Chapter 62 Slave House
In fact, no matter whether Roning expressed his intention to buy slaves or not, as long as he proposed to visit the Viper Slave Exchange, Anthony would agree.
For him, the manager, anyone who was interested in slaves, was his potential customer, not to mention the man in front of him.
So, regardless of whether the deal could be concluded this time, Anthony behaved very diligently and conscientiously. From the moment he entered the exchange, he was like a roadshow manager, constantly promoting his professionalism and the superiority of his products to customers.
Through Anthony's introduction, Roning gained a deeper understanding of the slave house and slaves.
First of all, there is the issue of the source of slaves. Most of them were prisoners of war, and a small number were either demoted for violating the laws of the lord or were deceived or abducted. In short, the paths were diverse and complicated.
"In May of this year, the Black Gold Brotherhood and the Polant Bandits teamed up to occupy several baronies southeast of Wushan Territory. Earl Wiggins was furious and issued a conscription order, which defeated the enemy's coalition forces in one fell swoop and took back the occupied land."
Anthony introduced: "During this battle, the noble coalition captured many prisoners of war. The nobles did not want to take them back to their respective territories and were too lazy to deal with them, so they sold them to slave farms in various places. After professional training in the slave farms, these slaves were sold to various places in the kingdom."
Roning knew about this battle. Although the father of his predecessor led the team and won the battle, the eldest grandson of the Hyde family died in the battle because of Wiggins's command error. That day in Wushan Castle, the Golden Lion Knight used this as an excuse to ask for many benefits.
Roning frowned slightly, "I heard that this Black Gold Brotherhood and the Polante Thieves have existed for a long time. Why didn't the nobles even start a fight to eliminate them?"
"Besides, the coalition forces have taken back those lands this time. Why don't they continue the attack and completely eliminate the hidden dangers?"
Anthony spread his hands and said, "Master, I'm afraid I can't answer your question. But I remember that Wushanbao did defeat those damn guys in the early days, but they showed up again a few years later. They are like rats in the cracks of the castle wall, and they can never be completely eliminated."
Roning nodded slowly. The southeast of Wushan Territory was the neighbouring area of the three realms. To the east was the Duchy of Vera, to the north was the Earldom of the Hyde family, and to the west was Wushan Territory.
Over the years, that area has been occupied by the Brotherhood for a long time, and various forces have probably infiltrated it, making the situation very complicated.
Unless Wushanbao can completely destroy the opponent's lair, arrange heavy troops to guard it, and then develop it for another ten or twenty years, it will be possible to truly control it.
It is obviously not feasible for anyone to rely on a war to resolve the problem over there.
While talking, the two came to the big house in the front.
It was dark and damp here, and the slaves were locked up naked in small cells.
They looked to be in a very bad mental state; their eyes were numb and empty, without even a look of helplessness and despair; they were like walking corpses.
"This is the sales area. The slaves locked up here are all trained slaves."
Anthony introduced themself, came to a cell, and knocked on the wooden pillar, "Hey, guys in there, stand up and turn around, quick!"
After hearing this voice, the man inside's eyes lit up a little.
He stood up woodenly, without saying a word and without caring whether he was wearing clothes. He just opened his arms and slowly turned around in the cage, showing every part of his body to the customers.
"Look, this guy has quite a lot of muscles. If you give him some food, he will definitely be a good worker."
Anthony picked up the small wooden stick next to him and poked the other person's waist and abdominal muscles while introducing the product. His expression and tone did not sound like he was introducing a person but a real product.
"Master, I have some slaves of this kind. If you take them all, I can give you a huge discount and sell them to you at the price of two gold and five silver coins each."
Although Roning was mentally prepared, he still couldn't accept it when he saw a naked man standing in front of him, with the manager poking his muscles with a stick while talking about the price with a smile.
This scene was too much of a shock to his visual and psychological defences.
Moreover, this is just the sales area. In this slave exchange, there is also a domestication area. What kind of scene will it be in there?
Sure enough, the damn sense of justice in his heart began to surge again.
Roning took a deep breath to calm himself down, then gave Anthony a polite smile, "Slaves are good, but the price you offer doesn't impress me."
After saying that, he turned around and walked outside.
Anthony thought the client was about to leave, so he quickly chased after him, "Master, please don't be in such a hurry to leave. We can talk about the price~."
