Herald of Steel

"Come! Come! Step forward, noble citizens of Zanzan! Behold this fine Tibian warrior—strong arms, perfect for your farm or workshop! Only 6,000 ropals. A bargain for a man of his strength! Only 6,000 ropals"

"Strong farm hand! Only five and a half thousand! Step right in masters! Just take one look at this black ne***, captured from the warring states. Built like a stone statue and as strong as a bull! You won't regret it!"

"Welcome esteemed customer! Do you need a strong man as a guard? Here is a towering barbarian from the north of Matrak! Fierce, loyal, and undefeated in battle. Killed five good men before finally being brought down! Only 20,000 ropals! You won't regret it!"

"What? 10,000? Good sir, just the funeral of the men he killed cost me more! Look at these thighs! Just look at those eyes! Look at these arms, they can tear even a bear to shreds naked! Imagine how well he can protect your house and caravans! You won't ever have to buy another guard again— only 20,000 ropals for such an undefeated legend… it's a bargain!"

"Heh, undefeated you say? More like defeated and beaten to a pulp! Don't think these eyes missed all the colored powder and oils you slathered on the back to hide those bruises! Esteemed patriarchs don't go to him, that disobedient slave will only wreck your home and run away. Come see this- a savage from the Island of Galiosos."

"Tall and fierce—ideal for both fighting and heavy labor! Built to endure! There is not a single one like him in the entire market! Only 22,000 ropals!"

"Ha! My slave is half a head taller than yours. He can twist that scrawny brat like a twig. Dear customer, it is true this dumbo is a bit thick. But that is the kind of brutish strength you need to defend yourself! I guarantee he can be tamed within a year. No, do not go sir! Okay, okay, for only you… it is 18,000…. 15,000 ropals! Come! Come! Take a look, sir."

"19,000! Patriarch, I offer you this trained and obedient savage for only 19,000 ropals! He can work the farms in the day and protect the house at night! There is no price in loyalty!"

Alxx watched the whole haggle from a distance, particularly because he recognized the buyer.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

It was Eshmun, that foreign merchant who brought him the saffron.

He was dressed in very colorful, gaudy clothes, and although it might sound too good to be a coincidence, well there were only a few people in Zanzan rich enough to afford a 20,000 ropals slave.

So living in the same city, it was only natural for such rich people to rub shoulders with each other, even if only for a bit.

This spice merchant would ultimately buy both slaves after a bit of a haggle for a total of 32,000 ropals, much to the envy of the entire market.

The people were not only jealous of the large purchase, but they were also taken aback by how he paid for the two slavers in full on the spot.

Coming up with 32,000 ropals in cash at a moment's notice was not an easy thing to do.

Nor was it common to have so much money with oneself at any time.

Your adventure continues at empire

Usually with such large purchases, the merchants would have been given the address to the customer's house or shop and asked to go collect the coin later. There was that amount of basic trust between the people of this time to guarantee the transaction.

And if in the unlikeliest situation the buyer refused to pay, well, such a huge purchase would naturally draw the interest of curious men and surrounding merchants, all of whom would testify in court against the man.

However, Eshmun did not do that.

He instead made it a point to show off the sight of his personal aides handing the slavers multiple pouches filled to the brim with intas (larger denomination of the ropal, worth ten times more), and even encouraging the slavers to take out the large golden coins and validate its authenticity.

Most of the common people, especially the young ones had never even seen an Inta in their life- it was so valuable.

Thus all eyes remained glued to the slavers as they counted the enormous pile of glittering gold coins.

They only moved when Eshmun began to move through the crowd with his two newly purchased giants close in tow.

The surrounding men and women parted away like Moses had just parted the Red Sea, giving the tycoon as wide a berth as he needed.

While the man looked like a proud peacock crossing a field of chickens, his chin slanting upward, his eyes filled with a sharp and undisguised pride.

Alxx silently smirked at the sight.

He was also among the crowd who had moved to give the man his moment in the sun, much to the disapproval of his bodyguards. Naturally, these proud men objected to their lord giving way to a mere commoner, much less a foreigner, with some even wishing to go put the man in his place.

However, Alxx insisted for them not to cause trouble, as he wished to watch a bit of the show.

He really did not mind the man's attitude.

It was his money after all.

And this kind of behavior was also socially not only accepted but even somewhat expected.

Yes, the common people expected the rich to entertain them with such displays.

They did not see this as flaunting one's wealth in arrogance, but more as a spectacle to behold and admire.

Hence many similar merchants also did similar things, as a way to raise their social status or even advertise their shops- after all, if they had so much money, surely it meant their business was booming.

And given there was nothing illegal about all this, Alxx hardly had anything to complain about.

Sure perhaps Eshmun was a bit proud, but given the ability he had just shown, Alxx thought he deserved at least this much.

The man was definitely among the top one percent of the commoners in the city.

Sure, it might not have been even a speck compared to Alxx's literal billions, but at the same time, Alxx was also humble enough to acknowledge if he did not have all the advantages he had courtesy of his strange circumstances, he would not be the man's match.

After all, he was not among the top one percent in his previous life, perhaps the top ten percent at best.

So he stepped aside and obediently played the role of a distant observer, then gave a second look at the two purchased slaves.

They were not bad quality- quite worth the high price.

It was just that their purchase was a bit… unorthodox.

Their large, bulky build and martial history clearly showed they were most suited to be used in security, but for obvious reasons, nobles and rich merchants far preferred to use freedmen or mercenaries for that role.

In Adhania, slaves were even forbidden to touch weapons without their master's permission.

But Alxx did not harp on that, and as Eshmun left, the market quickly defaulted to its original state, with the slavers feeling encouraged by such a sale beginning to hawk their wares with even greater gusto, while the men returned to peruse their wares, checking the arms, and teeth and some even the loins of their prospective products.

Yes, they even checked the lower half, as there was also not an insignificant number of men who were in the market looking for some good action.

So they were eager to confirm the goods these slaves were packing, as these indentured men were not only used for work, but many of them also had other 'night duties'.

So if any of the experienced slavers were able to detect that covetous gaze of the customer while making that check, well they would be heard chiming in hushed whispers into the ears,

"Hehe, master sure has good eyes. I tried the man out for myself just two days ago. He is good. A bit on the wild side… and thrashes around a bit… but that is also part of the fun!"

"The slave is very obedient. Master can take him anyway, anywhere, he will never object. And just look at that back! And those lips! Hehehe, so soft, so soft!"

"My lord, welcome back! Look at this slave! Bought him from the capital just for you. He used to belong to Lord Lagos and has been fully trained by him… so there is no question about his skills. Also look! He is hung like a horse. I remember master saying that the Lady liked these kinds of men. Hehehe, how about 30,000 ropals?"

It was quite obvious why these merchants only whispered these claims, rather than advertise them at the top of their voice.

It was considered socially very crude. And few would dare to approach them as no one wanted to confirm their immoral proclivities to the public.

So many of the tactful shopkeepers would turn the volume down or move the entire conversation elsewhere, like the back of the shops.

Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!

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