The weather is hot, the sky is blue, the sun is trying to burn my skin, my knight trainng ended when Elise told me the merchants arrived.
I am glad to hear that there is more than one. Its thank to dad work. The new merchants were send by the nobles dad visited, they came for the cream and butter, send by their chamber of commerce.
If this product please those nobles the futur income will accelerate the improvement of the lands. To increase our chance to please our new customers, we have made a beautiful packaging, with tissue colored with our brand like they did in earth, we even used designed boxes.
We plan to use a packaging for all the products, the iron from the mines, the boxes of the legumes and fruits have been changed too.
The slaver came too, this man has a tour to do, we are at the end of the tour. We buy 1 or 2 slaves for the mine each year, our position as his last destination only gave us the choice with sick, old or very young slaves.
Nothing useful in ordinary times, but with healing magic and the new knight practice we can buy a lot of slave and transform them in a good fighting force.
I told to dad to buy all the sick slaves, they are the cheapest with the old ones, and for the old ones as long as they are able to train he should take them.
The young ones are tricky, if they are above 4 years old, dad said we should buy them. Dad added that the slaver would rather go back without slave, it take 1 week in the wood to travel back to viscount Harlots territory, he has to spent money on food, and they may die of fatigue or kill by bandits, monster or wolves. As long the slaver make a profit even if its a little he may want to let them all go.
First dad went to sell and buy with the normal merchants, i went to visit the slaves with mom and grandpa. Eva wanted to come but she stayed with Ashley to play with the foxes while aunt Elise went to assist dad.
« I progressed a lot with the all the knowledge that you shared, i’m now able to differentiate element from mana. I’m trying to find a way to serape them, i tried to use soul power, it worked but it was too slow, i used your mind practice combined with soul power it increased the speed. But it is still too slow. I believe i’m on the right way. I have mastered all the spell that you gave me, i’m studying enchantment but i will need to experiment, i plan to take you and Ashley with some soldiers to hunt magical beast. Be ready! » Mom is more motivated than me, she spend her morning teaching Ashley and her afternoon training. She doesn’t even care when dad spend time with Aunty, that’s good for everyone i think.
Mom has her arm around mine to share my vision, during the last month she spent some night to observe the different world with me, but this month i couldn’t find interesting worlds.
Mom told me to create a calendar, i wrote on it the world that could be find and where they could be, i draw point in the wall of my bed room i gave a number to each point and wrote it on the calendar.
We arrived to the slaver tent, it was a big one, we went in, there were already the village chief of Nero, his name is Lucas. He should have come to see if the village would be able to afford a slave or two for the mines.
« Salutation mistress, young lord » he bowed two times.
« Hello Lucas, it has been a long time, is the village all right? » mom asked
« Yes, one of the slave died of illness, we have to buy another one, i came to ask Baron Robert for help »
« We plan to buy a lot of slave this time, we have decided to increase the number of guard moreover in 6 years John will have to go to the border for his service, we plan to have them to fight with him. » Said mom
« that’s good, i hope that the baron could spend one slave to Nero ». said happily Nero
« My husband should take this decision » said mom.
« Welcome to my humble stall dear lady Alana » said a thin man, he was in his thirties, with brown short hair, a little beard and black eyes, he was wearing expensive clothes, more expensive that the one our family could afford.
« Marlin it’s good to see you, i feared that you would avoid us this summer. How was your tour? » Said mother with a big smile. This smile is more a business like than a happy one. But mom voice was cheerful.
« Ah lady Alana will you be the one buying this time » said Marlin with a stiff smile.
« Yeah my husband is introducing new products, you should buy it too ». she said it with the same cheerful voice
« I heard of it a lot of them were cursing because they add to come here for it. » i believe this attack, is the beginning of a psychological war.
« Ahaha, they will not be disappointed. After the sells their will be a feast, butter and cream will be introduced via new recipe. So will you show me your goods » mom voice kept the same tone.
« I had a excellent tour, but i still have 12 slaves in stock, all are excellent for working in the mine . » said Marlin with a smile
« Oh that nearly thrice the usual amount » surprise could be read on mom face.
« Yeah i sold 43 slaves all were premium goods, there was a war between the Wolves and Tigers Tribes in the Beastmen Empire. I had a lot of soldier, women and child from their subordoned tribes. » explained himself
« You should have made quite the money, be aware of the bandits in the return, our caravan are always attacked ». said mother.
