Troy lowered his head to look at her, his gaze freezing for a moment.
Even through the mask, Luo Wei could see his dumbfounded expression.
She winked her left eye at Troy, signaling him to respond quickly.
With his mind full of "What game is my employer playing now?", Troy reflexively played along: "As you wish, my lady."
The slave trader, who had stopped when Luo Wei made her statement, heard Troy's response and his jaw gradually dropped.
He never expected this noble lady to be so... so... He couldn't find the right word to describe it, but he was even more surprised by how indulgent this knight was towards the lady.
Then again, they had many weak, elderly, and infirm slaves they couldn't sell.
These slaves couldn't perform heavy labor, keeping them alive wasted food, burying them when they died was troublesome, cremating them wasted firewood, and abandoning them in the suburbs would attract wild beasts - they were simply burdens.
If this kind-hearted lady truly purchased them all, it would be a blessing from heaven.
The slave trader's eyes glinted as he realized this could be a major deal that shouldn't be missed.
"Noble lady," the slave trader immediately said, "Those slaves are truly fortunate to meet such a kind master like yourself!"
"You see, in this bitter cold, our business hasn't been good. We can't afford much food, and many slaves have perished from starvation."
"Meeting you is like receiving a second chance at life. You truly are a merciful noble lady."
"Starved to death, heavens!" Luo Wei displayed a compassionate expression, "They are so pitiful. In that case, I'll purchase them all. How much will it cost? Troy, please handle the payment."
What? He has to pay?
Troy nervously clutched his money pouch.
The slave trader, thinking payment was imminent, hurriedly said, "No, no, noble lady, please wait a moment. I cannot make this decision - I must consult our leader first."
"Your leader?" Luo Wei asked curiously.
"Yes, our leader is Lord Bunian. All business here belongs to him."
Who would dare engage in human trafficking without powerful backing?
The slave trader bowed and said, "Noble lady, please wait a moment. I'll fetch Lord Bunian right away."
Luo Wei nodded languidly, "Very well, go ahead."
The slave trader respectfully withdrew and, upon leaving the tent, quickly ran in another direction.
Inside the tent, Troy looked at Luo Wei in confusion: "What do you want with so many slaves?"
Luo Wei rested her chin on her hand and replied, "To train a slave army, of course. As I mentioned, the forces behind me cannot intervene here directly."
"We've found unclaimed land for military training, but where are the soldiers? Where can we recruit them?"
"There's no better source of soldiers than slaves."
"But slaves..." Troy still felt it was inappropriate.
How could slaves form an army? They were neither loyal nor brave.
In this era, armies were mainly composed of nobles' sons. At minimum, soldiers had to be commoners - slaves had no qualification to serve in the military.
During wartime, kings would hire mercenaries, and most battlefield soldiers were mercenaries, while knights generally avoided the front lines.
Slaves had neither weapons nor equipment, nor any combat training. How could they possibly fight?
Troy's face showed clear disapproval.
"Troy," Luo Wei looked at him earnestly, "Do you know, in our land, there was a commoner who spoke words that have endured for thousands of years without being eroded by time."
Troy: "What words?"
Luo Wei straightened her back, her expression profound: "Are nobles born noble?"
Troy's whole body trembled. These words held a magical power - as if he had entered a mysterious realm, as if a door had been opened in his stagnant mind, letting in light.
Are nobles born noble?
Are nobles born noble!
Yes, wasn't this what he had always wanted to say?
Was red hair truly demonic? Were those bearing the dark god's marks really dark god's followers? Were vassals destined to remain vassals forever?
He too sought freedom, he too refused to have his fate controlled by others. He had even betrayed his kingdom and master to escape here, following a new employer. So why did he look down on slaves?
If he hadn't been sentenced to death then, with his crimes, he likely would have been demoted to a slave and sentenced to hard labor at the frontier.
People weren't born slaves, and nobles' ancestors weren't necessarily noble. So what difference was there between him and slaves?
Slaves simply lacked weapons and training. If they received the same education as him, couldn't they also become knights?
Troy felt ashamed of his earlier thoughts and admired Luo Wei's noble character.
He recalled their first meeting when Luo Wei told him: "You are the true masters of this continent. If you despise yourself, they will have achieved their goal."
Even then, he felt she was like a sage standing guard in the river of time, silently recording history, lonely writing truths for the silent masses.
Now, he once again realized how profound her thoughts were, and how shallow his understanding had been.
He would never catch up to her footsteps, never.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Heavy footsteps sounded outside the tent, followed by the curtain being lifted by a rough, large hand.
Luo Wei and Troy looked over simultaneously. Against the pale background, a flash of fiery red swept in like the harsh wind of the desert.
The newcomer was a burly man around forty, with shoulders as broad as a hill. His rough face was framed by a circle of red hair, and his green eyes were like pine forests under the northern snow and ice, painted with heavy strokes by the accumulation of years.
The slave traders' leader was actually a redhead.
Troy froze, his hands hanging at his sides unconsciously curled.
Though both had red hair, he only dared to hide under the deep hood of his cloak like a mole that couldn't see light, while the other man openly displayed his hair, his gaze sharp and proud.
The bearded giant swept his eyes over them, his gaze barely noticeably grazing over Troy's sword before landing on Luo Wei's face.
"Noble lady, I am Zachary Bunian, the person in charge of this place. I hear you want to buy all the slaves here?"
Zachary addressed business immediately upon entering, surprisingly direct.
As he spoke, his thick red beard kept quivering, reminding Luo Wei of Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire, nicknamed "Barbarossa".
Barbarossa meant "red beard" in Italian.
Zachary's rugged style brought a strong sense of pressure - even Troy tensed up. But Luo Wei remained leisurely seated in her deerskin chair, her pure black eyes revealing a hint of curiosity.
"So you're Mr. Bunian," she curved her gentle lips, "I am Luo Wei. Luo is my surname."
"Luo... Miss Luo Wei?" Zachary frowned his reddish-brown thick eyebrows.
Surname Luo, given name Wei, yet called Luo Wei - what a strange woman.
While Zachary was puzzled, Luo Wei stood up holding the armrest: "Mr. Bunian, I'd like to know how many slaves you have here?"
"How many do you want?" Zachary asked.
Luo Wei smiled faintly: "However many you have, that's how many I want."
"Hahaha!" Zachary threw back his head in wild laughter. After finishing his laugh, he looked down at the young girl before him who seemed as naive as a bird just leaving its nest, and said in a playful tone, "This is not a place for noble ladies to amuse themselves."
He raised a hard fist toward Luo Wei, showing it to her: "See this? I could crush your head with one punch."
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