Volume 1 - Ch 2.09
A Labyrinth you say? That is definitely a most curious bit of information.
Ah, a Labyrinth, huh? Cool, thats very neato, especially since I cant remember if the setting I chose for my game was the one that had both open world and dungeons or only one of the two. But since they mentioned that it had been discovered only two days ago then this must mean that it is a setting with both of them after all. I guess for now Ill just sit here quietly and gather as much information out of their conversation as I possibly can.
Did you encounter any monsters outside of the town?
Not strictly outside of Veil, but we did run into two of them in a rather short amount of time.
Twice, huh? Then maybe that means that the activity of other Labyrinths and monsters outside of them will also start to increase? Hmm which monsters did you encounter?
First it was a Slow Rabbit, but the second one was a Gumi Slime!
I see. That must have been pretty rough on you, huh?
Alan the Slave Merchant asked Picker-san with a tinge of honest worry in his voice.
It would have been if I was alone. But thankfully Michio-sama, this upstanding young man here, happened to be travelling here with me today and he took care of that wretched monstrosity before I even had the chance to blink!
This young man took such a monster down alone? I dont want to be rude, but he certainly does not look like the fighting type to me.
I thought so too when I first met him, but yesterday he also helped to defeat a Bandit party that tried to raid the village where I usually do business and he defeated the most of them all the while saving the lives of the villagers and the villages chief, so he has proven himself to me more than enough.
Man, it felt incredibly good to be praised this much, but it was also making me super uncomfortable since I am not used to being complemented at all! Also, was that Gumi Slime really that strong? Or maybe it really was, but I just couldnt notice it because I fought it with Durandal and defeated it in three attacks? Anyway, it would be best to change the subject as soon as possible or else my poor heart might not be able to handle all those praises!
Y-You know, that man would have probably tried to steal that equipment regardless of me being there or not. Not to mention that I just happened to be in the village by sheer coincidence.
That may be so, but it does not change the fact that it was you, not anyone else who helped the village, Michio-sama, and that he tried to steal a part of the equipment that was your part of the spoils of battle. I see that you are uncomfortable with him being your slave, but trust me, this is for the better.
I agree with him. Now, may I have a look at that Deed of Ownership?
Oh, yes, of course. Here you go.
I gave my document to the Slave Merchant.
Are there any changes to the usual deal that I should know about?
I wish to relay half of the selling price to Michio-sama.
Picker-san explained to the slave Merchant as he was reading through the Slaves Deed of Ownership.
Certainly. I see no problems with that.
If I may ask, how much is that going to be?
It has been confirmed that the man you wish to sell is in good health and should have no trouble with performing manual labor, so I think that Im going to offer you the usual price of 30,000 Nar.
I dont know if that is a high price or low because I dont know the inner workings of the slave market, so I just looked at Picker-san. He nodded his head lightly.
I see. This is indeed a good price.
Im glad we are on the same page here.
Then as I said before, Ill have half of that sum paid to Michio-sama.
Looks like my Skill that should give me a 30% increased price did not work this time. Maybe its because of my current Job settings? Or perhaps the fact that the transaction wasnt made with me directly?
Is this your first time using the slave selling services, young man?
Alan the Slave Merchant asked me directly.
Yes. This is my first time coming to this city after all.
I see. Are you an Adventurer? Or do you plan to become one in the near future?
Eh? Why did he ask such a thing? Could it be that my face looks like that of an Adventurer? Yeah right. What kind of an Adventurer wanders around random villages repelling Bandit attacks and stealing Sandals from old barns, am I right?
I am not an Adventurer just yet, but I do plan to join their Guild in the near future.
So can I assume that you will also be interested in buying yourself more slaves in this near future?
Wait a minute. What did that guy say just now?
Like, uhm are there. Well. Are there many Adventurers who buy themselves slaves?
I finally managed to connect my words into a relatively normal sentence.
Of course there are. More than you think, actually.
Buying myself a slave, huh? I never even though of such a possibility, probably because in modern times slavery have been long since abolished and no one would even think of going back to those dark times. But this world is vastly different from my own. There are slaves here. Moreover, slavery seems to be a booming branch of business. And if slaves can be sold in exchange for the hefty amounts of money, then of course the opposite should also be possible. But if thats the case
Would it be possible for me to buy myself a female slave?
Having. *Huff Huff!* a beautiful girl as my slave.
The one I could order around and do whatever I wished with her haha, hahahahahahaha.
If you dont mind me asking, why are you acting as if it was your first time hearing about all this? This is supposed to be common knowledge, one of the cornerstones of this world that every citizen, regardless of their social standing, should know about.
Yeah, about that you see, I apologize for asking such obvious questions, but for the most of my life I was living with my master deep in the mountains where we trained together and we were only visiting civilized places in order to restock on food and necessary supplies, so Im afraid that I might not possess any kind of common sense that you all have. Sorry.
I went for the first excuse that came into my mind. My logic was that if I spent all my life up to this point training in the mountains with no access to civilization whatsoever, it would perfectly explain my lack of knowledge as well as my supposed prowess in battle. The biggest question here is whether or not they are going to fall for it. Besides
My strength comes from me having Durandal as my weapon, nothing else.
Ah, now that I look at you, you do seem to be rather young, or rather like you just barely entered adulthood. I see, now I get it. You must have had it pretty rough, living a life like that, huh? In that case, do you want to go and see the Labyrinth near this city with your own eyes?
I have never been to one before, so that might indeed be a good experience for me. If it is not a problem of course.
If they really have dungeons in this world, then exploring them might be a good idea. Just like every man feels like it is his duty to stick his finger into a hole when he sees one, I feel like every aspiring Adventurer should go to the dungeon. Especially if there is a possibility of finding rare treasures or obtaining more levels in a much faster manner.
Then I will explain it in more detail once you finish going about your business here in town. How does that sound?
Of course. Sorry for making you go out of your way like that.
Not at all. Anything if it means obtaining another prosperous client.
I feel like we might have achieved more than simply selling a slave at a good price here. The Slave Merchant left the room for a minute and then returned with the money.
This is the half price of 15,000 Nar, as agreed.
Thank you very much.
Picker-san received the money gratefully. It was one gold coin and a crap-load of silver coins. So one gold coin is equal to 10,000 copper coins?
And for our newest customer here a sum of 19,500 Nar as a special bonus and encouragement to continue doing business with us. We look forward to any future transactions youll be willing to make.
So this time my Bonus Skill worked properly. Thats good to know, but I am not really fond of the idea of making more people my slaves. This time was an exception, but the prospect of actively ruining someones life like that is not particularly appealing to me. Buying slaves (female ones that is) might still be an option, but male ones are an absolute no-go.
We look forward to doing business with you, Michio-sama. Have a nice day.
Looks like he has already remembered my name. Great, now I have no choice but to come here again. Ah well, maybe hell tell me more about the Labyrinth, so I guess thered be no harm in that.