

"Brother, it's fifty thousand Imperial Currency."

Nahashu answered immediately.

"So, Damu was cheaper?"

"Cheaper."

"Hmm, then why don't we spend money to buy him?"

"I see, there's still this method."

"As expected of Broly-san!"

The children, who had been listening to their companion's story with somewhat heavy hearts, instantly saw their aura surge; they could spend money to buy their own companion!

(Chapter End)