Chapter 185: Purchasing Slaves

185. Chapter 184: Purchasing Slaves

"Is the Star Luo Empire really this extravagant, building a slave market so lavishly? They really hold slave trade in such high regard," Li Xuan said, looking at the scene before him with a shocked expression, asking Si Yu. The scene indeed exceeded Li Xuan's imagination.

"Three hundred years ago, a duke of the Star Luo Empire spent a fortune to remodel this place. Over three centuries of continual expansion and renovation, it has transformed from a basic slave market into a black market, though its main business remains the sale of slaves," Si Yu pointed at the bustling underground world in front of them and introduced it to Li Xuan.

"I see," Li Xuan nodded.

Then Si Yu took two masks out of the Soul Guide Device, handed one to Li Xuan, and put the other on her own face.

Li Xuan silently took the mask, placed it on his face, and changed into a loose long robe, making himself look more like a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old.

Since there is black‑market business here, there must be members of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect; Li Xuan thought best to keep a low profile.

Si Yu turned back, saw that Li Xuan had already put on the mask and completed his disguise, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Let's go, we'll go see the Star Luo Empire's largest slave trading market. I hope we can procure the final slaves for you," Si Yu said, leading Li Xuan out of the room.

They arrived in a brightly lit market.

Li Xuan only then noticed that the people in splendid attire all wore different masks, obscuring their faces, so he couldn't tell who the buyers were.

"Let's go, we'll first look at the slaves and buy as many as possible; Ladi Canyon is huge and needs many people," Li Xuan said with a smile to Si Yu.

"How many slaves do you want?" Si Yu suddenly furrowed her brow and asked Li Xuan.

"I need tens of thousands, but this time only three to five thousand; more would draw too much attention," Li Xuan thought carefully, then said to Si Yu.

At first Li Xuan thought to buy as many as could be sold here, but as he pondered, he abandoned the idea; having just settled in the Star Luo Empire, it's better not to attract too much notice.

Si Yu led Li Xuan toward the slave trading market.

As Si Yu and Li Xuan officially entered the slave trading market, Li Xuan was amazed to find it sprawling in all directions like a small city; judging by its size, it occupied at least one‑tenth of Star Luo City.

"I have to say, the scale here is truly massive!" Li Xuan exclaimed to Si Yu, though he couldn't understand why the Star Luo Royal Family would permit such a huge underground black market to be built here.

"It was originally the duke's project, later taken over by the Star Luo Royal Family; now this is their property. Otherwise, who would have the authority to create such a black market beneath Star Luo City?" Si Yu smiled at Li Xuan and shook her head.

Li Xuan also nodded in agreement, noting that only the Star Luo Royal Family could build such an underground black market within Star Luo City.

Soon, Si Yu and Li Xuan stopped in front of a shop's doorway.

"Esteemed guests, please come in. What kind of slaves would you like to purchase?" a slender young man greeted, having noticed Li Xuan and Si Yu lingering at his shop's entrance.

Although the slender youth in front of them was only seventeen or eighteen, he exuded a noble bearing, and most importantly, he wore no mask and his clothes were relatively cheap.

He was probably a disciple of the Star Luo Royal Family sent out for training.

"Sir, hello. I have just inherited a tract of land from my father, but he was poor at managing it, so the estate is now in decay. I need to purchase some slaves to reclaim the land, plant crops, and revive its vitality," Li Xuan lifted his head and spoke passionately to the youth, presenting himself as a newly‑appointed, ambitious young lord.

Li Xuan told the lie without a hint of nervousness, and with the mask on, the youth could not read his expression.

"I see, greetings, young newly‑appointed noble. How many slaves would you like to purchase?" the youth said to Li Xuan with a slight nod and a friendly tone.

"My estate contains many uncultivated wastelands and hills; I need three thousand able‑bodied youths to help reclaim the land and plant fruit trees," Li Xuan said earnestly to the youth.

