Chapter 104: The Slave Auction

On the first day, there were four thousand votes; yesterday, three thousand nine hundred—one hundred votes went silent. Now, at tenth place, he could be easily overtaken at any moment. Little Black was feeling downhearted.

A new day dawned, and he looked forward to everyone’s support to maintain a spot in the top ten!

To encourage voting enthusiasm, if Little Black remained within the top ten by 6 p.m. tomorrow, the third chapter would be immediately released (this is quite easy—just a click away for an extra three thousand words to enjoy).

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Azureblood City

As the largest commercial hub bordering the Scarlet Alliance, this city housed over five million residents. The streets bustled with Scarlet Alliance mercenaries conversing fluently in the official language and caravans bearing the Alliance’s distinct banners. The throngs of people and ceaseless traffic painted a scene of thriving prosperity.

Xu Wen did not linger long on the streets. Since mastering the “Black Flame Whip,” his cultivation had advanced from Four-Star Stage Four to Four-Star Stage Five, now on the cusp of breaking through to Stage Six.

Although Three-Star Earth Sovereign-level magic offered limited progress to mental cultivation, he still had one Four-Star Earth Sovereign-level spell unmastered. Once attained, reaching the Four-Star High Stage was inevitable, opening the door to begin practicing Five-Star Beginner Fire Magic. Naturally, he was eager to find a place to settle and delve into the Horton-Kline family’s treasured technique, the “Golden Serpent Frenzy.”

The gathering point for Azure Cloud Academy students was set at the “Dragon-Tiger Academy” in Azureblood City—a renowned advanced magical martial academy. During this time, all Azure Cloud disciples were assigned places to cultivate.

On the way, Xu Wen’s attention was drawn to a lively square market.

The square was packed with people. Numerous highly skilled guards stood at the perimeter, maintaining strict order inside. At a distance stood a tall platform crowded with people, from which muffled bidding calls occasionally echoed.

“Let’s go.”

Just as he stopped, Erin, who was following behind, noticed the scene and frowned beautifully before quickly withdrawing her gaze and tugging at Xu Wen’s sleeve.

Xu Wen glanced back, puzzled, then looked toward the platform.

“What’s going on there?”

“What else but a shameless slave auction by the slave owners?”

“Slaves?”

Xu Wen turned back in shock, catching the look of disgust Erin cast toward the scene. He asked in surprise, “Since when is slave trading allowed here?”

“Of course, the Azure Cloud Empire forbids it…” Erin explained with a helpless tone, “But the Scarlet Alliance’s slave markets are state-sanctioned. This city lies near the border with the Scarlet Alliance and frequently sees caravans from them. Many have become accustomed to the presence of slaves, including the city lord and the city guard.”

Xu Wen suddenly understood.

He had read in historical records about the slave system within the Scarlet Alliance. The small nations forming the Alliance prospered by relying on slaves. After the Alliance’s formation, the slave system naturally persisted.

What surprised him was the presence of such large-scale slave auctions within the Azure Cloud Empire’s borders.

“I’ll go take a look.”

“What’s there to see?”

Erin’s gaze darkened with displeasure.

“You wouldn’t be thinking that the future genius of the Horton-Kline family wants to buy a female slave to serve you along the way, would you?”

“…Huh, you seem awfully familiar with this stuff?”

Xu Wen responded with a question rather than an answer.

“Of course.”

Erin nodded lightly, pride tinging her voice.

“My father used to be the city lord of a nearby border town before he was transferred to Blackwater City. I grew up near the border… so I know some of the ways slave owners acquire their slaves. Many slaves are pitiful. Once, I secretly used my saved money to buy two child slaves and freed them, but the very next day, they were caught by slave owners and brought back to be auctioned again, covered in wounds… So whenever I come across auctions like this, I feel sick.”

Thinking of those two whipped child slaves, Erin’s eyes dimmed. Xu Wen looked at her with a newfound tenderness and pity.

In his mind, Erin had seemed a proud prodigy, cherished by many, a talented magic swordswoman with an arrogant temperament and lofty standards. He hadn’t expected this young girl to retain such kindness and an unseen side of innocence. Watching her, he couldn’t help but recall his girlfriend back on Earth, wondering how she was doing now.

He remembered one winter when his girlfriend went out and a little rosy-cheeked child approached her on the street for help. With a kind heart, she gave the child some hundred-dollar bills to help with school fees. But the next day, the same child repeated the act with others, and all the money was taken by a middle-aged man. She was upset when she found out.

Back then, Xu Wen had held his girlfriend and asked if she regretted giving the money.

She thought for a long time and shook her head, saying she did not regret it because the child would always blush and shy away when seeing her. She believed the child would understand when grown up—and the next day, she exposed the man’s vile deeds.

Erin was not yet sixteen, so her handling of matters and thoughts were naturally less comprehensive than his girlfriend’s… but her heart was good.

“Do you regret rescuing those two slaves?”

Xu Wen looked into Erin’s eyes.

She paused, confused, then shook her head. “I only regret being too young at the time to protect them properly. Hey, what’s wrong with your eyes?” She noticed his odd gaze and wiped at his eyes.

