Chapter 85: Buying Slaves
Illya grew uneasy. “Let’s hurry.”
Even disguised, he didn’t want to stay in human territory for long. Life in Crescent Village was much better.
Chu Feng nodded. “Yeah. We’ll buy him and leave.”
They quickly found the slave master, who was excited to finally offload some stock—he clearly had excess slaves and was eager to sell.
The slave master led them into a room packed with nearly 20 people. The air was thick with a foul odor.
“There. The one in the corner,” Illya pointed.
Chu Feng squinted. “Isn’t he… a bit too old?”
He had wanted a capable butler, not someone feeble and frail. Half a year ago, Hawk had been robust and full of life. Now, he was gaunt and barely recognizable.
Chu Feng sighed. “Alright. We’ll buy him anyway. No point in coming all this way for nothing.”
Illya agreed.
The slave master informed them that Hawk was the grandfather of a boy named Eric—it was best to buy both, or Hawk might resist. Chu Feng suspected this was a sales tactic but agreed and bought them both.
The price: 25 silver each. But the slave master pitched a deal: buy two more, get one free.
Chu Feng, amused but intrigued, accepted.
He selected three additional slaves:
August – A handsome, educated former noble who could read and write. Though attractive, Chu Feng chose him for his literacy. August had lost his title after offending a higher-ranked earl. Despite his appeal, no noble dared buy him for fear of angering that earl, so he sat unsold.
Molka – A half-demon. Due to longstanding enmity between humans and demons, Molka was ostracized even among slaves. Chu Feng didn’t mind.
Manning – Illya sensed he was a kindred spirit and likely an ability user, though his exact power was unknown. The slave master apparently hadn’t realized his value, or he’d never have sold him so cheaply.
In total, Chu Feng bought five slaves—two intentional, three opportunistic—each for practical reasons, not sentiment.
The slave master gave Chu Feng five wristbands, each paired with a corresponding band worn by one of the newly purchased slaves.
These bands served as control devices. If a slave disobeyed, the master could activate the band to emit electric-like energy pulses, causing pain—and, if pushed far enough, even death.
When Chu Feng received the bands, he was stunned. They seemed like advanced technology—completely out of place in this medieval-style world. Reportedly, the slave bands were invented by a gifted ability-user who made a fortune selling them, nearly becoming the richest man alive. After their invention, many runaway slaves were killed by these devices. Eventually, the creator was assassinated, but his product lived on—many current models were cheap imitations of his original design.
“You’re finally here,” Fei Ying called out, having waited outside for some time. Seeing the five people with Chu Feng and Illya, he flapped his wings in protest. “Weren’t you just buying one butler? Why a whole bunch?”
Chu Feng shrugged. “Plans changed. Might as well get more.”
Fei Ying sighed. “You really care that little about money?”
Chu Feng: “…I am rich.”
Initially worried his gold would run short, Chu Feng now realized a single coin went a long way here.
Fei Ying frowned. “So what now? I can’t carry this many people.”
“Then let’s walk,” Chu Feng replied casually.
Molka, one of the new slaves, scowled. “Who are you people?”
Chu Feng glared back. “You ask too many questions. Just do your job.”
Molka clenched his jaw but eventually lowered his head and muttered, “Fine…”
Chu Feng noted that with Molka’s half-demon blood, his tall, rugged frame made him more intimidating than the others. He silently hoped Molka wouldn’t become a problem.
“Let’s move,” Chu Feng ordered.
Suddenly, young Eric collapsed. His grandfather Hawk cried out in panic.
Shocked, Chu Feng exclaimed, “What happened?!” He hadn’t even activated the slave band!
Illya checked Eric but found no injuries. “Seems fine…”
August hesitated before offering, “He might have fainted from hunger.”
Chu Feng blinked. “Really?”
Illya nodded. “Makes sense. Slave masters don’t feed slaves once they’re sold.”
Chu Feng whispered, “Do we have enough food?”
Illya nodded. “I bought some flatbread in town—though honestly, it wasn’t very good.”
His tastes had grown picky after eating Chu Feng’s food. He used to love even coarse bread when he lived in poverty, but now, town food was underwhelming.
Chu Feng thought: Thank goodness Illya thought ahead. Otherwise, we’d have to hunt while traveling.
Illya took out a piece of chocolate and gave it to Eric.
Molka gasped. “Are you feeding him dirt?!”
Horrified, he thought: I must’ve landed with a stingy master who feeds us soil!
Fei Ying rolled his eyes. “Idiot. That’s chocolate. Expensive stuff.”
He licked his lips and approached Illya. “Can I have one too? I’m starving from waiting.”
Chu Feng eyed Fei Ying’s greasy mouth suspiciously—starving? Didn’t look like it…
Still, Illya handed over a small bag of chocolate. Fei Ying clutched it, savoring every bite.
August watched curiously.
Chu Feng peeked into Illya’s bag—just flatbread and chocolate. He chuckled inwardly: This guy really loves chocolate.
After a few bites, Eric slowly regained consciousness.
He tasted the lingering sweetness, then looked at Illya with wonder. Illya waved the chocolate and asked, “Want more?”
Eric nodded shyly. Illya handed him the rest. Eric took a bite, and his eyes lit up.
Seeing this, Hawk finally relaxed.
Hawk glanced at Illya, puzzled. “You look familiar…”
Illya smiled. “I used to buy bread from your shop.”
Hawk frowned, thinking back. He remembered—once, a poor-looking youth had hesitated outside his stall. Out of sympathy, Hawk sold him bread at a discount.
He mused: Thirty years the river flows east, thirty years west. The boy who couldn’t afford bread is now my master.
Illya handed out a flatbread to each of the newly bought slaves, including Hawk and the others. Molka, ravenous, devoured his portion quickly. Among them, he had the biggest appetite. Lately, their former slave master had grown increasingly stingy, leaving Molka visibly thinner.
Recently, Illya had become more generous after spending time with Chu Feng. Seeing that one piece of bread wasn’t enough for most of them, he handed out a second round.
August looked at Illya with a trace of suspicion. In the town, Illya had disguised himself as human. But once they entered the forest, he dropped the act, and his elven traits became apparent. August mused: A human, a half-elf, and a half-beastman… what a strange combination. Stranger still, the human seems to be the leader.
After becoming a slave, August had imagined many possible types of masters—wealthy noblewomen, old lords, or rich merchants—but never this.
Humans often bought elves. But an elf buying a human? That was unheard of.
“Let’s move. Time to head back,” Chu Feng said.
“Good,” Illya replied. “I want to get home too.”
After a long trek, they reached the outskirts of Crescent Village.