"Honored young lord, very well; I will process the paperwork right away. I hope your fortunes prosper within the Star Luo Empire," the youth nodded at Si Yu, then turned and returned to the back courtyard to handle the formalities.

"Is it really that simple?" Li Xuan looked at Si Yu in disbelief, pointing toward the youth's departing direction, and asked.

"Of course. Rest assured, your records will soon be in the hands of Star Luo Empire officials. Though they can't fully verify your identity, the fact that your estate lies within the empire's borders gives them confidence, so your three thousand slaves should be able to leave smoothly," Si Yu said with a smile to Li Xuan.

"I see, noble status does come in handy," Li Xuan nodded.

Every nation hopes to have newcomers develop its lands.

Today, the Douluo Continent is vast yet sparsely populated, lacking large landowners who make a living from farming; after all, in this feudal society, grain output is the most fundamental national metric.

Land reclamation is truly vital to the Star Luo Empire's development.

Thus Li Xuan and his party can purchase slaves so easily; however, this does not mean the Star Luo Empire lacks oversight—they will still embed some spies among the slaves.

But Li Xuan's goal is indeed farming, so the presence of spies has little impact on him, and these slaves must also pass the careful selection of Yellow Turban Warriors, making it highly likely that any spies would be filtered out.

It will not affect Li Xuan's progress in developing Ladi Canyon.

Soon, the youth returned from the back courtyard to the shop and handed a golden token to Li Xuan.

"Presenting fifty Gold Soul Coins," the youth said as he passed the golden token to Li Xuan.

A slave costs one Silver Soul Coin; if they are indeed able‑bodied laborers, the price is cheap. The last slaves Li Xuan bought were mostly old and weak, which is why the price was so low.

"Thank you," Li Xuan bowed to the youth, then said thanks, and took a bag of fifty Gold Soul Coins from the Kongming Crystal to hand to the youth.

"I hope you can reclaim more land and plant more grain," the youth nodded slightly and took the money bag from Li Xuan's hand.

"Farewell," Si Yu and Li Xuan cupped their hands in a bow to the youth and said with a smile.

The youth responded with a nod.

Si Yu led Li Xuan out of the shop slowly, then continued to stroll around.

"What is this token for?" Li Xuan showed the token the youth had just given him to Si Yu. "With this token, you can go to a city outside Star Luo City to claim five thousand slaves," Si Yu explained with a smile.

"I see, so this market is merely a trading hub; the goods purchased aren't actually here," Li Xuan muttered, frowning at Si Yu.

"Of course. Though large, it couldn't possibly house thousands upon thousands of slaves," Si Yu said, shaking her head.

"So the transaction volume here is far larger than imagined," Li Xuan stroked his chin. By that calculation, the Star Luo Empire can siphon massive wealth from these enormous trades daily, no wonder it permits such a vast black market within Star Luo City.

"Is there anything else you wish to purchase?" Si Yu asked Li Xuan again.

"Are there any rare treasures for sale here? We could take a look," Li Xuan said after a moment's thought.

"Rare treasures? Then let's go to the Seven Treasures Pavilion; it's said to be a property of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, and its items are priceless and unsellable," Si Yu said after a moment.

"Can someone like me go there?" Li Xuan asked irritably.

"Aren't you wearing a mask? They won't easily recognize you," Si Yu patted Li Xuan's shoulder, speaking casually.

"That's true; we could go see the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's traits—apparently it possesses a treasure‑seeking talent, and their wares should be quite fine," Li Xuan said. Though he bore a grudge against the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, he had to admit their martial soul was indeed stronger, being the only worthy martial soul among the Upper Three Sects.

Although flawed, it can still stand toe‑to‑toe with the other two sects, firmly proud on the Douluo Continent.

Si Yu nodded, then led Li Xuan to the entrance of the Seven Treasures Pavilion of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

The Seven Treasures Pavilion's decorations were even more splendid and exquisite than the surrounding shops.

