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Chapter 8
On the continent known as Elwin, one of the three great continents that made up the world, there was an old saying:
If you want to sell slaves, go to the Red Rock Mountains in the east.
If you want to buy slaves, go to the Beautiful Lake in the west.
The Red Rock Mountains referred to Vuelrak, the slave market of the Bentayan Territory.
The Beautiful Lake referred to Amilreur, the slave market controlled by Wade Wesley.
Among all the slave markets in the world, Amilreur was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful.
“A beautiful slave market… What a ridiculous phrase.”
To Ian, the words slave market and beautiful simply did not belong together.
Honestly, he doubted anyone would think otherwise.
But the moment he followed Amilreur’s attendant to the quiet lakeshore…
His opinion changed completely.
“…Wow.”
The man in the black hood gripped a pendant engraved with mysterious runes and poured mana into it.
Ripples spread across the calm surface of the lake.
Then, before Ian’s eyes…
A staircase made entirely of water appeared, stretching downward beneath the lake.
“Okay… I’ll admit it. It’s beautiful.”
A slave market beneath the lake.
Now he understood why Amilreur had earned such a title.
Suppressing the gasp that nearly escaped him, Ian forced himself to maintain a calm expression.
The attendant spoke in a composed voice.
“The Gren Mercenary Company has already been assigned separate accommodations. Lord Ian Blake may proceed directly into Amilreur.”
“Good work.”
Clink.
Ian flicked a single gold coin into the air.
It spun rapidly toward the attendant.
Without missing a beat, the man snatched it from midair with astonishing speed.
After the attendant gave a respectful bow, Ian stepped onto the staircase of water.
“Whew… Thank goodness.”
His timing had been excellent.
His luck had been even better.
At the same time, another visitor entered Amilreur using the exact same method.
That meant Ian could simply imitate him.
No embarrassing mistakes.
No unnecessary suspicion.
“The real Ian must have visited this place countless times. If I acted like a complete rookie, they’d become suspicious immediately.”
He let out a slow breath.
“Lucky.”
A short deep breath steadied his nerves.
Still…
“Magic really is incredible.”
The staircase of flowing water descending into the depths of the lake was breathtaking.
The closest comparison might have been an aquarium…
But even making that comparison felt insulting.
The crystal-clear underwater scenery…
Schools of brilliantly colored fish swimming freely through untouched nature…
It was so mesmerizing that Ian couldn’t look away.
“…Wow.”
This time he couldn’t stop the small exclamation.
At that moment—
At the end of the watery pathway, where the staircase disappeared, a man in a blue tuxedo appeared.
A neatly groomed middle-aged man with slicked-back blond hair.
Despite his elegant appearance…
There was something unsettlingly sinister about him.
“…Seriously? He’s got uneven eyes.”
From years of dealing with customers in his previous life, Ian had developed his own rule.
People whose eyes were noticeably uneven often had different faces for the outside and the inside.
And if that was combined with an exaggerated salesman smile…
Nine times out of ten, they couldn’t be trusted.
“In other words… this is exactly the type I need to be careful around.”
The cross-eyed man smiled brightly.
But it wasn’t the smile of someone welcoming a customer.
It was the smile of someone who had just spotted an easy mark.
“Too bad. I have no intention of being your sucker.”
If he wanted to avoid getting scammed…
He needed to stay sharp.
With that resolve, Ian confidently walked toward him.
The man greeted him with a graceful noble’s bow.
“I’ve been expecting you. My name is Jonsen Jonparis, and I’ll be your assigned host this evening, Lord Ian Blake.”
“…Yongsan Yongpal?”
“It’s… Jonsen Jonparis. If it’s difficult to pronounce, you may simply call me Jonsen… or Jon.”
“Hmm… Can’t I just call you Yongpal?”
“…Haha… I-I suppose that would also be acceptable. Please call me whatever makes you comfortable.”
“Alright, Yongpal.”
“…”
Silence.
For a split second, a vein bulged on Yongpal’s forehead.
Perhaps it was just Ian’s imagination.
After all…
How could the man know what “Yongpal” actually meant?
“If you’re already annoyed, why don’t you become the customer instead?”
Ian deliberately smirked.
He had no intention of showing courtesy to someone clearly planning to fleece him.
Besides…
In situations like this, confidence worked wonders.
No—
Being outright rude worked even better.
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and lead the way.”
With his shoulders held proudly high, Ian strode straight into Amilreur.
Behind him, he heard a faint mutter.
“This isn’t how it was supposed to go…”
Sorry.
Things hadn’t even started yet.
“Let’s see what happens to people who make a living cheating others.”
The lobby of Amilreur resembled a luxurious floating restaurant…
Or perhaps an enormous aquarium.
Standing at its entrance, Ian leaned casually to one side and crooked a finger.
“Yongpal.”
Now…
The real game began.
“So? Start talking.”
***
Inside, Jonsen ground his teeth.
For some unknown reason, this infamous young master was forcing him to explain Amilreur’s incredibly thick manual from beginning to end.
“Damn bastard… If you don’t like something, at least tell me what you don’t like!”
Ian had visited this place every other day.
There was no way he didn’t know the rules.
Even a stray dog would laugh at such nonsense.
