บท 37: Chapter 37 - Cheated
The carriage fell silent. The five kidnappers silently drove the carriage away through the dense forest towards the famous city of Hui. There they would be able to sell off their wares without any trouble.
"Do you know how much we will earn if you auction off that mermaid? God! We will be rich for life!"
"Don't forget that half-mer. That one can fetch us a bucket of gold."
"But isn't he a damaged piece now?"
The taller, bulky man hit him in the back of his head. "Halflings are not that weak. Even if he was mangled, they will still be able to heal well."
"Oh, thank god. I thought I actually killed that thing."
"Hmm…"
The head of the kidnappers' group was called Ryan. The four men who followed him around were all his brothers. They had been hit by a famine a few years ago and left jobless. That's when they started to smuggle and kill people for money.
Even when they worked for so many years, they were not able to make a stable income. But selling these mers, they would finally be able to settle down.
"My brothers can marry and have wives. I can build a home for us all," Ryan grinned.
The city was right ahead. Their bright future was close.
With his keen eyes, he noticed a few guards roaming around close to the city gates. 'Weird, they are not that many usually guarding that gate… why is it…'
Their carriage was currently full of precious wares. If it was caught by the guard, there was a higher chance that they would get apprehended and stolen from them.
'I can't have that.' He quickly stopped by an inn.
"Brother?"
"Shh… silent."
The carriage was stopped close to the inn. "One of you go and book a room. The three of you stay in the carriage. I'll go and check the situation at the gate."
Ryan jumped off and headed to the gate.
With his hood on, he hid his face.
The guards seemed to be searching through the bags of everyone who was coming in.
Frowning, he moved close to one of the merchants. "Why are they checking so intensely?"
"Didn't you hear? There was a huge mer massacre in the southern shores. And one of the valuable mers went missing. The new king has issued an order to capture him. Anyone who captures that mer will get a reward of five thousand gold." The merchant sighed.
Ryan frowned. "How does that mer look? Is he like a man?"
"Yeah, I heard he was a runaway prince. So they are checking all the handsome men entering the city."
Ryan backed away slightly and went to the inn.
This matter was too troublesome. They did not have the mer prince, but they did have two live mers. If they were caught, they would be apprehended and given back to the mer tribe.
Isn't that a complete loss?
'Shit, what to do.'
To go inland, they have to pass through this city. It was impossible to escape the guards.
'Unless… unless I have someone from inside helping me.'
He hurriedly walked back to the gate and entered the city.
Few of the rich and powerful people are always interested in mers. He could give the hybrid as a bribe and move on with his wares.
He headed to the nearby tea house. There, you can hear all kinds of gossip, all he needed to do was bribe the waiter half a copper, and the man told him all about the corrupt and lewd officials in the city.
The candidate he chose was the second son of the prestigious Han family. He was known for his promiscuous encounters with men and was also in a powerful position.
Ryan grinned and walked over to the Han family's second master's house. The guards stopped him, but he handed them a silver and told them he had some very special men willing to trade for some requests.
The guard hesitated and went in to relay the message.
Han Guilin, who was having fun with a few men, paused when he heard this. Grinning, he waved to the guard. "Bring him in. Let's see what kind of special men he has with him."
"Master, are you bored with us?" a young teen hugged his arm. "We love playing with you though."
"Naughty, this master loves new things. Let's see what new shiny thing this man has to offer."
Soon, the black-hooded man walked into the hall and bowed to him. "Young master, can we talk in private?"
"Is that man you have so special that you can't talk in front of my playthings?"
The man hesitated. "He is very special."
"Oh…" the young man chased away all his playthings reluctantly. His mood soured exponentially. "What is it?"
"The man I want to trade is a hybrid merman. Only young master is deserving of his grace."
Young Master Han sat up straight. "A half-mer. I've only heard of them. I heard they are protected by the king of mers."
"The king of mers has changed, and the half-mers have run away. We were able to capture one." The man moved close and handed a piece of blood-stained cloth. "You can double-check it with this, master."
Han Guilin pinched the cloth and sniffed it. The blood smelled very fishy. "Indeed, it is mer blood."
"You can have the halfling, but in exchange, we want to move through the city without being detected."
Han Guilin grinned. "You have more mers, don't you... bring them all here."
Ryan froze. 'I thought this master was a dandy and an idiot! Why is he smart!!'
"I said bring me all the mers you have, or I can have your life." He waved, and a plethora of guards surrounded him. "What say you, young man? Your life or your mers?"
Gritting his teeth, Ryan finally agreed.
The trade he thought would end up in a huge profit ended up in a huge loss.
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