Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Buying Slaves, Rune Blacksmith, Belos Dragon Hammer
The stewards of the Gray Market Chamber of Commerce had long noticed Su Li and his group. These foreigners with their attire were obviously Pioneer Knights who had just arrived at Marle Castle.
Such people were golden customers for the major chambers of commerce. Before leaving Marle Castle, most of the Knights would spend money extravagantly, squandering all their wealth. By this point, they were no longer rational in their spending; as long as something seemed valuable, they would desperately cram it into their ranks. It’s as if this could give them a ludicrous sense of security for their anxious and uncertain future.
This was clearly wishful thinking. The vast majority didn’t even reach the Pioneer Territory before being plundered halfway by bandits, thieves, war gangs, and even other lords. The last one usually accounted for the majority.
But all this had nothing to do with the merchants of the chamber of commerce; they just wanted to fleece these fat sheep while they still had value.
Upon seeing Su Li leading a few well-equipped Knights, with their armor gleaming under the sun, into the chamber, three stewards immediately rushed forward. Swallowing one such fat sheep would keep them well-fed for three years.
Ultimately, a middle-aged fat man wearing a luxurious blue silk robe, adorned with many gold and gemstone rings, burst forth with extraordinary speed under the allure of money and reached Su Li first, eagerly shaking Su Li’s right hand.
With a fake smile on his face, his demeanor was extremely enthusiastic: "Welcome, esteemed Knight, to our Gray Market Chamber of Commerce. I am Oliver, the steward here. Is there anything I can assist you with?"
Su Li looked him over and could see that Marle Castle was truly a gathering of world wealth. Silk clothes were rare, and the silk garment this merchant wore must be at least worth a hundred gold coins, truly a sign of affluence and a display of the chamber’s strength.
Retracting his right hand, Su Li glanced around and said, "I’ll get straight to the point. I’m here to buy a batch of slaves, the valuable kind."
Oliver’s smile widened even more, and he patted his chest hurriedly: "Then you’ve come to the right place. Our chamber has its own slave capture team, and the source of goods is top-notch throughout Marle Castle. With this qualification, there are not more than three in all Marle Castle. Our slaves will definitely satisfy you."
"Which category are you interested in buying—a farming serf, a fighting gladiator, or a soldier-encouraging prostitute?"
Su Li furrowed his brow slightly and said, "Don’t try to fool me with such ordinary goods. Shabulin told me you have some rather special items here."
"Recommended by Lord Shabulin?" Oliver’s fake smile faded, and a gleam appeared in his eyes. He glanced at Su Li’s griffin perched on his shoulder and the well-equipped Knights behind him, pondered for a moment, and finally made a decision.
"Then, esteemed Knight, please follow me."
He led Su Li inside the building, turning and twisting, then exited the chamber through a back door, entering a brothel, and from the laundry room beneath the brothel, they entered a tunnel.
The light soon grew dimmer, and fearing Su Li might overthink things, he explained: "The cunning rabbit has three burrows. Some of our goods can’t be explained. Once you’ve bought the goods from here and exited this door, we won’t acknowledge it. You must be mentally prepared."
Su Li nodded indifferently, not bothering to pursue the secrets behind the chamber. Who doesn’t have a bit of their own secret?
Passing through the passage, they reached the underground where the light gradually brightened again. Two soldiers wearing breastplates and holding long halberds stood guard in front of a barred iron gate.
Oliver went forward and spoke a few words, and the guards opened the heavy iron gate. Su Li was amazed to find that the inside space was quite spacious, likely over fifty square meters, but there was only one slave inside.
The slave sitting on the bed resembled an iron block, with his length and width almost equal, and a gray beard nearly a meter long, braided into a whip, shining with an oily gleam.
Hilude covered her mouth and whispered a cry of exclamation: "Young Master Suli, it’s a Dwarf."
At this point, Oliver turned his head to look at Su Li, saying, "Belos Dragon Hammer, an elite-level Dwarf Master of Forging from the Dragon Rock Forge, is capable of forging Vibranium Battle Armor and Vibranium Weapons with a double rune. If you can connect with the equipment of the Dwarven ancestor at the Dragon Rock Forge, he could even help you forge triple rune equipment."
Su Li raised his eyebrow and glanced at Oliver nonchalantly; Dragon Rock Forge, this place, he had just seen!
It was on the map Shabulin had shown him; one of the Dwarf Islands in the Hesse mountain range, and a base of Dwarven architectural wonders, it could forge a great deal of fine equipment, even legendary equipment.
But this area should have been surrounded by seas of Beastmen, goblins, gangs, and mountain giants no less.
How did these Gray Market Merchants manage to get a Dwarf from this Dragon Rock Forge?
Before Su Li could muse further, Oliver already impatiently asked with a smile: "So what do you think? Is this slave valuable enough? It only requires 300 gold coins."
Before Su Li could respond, Belos Dragon Hammer roared angrily: "Despicable humans, I would rather die than become your slave! I’ll kill you, you bastards who ally with monsters and commit all sorts of evils."
But his legs were shackled to two huge iron balls fixed to the ground, rendering him unable to rise, only able to roar angrily from the bed, his eyes bloodshot.
Initially, Su Li had been considering whether or not to buy him, but listening to his roars, Su Li decisively made up his mind; he likely had some understanding of the situation in the Hesse foothills.
Su Li turned to look at Oliver and said, "150 gold coins, I’ll buy him. I have a way to calm him down; otherwise, in his current state, you won’t be able to sell him to anyone."
Oliver’s eyes widened in disbelief: "Oh, Divine Spirit above, who taught you to bargain like that? Halving it right off the bat, we absolutely cannot accept it. This is an elite-level Dwarf Master of Forging; even without Vibranium, he can make a fortune forging dwarf heavy armor. A set of dwarf heavy armor can sell for at least 50 gold coins, so we absolutely won’t sell it for less than 250 gold coins."
Dwarf heavy armor is a best-selling fine equipment among all factions except elves; a set of fine plate armor sells for at least 30 gold coins, and in some war-torn areas, the price could be as high as 40 gold coins. But 50 gold coins is really an exaggeration. A merchant’s words shouldn’t be fully trusted, of course.
Su Li immediately engaged in a round of bargaining with him, eventually succeeding in purchasing this blacksmith for 220 gold coins.
And under Oliver’s astonished gaze, Su Li had Knight Oerstein step forward and whisper something in Belos Dragon Hammer’s ear, calming the enraged Dwarf who then accepted his fate.