"Thank god you guys picked me," said Gen relieved. She stretched her hands, removing the numbness she felt after those shackles came off.
"Why?" asked Han curiously.
Gen chuckled, her hand covering her mouth. Hearing the question, her chest puffed out pridefully. "Didn't you know? Elora is illiterate. She was just faking being from a Merchant's family", she whispered in Han's ears as she leaned closer to him. She expected Han to flip hearing the secret since the girl's innocence could have deceived him.
Han heard the news and didn't think much of it since he and Elora had no relation. He nodded, knowing that being cautious in these areas was the right call.
Gen's shoulders slumped, seeing that her new master did not react. This was her first time in 6 years being picked; she couldn't describe how excited she was to finally get out of this hellhole that excluded her from society. She couldn't wait for what the world had to offer her, but for her life to remain carefree, she needed to know how her new master was.
Though there was no denying it, her new master was handsome. He was a bit younger, but….NO! Gen stopped going that route; she still had her previous husband in her heart even though he selfishly left her alone.
So far, the assessment Gen had done on her new master was based on his body language and his personality. He seemed like a studious person. His character tells her he has a passion for something or, more specifically, a goal. Gen narrowed her eyes further, trying to discover the abnormality on her master's leg…noticing the puffiness there.
'He's loaded,' was what Gen thought. She knew the weight of a bag of coins attached to her master's leg. She whistled in awe.
"You're not so bad," Gen nudged Han. She can now look forward to a carefree lifestyle.
On the other hand, Han didn't know what to think of Gen's playfulness…the trader warned him of her quirkiness. Her personality didn't matter; what mattered was how she did her work; if she couldn't, Han would have to free her and look for another slave. After all, there was no shortage of them.
They arrived at the counter. "She's worth 50 silver coins", said the trader as he walked to the back of the counter, ready to receive the payment. He wanted this foolish man to buy the nuisance, but he doubted the man would continue the process after knowing the price. He had raised the price a bit in case the buyer tried to haggle. He was prepared for an argument.
But the next second, Han took out a large bag that contained 50 silver coins making the onlookers speechless.
Blade had somewhat expected this, knowing how luxurious the clinic was. At the same time, Gen's eyes widened in shock at seeing so many coins at once. Even though she and her husband were merchants, they had never seen this much money. She cursed at the greedy trader for deceiving them because there was no way she would cost that much. But she would let him off since it wasn't wrong to have such a loaded and handsome master.
The trader gawked his eyes at the numerous silvers. The silvers shimmered in his eyes. He reached into a drawer near him and pulled out two red bracelets with unknown language written all over them.
"These are the bracelets you have to wear for the binding. Each of the bracelets has a binding spell sealed in them. These are high quality, so you don't need to worry about the slave trying to break it", said the trader while maintaining eye contact with Han.
Han nodded. He grabbed one of the bracelets and analyzed the markings on it. It was gibberish to him because he wasn't familiar with it.
"It's the mage language," enigmatically smiling, Gen looked at her master. "I can't believe our benevolent master hasn't seen the mage language before," she frowned disappointedly.
Han felt offended by her remarks but was curious about the mage language. He wanted to cast a spell, even if it was minor.
[Host, wait till level 10. I can assure you won't be disappointed]
Hearing Sophie's voice in his head did help him control his temptation to learn magic manually. He knew learning magic would be easier with the system's assistance, so he persisted.
"Gen, wear the bracelet and then I will activate the spell," said the trader handing her the bracelet.
Gen nodded and wore the bracelet.
The trader gestured for the 2 of them to put their wrists on the counter near each other, and both of them did as they were told.
Then the trader touched their bracelets simultaneously and muttered something in the mage language. As the trader activated the spell, the markings on the bracelets glowed.
Han had his gaze fixed on this sight. Since coming to this world, he hadn't seen anything this magical. At the same time, Gen and Blade were also quite fascinated at the sight since they hadn't seen such high-level spells before.
The glowing vanished when the trader stopped muttering in the mage language. "There, all set. Now Sir. can control your slave as you, please. If your slave disobeys, say "bind," and then your slave will get electrocuted until you say "Stop." The trader informed them about the procedures and what to do when the binding breaks. He also tried promoting his business.
Han understood all the procedures the trader discussed, ignoring the little 'hints' he left about his business. He paid attention since he needed to know about the enslaved people in this world. When he heard about the punishment the enslaved person would get for disobeying their master, he found it harsh. But as he couldn't do anything about it, he didn't give it much thought. He only wanted to get back and put Gen to work.
Gen was feeling quite saddened, realizing her circumstances. She wasn't the same old merchant anymore. Instead, she was enslaved. She knew at the back of her head that things would be different from her previous life.
They were wrapping up everything at the center. Han had officially obtained a slave, and it was time for them to return.
After an hour, Outside the Miracle Clinic.
Han, Blade, and Gen finally arrived back at the clinic.
Gen finally knew why her master was loaded. It was because he was a physician! Physicians were unpredictable since they were outlaws. Many people never had information about the genuinely skilled ones. She didn't know about her master's skills, but she did know that his clinic was excellent! How can it be even more luxurious than some noble's estates? Didn't she see that material overseas?
While Gen was fascinated by the clinic, Han thought about where she would sleep. He's not letting her sleep in his bedroom. He has no option besides letting her sleep in an inn, just like Blade's. Han knew this was inconsistent because paying for the inn long-term would cost a lot of money. So, he decided to make their accommodations available as soon as possible.
"Let's go inside," said Han. Gen and Blade nodded, and they both followed their master inside.
The Waiting Area, Miracle Clinic.
Gen's mouth twisted, seeing how luxurious the clinic was even from the inside. Now she knew that her master was a noble. This news excited her since she would personally know a noble. She had met those snot-nosed nobles before in her travels, but she never befriended them and only talked on a business basis.
"Now I'll tell you what work you must do?" said Han. Blade also was curious about what kind of work Gen would do. He also wanted to know more about her since she was his co-worker from now on or maybe because he was fascinated by her blue hair.
"W-what? Work? You expect me to do work here. And here I thought my lifestyle would be carefree after staying locked up for 6 years!" Gen said, emphasizing how long she stayed locked up.
Han pressed his lips together, annoyed, "Why do you think I bought a slave for, Gen?"
"Ideally, I thought of something like escort or reading novels. Something along those lines", said Gen firmly.
"If I wanted to have someone escort me then I would buy a slave with swordsman or writer experience and not a slave with merchant experience," said Han.
"Well, I thought I would be an exception but what is the work you want me to do?" she inquired.
Han sighed and pointed at the receptionist's table. "Now let me explain what your job would be…."