章 46: Chapter 46: Finding the Crows Part 7
Katharina pledged her full support.
But a deep-sea dungeon.
A deep-sea dungeon near the Echaits Union…
I remembered it.
It was a location featured in the mid-season event of Season 1 of AOE.
Of course, at that time it was a huge event with the deep-sea dungeon threatening to swallow up one of the three islands that make up the Echaits Union….
Could it be the early stages of the deep-sea dungeon's formation now?
If so, this would be the ideal opportunity to tackle and seal off the dungeon.
Failing to address the deep-sea dungeon now could lead to an overwhelming disaster later.
"…Haah."
In this world I inhabit…
There were no heroes and certainly no "players" to resolve disasters.
It was a world that was a game, yet not a game.
...
So, who was to fend off the myriad dangers that this world faced?
The disasters known as "events" that I remembered were not few in number.
Ultimately, there seemed to be only one solution.
Nip it in the bud before it could escalate into a huge disaster.
Reap El in before she grew into the silver lion Reinhardt who would threaten the empire…
And befriend Jamil before he became the Red Bear Arturo that would engulf Roshan….
Creating a sort of "safety net" like this seemed the best course of action.
If this world were to fall apart, I would truly be…
Left with nothing, utterly doomed.
Screwed. I would be really screwed.
Considering the possibility that I might never return to my original world, it was important to make this world as "safe" and "livable" as possible.
So, tackling the deep-sea dungeon now makes sense.
The issue was…
The lack of party members to enter the deep-sea dungeon.
Apart from me and El, we need at least two more people.
According to Katharina, however, there were no mercenaries willing to venture into the deep-sea dungeon. What to do?
It goes without saying that even mercenaries who are crazy about money value their own lives.
After all, don't you have to be alive to spend that money?
So, anyone willing to enter the deep-sea dungeon must be either a madman or a suicide seeker.
What should I do?
I had posted a notice in the square seeking mercenaries, but it was doubtful anyone would respond.
I walked down the street while lost in thought.
To return to the inn, I had to navigate through a vast market that was as complex as a maze.
True to the saying that there's nothing you can't find in the Echaits Union, the market was overflowing with everything from luxury items to daily necessities and other various curiosities.
It was a place where, quite literally, nothing was missing.
This place…
Due to the complexity, I wondered if I had lost my way without realizing it.
I should have reached the inn by passing between a magic tool shop and a blacksmith, then turning left, but unfamiliar paths kept emerging.
I just want to get back and rest…
Even though I hurried my steps, I could not find the path I knew.
As I walked down the increasingly dark alley, the atmosphere turned ominous.
It's a slave market.
Right.
In the Echaits Union, where nothing was lacking, a slave market also naturally existed.
The atmosphere was unsettling. Just as I was about to turn back the way I came from,
"Let go! Do you know who I am?"
"Who? Just some fu*king pirate!"
Suddenly, the sounds of a raucous fight reached my ears.
I instinctively raised my head.
What's going on…
What caught my eye was a young man kneeling like a slave, who was surrounded by several people.
Splat!
A bearded man, who appeared to be a merchant, raised his whip and cracked it with a menacing sound.
"Argh!!!"
The young man who had been kneeling collapsed and couldn't get up.
"You're worse than vermin. Daring to spout off when all you do is steal?"
The man spat disdainfully at the young man.
"Pirates like you deserve no mercy!"
"Then just kill me! Go ahead and kill me!"
"Shut up! Do you have any idea how much you've cost me? should at least make a few pennies by selling you as a slave!"
On closer inspection, I noticed that a chain connected to the young man's neck was clenched in his hand.
Captured pirates faced two fates: death or slavery.
This one's going to be a slave.
I wasn't sure if that was good or bad luck.
I silently watched as the man dragged the young man away like an animal.
Most pirates were originally poor commoners or escaped slaves.
The prospect of returning to a life of slavery was surely worse than death for them.
"Aren't you going to get up?!"
The man harshly yanked on the leash and raised his whip again.
Crack!
With another lash, the clothes already stained with blood tore apart.
"Wait, that's…"
Something shimmered blue through the torn fabric.
I hurriedly stepped forward and blocked the man who was swinging the whip again.
"Hey, what! Move aside!"
"Stop damaging goods you're supposed to sell."
"What's it to you if you're not buying?!"
The man shouted back. His face was turning red with anger.
I glanced back at the young man lying behind me, then turned to face the man again.
"What if I buy?"
"What did you say?"
"If I buy him, can I interfere?"
I pulled out a heavy-looking purse and dangled it in front of the man.
Jingle-jingle~
"…. money!"
Upon seeing the money bag in front of him, the man could not say anything and lowered the hand holding the whip.
"How much?"
"I-I'm still thinking about that…."
"There must be a standard."
