Death is all too common in this world.
Even if the original self is an ordinary person, without the qualifications to hunt outside the city, every so often one can see mutilated corpses in the alleys of the Ninth District...
But the exploded head of the Wetland Lizard-man and the thick smell of blood in the air still made Lear's heart skip a beat.
Honestly speaking, it was his first time seeing such a scene... but within a breath, he forcibly suppressed the emotions stirring within.
In this world, there is no place for the weak to survive.
In the future, such scenes would become routine.
His gaze turned to the jumping Macken.
No wonder the intelligence said that the other party was eager to act... in such a short time, three had already died!
When the other party said over a hundred in a week, it was not an exaggeration.
If anything, it was somewhat conservative.
If this continues, there might only be a few left here when he comes back next week.
Lear spoke softly.
"Chairman Macken, pleasant cooperation."
Macken, with his big belly, gave a bitter smile.
"You have seen the brutality of these Lizard-men... if you purchase them back, I can't give you any guarantees."
Even here, he couldn't guarantee them...
Lear nodded.
His gaze was on the swamp life that started to become restless after smelling the blood.
"Naturally."
Without hesitation, he took out a pouch filled with gold coins and handed it over.
"This is a thousand gold coins, Chairman Macken, please verify."
Macken took it, weighed it, and his complexion eased.
Just as he was about to open it to check, he suddenly spotted a rose emblem on the pouch.
His pupils contracted sharply.
He looked up again at the calm-eyed youth.
His expression had already changed.
He cautiously handed the pouch to a nearby attendant, whispered a few words, and then waved a hand.
"You, bring over the Ring of Enslavement scepter, and have the gold coins credited."
After the servant left, he spoke carefully.
"Sir, I just saw a rose emblem on the pouch... it is the exclusive mark of Her Highness Firina, rarely seen used by outsiders."
Many use the rose as a family crest, but that unique rose emblem is exclusive to the Flower of the Northern Territory.
No one dares to use it unauthorized!
Lear spoke softly.
"Chairman Macken, your eyesight is keen... these thousand gold coins are a gift from Her Highness Firina."
He chuckled.
"Chairman Macken should also know that for pioneer lords like us, most are not wealthy."
"Receiving some gifts is also necessary."
Macken swallowed, giving a dry laugh.
It makes sense...not!!
That's Her Highness Firina, for goodness' sake?!
For such a person to gift you gold coins as pioneering funds, you speak of it so lightly!!
And if it's for pioneering, this fund might be just a small part of it, right?
What exactly is the identity of this young man?
In an instant, Lear's young face became mysterious.
Not long after, the servant who went down came back, handing over a scepter half an arm in length, whispering into Macken's ear.
Macken's chubby face blossomed into a smile at a visible speed, his tone growing respectful.
"Sir, this is the slave controlling scepter for the Ring of Enslavement."
"The RIngs of Enslavement on their necks have been magically linked to the scepter."
"As long as you hold the scepter, you can easily control their life and death, and this is the latest generation of magical creation. The energy maintaining the Rings of Enslavement is drawn from the slaves themselves, so as long as the slave is not dead, it will never deplete."
"Slaves controlled by the Rings of Enslavement are punished by the Rings if they even think of rebelling or attempting to steal the scepter; absolutely safe..."
The front was quite self-satisfied, but by the end, the confidence dwindled.
After Lear took it, Macken gave a dry cough.
"Where do you want this batch of slaves delivered?"
"Rose House."
Chairman Macken looked as though it was as expected.
"That's a good place, I've heard it's a project Her Highness Firina took interest in ten years ago..."
Halfway through, seeing little reaction from Lear, he awkwardly smiled and immediately said.
"I will have them sent over right away."
"However... the others might not be so compliant; some loss over the journey might occur, and you need to make arrangements in advance."
These wetland lizard-men are like ticking time bombs, they're unpredictable when they will explode.
Lear turned his head to look at the wetland lizard-men inside the cage.
Ready?