Clearly…
He was just looking for excuses to make life difficult.
Still…
For now, Jonsen had no choice but to endure it.
“…Lastly, tonight’s secret auction is reserved for Gold-ranked VIP members.”
“Oh? VIP? What’s being auctioned tonight?”
“As you know, the inventory changes every day. However, Gold auctions generally feature rare races.”
“Rare races…”
Ian rubbed his chin.
“That actually sounds interesting.”
Pretending to be regretful, Jonsen sighed deeply.
“Unfortunately… because you have only visited recently without making any purchases, your buyer rank has been lowered from Gold to Silver.”
“…What? You’re kidding.”
“I’m terribly sorry. Unlike seller rankings, buyer rankings require regular auction participation to remain active. Since your purchase history hasn’t been updated…”
“Tch. Then isn’t there another way? Some method to raise my rank immediately?”
“Hmm… In that case…”
A smile flashed across Jonsen’s face before disappearing.
Finally.
His chance had arrived.
Suppressing the excitement bubbling inside him, he answered carefully.
“I recommend using Amilreur’s Free Auction Hall again. Your only issue is a lack of recent purchases. Once you’ve bought enough items, your Gold rank will be restored immediately.”
“The Free Auction Hall…”
Ian fell into thought.
Why was he hesitating?
Jonsen swallowed nervously.
“Please take the bait… Please!”
Finally—
Ian slowly nodded.
“That’ll work.”
Jonsen didn’t even care what Ian meant.
Only one thought filled his head.
“My lucky day has finally come. I’m going to skin this fool alive today.”
Within Amilreur…
Ian Blake was famous.
Not as a noble.
Not as a wealthy customer.
But as the ultimate sucker.
He had once paid enough money to fund a small territory for an entire month…
Without questioning the outrageous price even once.
That legendary story was still told among the hosts.
“I ripped off one idiot, and before I knew it, I’d bought a house in the capital.”
The words of the retired host echoed in Jonsen’s mind.
How could he not be excited?
“This way, please.”
Smiling brighter than ever, Jonsen led the way.
Ian silently followed behind him.
Leaving the luxurious lobby, they entered a long corridor.
Soon…
A vast cavern of gray sandstone unfolded before them.
Unlike the lobby’s elegant beauty…
This place possessed the untouched majesty of nature.
It was magnificent.
But…
“Save me…”
“Water… Please… Just one drink…”
“I’m hungry…”
Row upon row…
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Perhaps thousands of iron cages stretched endlessly into the darkness.
“…”
At that moment…
The calm expression Ian had maintained finally cracked.
***
“Forget what I said about this place being beautiful.”
He took it all back.
Slave markets and beauty could never belong in the same sentence.
Never.
Watching slaves stretch trembling hands through the bars…
Drool hanging from cracked lips…
Ian felt as though every ounce of despair in the world had been gathered into this single place.
The reality was far worse than he’d imagined.
For someone raised in the modern world…
It was impossible to witness such a scene without being shaken.
“Damn… This is rough.”
Maybe he should’ve gotten drunk before coming.
He had prepared himself mentally.
But seeing it in person…
It was almost unbearable.
Fortunately—
Or perhaps “fortunately” wasn’t the right word—
Most of the slaves here hadn’t been kidnapped.
Many had sold themselves after destroying their own lives.
“Most of them ruined themselves with drugs or gambling… Did signing away your own body become some kind of trend? And judging from the murderers mixed in…”
Once he learned their histories…
His anger faded.
“Figures.”
“You brought it on yourself.”
Thanks to his ability to read a person’s emotional state and circumstances…
He quickly regained his composure.
Now he could calmly observe the surroundings.
“Shut up and pull your hand back before I cut it off.”
“G-Gah!”
The slave who had been crying about his innocence immediately stumbled away from the bars.
Ian didn’t even spare him another glance.
He had no sympathy for someone who had murdered a child.
The same went for drug addicts and compulsive gamblers.
“Hmm… Is there a particular slave you’re looking for? If you tell me your requirements, I’ll find one immediately.”
Yongpal cautiously approached him.
“A slave I’m looking for…”
Of course there was.
But this man wasn’t the one Ian intended to trust.
Someone obsessed with squeezing every last coin from him couldn’t possibly be entrusted with something important.
Ignoring him, Ian personally inspected each cage.
Criminal.
Drug addict.
Street thug.
…
The more cages he passed…
The heavier his sighs became.
Still.
The person he sought had to be somewhere here.
Then—
“Found him.”
Inside the seventh cage…
A middle-aged man sat curled into a ball.
His eyes were lifeless.
“Yeah… This is exactly what money should be used for.”
Delan
Male | 41 | Human
★★★★★
A father of three falsely accused of a crime.
Ian didn’t even bother checking the man’s stats.
He didn’t need to.
That single line was more than enough.
“Yongpal.”
“How much for this slave?”
Yongpal hurried over.
The familiar greedy smile returned to his face.
The smile of a man calculating exactly how much he could overcharge.
Ian didn’t object.
Everything was going according to his own plan.
At least…
Until—
“So…”
Yongpal smiled pleasantly.
“How much were you planning to pay?”
“…”
“This bastard…”
“I let one thing slide, and now he really thinks I’m the easiest mark in the world.”
