In the afternoon, Andre was standing in his room with a cigar in his mouth. He was looking at the slaves who were working hard outside through the window.
His attire was completely different from the traditional attire of the trading city-states in the central region. He was dressed in a plain black robe with a black wing symbol on his shoulder. As the leader of the merchant group sent by the Northern Empire to the trading city-states in the central region, he immediately carried out the new orders from the upper echelons of the Empire.
Although the trading city-states had abandoned the slavery system in name, the root of the evil still existed in name. Under the drive of the system, the great slave owners of the city-states changed their appearances and names, but they were still active in the trading market. Andre put down his cigar. They called the humans outside as workers, but in reality, they were still slaves who could be bought and sold freely. And that was why he came here.
"Mister Andre, you said that your country wants to mine the veins, and you need a large number of people and laborers."
The great slave owner in front of him looked at Andre's request and asked doubtfully, "This is a hard job, but why do you choose these children who are not of age yet?"
"The journey to the North is too long. I don't want them to rebel on the way. Only children are easier to manage."
Andre took a sip of tea and said calmly, "And you're not happy to get rid of these annoying little things?"
"A little."
The other party smiled. As a slave owner who had the biggest business in the trading city-states and had not fallen for so many years, of course, he was not a mediocre fool. He knew that the other party was just making up an excuse. "These children are precious wealth. I can wait for them to come of age and sell them at a high price. If some of these children have the talent to become professionals, then I'll make a lot of money.
You know, with such a large number, some of them might have the potential to become spellcasters. "
"These children are still growing. They eat a lot and don't listen to me. I don't believe that you have that kind of patience."
Andre shook his head noncommittally. "They are the things that you don't lack the most in the trade. You can use these slaves to exchange for the most precious gold here. Are you not willing?"
"Even so."
The slave owner glanced at the workers outside the window. "But I'm losing out on this deal, so … I have to pay more."
Both sides echoed each other, just like when they were discussing goods. After some bargaining, they finally reached an agreement. Since it was their first time working together, both sides more or less had their concerns. Therefore, the transaction amount this time was not high. Andre bought a thousand children at a price of 30 gold per person. They were all children below the age of 15, and the youngest was only 9 years old.
Andre watched as the slave master's servants helped him count the number of children. Although he did not know the purpose of the Empire's purchase of foreign slaves, there was no doubt that the order to only purchase children in the trade was correct. These children had been reduced to slaves and had no one to rely on. If Black Wing could save them from their misery, it would be no different from a second parent to them. Moreover, once they reached the North, they would have a long life ahead of them.
After being in this business for a long time, the efficiency was naturally high. Very soon, the thousand children that Andre needed were counted. The slave owner's private army was responsible for escorting them to the port of the trading city-state. The sea route from the Western Sea of the North to the central inland sea had been opened, and trade between the two sides was much more convenient.
The muddle-headed children lined up and arrived at the port. They were terrified of the army and the supervisors. Obviously, they had suffered a lot before. Whether it was in the Northern Kingdoms, the trading city-state, or other places, the human management of slaves had always been strict. They were almost not seen as different creatures and were easily hanged or whipped to death.
In a short while, the port was crowded with slaves. Many older children looked up at the big ship with the Black Dragon flag flying. Although they might have realized something, they were at a loss and had no idea what to do. The younger children were already sobbing softly.
Two children who were closer to each other were whispering. Andre's ears were very sharp. He could vaguely hear their whispers along with the wind of the port.
"Sister, this ship has a dragon painted on it. Are they going to give us to the dragon as a gift to be eaten?"
"No, this is to … Don't worry, I'll protect you."
Andre looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl with tied hair and a scar on her face comforting a younger boy. At this time, the leader of the army came to his side. "Do you want to untie the chains?"
Every slave had an iron chain around their neck. In addition, there were also heavy handcuffs and shackles. Andre thought for a moment and sighed. "Not for now. Let them board the ship."
"Twenty silver for a pair of shackles."
The leader of the army smiled and reminded him. He then signaled to his companions. The supervisors violently pushed the children onto the dock. All the disturbances caused by the uneasiness along the way were beaten up.
Twenty large ships, ten merchant ships, and ten frigates stood quietly. In front of each gangplank that led to the merchant ships, there was a wooden table. A few humans in black robes were sitting behind the table with paper and pen in their hands, waiting for the slaves to arrive.
The child slaves were divided into ten rows. They came to the table and were asked the questions that they had prepared beforehand. Then, the black-robed children were responsible for recording. The children who knew each other were separated and assigned to different ships. For example, the siblings from before. Because of this, there was another burst of crying and chaos.
The process was extremely slow. The leader of the army waited for a while. Then, he frowned and asked impatiently, "Is this going to take until tomorrow?
Why is it so troublesome? "
Andre did not look at him. He stared at the slowly moving people on the deck and said, "The deal is done. These are now the private property of the North. The money has been paid to your people. If you don't want to wait, you can leave first."
"Very well. I look forward to seeing you again."
After hearing this, the leader of the army led his people away without hesitation. Immediately, armed personnel rushed out of the frigates to take over their task. A few orcs and flying apes flashed by, causing the slaves to panic again.
"Looks like we'll have to meet again soon."
Andre shook his head. As an Imperial merchant, he had to carefully carry out the orders of the Royal Court. Among these slaves, the Royal Court was adamant that they did not want northerners. If they were not northerners, they would not have any connections in the North. An unfamiliar and helpless environment would be more conducive for the Empire to control.
About forty northerners were selected. Later, Andre would have to go and negotiate the exchange. Emperor Black Dragon was a great dictator. He did not buy these children for his own charity. Instead, he wanted to cultivate a group of outstanding and loyal talents to serve the entire Empire. Therefore, during the registration process just now, those who were related by blood, familiar with each other, and even those who had only exchanged a few words with each other were separated and assigned to different ships. They would not have any chance to interact with each other. The purpose was to make them isolated and helpless individuals who could only wait quietly for the arrival of their savior.