"Listen, most likely that Lamia was either an enemy commander of some kind or a really terrible criminal; there's no other reason for a licensed slaver to have been after her otherwise. So don't worry about anything, alright?"
I nodded, smiling softly at my wife as I leaned my head on her shoulder, before asking "Just... out of curiosity, what exactly is the fate of slaves? What awaits them after being captured?"
Chuckling mirthlessly, Rhefia turned her gaze towards the flames of the campfire as she responded.
"Depends on the severity of their crime or how dangerous they were. Well, for starters, when someone sells themselves into slavery, they do so usually to give their family a large chunk of money and serving out an allotted sentence; if they plan on being a laborer, they could get anywhere from 5 to 20 years depending on age and race. If they plan on being a pleasure slave, it could be as little as a year or as long as 30 years.
No one can be forced into slavery unless they are a criminal who's undergone a few trials and have been cleared to become slaves, and when someone sells themselves its a long, grueling legal process...
Anyways, for that Lamia, it could be one of four things, and she's given the choice.
First, she can chose to be executed, as simple as that; it's a choice that any criminal has, and it makes everything easier for the government if they chose so.
Second, she can join the penal companies and go fight the Queendom's wars until she dies; there's no hope for escape as a special collar will kill her if she goes farther than the special rod her captain carries.
Thirdly, she can become a laborer and go work the mines or fields, harvesting resources for the Queendom and its people until she dies there as well.
Finally, the uncommon pick is to become a pleasure slave at a government operated brothel; most criminals don't like the idea of being forced to pleasure others, so they almost never pick that option."
Nodding, I took a deep breath before hesitantly asking "Could... they be bought like a normal slave?"
Rhefia gave me an odd look for a moment before laughing, her amber eyes growing wet as she doubled over.
Glaring at her, I pinched her waist and twisted the skin, stopping her laughter instantly as she hissed in pain.
Pouting at me, she muttered "Hmph... that was a valid reason to laugh..."
Continuing to glare, I waited for her to answer, which made the others all snicker.
"Hah... fine, fine... you asked if you could buy her? Probably... for dozens upon dozens of Gold coins, if not hundreds. Where do you plan on finding that kind of coin Astra?"
Pursing my lips, I looked over at Aethisia before looking back to Rhefia, asking "How much would that Arena pay? And uh... what about Yiksa and I doing some 'work' as well?"
Rhefia raised a brow and turned towards our youngest daughter, who looked back at her curiously.
"Probably around... actually, I don't really know, since it could be different now, but usually a good fight can earn you 5 to 20 Silvers, and if its a deathmatch... minimum of 75 Silvers. As for you and Yiksa, depends on the establishment and client, but probably around the same as our fights..."
She smiled wryly at that, the irony of bloodshed costing similar amounts to sex not lost on any of us.
Stretching, she nodded as she said "Is this what you want, Astra? To somehow earn enough money to buy us a potential murderous orange Lamia?"
Her humored tone made me giggle, and everyone else joined me as I nodded, my eyes sparkling as I said "I would love to try, if possible. Maybe she isn't a hardened criminal... though it doesn't matter. Either way, she's just so... unique! And beautiful! Oh, and the thought of her coiling around me as she-"
Placing a finger on my lips, Rhefia rolled her eyes as she said "Astra, you're horny side is showing. Anyways, I would at least like to meet her first, or hear about what she did. If she's some mass murder or heinous criminal then no, I don't care how much you want her, you aren't getting her."
I frowned but nodded at her words, willing to understand and concede to my wife's 'demands' for this orange scaled Lamia.
Clapping my hands together, I looked between my family as I said "Well, we have some decisions to make tomorrow~! But for now, lets eat! Oh, and Kalia, come help me dear."
Watching as everyone else continued to lounge around the campfire, I chatted with my youngest daughter for a bit, telling her that we would find ourselves some luxury seeds for her to grow quickly.
If we could get some... hmm... tea, coffee, cotton, or other luxury crops and sell them off in bulk to merchants, we could rake in some serious coin.
It wouldn't be too hard either, as I could install a small plot of soil inside our tent for her to grow those plants in with her Nature Magic.
Besides that, Camara could also sell some of her carvings if she desired to do so; when we had sifted through the market earlier, some of the carvings had been going for a lot of coin but they looked... worse than what my eldest made.
Finally, I was sure I could seduce some extra coin out of any clients I took on, but who knows what might happen in the near future~!
Ahem...
Anyways, as I served my family their grilled pheasant breasts alongside some bread, we all laughed as we enjoyed one another's company, before turning in for the night, happy with out outing into the market square.
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Sorry if this was all over the place lol, I'm watching the draft for football right now and it's... both interesting and boring at the same time, but it's quite fun~!
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