The stench of the slave market made Field's nose sting.
The merchants here were nothing but bloodsuckers. Not a single one of them was willing to spend even a copper coin to let their slaves wash.
Five or six slaves were crammed into a single tiny cage. They ate, drank, slept, and relieved themselves all in that same space.
No privacy.
No dignity.
And because of the indoctrination they'd received since childhood, they didn't even think they had the right to take their own lives.
In the cages placed out front, several female slaves stood completely naked—without even a scrap of cloth to cover themselves. Their bodies were fully exposed for passersby to stare at.
It was a marketing strategy.
And a very successful one.
Every day, toothless old bachelors with rotten mouths wandered by just to gawk at them.
"Looking to buy slaves, my lord? Perfect workers for the farm—hardworking and obedient!"
"Rare elven slave! Only one thousand gold coins!"
"Grand opening! Come take a look, my lord!"
Field walked through the market wearing a well-tailored black robe. A finely forged steel longsword hung at his waist.
His clean appearance made it obvious he had money.
The slave traders' eyes immediately lit up.
They loved dealing with nobles.
First, nobles actually had money—unlike the useless onlookers who came only to stare and never buy.
Second, nobles burned through slaves at an astonishing rate. Most of them would return within days as repeat customers.
To those aristocratic lords, slaves weren't even as valuable as their hunting hawks or hounds.
Killing one casually was nothing.
Field glanced over the iron cages.
The slaves inside had almost no life left in their eyes.
Their hair was matted, their bodies filthy. It was hard to tell male from female just by looking at their faces.
Many of them carried vicious whip scars across their backs.
Occasionally, one of them would accidentally meet Field's gaze—
And immediately lower their head, trembling in fear.
"How much?"
According to the map floating in his vision, the green dot was somewhere among these slaves.
As he searched, he casually asked about the price.
"My lord, the price varies greatly depending on the race."
The merchant looked like a rat-faced man with a sharp chin. He rubbed his hands together greedily.
"Goblins, halflings, and piggirs go for ten silver coins."
"Sub-humans are twenty silver."
"Beastmen are sixty."
Then he grinned slyly.
"But if you're looking for something… entertaining, hehe, well—there's no upper limit for that."
The merchant pointed toward a large cage inside the shop.
The most eye-catching slave there was the elf priced at one thousand gold.
She was incredibly beautiful.
Her body was wrapped in thin gauze that revealed large patches of pale skin.
But her eyes were empty.
Like those of a mindless doll.
"This elf has been completely used up by goblins," the merchant said casually. "She's given birth at least twenty-six times."
He laughed.
"Still a hot item though. I'm planning to send her to the auction house. When that happens, you won't be able to buy her for just one thousand gold."
"Interested?"
"No."
Field shook his head.
The green dot wasn't pointing to her.
Besides, he didn't have that kind of money to waste on a toy.
"How much for human slaves?"
"Humans are smarter and much more obedient," the merchant replied smoothly.
"Male slaves cost forty silver coins. Female slaves are twenty-five."
"They're mostly used for labor, of course."
"But if you're looking for some entertainment, I'd still recommend elves."
"Even if you don't want to play with them, you can kill them for their meat or use their bodies to craft magical items. Very useful."
Field felt a chill run down his spine.
In this world, nobles weren't elegant gentlemen like in television dramas.
They were brutal feudal tyrants.
He had heard the rumors.
Elven flesh was said to nourish the body and restore vitality.
So the proud elves were quickly placed on dinner tables.
Even though they looked almost identical to humans.
While chatting, Field finally located the green dot.
His gaze shifted to a cage in the corner.
The green dot hovered above it like a quest marker in a game.
Inside was a sub-human.
A white wolf sub-human.
She had crimson eyes, wolf ears, and a tail.
She wore a coarse hemp garment and lay motionless inside the cold, damp cage.
The only thing she paid attention to was the key hanging from the merchant's belt.
"A rare grassland breed," the merchant said proudly.
"Our slave hunters had to put in a lot of effort to destroy their camp."
"Those damn barbarians fight like beasts."
He grinned.
"If you want to play with a wolf sub-human, you'd better bring servants to help."
"Otherwise she might accidentally bite off something important… hehe."
"A beast-eared girl?"
Field suddenly felt excited.
As a veteran otaku from Blue Star, he had absolutely zero resistance to red-eyed beast girls.
Like teasing a dog, Field carefully reached his hand toward the cage, trying to pat her head.
"Grrr—"
A low warning growl came from her throat.
"You'd better be careful," the butler Khao said with a frown.
The beast girl's crimson eyes glowed dangerously.
Behind them, Knight Captain Connor had already placed his hand on his sword.
"Lord Field, it's best not to touch them," Connor said seriously.
"I'd rather not run into trouble before we reach Nightfall Territory."
"No need to be so nervous. She's pretty cute."
Even so, Field withdrew his hand.
He was someone who knew when to listen.
In the wolf girl's eyes, he saw stubborn defiance—
And deep frustration.
Cute.
And pitiful.
Field adjusted his collar.
"How much?"
"Three gold coins!"
The merchant instantly raised the price after seeing Field's interest.
One gold coin equaled one hundred silver coins.
And one silver coin equaled one hundred copper coins.
Field's expression turned cold.
"You just said sub-humans cost twenty silver."
"Are you trying to cheat a noble?"
"Oh, she's special," the merchant quickly explained.
"She's extremely beautiful, isn't she?"
"She was captured not long ago. Still a virgin, and no filthy commoner has laid eyes on her yet."
"She's actually meant to be auctioned off."
"With a face like that, if she were human, I wouldn't sell her even for three hundred gold coins."
"Fifty silver."
Field crossed his arms impatiently.
"Don't test my patience."
"I'm about to take over my territory."
"I'll be buying far more slaves and toys than just her."
"Think carefully—do you want to do business once…"
"Or many times?"
"Hiss…"
Those words struck directly at the merchant's greed.
After struggling internally for a moment, the merchant gritted his teeth.
Building a relationship with a noble who owned territory was definitely worth it.
"That depends on how many slaves you're buying."
Meanwhile, the butler glanced at Field in confusion.
In the past, Field never bargained.
He would only sympathize with the merchant's hardships.
After careful selection, Field purchased:
One hundred human slaves.
One hundred sub-human slaves.
One hundred and twenty of them were men.
Including the wolf-eared girl he had chosen.
The total cost came to fifty-three gold coins.
"My lord, these are the slaves' soul contracts," the merchant said, handing over several parchments.
"All verified by the Chosen."
"Contracts?"
Field took the parchment.
It was filled with names written in dense rows.
"Yes. Blood oaths sworn using the slaves' blood," the merchant said with a lecherous grin.
"Anyone who disobeys your will will be burned to ashes by divine fire."
He handed the chains connected to the slaves over to Field.
"So you can do whatever you like."
"Enjoy yourself, my dear customer."
"I will."
Field waved dismissively.
After all—
Once he entered the cursed land—
If he couldn't find a way to enjoy life…
The corruption there would probably kill him first.