Chapter 36: Night Talk

The shattered gate and the chaotic crowd meant the slave market had completely lost its dignity this time.

Seeing the two board the departing carriage, the head, Kverduf, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just thinking about how to explain this to the big bosses behind the scenes gave him another headache.

But noticing the pointing fingers and the murmuring around him, he knew the trouble had only just begun; this slave market had truly been defeated.

"Damn Eugene! Bring someone! Send Eugene's women and cubs into the auction cages! Send his men to the beast arena he likes best!"

So, he conveniently vented his anger on Eugene Fordi, killing a few to settle the score first.

And in the carriage, the two "fiancés" faced each other, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Li En did not ask the stupid question of "Didn't we already dissolve the marriage?" with no social intelligence.

He estimated the other party was using this reason to help him; otherwise, outsiders would not be able to intervene.

However, the two who had just experienced all this still found it difficult to face each other.

At least the woman kept her face red and her head down, which did not match her reputation for being socially adept at all.

Perhaps unable to bear this embarrassment, Miss Shaliman spoke first.

"Why did you only demand that as compensation?"

She was indeed somewhat puzzled, so she asked.

Li En did not demand divine weapons, nor wealth and shops; he demanded the one thing a paladin should least open his mouth to ask for.

"You want to ask me why I demanded slaves as payment?"

"Yes. Although you prioritized skilled slaves, which is not a problem for the slave market. Skilled and artisan slaves are originally best-selling goods, and their prices are relatively high. But they are still incomparable to your Hero's Blood. This top-tier evolution material cannot be anchored by market price; this transaction is too much of a loss."

The threshold-free evolution material, Hero's Blood, has always been available but not for sale; if truly appraised, it would be an astronomical number, yet no matter how high the price, if it cannot be bought, it is useless.

Originally, with her help, Li En could have demanded something better, such as divine weapons or rare evolution materials.

Miss Shaliman had prepared to force the slave market to bleed heavily, but the result was only demanding the technical slaves she considered the least valuable.

This was the root cause why the "compensation" was settled so quickly; the slave market felt the loss was not great.

"I will release those slaves directly, of course, not without some cost."

Since they were already allies, Li En also explained some of his thoughts and plans.

"The premise is that these people with special skills must sign a three-year contract to live in the Dock District. Of course, the kind where they make their own living."

Seeing that Miss Shaliman was still puzzled, and knowing these plans would likely need her cooperation and help in the future, Li En became even more patient.

"In my opinion, the slave market in the Dock District causes the greatest harm to the surrounding areas, and it is not even the derived crimes, but that it constantly draws resources, whether human, financial, or material, and simply turns them into money."

In the Dock District where the slave market is located, there are too few normal livelihood industries.

Those artisans, if they want to make a living, must work; then, naturally, some new industries will be brought about.

A baker, as an adult, needs a family, right? Then, there is a woman who does not need to go to the Flower Alley.

If he opens a shop, he also needs two apprentices and helpers, right? Then, the employment of two more boys is solved.

When those apprentices grow up, they will want to open shops to make money, right? Thus, new demands and employment are created again.

Ultimately, entrepreneurship and employment are just this: people with skills need investment and development plans, and once their business takes off, it can drive a whole area.

Li En, who worked in investment promotion in his past life, was very clear about these things; in this era, every person with a craft could become a high-quality "project," especially when the economic situation is bad, where the larger number and flexibility of small individual businesses and artisans become even more important.

In his eyes, the greatest harm the slave market does to the Dock District is not even its inherent evil, but that it occupies all the upper ecological niches, twisting everything around it into nutrients for itself.

It is not normal "human tissue," but greedy "cancer cells."

It only needs the Flower Alley, casinos, gangs, and human traffickers, making the docks and the passing population its objects of operation, to earn huge profits.

If Li En tries to do something, he must start from the ecology; simply expanding project investment is not enough.