“Nothing, just some sand got in,” Xu Wen said hoarsely, offering an excuse no one in the twenty-first century would believe. Erin’s confused expression had reminded him of his girlfriend, and he couldn’t help but feel a warm flow in his eyes.

“Want me to help blow it out?”

Seeing Xu Wen’s eyes still red-rimmed, Erin hesitated.

“It’s okay.”

Xu Wen forced a smile and waved her off, cautioning, “Sometimes having strength doesn’t mean you can do good. Saving people requires the right methods and strategies.”

“You sound just like my father.”

Erin’s attention returned to the original topic.

Xu Wen choked, rolling his eyes inwardly.

“That’s called great minds thinking alike!”

“You a hero too?” Erin glared at him fiercely when he compared himself to her father, but Xu Wen remained calm, shamelessly meeting her gaze.

“Isn’t that so?”

That statement reminded Erin that Xu Wen indeed had heroic feats—at Frost Town, the battle of Ums City—his reputation was no less than that of Helian Quan.

“...Hmph, fine, I’ll accept it.”

Her crimson lips curved slightly as she begrudgingly acknowledged Xu Wen’s hero status, though she was still displeased at him equating himself with her father. Her girlish demeanor made Xu Wen smile gently.

“If you don’t regret it, why not make up for your childhood regrets now? Save a few people within your power?”

“?”

Erin blinked her long lashes in surprise, as though seeing Xu Wen for the first time, appraising him from head to toe.

“Are you really Xu Wen? You seem weird today.”

“…”

“Really, you usually don’t speak to me unless necessary. Nothing’s more important than cultivation, so why are you suddenly interested in slave auctions?”

Erin’s rare expression left Xu Wen frustrated—trying to do good but having his sanity questioned. What a world.

“So, are we going or not? If not, you go ahead to the Dragon-Tiger Academy; I’ll sit inside a bit.”

Seeing Xu Wen return to his usual aloof demeanor, Erin snorted.

“You don’t even know the auction rules. Can you get in without me?”

Without waiting for an answer, she led him to a man outside the square with a table, bought two small plaques slightly larger than a palm, and handed one to him in a show of defiance.

Xu Wen smiled inwardly but showed no expression.

The number on his plaque read—486!

Erin’s plaque bore—485!

Following Erin into the square, they found two vacant seats beneath the platform.

Erin explained that raising the plaque once signified a bid increase, or one could directly call out a price, but it had to be no less than the minimum increment.

If the bidder failed to pay after winning, the deposit for the plaque would be forfeited, and if the price was excessively high, a quarter of the loss had to be paid unconditionally to the slave owner.

Xu Wen nodded in understanding. The system was similar to Earth’s, only harsher.

Seated, Xu Wen surveyed the other bidders—mostly middlemen, mercenaries, or flashy young masters, but none as conspicuous as he and Erin.

Erin’s ethereal beauty made her a rare sight here, even causing the auctioneer, who was eloquent and smooth-tongued, to pause for several seconds before regaining composure.

“I hate places like this.”

Erin was uncomfortable with the attention, especially the lecherous gazes that made her want to draw her sword.

Xu Wen also disliked such nonsense and discreetly pulled out a pristine white female cloak from his storage, draping it over Erin’s delicate figure and face, shielding her from prying eyes.

Some men eating ice cream nearby felt their fun spoiled and quickly looked away.

The auctioneer blushed and cleared his throat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, next up are ten exquisite ‘artisan slaves’ from the distant Ze River Kingdom. As you know, Ze River is a peaceful and simple land where almost everyone is skilled in one or more crafts, making it the most popular source of artisan slaves on the Soul Continent! We are honored to present ten such artisans today, proficient in tree planting, flower cultivation, barbecuing, cooking, swordsmanship, embroidery… Most importantly, they are all in their youth, from the same place, naturally beautiful, and bonded like sisters. Owning one is like having ten artisan slaves and top-tier female slaves combined. The auction rules: they must be sold as a group, starting at two thousand gold coins, with minimum increments of one hundred coins!”

After the auctioneer’s eloquent praise, ten timid female slaves were ushered onto the stage.

They were indeed striking, aged fourteen to seventeen, scantily clad, exceptionally alluring. Possibly sensing the burning gazes below, the ten girls held hands nervously, burying their heads in each other’s chests, avoiding looking down.

Xu Wen observed that their wheat-colored skin showed no signs of harsh treatment, quite unlike the typical slave condition he had expected.

When Xu Wen mentioned this to Erin, a coarse, duck-like voice rudely interrupted.

“Haha, young master, is this your first time at a slave auction? No wonder you don’t know about Ze River artisan slaves. They’re famous for being docile and chaste…” Xu Wen frowned at the speaker, a man with a canine-faced advisor appearance, who then proceeded to lecture him while sneaking glances at Erin’s cloak behind him.

“All female slaves this time is rare. Ze River’s female artisan slaves will endure hardships for their kin, serving as slaves for life, but for the sake of chastity, some even bite their tongues to commit suicide… To us slave buyers, they’re the best artisans and the most chaste, albeit short-lived, female slaves. Of course, if you’re interested, with your looks and a little charm, it wouldn’t be hard to take these ten under your wing…”

A true canine-faced advisor indeed, Xu Wen thought.