« Don’t worry i have a gold rank Wolf soldier as a guard. Follow me i will show the slaves » We went beyond the entry room and went deeper in the tent. Its the first time i saw a tent this big, the rooms were big. the next room was bigger, slave were in cages. They looked dirty after 1 week in the wild.
« I have disposed them from young to old. The younger has been born in this tour, he is sold with his sister, the mother has been sold, the buyer didn’t want the children » said Marlin with an indifferent voice.
« Quite a sad story, if we were to want to buy all the slave at once how much would it cost? » said mother.
« Will you do it? » said Marlin with an invigorated voice.
« Maybe it depend on the price, my husband has made a bit of money going in the war 4 years ago. There is not a lot of things that would increase the rentability of the baronet to buy. We aren’t a family who like to show off our wealth. Even if we were, it would take 1 week of travel to show it to commoners. Nothing worth mentioning. We have envisaged to buy slave to increase our population each year and increase the number of hands for work. We need slave of a good quality that would work immediately. But from what i look none of those slave correspond of those criteria. Those 3 in the middle even look like dying. » commented mother.
« Hehe, Lady Alana you always find the right words, no they will not die, at best its a flue, with a bit of rest and food they will go back on feet » That was a great obvious lie. An ill slave cough blood in front of us like to show us the slaver lie.
« This is blood, isn’t it? » asked mom.
« Yeah this one is ill for us, if you buy one slave i’m willing to sell it to you for half the price ». offered the slaver.
« You can keep him, i rather avoid an epidemic in my home. May be all the other are contaminated too. That would be hard on us, if they were to die all by the end of the week. » said mother sadly.
« Don’t worry, about it chose slave the right and left, they have been transported in different wagon ». answered Marlin
« So the one in middle are all ill for sure ». Said mom smiling
« I … never said that » Marlin had a vein pulsing above is left eye.
« Those two slaves in the first cage how old are they? » asked mom
« They are two half-beast from the bunny tribe, they are twins and are 12 years old, the boy has been trained as a fighter by my guards. »
« Bunny tribes member even trained are at best as strong as a child. » Through my eyes me could see that the boy add a large mana pool and it was unobstructed, the slaver should not have tested it for magic training.
« How much for the girl? » inquired mom
« 5 golds coins, she would do a great mistress for the young lord". commented the man
« and for the boy? » mother ingnored him
« 9 gold coins, his training has been well done." told Marlin
« Don’t do that, we both know that you guard training is worth nothing. » mocked mother.
« I’m willing to take both and the dying man for 9 gold coins » Bargained mom.
« Dear Lady Alana, while i thank you interest for my product i can’t sell at loss, If you are taking the three i can sell them for 14 golds, the ill one will be free »
« Oh that’s so, the sister and the baby how much for them? »
« Their are from the ferret tribe which is know for breeding excellent scouts. Two of them for 10 gold coins »
« I will have to feed the baby, educate him for 14 years before it become a barely qualified scout. » Mom turned toward the last five slaves, they were all old, one had scales but was blind from one eyes, he should be around forty years old.
Another was from the dog tribe, he looked like he was near his fifties, there was a woman, she was beyond 40 years too, she looked like member of the catkin.
The next was tall and should have been strong when he was younger, it was a Tauren, but he was very old like in his sixties. The last one was from the sheep tribe, he was around 35 years old, if it was any other tribes or race it could have been considered a good choice but sheep tribes are cowards and weak.
« Wow, directly tell me the price of any of them, i may buy one if the price is exceptionally cheap ». said mom fatigued and disappointed, she look like she would go back.
« 2 gold for the sheepman, 4 gold for the lynx woman, 4 gold for the dogman and snake man, finally 5 gold for the Tauren » said Marlin with indifference.
« i’m sorry, that you came for nothing Marlin, i don’t believe we will buy, this time we have money to buy good product, my husband will certainly go to Viscount Harlots to buy a good slave. I don’t believe the ill one will pass the winter here since our baronet climate is quite special. The child with the heavy loads from the mine will grow weaker, they will have high chance to succumb to illness in winter, same thing for old ones. » said mom with a tired tone. She looked Marlin straight in the eyes, doing small shake with her head, she began to turn around when Marlin intervened.
