Chapter 34

Gervas naturally understood the price difference.

But there is one point: all slaves sent to the interior are young and strong.

The slaves sold here on the border, by contrast, are almost all emaciated, which is why their prices appear so heavily discounted.

In truth, if you want to buy equally young and strong slaves, the price won’t be much lower.

Seeing that the noble’s son paid no heed to his veiled warning, Cooper straightforwardly stated the price.

All of these are young slaves: adult male slaves cost fifty silver coins each, totaling one hundred.

Adult female slaves cost forty silver coins each, totaling one hundred. Four thousand.

The remaining young girls are thirty silver coins each, thirty-five in total! One thousand and fifty.

Of course, it’s worth noting that among them are ten archers—Cooper was aware of this.

These ten slaves were sold to them by a bandit gang, captured from a raided refugee camp.

Therefore, each archer slave requires an additional thirty silver coins.

“So, the total price for these two hundred-plus slaves is one hundred and three gold coins and fifty silver coins?”

“Yes, Master Gervas. If you wish, I’ll waive the extra fifty silver coins entirely—after all, you’re buying so many at once!”

Gervas nodded. “Fine. But this transaction took place within Stormhold—doesn’t that require taxation?”

“Uh…” Cooper froze.

Wasn’t his own trading partner the Lord of Stormhold?

So he had to pay tax too?

Yet, imperial law grants lords the right to levy trade taxes within their territories.

So…

“Yes, Master Gervas!” Cooper, unable to voice his suffering, realized he’d forgotten this entirely.

The trade tax rate is one-fifth—this would slash his original profit by a large margin.

But to renege now on a price already stated might provoke unpredictable actions from this noble youth.

“According to imperial law, your tax for this transaction is twenty gold coins. After deduction, your remaining payment is eighty-three gold coins!”

“Here is your payment,” Gervas tossed over a small cloth bag.

Cooper, as he caught the bag, froze again—the bag did not contain gold coins.

As he grew uneasy, he opened the bag.

His unease instantly turned to delight: “Luminous Pearls?”

“Correct. Within the kingdom, these Luminous Pearls are considered scarce goods. Are these acceptable as payment?”

“Yes! Yes!” Cooper counted: thirty-eight small ones, one the size of a lychee—his joy surged.

Though each Luminous Pearl is worth roughly one gold coin, they are rarely available at any price.

Thus, merchants use them as the best means to win back loyal customers.

Though twenty gold coins were taken as tax, the premium value of the Luminous Pearls compensated for the loss and prevented him from being held accountable by his guild.

The two sides then completed the exchange: all slaves were handed over to Gervas.

Whether or not Cooper had been scarred by Gervas’s trickery, he bought a few black breads and smoked fish, then led his party onward.

“Cooper, if you ever find good slaves in the future, bring them to Stormhold—I’ll reduce the tax rate to one-eleventh!”

Upon hearing this, Cooper ran even faster.

…

“According to kingdom law, you were formerly fugitives; now you are slaves. You will never know peace in this life.”

“And now, you belong to me, Gervas Gail!”

“Congratulations—you’ve been granted a chance to change your fate: serve me faithfully for three years, and any among you with no serious record will regain the status of serfs!”

At the words “regain serf status,” the formerly numb slaves finally showed a flicker of focus in their eyes.

But Gervas paid no mind—he scanned the crowd.

“Among you, there are ten archers. Step forward!”

Under Gervas’s gaze, ten ragged slaves trembled as they raised their hands.

Mi Gen and others immediately stepped forward and pulled them out.

“Tell me your origins.”

The men quickly recounted: their refugee settlement had been overrun; as its guards, they were captured and sold to slave catchers.

“You’re lucky—my lands need archers. From now on, you join the guard unit.”

“If each of you brings me five enemy heads, I will restore your serf status. Understood?”

“Y-Yes! Thank you, Master’s mercy!” The ten archers could not believe such fortune had come so suddenly.

Had they been sold to the kingdom’s interior, they would most likely have ended up in the arena—drained of every last ounce of value, as the slave catchers had said on their return journey.

Now, under Master Gervas, they still had a chance to become serfs—this truly was mercy.

Gervas waved his hand, instructing Mi Gen to take them to Laurence, then asked: “Which one of you is Euflan?”

At the question, a girl of about ten trembled, instinctively glancing at the older girl beside her.

Though the older girl quickly masked the younger’s reaction, Gervas’s eyes caught it.

“Bring both of them forward!”

Moments later, the two girls were brought before Gervas by the knights.

The younger girl trembled violently with fear; the older girl clutched her tightly, equally tense.

“Why did you not answer my question? Do you know the punishment for a slave who refuses to reply to their master?”

With a thud, both girls fell to their knees.

The younger girl burst into uncontrollable tears.

“You are Euflan?” Gervas asked again.

“Yes, Master!” This time, the girl answered immediately—it was the older one.

“Tell me your origins.”

Euflan hesitated, but seeing her sister trembling in terror, she spoke truthfully.

She was the daughter of the leader of the refugee settlement that the bandits had overrun.

Their settlement had been one of the stronger ones in the Chaos Wastes, with a population of forty to fifty thousand.

But in the end, betrayed by a traitor, it was overrun by a coalition of bandits.

Before his death, her father, to protect them from abuse, forced them to disguise themselves as ordinary settlers and flee.

Unfortunately, though they concealed their identities, they could not escape being sold to the slave catchers.

“Master, I will obey any command you give—even to serve you personally—but please, spare my sister. She is only ten!”

Saying this, Euflan rubbed her face vigorously with her linen tunic, then lifted her head, revealing her face fully to Gervas.

Her azure eyes, high nose bridge, and rosy lips—none could have imagined that beneath the grime lay such a beautiful face.

[73] Azure eyes, a high nose bridge, and crimson lips—beneath the grime, she had been hiding such a beautiful face.