The price of slaves varied greatly.
Prices ranged from a mere silver coin to as much as ten gold coins.
The man hesitated. He was fumbling for words and unable to respond readily.
Without further delay, I pulled out five gold coins from my purse.
"Take it."
Yet, the man did not accept the gold coins I offered and raised his voice again.
"Ten, ten gold! It has to be ten gold coins!"
Seemingly enticed by the sight of the purse, the man suddenly demanded an unreasonable price.
I looked like someone who wasn't from her so he treated me as an easy mark.
With a cold face, I returned the gold coins to my purse.
"Think it over."
"Ten gold, if it's not ten gold coins, I won't sell!"
"Ha."
I let out a derisive laugh.
"Selling a slave who's a former pirate with a history of escape for ten gold coins?"
"....."
"Look at those arms and legs. He can hardly muster any strength; you should be grateful to get even a single gold coin for him."
"But, that's!"
"Moreover, didn't you just whip him twice? It would easily cost fifty silver just to treat those injuries."
"Th-that, th-that…"
"Teaching such a defiant one would cost more than a few coins, wouldn't it? And what about the cost of feeding him all this time?"
"Fine! Then five gold coins; I'll take five gold coins…"
"That was the price before."
I tossed three gold coins onto the ground.
"Take this, at least."
"...Ugh."
The man's face turned red and blue as if his pride had been hurt, but he could not respond any further and began picking up the gold coins that had fallen on the ground.
Meanwhile, I severed the leash the man was holding with a hydra's fang. The cheap metal chain quickly dissolved in the hydra's poison. I then supported the blue-haired young man, who was still unable to stand. Covering his torn back with my cloak, we left the slave market street behind.
"Damn it, damn it…"
The young man kept swearing in a voice so low that it was difficult to hear. He even seemed to be crying.
Back at the inn, I asked the landlady for some hot soup and soft bread to be brought up to our room. Then I led the young man into the room. El seemed quite surprised to see me not alone.
"Master, who is this person…"
"Later. For now, fill the bathtub with lukewarm water and put in two lumps of rock salt."
"Ye-yes."
I removed the cloak I had draped over the young man to examine the wounds on his back. As I reached out, he sharply knocked my hand away.
"Don't touch me."
"I mean no harm. I just want to treat your wounds. I'm a druid."
"I don't care if you're a druid or whatever. Disgusting bastards…"
"Fine. Say what you will, but let me at least look at your wounds."
I forcibly held his shoulder and inspected the lash-inflicted wounds that had crusted over with blood on his back. Around the torn skin…
As expected…
Blue scales were shimmering.
He's a merfolk hybrid.
I placed my hands over the wounds and used [Nature's Healing] and [Wound Healing]. Thanks to the divine power of Lynshaka, the wounds healed rapidly. Probably by tomorrow, there wouldn't even be scars left.
"Master, the bath is ready. I've added the salt as you instructed."
"Thank you, El."
I supported the young man again.
"Let's get you into the bath. It will speed up your recovery."
"Let go!"
The young man pushed me away violently. Moreover, he had somehow managed to grab the dagger from my belt and was now pointing it at us.
I sighed deeply.
"Look, I'm trying to help you."
"A master helping a slave, not a funny joke!"
"I have no intention of becoming your master. Look, I didn't even bring back a slave stone from that man."
Slave stones were made by processing magic stones and were a type of restraint that prevented slaves from escaping from their masters.
Once resonating with the slave's soul, one couldn't move away from the slave stone unless it was destroyed.
Therefore, it was customary to create a slave stone to bind a slave upon purchase.
Of course, I didn't do that.
I have no particular need for slaves.
"..."
The young man seemed flustered by my words and his mouth was opening and closing without a sound.
"Besides, aren't you in quite a dangerous state now? Your scales are about to fall off. You need to get into the water quickly."
"How…how did you…"
As he hesitated, I entered the bathroom first to check the water temperature and salinity. All good.
"The water's getting cold. Hurry up and get in."
Mermaids needed to be in the water for at least half a day every day. This one was a half-mermaid, so two or three hours a day would be enough. It seemed the slave merchant had not realized he was a mermaid hybrid and had neglected him. I could tell by looking at the condition of the scales.
He looked at me with wary eyes. But it seemed my guess was spot on, as he couldn't bear it any longer and clumsily jumped into the bathtub.
If only he had listened sooner and stopped trying to act tough.
"Get out, you pervert!"
"That's rich of you. You're not even a woman or a man yet."
Mermaids reach maturity around 100 years of age.
So, for a half-mermaid, it would take about 50 years to reach maturity.
Mermaids' gender is not determined until they become adults.
Meaning, this individual was also genderless.
I looked at him impassively.
"Listen carefully now. I'm going to explain the contract between you and me."
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