« Lady Alana, no need to make hasty choices. You even said that you would buy them all. I should let you benefit from a discount, the ill ones would be for free, you were right they may die on the way back, it will be my loss for bringing them here. The other slave total price is 39 gold coins. I shall sell all the slave to you for 32 gold. »
« 27 gold coins and you keep the baby, it’s too expensive for what it can do » said mom with a cold voice. Marlin mouth twitched and said « lets make a round price 30 gold coins. This time i can’t make it lower. If you can’t accept it, i would just let the 3 ill slaves to you, and enjoy the feast you prepared. »
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« Good we have a deal, you should come more often, i have began to practice alchemy. I need test subject to try my potion, ill and dying slave are the best for the work, in your future tour, you shall come here to sell them to me. i would take them for 30 silvers coins each. » proposed mother.
« that’s a good idea, but i would require 40 silver coins with a quantity of ten at least. » Answered the slaver.
« At that price i need them between 14 and 35 years old, older than that their vitality is insufficient." exiged mother
« I will try to arrange that, do you an other particular wish for my other visit? Like a young maid for our young lord? Dog-girls are cheap and well liked for that job." he asked
« Mom, i heard that Hydra half men were cheap and not liked by noble because they were ugly, do you have some » I swiftly asked.
« Yeah, Beastmen empire sell them in bulk because they reproduce a lot. Their population is too big to all live in the empire swamp. They are not a united tribe like others. They behave more like thugs, the strong one dominate the weaks and dictate rules. They often sell their own children and produce a lot of slave warriors. And no they are not that cheap, at least not as much as the ill slaves that you mother wants. A Hydra man of fifteen years old, i can sell it here for 2 gold. » Explained Marlin
« Younger or older can it be cheaper? » i asked
« Beyond 45 years old and less than ten years old it would be 1 gold coins. But an old Hydraman have been through a lot, they are hard to control ». He precised patiently.
« Mom is it possible to order, 10 hydra for the next batch , 2 old, 5 young and 3 above 15 years old? » i asked
« It would depend of your father sales this time. Marlin could we talk about the hydra order after the diner? » offered mom
« Yes, we can, i will let my guards clean the slave and transport them to your mansion, you can pay for them when we talk about the order. » conclued the man.
« Good it was a pleasure to talk business with you Marlin see you later ». Mom and i went back to the mansion. Mom asked me what i would do with the hydra. I told her that Grandpa wanted to develop a port since we had a access to the ocean.
Hydramen would fish for the baronet increasing the meat production while slowly construct the port. Grandpa who saw the bargaining praised mother a lot which made her smile.
Time passed, before the dinner the slave came to the mansion, we gave them food and let them rest in tent, we put near a grove in our garden.
The merchants would sleep in the inn of Bladebreaker city, only the merchant who came each six months would be a guest of the mansion, which is considered to be an honor for a commoner in our kingdom.
I had to take part to the feast, Eva did too, even if she was a bastard child in the eyes of many. In our eyes it was not the case, and since the mistress of the house mother was playing with her, it was clear that Eva was a true member of the family.
I talked a lot with different merchants who explained to me their trades roads, where they went, who they met, spoke about their daughters which was the real goal of the conversation. They were a bit shameless since ashley sat next to me, i believe knowing no shame is a quality for a merchant.
Every guest liked the dinner, the butter, the cheese, and the different sauce which were made with cream made a kill. Some merchants increased their orders just after dinner.
Dad was quite please with this result, and gave the recipe of the sauce and other food, its was a way to promote our products. Mom talked to dad about the hydra and said that we could afford 5 hydras this year with the ten ill slaves. Mother went to place the order.
After the diner i went to meet the slave, Eva came too, Ashley went to speak with mom about a problem in her practice. I arrived in front of the grove and called them. Beastmen share the same languages with human since we have the same roots.
« Everyone gather please » after my scream, i heard a baby cry. I think i could have avoided that. I saw them all, the light in their eyes was gone, the twins were more spirited. Even the ill ones answered to my call.
« Good, first you need to know why you were buy, it was to be trained to become my personal guards. Even the old ones. I have a new way to train as a knight that is faster than any other without draw back. This new practice increase vitality even in early stage. So the old will live longer by practicing it. But to know that way of practicing you need to make a soul contract with me, which mean that i will be able to kill you with a tought. In exchange, you will be treated as any other people living in this baronet, obviously this treatment is only in the view of my family, if any other noble or commoner see you, in their eyes you will only be slave. Do you have any question?"
« Will we be healed » asked the ill racoonman slave.
« My mother will come later or tomorrow to see what she can do. » i answered with a smile
« Is there a way for us to gain our freedom back ? » asked the ferret girl.
