As the wagon came out of the forest, I could see more of the castle walls.
"It is very big"
From this side it looks like the castle wall is over a kilometer long. There are many fields outside of the walls, maybe for farming.
The sun isn't even halfway across the sky, and we stopped twice in between, so the village is really close to the city.
"It is the best city around here"
The merchant proudly tells me. There are several wagons gathered in the surrounding area of the city. We pass through them and go near the castle gate.
"Most of the people of surrounding villages are affiliated with the guilds of this city"
We passed through the gate, there was no guard, no entry fees, no inspections.
"Are most of the cities free to enter like this one?"
"Yes, due to movement magic, guards at the city gate aren't necessary. There are magic users protecting the town from monsters, that's why even the walls are not that high. They also guard and patrol the inner areas"
Yes, movement magic would make everything more convenient.
Entering the city I looked at the bustling crowd, there were villagers, merchants, farmers, soldiers walking around. It is certainly very lively, nothing compared to the modern cities though.
"I must say, the city is very populated"
"There are definitely a lot of people today, maybe something unusual is happening"
The wagon moved further into the city. The roads are very wide, paved with stone. The buildings on both sides are four stories high and covered with plaster. The city looks much better than I expected it to be.
"Should we stop by the slave dealer first, then we can go to the knight headquarters followed by weapon and armor vendors?"
"Sure"
Maybe he wants to get rid of the man first so that there are no chances for any accidents.
"The center of the city is just ahead but we are heading to the right"
"Alright"
The wagon turns right onto another road.
"This area of town is a bit dangerous. There are brothels in this area but I don't recommend spending much time here, especially don't go onto the back roads"
"I will be careful"
This area looks much more run down. I even saw shops that looked like brothels, but it's still bright out so I don't think they are open right now.
The wagon takes another right and stops next to the second house. It's a red brick 3 story house and looked just like a common house.
When the wagon stops, a young man dashes out.
[Merchant Level 3]
At such a low level he must be only an apprentice.
"Are you here for business?"
"I came here to deliver a criminal, who has been dropped to a slave rank"
After hearing the words of the merchant, the man checks the cage.
"Okay, please enter the shop"
We both entered the shop.
"He is from the same village as you, so let me handle selling the slave"
I have Purchase Negotiation (35% increase) skill equipped already.
"Sure, please take this"
The merchant gives me a letter.
"Its a letter of ownership from the village chief"
I take the letter with me as we are guided into a room. We sat down on a sofa in a very normal looking room and after a short time a man comes out.
[Alan
Slave Merchant Level 44]
"I am the owner of this establishment Alan"
Slave Merchant, an advanced job of merchant, and he is also the highest level of all the people I have met. With expensive clothes, a mustache, a goatee, a slick hairstyle, he looks totally like an aristocrat.
"I am Michio"
"I am Bikka of Somara Village"
"Please take a seat"
After the greetings I sat down again.
"The city seems to be very busy today"
"Didn't you know a labyrinth was found 2 days ago"
"A labyrinth!"
"Is this labyrinth near the city?"
I inserted myself into the topic. I know where it is from the story, but I still want to confirm.
"Just in the forest west of the town"
"The west is the opposite from where we came"
We did enter from the east city gate.
"Did you encounter demons near the town?"
"Yes we encountered a slow rabbit and a gumi slime on the road"
"Wow, are you alright?"
The slave merchant asks with a worried look on his face.
"Yes Michio-sama here defeated both of them"
"On his own?"
"Yes, and the village was attacked by a dozen or so bandits recently but Michio-sama leapt into the battle and saved our village"
Alan looks at me with astonishment. I feel a bit embarrassed with all the praise and change the topic.
"The man who tried to steal the thief's equipment got his rank dropped to that of a slave, in accordance with the rules of the village"
"I understand"
"This is the letter of ownership from the village chief"
I gave the letter to Alan.
"I will look it over"
"We will hand over half of the sale price to Michio"
The Merchant tells Alan while he reads the letter.
"I see"
"How is it?"
"Everything is in order. The man has a healthy body and is in the prime of his life, I think about 30,000 nars should be the market price"
I looked at the merchant. The merchant nods slightly.
"I see, that will be fine"
"Thank you"
"Please pay half to me and the other half to Michio-sama"
Well thats perfect, as that way my skill can take effect.
"Is this your first time here?"
The slave merchant asks me.
"Yes, this is actually my first time in this town"
"I see. Are you an adventurer?"
"No I am not part of any guild"
The merchant Bikka doesn't look surprised as we have had a similar conversation before.
"Then are you thinking of buying a slave in the future?"
Yes, yes yes!!
"A slave?"
I asked with a surprised look. I think I am getting better at controlling my facial expressions.
"Yes, this establishment have quite a range of female slaves to choose from"
For now there is only one that I want to choose.
"I am interested, but I have things to do right now"
"Are you thinking of going to the labyrinth?"
"Yes, I want to take a look, but after that I can come by here later in the day"
"In that case let's talk about it then"
The slave merchant goes out of the room briefly and returns with money.
"Here is 15,000 nars, it's half the money"
"Thank you"
The merchant receives one gold coin and an amazing amount of silver coins. One gold coin equals 10,000 nars.
"I look forward to future dealings with you, your half is 20,250 nars"
The slave merchant offers me the second plate of money. Two gold coins, two silver coins and so many copper coins.
The 35% increase applied to my share only. I looked at the merchant Bikka for an instant but he seemed to have no reaction to this at all. Even I feel that this is too blatant and a bit too op.
"Thank you"
Well that concludes our totally legal slave trading.
"I plan to stay in this city for a while, can you recommend a nice hotel?"
I asked Alan before going out of the establishment.
"The vale pavilion in the south-west side of the town center, its run by the hotel guild"
"Thank you, I will go there"
"Well Michio-san, I look forward to seeing you later in the day"