Releasing the artisans, whether they go into commerce, do weaving, or even just use their skills to open a cake shop, can bring something new to this Dock District that is left with only yellow, gambling, and drugs.

"If possible, at that time you can provide commercial loans to them who have nothing; even if it is usury, they will gladly accept it." Li En spoke very sincerely; he truly expected local nobles to do something human, even if it was playing high-interest loans which is not human-like.

In Li En's eyes, since the slave market has eaten all the resources, it must be forced to spit something out, so that ordinary people in the Dock District have a right path to walk and can live like human beings.

Li En was thinking seriously; he did not know if doing this would yield good results.

But he was even more certain that if he did nothing, nothing would change.

Back then, he had come through investment promotion banquets; he deeply understood the importance of "investors," as both technology and capital are golden keys that can leverage regional development.

Rushing in and killing indiscriminately was indeed very satisfying, but doing only that merely opens another cycle; what is the point of another hero coming to kill indiscriminately in a few years?

"At the same time, I will also demand some young, strong, and non-criminal young men to be handed over to Damon."

With commerce, there must also be armed forces to protect it.

Oath Knights are not something humans can do... but in many people's eyes, slaves are truly not considered human, and even they themselves feel they are not human.

Damon will try to recruit them and form an armed force outside the gangs, even considering giving them the cultivation method of the Oath Knights.

After obtaining freedom, if someone is willing to give them power, what can they not do? Compared to being slaves, what is the hardship of bitter cultivation?

The most wonderful thing is that those who have mastered power were once slaves of the Dock District slave market... how they will treat their former slave masters, I suppose there is no need to say more.

"This is just a direction, a possibility; let's take one step at a time." Li En was not sure everything would improve; he could only try to guide the future within his capabilities.

Li En continued speaking, and Miss Shaliman did not respond for a long time.

He looked up and saw an exceptionally surprised, beautiful face.

She was very surprised? Li En also smiled.

Perhaps, in her eyes, all knights are just uncultured louts.

"Heh, don't look at me like this; I have read books."

"Not that!! You, haven't you considered yourself? By doing this, you got nothing for yourself!" This was the main point; Miss Shaliman, who deeply understood the evil of human nature, could not understand Li En's choice.

At this moment, Miss Shaliman, who had come to rescue Li En upon the Princess's order, completely failed to understand the man before her.

"Where is that... I am quite happy; ten thousand gold cannot buy my willingness." Li En's cold joke did not make Miss Shaliman laugh; she just looked at him coldly.

The carriage fell silent once again.

"How much longer until you completely lose your power?" Suddenly, the woman blurted out.

In her view, Li En's behavior had too much of a tone of making final arrangements.

"About four or five days," the man replied, still smiling, as if he didn't take it seriously at all.

Miss Shaliman sighed; she didn't try to persuade him further. Having read his mind, she was certain the man before her was unswayable.

Just as Her Highness the Princess said, keep him alive and help where possible. However, perhaps this degree of help could be a bit higher than expected?

"Tell me your plan. Do you truly think you can change anything?" This time, Miss Shaliman grew somewhat serious.

"Change? I cannot. Only the locals can change all this. Oh, in my view, everything here ultimately boils down to a royal problem. Weak royal power ceded its original ecological niche, allowing various factions to rise and fill the void, eventually forming this twisted faction of free nobles. They became the de facto kings yet failed to fulfill the responsibilities of kings."

"Perhaps in your eyes, these disasters are sporadic, but the inability of those in power to act is itself the greatest crime. The slave market, while merely a tumor across the entire kingdom and the City of Radiance, has in reality become the heart of the Dock District, the true power holder in the absence of royal authority. Resolving it is not a simple matter."

Even if the heart has already turned cancerous, randomly severing its blood vessels will still cause fatal hemorrhaging.

Such treasonous words, Li En spouted freely right in front of the core members of the royalist faction.

"It's all the royal family's fault?!" Soon, Her Highness the Princess was so angered she laughed.

(End of this chapter)