« Yeah like i said you will be able to live longer, if you progress in your training to silver rank you would be able to live 800 years, we found that a gold rank human warrior only transformed his innards and blood to copper rank. what if you could transform your whole body in each rank do you need to wait gold rank to live longer?
The answer is no. So Since i except that you all increase you knight rank to bronze in six years, i will help you with magic to do that. Gold rank human have copper blood and live for 300 years, Bronze blood correspond to platinum rank live for 800 years to 1000 years.
You will be slave for 100 years and your soul slave contract will be transformed in a Equal contract where a close will forbid you to reveal the content of this new practice method and the baronet secrets. Those who refuse to be my guards will be sent to the mine. »
« Young lord, i wish to serve, how will my little brother be treated? » asked the ferret girl nervously.
« You will take care of him, food and every necessities will be provided by me, someone will take care of him while you train ». I feel like I'm trainning my smiling face today.
« I wish to make the contract you lord. » quickly said the ferret girl.
« good come and sit in front of me ». I pointed the space in front of me.
I told her to sat with her back facing me, i place my hand on her head, a began to sing the spell, singing was required for soul power while depending of the magic spell i didn't need it. In the case of soul power, it helped a lot to focus and describe the contract. A gray glow appeared on my hand and went in her head.
« Do you hear me ? » i asked by the soul link
« Yes my lord » she answered with her voice.
« From now we can talk by telepathy when we are close, go back please. »
« Yes my lord ». She raised and went back
I decided that i would wait before making a contract with the baby.
« What did you do brother? » Asked the curious Eva.
« I cast a spell on her, mom will teach it to you later ». I told her
« Yesh, i will do magic too ». she said while raising her hand to the sky.
I turned toward the slave, i gave them the opportunity to make a choice «Like you see its a painless spell and it guarantee me your loyalty. It’s also a path for a better life and a path to freedom. »
After one example they came one by one. Once finished i asked them to tell me about their skill and life, the snake, lynx and Tauren where warriors but didn’t have access to a technique to create knight energy, only the best fighter and leaders family members had access to it.
The sheepman had been a farmer, tanner, a cook and a tailor. The dog had been a blacksmith, a profession we needed currently in this mansion! I didn’t need to ask the younger slaves (but all older than me), the ferret girl was 11 years old. They all lived in their own tribes however became slaves prisoners, in that war they all lost their families to the enemies. The Tauren and snake were slaves before the begining of the war, their tribes were already defeated tribes.
They all said that i should gave them a new name. I told them i will take time to choose it. The ill slaves were farmers in their tribes, there is a 14 years old raccon who have an infested injury in his arms, it smelledl and looked bad. There is a pigman 12 years old too who was the one coughing blood.
The last one which is the worst, he has literally only skin on his bones, he is from the cheetah tribes, they are a leading tribes and should not be a slave but in his state he is worth nothing, he has been poisoned and sold by his enemies, no one could get his poison out.
« You can all rest tonight, Mother will come to see the sicks. Tomorrow we will begin the training. In 6 years we will go to the battlefield with the monster border. »
Mom went to see the ill slaves, she healed the raccoon and the pigman on the spot, but said she couldn’t do anything to the cheetah slave.
She said that once the merchants leave, he would be moved in a guest room where he could finish his live in good condition. He was sad and touched by mom compassion. In the end, we need his body in good condition for grandpa.
In the following weeks, i did train with my new guards. I practiced the spell to revive grandpa with mom. Mom found a way to purify the mana in her body. It was to connect mana veins to the skin, create a mana suction and filter it with soul and mind power. I trained the Bunny boy in magic too since he has the potential for it, and ordered it to never use it without my consent. I gave names to the slaves too.
While i was practicing the spell for grandpa, i had to accumulate a lot of light element, one of the fox ran to me and began to absorb the element.
I saw the element rush directly to his core, the mana within his body and the element blended together in his body and he ranked up in front of me. I decided to make a contract of equal with him, in my parts i vowed to give him food and shelter, while in his part he would listen to me.
I did it to unlock soul link which is optional in contract of equals. Like that i could use the fox to gather element energy for the grandpa resurrection.
The slave grew weaker day by day and it would be soon the day of the ritual.
Mom decided to go on a hunt for core, and i decided to go to gather mana crystal to help the foxes to rank up. In our party we had, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, ashley, Bernard, Jules, Oliver, Martis and me.
