Isaak spoke before I could even ask a question. "Here's our biggest business. Slave trafficking." He seemed particularly proud. "We control almost the entire market of the Alexandria Empire."
We got out. A guard opened a small metal door. Inside, corridors stretched in several directions. Sometimes screams echoed, sometimes sharp orders were barked.
Isaak took me into the first room. Several slaves were lined up. Some were humans, some elves, but most were demi-beasts. They wore control collars and waited in silence. Their eyes were empty, but none spoke. I felt a slight disgust that I immediately suppressed.
"Everything that comes from the Arcadia continent goes through our network. Mercenaries kidnap the defeated tribes and sell them here. Clients choose according to their needs. Labor, guards, servants, sex slaves, and more…"
"Do they all go through you? I thought there were other markets like this?" I asked, keeping my voice as calm as possible.
"There are others, sure, but I'm the biggest slave trader in the Empire. Every day there are purchases, sales, transfers. And soon, this will be your domain too if you learn well."
He showed me the registers, the men in charge of evaluations, the dealers who set prices. He also showed me a corridor leading to small cells closed by bars. The slaves waited, sitting on straw beds.
They were classified by physique (race), beauty, special traits, age, and sex.
Isaak kept telling the darkest stories. "Once, a noble paid a fortune for a demi-beast that wasn't even a special case. He said it was for his collection. One of our goals in negotiation is to gauge the buyer's fantasies and hobbies. That way a product worth 10 silver coins can sell for 10 gold."
"Yeah, if a client likes MILFs we're not gonna show him lolis."
"Exactly, little brother. You catch on fast."
We continued the tour. Building after building, room after room. Isaak commented on everything, explained every method, every procedure, every profit. I only asked the necessary questions and moved forward without losing my composure.
It was the first time I saw the underbelly of Neon. And even if part of me felt instinctive rejection, the other part understood perfectly that I had to adapt. In just a few hours I had glimpsed the world I was really in.
Isaak ended the tour by turning to Kaiser with a smug smile. He seemed proud of himself.
"Looks like you were made for this. Come to my office to check our recent reports."
Kaiser answered casually and calmly, "Let's go right now."
*End of POV*
They left the last building of the complex and took a small steam car that brought them back to the main manor. The Paragon headquarters stood in the center of Neon, surrounded by gardens tended by masked servants. The manor resembled a grand ducal residence, but adapted to the needs of a criminal organization.
The walls were built from dark polished stone that reflected Neon's two moons. The entrance was wide, guarded by two massive statues of griffons. The tall, thick doors were reinforced with layers of metal.
Inside, the main hall was spacious. The floor was black marble with gray veins, giving an impression of austere wealth. Several chandeliers hung overhead, casting clear, steady light. Paintings on the walls depicted landscapes.
A wide staircase led to the upper floor, flanked by symmetrical corridors patrolled by silent guards.
Isaak led Kaiser to the third floor, into a wing reserved for main operations. His office was at the end of the hallway, behind a solid wooden door with reinforced hinges. Inside, the room was large and orderly. A library filled with registers covered an entire wall, every book carefully labeled. Isaak's desk was wide, covered in stacks of documents, official seals, and small metal plates listing sales, profits, and losses. The chair behind the desk was upholstered in dark leather.
Isaak sat back, leaning into the chair like a man used to giving orders. Kaiser stayed standing for a moment until his brother gestured to a seat.
"Sit."
Isaak opened a locked drawer and pulled out several thick folders, placing them on the desk. He spread them out in front of Kaiser with a serious look, as if expecting to be impressed.
The documents contained the latest sales, profits, losses, buyer profiles, and a list of new suppliers. It was an endless series of numbers, code names, and brief comments. Isaak explained each page, describing purchasing trends, the regions their products came from, which ones brought the most profit, and the regular clients who left good margins.
Kaiser flipped through them, but his eyes slid over the lines without really focusing. He was getting a bit bored with all this shit analysis.
He listened without reacting, nodding only out of politeness. After a few minutes…
"Why is Neon's security so lax?" he asked, looking up.
Isaak stopped talking while stroking his clean-shaven chin.
"It costs too much, that's why. Hiring good mercenaries or powerful criminals costs a fortune. And even then, I'd have to find them. In this world, the strongest almost all come from noble bloodlines. They're not interested in working as mercenaries, and even less for a business like ours."