"Welcome to the Seven Treasures Pavilion," a maid in a white long dress approached Li Xuan and said respectfully.

I have to say, the aesthetic of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect is quite good; this maid is truly very beautiful.

Si Yu didn't pay attention to the maid, and led Li Xuan into the Seven Treasures Pavilion.

"What would the two esteemed guests like to buy?" the shop owner asked Li Xuan and Si Yu.

The shop owner was an elderly man of about sixty or seventy, slender in build, but with bright eyes and a radiant spirit, appearing to have a decent level of cultivation.

More importantly, he looked somewhat similar to Ning Fengzhi! He must be a relative of Ning Fengzhi, probably of uncle generation by age.

"We're just browsing," Si Yu blocked Li Xuan's path, replied with a smile, then nodded at the elderly man and said.

"Two esteemed guests, please feel free," the elderly man nodded slightly, then fell silent.

Si Yu led Li Xuan around the Seven Treasures Pavilion, beginning to examine the shop's goods carefully.

"The quality of the ores here is quite good, only the price…" Si Yu said to Li Xuan with a hesitant tone.

Si Yu pointed at a precious ore displayed on a shelf, hesitated, then said.

It seemed Si Yu was somewhat tempted.

"No problem, I don't have much else, just a lot of gold Soul Coins. Brother Si Yu, buy more ores and give them to Brother Lou Lao and Brother Si Long when we return," Li Xuan waved his hand and whispered to Si Yu.

Here, Li Xuan didn't want to be too conspicuous.

Hearing Li Xuan's words, Si Yu's eyes lit up, and then took down a few relatively inexpensive ores from the shelf, preparing to check out later.

Li Xuan glanced at the prices on the shelf, gave Si Yu a displeased look, and thought the Blacksmith Guild was really a bit too stingy, not daring to spend money.

Li Xuan directly took a basket out of the Void Pearl and packed all the more than thirty precious ores from the shelf into it.

Li Xuan now doesn't have much of anything; the only thing he has plenty of is gold Soul Coins.

"So many ores? How much does that cost?" Si Yu said, looking at Li Xuan in shock.

"A gift for you," Li Xuan said, then took out a Soul Guide Device filled with golden light and handed it to Si Yu.

Si Yu carefully took the Soul Guide Device, looking at Li Xuan with a delighted expression.

"I'll keep browsing; you go check out first," Li Xuan said to Si Yu with a smile, shaking his head, then continued to wander around.

Most of the items in the Seven Treasures Pavilion are rare curiosities, all strange and unusual, arranged on the shelves by category without any particular order.

Li Xuan examined the items on the shelves one by one, when suddenly he stopped in his tracks.

On the shelf before Li Xuan, his gaze fixed on an earth‑colored lotus‑shaped pendant.

"What is this…" Li Xuan slowly reached out, grabbed the pendant, and examined it closely.

The lotus was made of an unknown metal, with exquisite carving and extraordinary craftsmanship; it was clearly a masterpiece.

"Good eye, this lotus is forged from Earth Core Sinking Gold, the carving is top‑class, the price is reasonable, you can take it," Si Yu said to Li Xuan, introducing the item in his hand.

However, Li Xuan didn't pay attention to the lotus base, but to a pale gold lotus seed inside the bud.

As Li Xuan stared, a blue Light Screen appeared before him; he glanced at the Light Screen and immediately examined it.

"Buy it together for me," Li Xuan said after closing the Light Screen, then tossed the pendant to Si Yu.

"Alright," Si Yu said without hesitation and went to check out.

Li Xuan surveyed the items here once more, finding nothing else of importance, and only then waved his hand, leading Si Yu out of the shop.

After they were far from the shop, Si Yu looked at Li Xuan with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong?" Si Yu asked Li Xuan, simultaneously handing the pendant back to Li Xuan.

"It's fine, let's leave here first; we should set out to return," Li Xuan said, taking the pendant back from Si Yu's hand, then waved, letting Si Yu lead them away.

(End of Chapter)