We took the best of our currents soldiers, ashley would be protected in the center near mom dad behind them with Martis, i am in the front with Bernard, while Oliver and Jules would be positioned on the flanks. I announced all the dangers in advance, i killed all the magic beast in our way even the snakes underground. Mom would use a earth spell to instantly propulse them out of earth and we would shot arrows to kill them.
We exterminated a horned rabbit nest, which made this hunt quite rich, 37 rank 1 cores, with the meat of the beast full of mana, their hide could be sold for a good price.
As we get closer to the crystal deposit, we could find more magic beast, we avoided most fight but the smell of blood attracted some magic beast, it took us 8 hours to get from the mansion to the crystal deposit.
A rank 2 red snake was guarding the mana crystals. The snake was bathing under the noon sun. It didn’t notice us. Dad took the lead, mother casted (Fireball), i shot an arrow, we wounded it on the head and blood flowed a lot. It hissed, turned his head toward the party, and charged dad who was going toward him.
Dad sidestepped and slashed his neck, the snake twisted his body, avoiding a deadly blow, but it was still wounded, more blood tainted the ground. Mom prepared her second spell while i shot a second arrow, it pierced the wound left by mom (Fireball).
The snake stopped the time to let a painful hiss, dad took this chance to land a second blow on his neck, this time it left a deeper wound.
The vitality of this snake was impressive any other human or rank 1 magic beast would have been dead after dad first blow. Mom spell was (Icespear) which lodged itself in the snake head.
Mom was sweating a lot the whole hiking, spell from previous fights and (Icespear) which is considering to be a strong spell among the one destined for low-Mage, completely exhausted her.
The aftermath of the fight was shocking, frozen and charred dirt, pool of blood in the ground, and devastated vegetation. Less shocking that a pile of goblins corpse but this time it was only one magic beast.
There was a big tree and under it was the deposit, Bernard, Jules, Oliver and Martis began to mine underground the time for mom to rest a bit. Ashley and i began to set the camp, it was an order from dad, it said we should learn to do it. Since we are both noble, we will go to the border and will fight and live as soldiers.
We ate biscuit and dry meat to avoid to entice magic beast with the smell of cooked food. Once mom got her mana back she casted a earth spell which open a pit deep of ten meters. The guys jumped in and continued to mine. It took them 30 minutes to find Mana crystals.
They were from different shape and untouched by elements. We mined by taking turn for two hours, To avoid people or magic beast to find the crystal we blocked the entrance with rock and dirt. We returned to the mansion, the way back was a lot faster.
The day after the hunt, i gave a small mana crystal to the fox who ate the light element, its fur became white so i called it Lucia. It unexpectedly ate the crystal, it thought it would slept next to it, but in the end the small cyrstal finished in its belly. The fox slept for 3 day when it woke up, it was taller and stronger, i gathered more light element, it ate it all and went back to sleep. The next day, it was a rank 2 magic beast.
I decided to teach it soul power and mind practice. It was hard to make myself clear it took me the day. I wanted to see if those techniques could make it smarter.
The other foxes came to me whining, so i tried all the element to see which one they would eat. One choose dark element the other wind element. i fed them element like Lucia and waited for them to rank up before giving a small mana crystal. they ranked up a week later, i gave them the mana crystal and they fell asleep again when they woke up, they were rank 2 magic beast. It became clear what needed a magic beast to increase its rank.
They don’t have spell like human or technique to use mana by instinct, maybe its their mother work to do it. I decided to let them rank up again when i become a silver knight. I taugh the mind and soul practice to the foxes. it took me the day.
My routines continued my new guards progress was fast, Buro the bunny boy and i administered healing magic to make the training longer.
Luna the lynx woman advised me to let her, Feila the ferret girl, Baila the bunny girl and Shiro the sheep man train differently, they could not train like the pigman Paulo or the Tauren Turo since heavy weight would not help their fighting style.
They trained their speed of movement, the bow and with hidden weapons made of wood for now. I liked the idea a lot and told Turo and Sako the snake man that if they had idea for the training they could use and share them. Turo asked for heavier weight, while Sako wanted to train his arms for them to be more flexible.
I said that it was ok, the raccoon man Rako would train with the girl. Dario the dog man trained with Sako too, he wanted good arms to be a blacksmith again.
While we were training mom came to see me and told me to follow her we went to the cheetah bedroom. He was dead. Dad and grandpa were there.