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CW: Human Trafficking
Paladin left the cathedral. However, he didn't want to go back to Nurba so soon. It had been a long time since he had fused with light magic elements. Harvey, that temporary bandit, was not likely to return right away either. So, now all he needed to do was go to the slave house and find some strong and healthy slaves.
In Edley, both the slave house and the cathedral clearly had conspicuous buildings. There was no need to ask for directions. A large road sign had this written in a text that was visible from ten meters away: "Slave House, one hundred meters ahead." A small text was written below: "Please bring your own deodorant handkerchief." Paladin ignored and passed this road sign before walking into another road. The scenery changed so dramatically that it felt like being transported to another dimension.
Paladin froze in his tracks and looked back at the bustling street not far behind him. Meanwhile, there was only silence a few meters ahead from his spot. Paladin took a closer look and discovered that all the people walking on this road were wearing fine clothes. There were even carriages passing by in twos and threes. Everyone appeared to have a tacit understanding that the other person was another nobleman. Except for the nobles, there were either mercenaries with shields and long swords on their backs, or soldiers with spears and chain armor. Needless to say, these armed forces were used to maintain the transactions here.
Paladin took a deep breath and walked in with great strides. The surrounding sergeants and mercenaries looked at Paladin with curious eyes. Apparently, the priestly robes that he wore because he didn’t have time to change clothes looked new to these people. It wasn’t that priests never came here, but that if they did come, they would all change out of their priestly robe.
The whole road was very deserted. In Paladin's imagination, the slave camps would be full of slaves being sold along the street. However, there was no slave or slave trader in sight. Just when Paladin wondered if he was going the wrong way, the few nobles who were walking in front of him suddenly nodded, turned around to the right and walked towards an ordinary house next to it that no longer looked ordinary. Paladin suddenly became suspicious, but then he saw the two nobles that were standing at the door taking out a scented handkerchief from their pockets, and coughing lightly. A young man in a canvas cap opened the door from the inside and let them in. He moved and humbly spread his hands, revealing the situation inside the house.
At that moment, even Paladin had the urge to curse after seeing what was inside. When the two nobles were walking to enter the house, Paladin quickly followed and walked into the room. In just a split second, the disgusting smell of sweat and body odor rushed over. Paladin's expression darkened instantly. He decisively took out a handkerchief from his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose. Only then did he feel better. When he looked at the two nobles from a distance, they had already taken out their handkerchiefs and naturally began to appreciate the slaves.
This was a mere room; of course it could be interpreted that way. But to be precise, this was a series of houses. These damned slave traders actually bought the entire street with hundreds of houses in three rows and merged them into a huge warehouse. As far as eyes could see, in these almost endless corridors, hundreds of people—big and small—were occupying a place inside cages made of crude iron bars. A dozen slave traders stood in front of their shop and yelled at their products. A few strong men with covered faces like thugs beat the slaves with leather whips mercilessly when they saw any goods that were dishonest.
Paladin frowned as he walked through the small pathway left inside the massive warehouse, looking at the goods locked inside the cages. There were both women and men. There were children, and naturally, there were old men and women as well. Without exception, these goods were all stripped naked, numb, and lifeless as they lay in the cage. Thick iron rings were wrapped around the slaves' necks. Chains connected those rings to iron bars attached to the walls to make sure they wouldn’t try to run away.
Paladin walked in the inner world of this society, looking at these slaves who were not regarded as the same kind as the slavers. This reminded him of the little pigs he saw when he was a child. The pigs were trapped in the pen at the Freemasons Association, waiting to be slaughtered. The helpless eyes of the little pig lying on the ground coincided with this scenery he saw right now.
"Oh, Father, you are merciful and compassionate. Look at this woman, it is a Mulam from the desert. Although it is a bit dark-skinned, its feet, tsk tsk. It will definitely make you full of energy the next day!”
When Paladin was walking past a stall, a big man with a thick yellow beard and a hunting cap saw Paladin. Without hesitation, the man tried to sell his products. Then, with the wooden stick in his hand, he flipped the woman, exposing her breasts for Paladin to see.
Paladin frowned immediately, the woman looked like she was dying. Her life essence must be not enough to refine a Philosopher's Stone. He didn't want to spend money to buy someone, go back, and take care of it painstakingly. He didn't want to refine it before it was full and healthy. And, was that water on its head? So, Paladin just shook his head slightly and went straight to the next house. The slave trader was obviously used to being ignored like this, so he immediately put on a smiling face and began to promote his goods to another passing nobleman.
Paladin scanned the area left and right. He couldn’t help but feel more and more disappointed. The slaves displayed here were various but all of them looked like they were dying. Paladin could feel the mournful cry of the refined Philosopher's Stone if he purchased a living dead in this manner. It hurted his self-esteem too much!
"Please, please buy us!"
But just as Paladin was about to abandon the idea of buying slaves, pleadings came from the cage of a shop in front of him. Paladin looked at the source. Five young men around his own age were holding the bars of what could be called barely constructed cage, shouting desperately at every passing nobleman. The slave trader’s colleagues around the area looked at them as if they were watching a joke. The slave trader was also furious, thus he kept on whipping them with the whip in his hand. Nonetheless, the blood on these several young men’s backs only heightened their desire to survive.
The five young men's strong desire to survive made Paladin freeze on the spot. It was not that he pitied these people. Rather, it was because he realized a crucial fact. If there was a desire to survive, they obviously hadn’t given up hope yet. They had only recently become slaves, so their bodies had not yet deteriorated from the torture of these slave traders. So, their physical qualities should be good enough to refine the Philosopher's Stone. In short, Paladin found his raw materials!
"Stop!" Paladin suddenly shouted righteously. He then strode over to them.
"Huh? What's wrong with this guest?"
The attention of all the slave traders present was drawn to Paladin. Even the nobles who were inspecting the goods also looked at him with eyes full of curiosity.
When the five young men saw Paladin, they exclaimed excitedly, as if they were seeing their savior, "Father, Priest, please save us!
Paladin gave them a reassuring look before turning his head to the slave trader. He then asked, "How much for these five? I'll buy them."
At first, the dazed slave trader thought he had misheard, but when Paladin repeated his question, he nodded enthusiastically and said, “I recently captured them, deserters from the battlefield. Each is powerful, so three gold coins per person."
The slave trader rubbed his hands, his expression greedy. He scanned the strange priest from head to toe. In his opinion, as long as the priest paid, then he would be considered a guest no matter what status he had.