In fact, Roning didn't want to leave, he just couldn't stand the scene before him.
When he came outside, Roning felt relieved. The oppressive atmosphere inside made it difficult for him to breathe.
He looked at Anthony and decided to make it short: "Let me introduce myself first, Mr. Anthony. I need to know the approximate price of your slaves."
"That depends on what kind you need, sir."
Anthony knew the deal was not off, so he continued to introduce: "Sir, I have all kinds of people here, young and old, men and women, and even two or three junior knights."
"Knights, too?" Roning was a little surprised.
"Of course!" Anthony stressed, "Master, don't underestimate our Viper Slave Exchange. As long as you have enough money, we can even capture magicians and train them for you. Hehe, it's just a little expensive."
He enthusiastically and flatteringly said, "A junior knight is about a hundred gold coins, and a magician is a little more expensive about five or six hundred gold coins."
Luo Ning raised his eyebrows. Is this price a bit expensive?
However, considering the cost of taming a superhuman, it makes sense that it is expensive.
"I don't need these. What I need is labor, all kinds of craftsmen and women who can produce."
The population of Shanlin Town has been counted, and Wilson has also compared the number of men and women of marriageable age according to Ronin's request.
Relatively speaking, the gender ratio in Shanlin Town is relatively healthy, but it is undeniable that there are still a few more men.
So, he needed to buy some fertile female slaves to solve the problem of single people in his territory.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but think that he was such a good lord that he even considered the issue of singleness among his subjects.
Next, Anthony introduced the approximate prices of various slaves.
Simply put, the most expensive among ordinary people are craftsmen, including artisans, carpenters, bricklayers, shipbuilders, etc. Their selling prices all start from a few gold coins, and the better the craftsmanship, the higher the price.
Next are the strong young male labourers. The stronger and healthier they are, the higher their price is, usually a few gold coins.
Then come the women. Their price is lower than that of the strong young men, and the specific price also depends on their physical condition, but usually no more than two gold coins.
Finally, there are the elderly and children. For many lords, these two types of people are a bit of a burden.
After all, they can't work, and they consume a lot of resources, especially children. How many resources will it take to feed them when they grow up and become strong?
Therefore, the selling price of these two types of people is relatively low, and it is basically not more than one gold coin.
The last tier is for the disabled, who only need a few dozen copper coins at most, and some are even sold in packages or given as extra gifts.
Of course, there are always exceptions, such as some noble women who have not been redeemed, especially young and beautiful women. Their prices are very high, even higher than those of top craftsmen.
Taking into account the rumours about Ronin in the outside world, Anthony also wanted to bring out a few of these slaves to promote them.
However, Roning flatly refused. What did he need these slave women for? To have sex with them?
If he was really that horny, he might as well be intimate with the maid Bella. At least he wouldn't have to worry about getting sick.
"I need fifty strong young men and fifty young women. If there are any craftsmen, I need masons and carpenters."
Roning stated his needs, "Give you 150 gold coins, and you do it for me."
According to a rough estimate, if all these people are in place, it will cost more than 200 gold coins, but Roning usually haggles in one go, so he starts with a high price.
Anthony looked happy when he heard Roning's request, but after hearing the offer, he looked painful and conflicted, as if he was constipated.
"Master, 150 gold coins is too little. We can't do this deal~."
He slowly stretched out six fingers, "How about another 50 gold coins? This is the most reasonable price!"
"Anthony, you have to take a long-term view! If you miss out on a big client like me, you'll lose it."
Luo Ning glanced at the other person calmly and said, "You should know my identity."
Upon hearing this, Anthony immediately bowed and saluted, "If my guess is correct, you should be the noble Wushan bloodline, Baron Roning of Shanlin Town."
Luo Ning's lips curled up slightly. As expected, the other party had already guessed his identity.
"Since you know my identity, you should also trust the credibility of Wushanbao. If this deal is successful, I will continue to buy thousands of slaves from you at the beginning of next year. And I can guarantee that our business can continue forever."
"No one has ever doubted the credibility of Wushanbao, and the same goes for your promise."
Anthony spoke humbly, but his face was still conflicted. "But, sir, the price you asked for is too high. I also need to make money to eat."
He withdrew a hand and a finger, "How about you add another 40?"
Roning seemed to have lost his patience and glanced at the other party. "Think about it carefully. If you think it's okay, come find me outside. Riedal, let's go!"
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