Sensing his gaze, the blood-stimulated wetland lizard-men became even more restless.
A string of screeching lizard-man curses filled the air, sharp and piercing.
Bound by shackles, controlled by the Ring of Enslavement, yet the ferocity in their amber eyes did not diminish one bit!
Lear's brow furrowed slightly.
The Divine Format, floating from the Seed of Magic, emitted an endless pressure, threatening the soul!
The Divine Remnant (1 Star, can grow) emanated the remnant power of the Swamp God, intimidating the target. If the intimidation succeeds, a mark will be imprinted on their soul, ensuring eternal submission. The weaker their state, the lower their resistance, the higher the success rate. If the intimidation fails, they will fall into a rage, counterattacking.
"Silence!"
The reprimand echoed in the hall.
To others, it seemed nothing out of the ordinary.
But at this moment, the wetland lizard-men felt as though thunder was exploding beside their ears; at this moment, they experienced an indescribable, unspeakable fear.
It was as if... their god was watching over them!
It was an inherent pressure, a fear from the depths of their souls.
Captured and tortured during this time, denied water and food, imprisoned, and constantly on the brink of death... all these reasons had worn down the nerves of these wetland lizard-men to the extreme.
When a beast is injured, it becomes even more violent.
Its anger is easily provoked!
But their souls were already weakened.
In just a few breaths, their bodies trembled uncontrollably, the ferocity in their eyes turning into boundless fear and shivering, each one bowing their heads, suddenly quiet.
At this moment, Lear felt enlightened.
His Spiritual Power seeped out, imprinting a mark within their souls.
The moment the mark was imprinted, he could clearly sense that the hostility of these lizard-men had turned into obedience and fervent worship.
From now on, these swamp creatures would be under his control.
Witnessing this scene, Macken shivered, gulped instinctively.
Just two words turned these ferocious beasts into obedient...kitties?
These damn things are wetland lizard-men!
In the jail, even the cruelest torture couldn't suppress their brutal instincts, and they could endure the pain from the Ring of Enslavement that digs into the soul!
And now, just a mere "silence" subdued them?
He turned to look at Lear, his gaze changed.
No wonder he was the one bestowed pioneer resources by Her Highness Firina... unfathomable, truly unfathomable!
"Coordinate the arrangements, I'll take you back to the wilderness."
A calm statement made the wetland lizard-men inside the cage completely quiet down, the suppressed agitation vanishing without a trace.
As if they had always been so gentle.
"Chairman Macken, you can send them to the Rose House now."
Only then did Macken come to his senses, with a mix of amazement, he repeatedly instructed his attendant.
"Quick, immediately have them sent to the Rose House!"
Soon after, knights in heavy armor arrived, a full two squads.
They opened the iron cage and escorted the wetland lizard-men out.
These heavy armor knights were all middle-tier knights, at level 9.
Each middle-tier knight, with equivalent equipment, could easily overpower over a hundred robust men who hadn't condensed a Seed of Life.
Truly high-level combat power!
Even within the Guard Legion of Lorand City, level 9 was considered the main elite force.
These slave traders were not simple characters.
But when faced with a group of brutal swamp creatures unafraid of death.
These warriors found it a bit troubling.
Killing them was simple, but escorting them was a nuisance.
However, today was quite peculiar, these brutal swamp creatures, surprisingly, did not resist.
"Sir, can their shackles be removed?"
"Otherwise, transportation would be quite troublesome..."
Looking at the now docile wetland lizard-men, Macken cautiously inquired.
Previously, the thought of unlocking the shackles of a wetland lizard-man would never cross his mind, it was simply outlandish.
Lear nodded.
"You may."
Upon receiving his answer, Macken finally gathered some courage, attempting to have the soldiers remove a few shackles first.
Remarkably, those lizard-men, whom even the Ring of Enslavement couldn't control, obediently complied with the arrangements.
As if their previous madness and brutality had been an illusion...
His understanding of Lear's methods deepened, his gaze grew increasingly respectful.